Food Research International最新文献

{"title":"Novel chitooligosaccharide derivatives modified with halogenated curcumin: Synthesis, characterization, and application for photodynamic inactivation preservation","authors":"Shuyi Zhao ,&nbsp;Qianyun Han ,&nbsp;Long Jiao ,&nbsp;Xiaoye Zhang ,&nbsp;Soottawat Benjakul ,&nbsp;Xiang Chen ,&nbsp;Bin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117182","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117182","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To improve the water solubility and photodynamic inactivation (PDI) activity of curcumin (Cur), three novel chitooligosaccharide derivatives, COS-N-XCur (X = F, Cl, or Br), modified with halogenated curcumin were synthesized via nucleophilic substitution reactions. The results revealed that, owing to the absence of molecular aggregation, COS-N-FCur exhibited the highest singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation capability (capture agent method), reaching 78.52 %. The COS-N-FCur-mediated PDI of large yellow croaker (<em>Larimichthys crocea</em>) demonstrated the highest sensory acceptability and the best color stability after 8 days of storage at 4 °C. At the end of the storage period, the pH, total bacterial count, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content of the treatment group showed the lowest values, indicating significant inhibitory effects (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), with values of 7.02 ± 0.03, 6.23 ± 0.11 lg CFU/g, and 19.18 ± 0.37 mg/100 g, respectively. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the microbial community diversity was significantly reduced after PDI treatment. Specifically, on the 8th day of storage, compared to the control group, the COS-N-FCur treatment group presented a significant reduction in <em>Pseudomonas</em>, with a decrease of 19.16 %. Furthermore, the COS-N-FCur had almost no cytotoxic effect on RAW264.7 cells, and the cell survival rate was 99.47 ± 0.22 % (COS-N-FCur concentration of 10 mmol/L). Therefore, the findings of this study provide important insights into the preparation of photosensitizers with high photosensitive activity and PDI preservation in aquatic products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117182"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ohmic heating for attenuation of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 in Minas Frescal cheese: probiotic survival, biological activity, and in vitro antimicrobial activity","authors":"Cássia P. Barros ,&nbsp;Tatiana C. Pimentel ,&nbsp;Ramon Silva ,&nbsp;Maria Carmela K.H. Duarte ,&nbsp;Eliane T. Mársico ,&nbsp;Erick A. Esmerino ,&nbsp;Pedro Henrique C. Felix ,&nbsp;Carlos Augusto F. Oliveira ,&nbsp;Beatriz L. Valente ,&nbsp;Marcelo Cristianini ,&nbsp;Mônica Q. Freitas ,&nbsp;Adriano G. Cruz","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the effect of ohmic heating (OH) at different electric field intensities (4, 6, and 8 V/cm) on the attenuation of <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> LA-5 and its subsequent influence on the quality and functionality of Minas Frescal cheese. Five formulations were manufactured: control without probiotic (C1), with probiotic (7–8 log CFU/g, PROB), and with attenuated cells (OH4, OH8, OH12). Cheeses were evaluated over 14 days for pH, proteolysis, probiotic viability, gastrointestinal survival, metabolite production, functional properties (antioxidant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic), and antimicrobial activity. Attenuation via OH preserved cell viability (&gt;6 log CFU/g) and enhanced proteolysis and functional activities compared to C1 and PROB. Furthermore, it reduced organic acid production, especially at higher intensities (OH8 and OH12). Notably, OH4 maintained moderate antimicrobial comparable to the PROB. These findings demonstrate that OH is a promising strategy for modulating probiotic metabolism while maintaining viability, enhancing bioactivity, and improving the nutritional and functional quality of probiotic cheeses. This approach supports the development of functional dairy products with extended shelf life and health-promoting attributes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117176"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bioconversion of glycyrrhizin in a natural intensive sweetener by immobilized β-glucuronidase","authors":"Ilaria Benucci ,&nbsp;Monica Mollica Graziano ,&nbsp;Claudio Lombardelli ,&nbsp;Paola Oliveri ,&nbsp;Vittorio Vinciguerra ,&nbsp;Marco Esti","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The demand for natural sweeteners as alternatives to sucrose is growing rapidly, driving research into enzymatic bioconversion methods for more efficient production. Glycyrrhizin (GL) is approximately 190 times sweeter than sucrose, but its excessive consumption has been linked to adverse health effects. Its hydrolysis yields glycyrrhetic acid 3-O-mono-β-D-glucuronide (GAMG), a compound nearly 1000 times sweeter than sucrose and with improved sensory and solubility properties. However, the selective conversion of GL into GAMG remains a challenge due to the simultaneous formation of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) as a byproduct.</div><div>This study aimed to characterize β-D-glucuronidase (β-GUS) from three different sources (bovine liver, recombinant <em>Escherichia coli</em>, and limpets, <em>Patella vulgata</em>) to identify the most efficient biocatalyst for the selective hydrolysis of GL.</div><div>β-D-Glucuronidases were characterized for optimal pH, temperature, and catalytic properties using the synthetic substrate 4-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucuronide (pNPG). The enzymes were tested for bioconversion of GL. Among them, β-GUS from <em>Patella vulgata</em> showed the highest efficiency, reducing GL content by 82 % in 72 h, producing 57 mg/L of GAMG and 46 mg/L of GA in 6 h at 40 °C. β-GUS was immobilized on chitosan beads, enhancing specific activity and storage stability (retaining 70 % of initial activity after 30 days). Maximum GAMG production was 61 mg/L in 48 h at 40 °C, with a 58 % GL reduction, and 40 mg/L in 6 h at 80 °C, with a 45 % GL reduction. Irrespective of the treatment temperature, the immobilized biocatalyst allowed the production of the intensive sweetener in a nearly pure form.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 117163"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gellan–aloe vera aerogels for active food packaging: Structural properties and antimicrobial performance","authors":"Verónica Guadalupe Hernández-Briones,&nbsp;Alicia Grajales-Lagunes,&nbsp;Lizeth Guadalupe Luna-Ramírez,&nbsp;Cristina Esmeralda Rocha-Beltrán,&nbsp;Fidel Martínez-Gutiérrez,&nbsp;Miguel Angel Ruiz-Cabrera","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, aerogels were developed from low-acyl gellan gum (LAGG) and <em>aloe vera</em> gel (AVG) through a centered composite design to increase their structural and antimicrobial performance for food packaging applications. The effects of pH (1, 4, and 7), the LAGG/AVG ratio (66/33, 50/50, and 33/66), and the solid content (0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 % <em>w</em>/<em>v</em>) were evaluated. The optimal formulation, pH 1, 66/33 LAGG/AVG ratio, and 0.75 % <em>v</em>/<em>w</em> solids, presented low volumetric shrinkage (30.9 %), high porosity (90 %), low density (0.030 g/cm³), high hardness (4.1 N), and thermal stability, with glass transition (<span><math><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>g</mi></msub></math></span>) and melting (<span><math><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>m</mi></msub></math></span>) temperatures of 54.4 °C and 74.3 °C, respectively. Eugenol-loaded aerogels based on this formulation effectively inhibited the growth of <em>Escherichia coli</em> and <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> after 60 and 40 min, respectively, via headspace release over agar plates without direct contact. These findings support the potential of LAGG–AVG aerogels as natural polymer-based carriers for volatile antimicrobial agents in active packaging systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117100"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of pressure cooker treatment-induced protein oxidation of cereals on human gut microbiota using an in vitro fermentation model","authors":"Keying Chu ,&nbsp;Xiaojie Cui ,&nbsp;Yuhui Yang ,&nbsp;Qiong Wu ,&nbsp;Ru Liu ,&nbsp;Yanli Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117123","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117123","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pressure cooker treatment is a common high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) method for cooking and processing whole-cereal products. This study examined the effects of pressure cooker treatment on protein oxidation in six cereals (corn, wheat, oat, brown rice, sorghum, and millet), and assessed the impacts of the resulting oxidized proteins on the human gut microbiota. The results indicated that HTHP treatment induced significant browning, starch granule agglomeration and denatured protein aggregation, low extractability and cross-linking of proteins, and transitions in the secondary structure of proteins from random coils to β-sheets and β-turns. In addition, the protein oxidation products showed varying degrees of increase in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and carbonyl group contents, and differing degrees of reduction in the contents of free amino and sulfhydryl (SH) groups. Moreover, the tyrosine and tryptophan contents decreased by different degrees, and the amino acid oxidation products, specifically dityrosine, kynurenine, and N′-formylkynurenine, exhibited varying degrees of increase. Furthermore, these oxidized proteins perturbed the human gut microbiota under in vitro anaerobic fermentation conditions, leading to increased abundances of pro-inflammatory bacteria such as <em>Escherichia-Shigella</em>, <em>Enterococcus</em>, and <em>Sutterella</em>, while reducing those of anti-inflammatory bacteria including <em>Lachnoclostridium</em>, <em>Bacteroides</em>, and <em>Parabacteroides</em>. Additionally, HTHP treatment decreased the free radical scavenging activity of cereal protein fermentation broth, which may be one of the key factors contributing to the aforementioned gut microbiota alterations. Overall, these results reveal that pressure cooker treatment causes the oxidation of cereal proteins, the intake of which may cause gut microbial disorders and increase risk of chronic diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117123"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic interaction between maillard reaction product and γ-tocopherol in enhancing the oxidation stability of flaxseed oil","authors":"Kangyu Zhao ,&nbsp;Mengfei Xie ,&nbsp;Xin Long ,&nbsp;Ping Lan ,&nbsp;Zizhe Cai ,&nbsp;Yong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117140","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117140","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Maillard reaction during the foods processing and hot-pressed oils period generates potential antioxidant compounds that, along with endogenous antioxidants, enhance oxidation stability of oil. This study specifically investigated the interaction between 1-(1<em>H</em>-imidazole [4,5-C]pyridine-4-yl) ethenone (IMPE), a Maillard reaction product (MRP) isolated from a fructose-histidine system, and γ-tocopherol, the primary endogenous antioxidant in flaxseed oil. The results revealed a significant synergistic antioxidant effect between IMPE and γ-tocopherol. Accelerated oxidation tests (Schaal oven, Rancimat analyses) demonstrated that IMPE/γ-tocopherol mixture exhibited an extended oxidation induction period (7.84 h), substantially exceeding the additive effect expected from IMPE (4.12 h) and γ-tocopherol (5.01 h) individually, resulting in a synergistic degree (SD) of 1.25. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6–311+G(d,p) level revealed that the primary mechanism underlying this synergy is the regeneration of γ-tocopherol by IMPE, a finding corroborated by experimental degradation assays. These results elucidate a molecular mechanism for MRP-endogenous antioxidant interactions and provide valuable insights for designing effective composite antioxidant systems, particularly for enhancing the stability of hot-pressed oils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117140"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Steroidal glycoside-rich extract of fenugreek seeds mitigates obesity-induced insulin resistance via attenuation of low-grade inflammation","authors":"Sumati Sen ,&nbsp;Ashutosh K. Tiwari ,&nbsp;Monika Binwal ,&nbsp;Monazza Israr ,&nbsp;Anant Kumar ,&nbsp;Nandini Pathak ,&nbsp;Kaveri R. Washimkar ,&nbsp;CH Ratnasekhar ,&nbsp;Madhav Nilakanth Mugale ,&nbsp;Arvind S. Negi ,&nbsp;Dnyaneshwar U. Bawankule","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fenugreek seeds, among the top functional foods have traditionally been utilized for the management of diabetes and inflammatory diseases, but the efficacy of steroidal glycoside-rich extract (Met-E) of fenugreek seeds against obesity-induced insulin resistance and inflammation is yet to be clearly elucidated. Adipocytes were used to screen the effect of aqueous (Met-A), ethanolic (Met-E), and hydro-alcoholic (Met-HA) extracts of fenugreek seeds on lipid accumulation. Met-E, the most potent extract was subjected to UHPLC analysis for identification of phytoconstituents and its anti-inflammatory effect using LPS-activated peritoneal macrophages. UHPLC analysis revealed that Met-E extract is rich in steroidal glycoside compounds and able to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-6, IL-1β) production in LPS-activated macrophages. The beneficial effect of Met-E was further evaluated against high-fat diet (HFD) induced insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation in C57BL/6 mice. Experimental pharmacology study in mice demonstrated that oral administration of Met-E significantly reduced body weight gain, blood glucose, serum insulin, pro-inflammatory cytokines, improved lipid profile (TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C), and HOMA-IR value. In addition, Met-E significantly improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in comparison to in HFD mice. Met-E significantly up-regulated mRNA expression of insulin signalling pathway (IRS-1, GLUT4, AKT, PI3K) and down-regulated mRNA expression of inflammatory genes (TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, and NF-κβ). Furthermore, histopathology immunohistochemistry and western blotting studies indicated that Met-E can ameliorate the hypertrophy in adipose tissue by downregulating NF-κβ and upregulate the GLUT4 protein expression. Acute and subacute toxicity revealed the safety of the extract. Met-E, a steroidal glycoside-rich extract from fenugreek seeds alleviates obesity-induced insulin resistance via attenuation of low-grade inflammation. The result of this study suggests the suitability of Met-E, as a functional food for further investigation toward the management of obesity and related complications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117127"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary carbohydrate-to-protein caloric ratio availability affects hepatic fat deposition via the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway","authors":"Zhen Wang ,&nbsp;Luyang Wang ,&nbsp;Yinchen Hou ,&nbsp;Mingyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Huiping Wang ,&nbsp;Xinrui Zhang ,&nbsp;Hailong Tian ,&nbsp;Jihong Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High- and low-protein diets have long been debated for their effects on body fat accumulation, which may stem from neglecting interactions with other macronutrients. This study investigates how the dietary carbohydrate-to-protein caloric ratio (CPCR) affects hepatic fat deposition via the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Within an isocaloric dietary framework, we evaluated the effects of varying CPCR (dietary fat held constant at 10 %) on hepatic fat accumulation in Sprague-Dawley rats over 8 weeks. Results showed that extreme CPCR (PC5 and PC50) and PC35 significantly reduced hepatic fat accumulation and circulating IGF-1 levels. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses indicated modulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Top-down supervised transformer classification analysis revealed CPCR-mediated regulation of the PI3K/Akt axis, highly consistent with unsupervised analysis. In conclusion, dietary CPCR modulates hepatic lipid accumulation via the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt axis, independent of insulin levels. This work underscores the potential of precision nutrition approaches, contributing to the development of personalized dietary interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 117035"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144724433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The properties of alginate-cyclodextrin hybrid bubble hydrogel for ethylene gas encapsulation and storage","authors":"Zhanpeng Liu ,&nbsp;Hongxin Jiang ,&nbsp;Renyong Zhao ,&nbsp;Xinwei Wang ,&nbsp;Bin Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiang Huang ,&nbsp;Hao Li ,&nbsp;Paul Van der Meeren","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a novel alginate-cyclodextrin hybrid bubble hydrogel was developed for the stable encapsulation of ethylene gas. Ethylene gas was introduced into aqueous bubble systems prepared using sodium alginate (SA), α-cyclodextrin (α-CD), SA + α-CD, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), or SA + β-CD. Among these, the α-CD bubble system demonstrated the highest ethylene-loading ability (0.88 mL/g_carrier). However, over 50 % of the encapsulated ethylene was released from all bubble systems within 60 h due to cavity disintegration, demonstrating that these bubble systems were unstable for gas storage. Therefore, to enhance gas storage stability, the bubble systems were converted into bubble hydrogels. The gas contents of SA, SA + α-CD, and SA + β-CD bubble hydrogels significantly decreased to 0.31, 0.23 and 0.18 mL/g_carrier, respectively. This phenomenon could be attributed to bubble rupture and coalescence induced by mechanical stress during gelation. Regarding storage stability, 70–80 % ethylene was retained in the bubble hydrogel systems at room temperature after 28 days storage, indicating that the hydrogel structure significantly improved gas-storage stability. This can be ascribed to the hydrogel film coating and the water layer around the surface of cavities. Therefore, the bubble hydrogel represents a promising encapsulation matrix for fruit ripening applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117053"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Starvation-induced metabolic adaptation of Bacillus cereus during biofilm formation: Phenotypic characterization and proteomic analysis","authors":"Lei Yuan ,&nbsp;Bingxin Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongchao Dai ,&nbsp;Yutong Miao ,&nbsp;Zhenbo Xu ,&nbsp;Zhenquan Yang ,&nbsp;Xin-an Jiao","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117167","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117167","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Bacillus cereus</em> forms robust biofilms that enhance its persistence in food processing environments, leading to substantial safety risks and deterioration of dairy products. Nutrient availability is a vital factor to regulate biofilm formation; however, adaptive strategies of <em>B. cereus</em> under nutrient stress remain poorly understood. This study employs integrated phenotypic characterization and label-free quantitative proteomics to systematically decode the starvation-induced (in 1/10 TSB and 1/100 TSB) biofilm formation mechanism in <em>B. cereus</em> 12–1. The results showed that nutrient stress inhibited the growth of <em>B. cereus</em> 12–1 in its planktonic state, but increased its spore formation by 1.04 (1/10 TSB) and 1.79 (1/100 TSB) Log CFU/mL, protease production by 76.7 (1/10 TSB) and 140.37 U (1/100 TSB), cell surface hydrophobicity by 35.2 % (1/100 TSB), and self-aggregation capacity by 7.39 % (1/10 TSB) and 1.98 % (1/100 TSB). In addition, starvation induced its biofilm formation on stainless steel, resulting in elevated bacterial cell density within biofilms by 1.23 Log CFU/cm² (1/10 and 1/100 TSB), enhanced metabolic activity by 36.7 % (1/10 TSB) and 60.1 % (1/100 TSB). The confocal laser scanning microscopy results revealed more complex biofilm architectures with increased thickness by 3.54 % (1/10 TSB) and 35.2 % (1/100 TSB) and greater surface coverage of 52.46 (1/10 TSB) and 52.44 μm (1/100 TSB). Proteomics analysis identified 589 (in 1/10 TSB) and 442 (in 1/100 TSB) differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). These DEPs were mainly involved in 11 upregulated pathways, including quorum sensing, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, fatty acid degradation, several amino acid metabolic pathways, and oxidative phosphorylation, but were also significantly enriched in 12 downregulated pathways like ribosome, HIF-1 signaling pathway, nucleotide metabolism, and several carbohydrate metabolic pathways. In this regard, this investigation provides initial insights into the survival adaptation of <em>B. cereus</em> under nutrient stress conditions, serving as a foundational step toward understanding its stress responses and offering a preliminary scientific basis to inform future efforts aimed at mitigating biofilm-related risks in dairy processing environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 117167"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}