Food Research International最新文献

{"title":"The effect of enzymatic hydrolysis assisted glycosylation on the allergenicity and digestive characteristics of whey protein isolate","authors":"Hui Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiuxiu Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuming Liu ,&nbsp;Xin Tan ,&nbsp;Jiayi Zhao ,&nbsp;Donghai Hao ,&nbsp;Liqin Cui ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Li ,&nbsp;Lu Liu ,&nbsp;Muhammad Muneeb","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117605","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117605","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, whey protein isolate (WPI) was moderately hydrolyzed with alkaline protease, then glycosylated with allose to yield enzyme hydrolysis-assisted glycosylated WPI. The structural changes of the modified protein were characterized by spectroscopy and chromatography. Mass spectrometry identified and compared in vitro digestion peptides to explore modified WPI's allergenicity changes and antigenic epitopes. The results indicated that the enzyme hydrolysis-assisted glycosylation could significantly reduce the allergenicity of α-lactalbumin (α-LA) and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) in WPI. After gastrointestinal digestion, the antigenicity of α-LA and β-LG decreased up to 96.32 ± 1.41 % and 94.95 ± 1.92 %. This is attributed to the fact that the pretreatment with enzymatic hydrolysis induces structural changes in WPI, thereby increasing the glycosylation sites and reducing its allergenicity. Peptide identification in digestion products showed 37 fewer allergenic peptides in enzyme-pretreated glycosylated (<em>E</em>-All-WPI) compared with glycosylation-only (All-WPI) groups. Moreover, no allergenic peptides were detected in <em>E</em>-All-WPI's α-LA epitope library. Finally, molecular docking of peptides common to digested All-WPI and E-All-WPI explored interactions between glycosylated/non-glycosylated peptides and MHC-II in immune responses. We found that the binding energies of AA114–121 peptides in α-LA and AA59–72 peptides in β-LG were reduced by 0.4 kJ/mol and 2.4 kJ/mol, respectively, after glycosylation with MHC-II. Thus, glycosylation interferes with the binding of antigens to immune factors, thereby inhibiting allergenic expression. This study provides a novel modification method for WPI, as well as new insights into further reducing WPI allergenicity and its applications in the food industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117605"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216686","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":"Comprehensive analysis of changes in the drying characteristics, quality, and metabolome of peanuts by different drying methods","authors":"Tingting Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaoyi Zhao ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Bo ,&nbsp;Wenxue Zhu ,&nbsp;Pengxiao Chen ,&nbsp;Mengmeng Jiang ,&nbsp;Guoqing Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To investigate suitable mechanical drying methods for peanuts, this study employed natural drying (ND), hot-air drying (HAD), heat pump drying (HPD), infrared drying (ID), radio frequency drying (RFD) and microwave drying (MD) and evaluated their effects on drying characteristics, hardness, microstructure, nutritional qualities (proteins, fats and amino acids), oil qualities (acid value, peroxide value and fatty acids) and metabolome level. The results indicated that MD had the highest drying efficiency but caused more damage to the microstructure, resulting in lower hardness and higher chewiness; HPD was superior in terms of colour and oil quality retention; and ID offered certain benefits in nutrient quality preservation. The two-term model was identified as the most suitable for predicting moisture changes during peanut drying. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the different drying methods markedly altered the metabolite composition and pathways of peanuts. It also identified 1720 metabolites and 8 key metabolic pathways, among which the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism were the principal metabolic pathways governing peanut drying. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for the enhancement of peanut-drying technologies and post-harvest processing and usage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117625"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216678","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":"A multi-analytical approach for flavor deterioration assessment of coconut water using quantitative descriptive analysis, E-nose, GC-IMS, and GC × GC-TOF-MS","authors":"Tao Wang,&nbsp;Mayue Zhuo,&nbsp;Xincheng Zhang,&nbsp;Mengyang Zhang,&nbsp;Wei-Ting Wang,&nbsp;Meizhen Xie,&nbsp;Lipin Chen,&nbsp;Yong-Huan Yun","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quality deterioration of coconut water often leads to a significant change in flavor. This study intends to reveal the mechanism of flavor deterioration of coconut water under different storage temperatures in depth by combining various analytical methods including quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), E-nose, GC-IMS and GC × GC-TOF-MS. The results showed that sweetness, sourness and umami of coconut water changed most significantly during the storage. The analysis of volatile compounds showed that the combination of GC × GC-TOF-MS and GC-IMS can provide a more comprehensive result of flavor changes during the storage of coconut water, and the results revealed that esters, aldehydes, and ketones changed significantly during the storage of coconut water. (E, E)-2,4-Heptadienal was screened as a differential volatile compound in coconut water during the storage, which is a degradation product of linoleic acid and linolenic acid. The results of relative odor activity value (ROAV) analysis indicated that the flavor changes in coconut water were mainly related to aldehydes and ketones. 2-Undecanone and (E)-2-nonenal were the volatile compounds that contributed significantly to the flavor deterioration of coconut water at both storage temperatures, and (E)-2-nonenal is a secondary degradation substance produced by the oxidation of linoleic acid. In summary, it can be found that the flavor deterioration of coconut water is mainly related to lipid oxidation, which clarifies the critical role of lipid oxidation in flavor changes and provides a new direction for the subsequent study of flavor changes in plant-based beverages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 117564"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227596","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 agave bagasse and Lactococcus lactis addition on microbial communities and metabolite profiles of Mexican wheat sourdough","authors":"P.I. Bautista-Espinoza ,&nbsp;R. Reynoso-Camacho ,&nbsp;E. Mares-Mares ,&nbsp;S.D. Zavala-Aranda ,&nbsp;S.L. Amaya-Llano ,&nbsp;F.J. Espitia-Orozco ,&nbsp;G. Hernández-Guzmán ,&nbsp;J. Carrillo-Reyes ,&nbsp;C. Regalado-González","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Mexico, the tequila industry is an important source of agro-industrial by-products, such as agave bagasse (AB). A second use of this high-fiber material may be accomplished by its incorporation into sourdough fermentation. This study evaluated the impact on the microbial communities in wheat sourdough added with AB and <em>Lactococcus lactis</em> NRRL B-50307. Five treatments were evaluated, B1: wheat flour; BI2: B1 inoculated with <em>L. lactis</em> (10⁶ CFU/mL); C10: B1 + AB (10 % w/w); T5: BI2 + AB (5 % w/w); and T10: BI2 + AB (10 % w/w). Sourdough was produced after a 6-day fermentation at 25 °C, with daily evaluation of the fermentation quotient (FQ), fermentation curves (FC), and organic acid production. Acidification kinetics revealed that treatment T10 was the most stable during fermentation, with lactic acid as the primary metabolite produced, being significantly higher (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) for treatments T10 and BI2 (11.5–12.2 mg/kg). From high-throughput sequencing, the addition of <em>L. lactis</em> exhibited increased dominance and population diversity in treatment T10. Diversity analysis revealed that Bacillota was the predominant bacterial phylum in most treatments<em>. Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> was by far the dominant yeast species in all treatments, associated with the sourdoughs' acidification. From HPLC and GC–MS sugars (e.g., fructose and lactose) and volatile organic content (e.g., pentanoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpentane) varied depending on the sourdough treatment. AB may be utilized as a fiber source for sourdough production. Concurrently, the interaction between AB and <em>L. lactis</em> promoted an early stabilization of the sourdough acidification process, bacterial community modulation, and a different volatile compounds profile.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117573"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154446","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":"Physicochemical, structural, and film properties of octenyl succinic anhydride rice starch esters with different degrees of substitution and their correlation analysis","authors":"Jia-jing Zhang ,&nbsp;Yue Xu ,&nbsp;Xin Bian ,&nbsp;Chun-Min Ma,&nbsp;Bing Wang,&nbsp;Guang Zhang,&nbsp;Yan Wang,&nbsp;Yang Yang,&nbsp;Na Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the physicochemical and structural properties of octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) rice starch esters with different degrees of substitution (DS), further examined their film properties, and established the correlation between their physicochemical properties and film properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that OSA modification primarily disrupted the amorphous regions of starch, reducing short-range order and crystallinity. These structural changes promoted starch gelatinization, as evidenced by enhanced viscosity, improved swelling capacity, and reduced gelatinization temperature and enthalpy in thermal properties. Additionally, the introduction of OSA with with larger steric hindrance increased entanglement among starch chains, inhibiting their rearrangement through hydrogen bonding. This effect minimized starch retrogradation while enhancing water retention capacity, leading to improved freeze-thaw stability and sedimentation stability. DS significantly influenced film properties, with optimal properties observed at DS = 0.019, where elongation at break and oxygen barrier properties increased by 203.22 % and 48.40 %, respectively, while solubility decreased by 19.31 %. However, the film properties were compromised at higher DS levels (0.022, 0.024). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that DS regulated film thickness, mechanical properties, and oxygen barrier properties by modulating the starch esters' viscosity, water retention capacity, and emulsification properties, thereby establishing clear relationships between the physicochemical properties of starch esters and film properties. Overall, this study reveals the influence of OSA starch esters with different DS on their film properties, promoting the precise regulation of OSA rice starch film properties for targeted applications in food packaging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117577"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154529","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":"Transcriptional analysis of oxidative-tolerant and temperature-sensitive genes of Bifidobacterium animalis BF052 during freeze-drying process and development of its soymilk-synbiotic product containing banana and jicama powders","authors":"Sirima Suvarnakuta Jantama ,&nbsp;Pachamon Pichayajittipong ,&nbsp;Ratsadakorn Yimsabai Maneewong ,&nbsp;Kuan-Chen Cheng ,&nbsp;Kaemwich Jantama","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the transcriptional stress responses, physicochemical stability, and functionality attributes of <em>Bifidobacterium animalis</em> subsp. <em>lactis</em> BF052 in freeze-dried synbiotic powder formulations containing soymilk with banana or jicama powder. Gene expression profile revealed that oxidative stress-related genes (<em>mutT</em> and <em>rnr</em>) and temperature stress-related genes (<em>groES</em><em>2</em>, <em>clp</em><em>1</em>, <em>csp</em><em>1</em> and <em>csp</em><em>2</em>) were significantly upregulated during freeze-drying and early storage (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), indicating their pivotal roles in cellular defense, DNA repair, and protein homeostasis. Physicochemical analysis of the synbiotic powders demonstrated that formulations containing soymilk with banana or jicama powder exhibited improved water solubility index up to 65.4 %, reduced particle size, and favorable moisture and water activity levels. Probiotic viability remained above 90 % following the freeze-drying process, with viable cell counts exceeding 10⁸ CFU/g. No statistically significant differences were observed between the banana- and jicama-based formulations (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05), indicating maintained functional stability. Antioxidant activity, as measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), total phenolics, and flavonoids, was highest in formulations combining soymilk and 5 % (<em>w</em>/<em>v</em>) banana or jicama powder (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), suggesting an additive effect. Storage at 25 °C enhanced flavonoid stability without compromising microbial integrity. These findings demonstrate that synbiotic powders formulated with <em>B. animalis</em> BF052, soymilk, and low concentrations of banana or jicama powder exhibit excellent functional and physicochemical properties, offering strong potential for commercial development as shelf-stable nutraceutical products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117600"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216674","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":"Changes in the proteome of yolk granules induced by freezing: Label-free proteomics and molecular dynamics simulation analysis","authors":"Yeming Liu ,&nbsp;Yanqing Wan ,&nbsp;Jing Sun ,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Shan","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117604","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freezing-induced changes of the egg yolk granules significantly compromises the functional properties of freeze-thawed egg yolk. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, this study employed an integrative approach combining proteomic analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate freezing-induced proteome changes in egg yolk granules. The results identify low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), yolk immunoglobulin (IgY), riboflavin-binding protein (RBP), and phosvitin (PV) as key proteins contributors to freezing-related structural alterations. MD simulations conducted at 27 °C and −20 °C revealed that reduced solubility primarily arises from hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. Critical residues mediating these interactions include VAL/ILE/LEU/GLN/ALA/SER clusters in LDL (e.g., VAL-89, ILE-82, LEU-60), LEU-200/THR-197 in HDL, VAL-374/433 in IgY, THR/SER/LYS/ASN residues (e.g., THR-56, ASN-18) in RBP, and GLU/PRO/LYS/ILE motifs (e.g., GLU-26, ILE-7) in PV. These findings demonstrate that freeze-thaw-induced gelation in egg yolk is governed by synergistic interactions across multiple protein components rather than isolated molecular events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117604"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216677","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":"Formation of aroma active volatiles from thermal degradation of 18 amino acids with or without sugars in low-moisture systems and the modulation by sucrose and epigallocatechin gallate","authors":"Mengru Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoting Zhai ,&nbsp;Xiaochun Wan ,&nbsp;Xiaogen Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the thermal degradation of 18 proteinogenic amino acids at 160 °C for 1 h under low-moisture conditions, focusing on the formation of volatile compounds. The structure of amino acid side chains strongly influenced volatile profiles and reaction pathways. Serine and phenylalanine produced the highest levels of volatiles; notably, even in the absence of reducing sugars, amino acids with aliphatic hydroxyl groups (serine and threonine) and with amide groups (glutamine and asparagine) in their side chains generated pyrazines. Significant Strecker aldehyde formation was observed for branched chain amino acids (alanine, isoleucine, and leucine) and valine without sugars. When a sucrose-rich sugar mix, simulating the composition of tea leaves introduced, volatile profiles shifted toward furans, aldehydes, and acids, and modulating pyrazine formation. The presence of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) suppressed nitrogen-containing volatiles and dicarbonyls while preserving furans and aldehydes. Aroma impact, assessed by the sum of odor activity values (ΣOAV), suggested potentially significant sensory contributions. While the findings provide general insights into amino acids-derived volatiles relevant to thermal processing, the sugars and EGCG model matrix was based on tea and is primarily applicable to the roasting of baked teas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"222 ","pages":"Article 117618"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227600","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":"Encapsulation of hydrophobic functional components in yogurt: technology, product characteristics and health benefits","authors":"Guixian Meng ,&nbsp;Mike Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhen Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaoqun Zeng ,&nbsp;Guangsheng Zhao ,&nbsp;Weichen Bao ,&nbsp;Changyu Zhou ,&nbsp;Daodong Pan ,&nbsp;Qiwei Du","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Yogurt, a widely consumed functional food, presents a physical incompatibility between its hydrophilic matrix and hydrophobic functional components, resulting in uneven dispersion, oxidative degradation and reduced bioavailability. To address these challenges, encapsulation systems such as emulsions, liposomes and micro- or nanoparticles are commonly employed to enhance the stability and efficacy of hydrophobic bioactives in fortified yogurt. The stability of encapsulation systems is governed by microscopic parameters, including interfacial layer, particle coating and particle size. Strategies such as promoting electrostatic repulsion to prevent casein micelle aggregation, filling voids within the casein network with particles and optimising droplet size notably influence the physicochemical properties of yogurt and enhance the delivery efficiency of functional components. Yogurt fortified with hydrophobic functional components benefits from a physical barrier formed by its encapsulation structure, which delays the oxidative degradation of active ingredients. This barrier enhances delivery efficiency and bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract through controlled-release mechanisms. Such improvements contribute to positive health outcomes, including cardiovascular support, antioxidant defence, anti-inflammatory activity and bone health, and may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Future in vivo studies, particularly those involving human clinical trials, are needed to inform the development of functional yogurt products and to support the application of related delivery systems across other dairy matrices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117594"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216631","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":"Reduction of viability, heat resistance, and biofilm formation and persistence of Bacillus cereus spores in beef stew broth by herb and spice extracts","authors":"Gyeong-Jong Kim,&nbsp;Young Hun Jin,&nbsp;Jae-Hyung Mah","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117606","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the inhibitory effects of ethanol extracts from 16 plants (8 herbs and 8 spices) on the viability, heat resistance, biofilm formation, and persistence of two different toxigenic <em>Bacillus cereus</em> spores in beef stew broth. Two <em>B. cereus</em> strains, namely, <em>B. cereus</em> CH3 (diarrheal type) and <em>B. cereus</em> JCM 17690 (emetic type), were tested. Based on the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) both <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in situ</em>, the most effective herbs and spices were selected: rosemary (0.3125 mg/mL; identical in both strains and tests) and sage (0.3125 mg/mL) among herbs; mace (0.625 mg/mL) and turmeric (0.625 mg/mL) among spices. In addition, all extracts prepared from powdered forms of herbs and spices consistently exhibited equal or lower MICs than those prepared from dried forms. Meanwhile, all four selected extracts prepared from powdered forms significantly reduced spore viability (reduction rate of herbs: 50.46–90.91 %; spices: 52.36–86.01 %) and heat resistance (reduction rate of herbs: 16.64–48.63 %; spices: 9.69–45.41 %). All the extracts also completely inhibited the biofilm formation of <em>B. cereus</em> spores and effectively disrupted the preformed biofilms (<em>i.e.</em>, reduction of biofilm persistence; reduction rate of herbs: 12.16–77.83 %; spices: 14.13–70.99 %). In addition, they significantly reduced the heat resistance (reduction rate of herbs: 9.45–35.67 %; spices: 8.90–28.27 %) of spores in biofilm. Such inhibitory effects of the extracts were shown in a concentration-dependent manner, and the intensity of inhibition appeared to be strain specific. These findings indicate that the application of natural plant extracts, in combination with conventional heat treatment, may provide a promising strategy for controlling <em>B. cereus</em> contamination in beef stew and other ready-to-eat meat products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 117606"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216765","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}