Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of phosphorylation on the degradation of myofibrillar proteins by μ-calpain. Methods: Protein kinase A (PKA) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were used to catalyze the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of myofibrillar proteins of mutton longissimus dorsi muscle, followed by hydrolysis by μ-calpain. The levels of protein phosphorylation and degradation were measured by SDS-PAGE, Pro-Q Diamond fluorescent staining, and Western blotting, respectively. Results: The phosphorylation level of myofibrillar proteins in the PKA group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05), while the phosphorylation level of myofibrillar proteins in the AP group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The autolysis and activity of μ-calpain were suppressed by PKA treatment, thereby leading to prolonged hydrolysis of myofibrillar proteins by μ-calpain. Phosphorylation enhanced the degradation of myosin heavy chain and troponin T, while dephosphorylation enhanced the degradation of actin and desmin. Conclusion: Phosphorylation affected both myofibrillar proteins and μ-calpain activity and therefore the degradation of myofibrillar proteins by μ-calpain.

A homogeneous polysaccharide (BCP) from black currant fruits was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by successive purification using macroporous resin D4006, anion-exchange Q-Sepharose FF and Sephadex G-100 columns. The molecular weight of BCP was determined as 16 329 kD by HPLC. BCP consisted of galacturonic acid, rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose at a molar ratio of 0.31:0.66:1.63:0.36:0.23:0.31:1.00 as determined by gas chromatography (GC). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that BCP had the characteristic absorption peaks of polysaccharides. Qualitative tests and UV spectra indicated the absence of protein, nucleic acid, starch, and pigment. Congo red test showed that BCP lacked triple helix structure. In the concentration range of 0.2–1.2 mg/mL, BCP presented high scavenging activities toward 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH), hydroxyl, superoxide anion radicals in a concentration-dependent manner. BCP exhibited a significant ability to inhibit the formation of glycation products at three stages which was in a concentration-dependent manner and higher than that of the control aminoguanidine. Moreover, BCP showed inhibitory activity against α-amylase lower than that of the control acarbose.

This paper reports the effect of rosemary, clove and cinnamon extracts (0.005, 0.010 and 0.020 g/g protein) added to pork myofibrillar protein, respectively on total thiols content, surface hydrophobicity, solubility, gel strength and rheological properties. The results showed that all spice extracts reduced the total thiols content and solubility of pork myofibrillar protein. The surface hydrophobicity increased first and then decreased with increasing addition of the spice extracts. At the final stage of heating, the elasticity modulus (G’) of all of the three additions was higher when compared with the control. Low and medium concentrations of the spice extracts were beneficial for gel strength enhancement and gel formation. However, the addition of high concentration of the spice extracts was detrimental for the gelation of myofibrillar protein. Therefore, the interactions between spice extracts and myofibrillar protein have an impact on protein structure and gel properties.

Purpose: Non-enzymatic glycation reaction can be induced during the glycosylation modification of soybean 7S protein, which can give rise to the production of harmful advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In order to improve the safety of foods, soybean 7S protein-sugar system was established to find out the factors affecting the formation of AGEs and effectively control the glycosylation reaction under simulated food processing conditions. Methods: The influencing factors including sugar type, sugar concentration, pH, temperature, inhibitor type and inhibitor concentration were detected by fluorescence spectrometry (λex/λem = 340 nm/465 nm). The formation and inhibition of harmful products were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results: The use of fructose as a sugar, a ratio between sugar and protein concentrations of 1:4, a pH value of 9.2, and a reaction temperature of 121 ℃ were the best conditions for the formation of fluorescent AGEs. The flavonoids quercetin, genistein, rutin and luteolin could effectively and dose-dependently inhibit the formation of fluorescent AGEs. Conclusion: The types of sugar and inhibitor have a certain effect on the formation of fluorescent AGEs. We can inhibit the formation of fluorescent AGEs by reducing the ratio between sugar and protein concentrations, pH and reaction temperature as well as increasing the concentration of the inhibitor.

The differences in physicochemical properties between oxidized and native wheat starch were analyzed as well as the effect of addition of oxidized wheat starch on the quality of fresh noodles. The oxidized starch was prepared with H2O2 by 4 h reaction at 50 ℃. The results indicated that the surface and internal structure of oxidized starch was damaged. Oxidized starch granules were adhered to each other in aqueous suspension. Compared with native starch, the crystal type of oxidized starch was unchanged, the lipid-binding ability was increased, the content of amylose decreased slightly, the swelling power and water-holding capacity significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the solubility significantly increased (P < 0.01). No significant differences in wet gluten content, gluten index and dry gluten content were demonstrated between mixtures of native and oxidized starch with flour at a ratio of 1:4. The peak viscosity, minimum viscosity and final viscosity of flour were significantly reduced with the addition of oxidized starch (P < 0.01). The proportion of strongly bound water in fresh noodles with oxidized starch was decreased, and the proportion of weakly bound water was increased. During heating, the storage modulus and loss modulus of noodles with oxidized starch were lower than those of the control sample.

In order to investigate the phenolic components and in vitro antioxidant activity of the peel and pulp of different plum varieties, we chose nine plum varieties for the extraction of free and bound phenols from the peel and pulp. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the extracts were determined, and the polyphenol composition was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that total phenolic contents in the peel of nine plum varieties were between 111.52 and 775.88 mg GAE/100 g, and between 120.65 and 301.91 mg GAE/100 g in the pulp. Among the varieties investigated, both the peel and pulp of red plum had the highest phenolic contents, and the lowest phenolic contents were detected in both tissues of prune. Free phenols were more abundant than bound ones in all the varieties, and the main phenolic compounds identified were phenolic acids (protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid). In vitro antioxidant assays showed that the phenolic extracts from all nine plum varieties had some antioxidant activity with IC50 values for scavenging of DPPH radical in the range of 4.38–46.46 μg/mL and ORAC values in the range of 0.24–210.50 μmol TE/g. Among these varieties, free phenols extracted from the pulp of Wushan plum possessed the lowest DPPH radical scavenging capacity and those extracted from the peel of red plum had the highest ORAC value.

Beta ray emitted by electron accelerator can sterilize and preserve foods. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of electron beam irradiation at different doses (0.00, 2.45, 3.33, 4.41, 5.27, 6.64, 7.24 and 8.56 kGy) on the quality of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Sensory evaluation was conducted and then the results were used to establish a fuzzy matrix to calculate the membership degree for comprehensive evaluation. The main representative textural characteristics were determined by Pearson correlation coefficients and principal component analysis. The results of sensory evaluation using fuzzy mathematics showed that the membership degree decreased with increasing dose of irradiation. upon irradiation at 2.45, 3.33 and 4.41 kGy, the membership degrees were all close to level one. Chewiness, springiness and gumminess were the major representative textural characteristics, whose values fluctuated with irradiation dose. But the textural characteristics were not statistically different with increasing dose up to 4.41 kG (P > 0.05). In conclusion, electron beam irradiation at a dose below 4.41 kGy can maximally maintain the sensory quality and texture of largemouth bass.

Functional magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4-CS@Fe3+ (CMNP@Fe3+ for short) were prepared by chemical co-precipitation and functional modification with sodium chondroitin sulfate and ferric ion, and their surface morphology was analyzed. CMNP@Fe3+ showed a spherical shape with a small diameter of about 20 nm, and they could be well dispersed in aqueous solution as proved by transmission electron microscope. It was found that the nanoparticles had superparamagnetic properties as indicated by the hysteresis loop. Fourier transform infrared spectrum revealed that sodium chondroitin sulfate and Fe3+coated the surface of Fe3O4 successfully. This study established a new method to extract phosvitin from hen egg yolk by taking advantage of the strong binding of Fe3+ on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles to phosvitin, and we also investigated the factors influencing the adsorption process. The magnetic nanoparticles had maximum adsorption capacity under the following conditions: solution pH 4.0, initial substrate concentration 10 mg/mL, and adsorption time 180 min. The adsorption kinetics of CMNP@Fe3+ for phosvitin was better described by a pseudo second-order kinetic model, and the theoretical adsorption capacity at the equilibrium state computed from the model was 625.00 mg/g. The adsorption data were fit to well the Freundlich isotherm model. This research may provide a reference for protein separation from eggs using magnetic particles.

The effects of low acyl (LA) gellan gum concentration, the ratio of glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) to LA and acid immersion on the properties of low acyl gellan gum gels formed by acidification with GDL were investigated. The gelation profile of low acyl gellan gum after the addition of GDL showed a gradual decrease in pH, and the higher the GDL/LA ratio was, the lower the pH of the mixed system was and the higher the acidification rate. LA gellan gum concentration and GDL/LA ratio had a pronounced effect on the structure of the gels. Fracture stress and water-holding capacity increased first and then declined with the increase in GDL/LA ratio. Higher LA gellan gum concentration led to larger fracture stress and opacity index. Moreover, the fracture strain decreased with the increase in GDL/LA ratio. The opacity index increased while fracture strain decreased with increasing GDL/LA ratio. Acid immersion at pH 1 had no impact on the strength of the gels with GDL/LA ratio of 2:1 and 4:1, while for those with GDL/LA ratio of 1:4, 1:2 and 1:1, the gel strength increased with increasing immersion time, suggesting restructuring of the gels.

Zein/chitosan composite films were prepared by casting after addition of zein to chitosan/acetic acid/ethanol mixed systems containing different concentrations of chitosan (CS) in order to improve the mechanical and hydrophilic properties of zein film. The effect of CS concentration on physicochemical properties and antibacterial activity of zein/chitosan composite films was investigated. Results indicated that the viscosity and conductivity of mixed solutions showed step-like changes with increasing CS concentration from 2% to 8%, and the properties of composite films were markedly affected by addition of CS, leading to an increase in elongation at break from 1.00% to 6.67%, a reduction in contact angle from 65.97° to 53.61°, and an elevation in water vapor transmission rate from 5.23 to 9.16 g·m /(m2·h·Pa). Scanning electron microscope observation indicated the composite films showed a smooth and homogeneous surface. Furthermore, the composite films possessed potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli.

The study was undertaken to investigate the effect of different feeding conditions on MyomiRs expression in longissimus dorsi and slaughter performance of 12-month-old Sunit sheep. The results showed that growth traits (length, height and chest girth), live weight and carcass weight of sheep in the grazing group were significantly higher than those of sheep in the stall-fed group (P < 0.05), and dressing percentage and lean meat yield of pen-fed sheep were higher than those of grazing sheep. The level of miRNA expression in longissimus dorsi of grazing sheep was higher than in stall-fed sheep. The miR-1 expression in grazing sheep had a significant positive correlation with height, carcass weight and lean meat yield (P < 0.05), and miR-133 expression was also significantly positively correlated with lean meat yield (P < 0.05). But a significant negative correlation between miR-128 expression and lean meat yield was noted for the stall-fed group (P < 0.05). Accordingly, different feeding conditions have an impact on miRNAs expression, thereby further affecting slaughter performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of radiation temperature during far-infrared radiation drying on drying characteristics, microstructure, nutrient components and color of Flos Lonicerae. Drying of Flos Lonicerae was carried out with a far-infrared radiation dryer. The results showed that the increase in radiation temperature could significantly improve the drying rate and shorten the drying time. Only the falling-rate period appeared during the drying process, suggesting that far-infrared radiation drying of Flos Lonicerae is controlled by internal diffusion. The values of effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 1.13 × 10-10 to 4.57 × 10-10 m2/s, which increased with radiation temperature. The increase in radiation temperature could result in the formation of more micro-tunnels of larger size in the structure of dried Flos Lonicerae, which is beneficial to moisture diffusion during the drying process. With increasing radiation temperature, the contents of chlorogenic acid, luteoloside and loganin showed an initial increase followed by a decline. The L* value increased first and then decreased, and the opposite trend was observed for a* and ΔE values. At a radiation temperature of 240 ℃, both high drying rate and a good quality product could be achieved by fixing other drying parameters in this study.

NaCl is an essential auxiliary material for processing of minced pork products. In this paper, in order to further confirm the role of NaCl in this regard, low field nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy were used to explore the effect of NaCl on cooking yield, hardness, water migration and protein secondary structures in pork batters. The results showed that cooking yield and hardness were signi?cantly (P < 0.05) improved, T2b and T22 relaxation times became shorter, and the peak ratio of T21 (bound water) was increased with the increase in NaCl concentration. Raman spectroscopy indicated that β-sheet content was increased with increasing NaCl concentration from 1% to 2%, while the secondary structure composition was not signi?cantly changed (P > 0.05) with further increase in NaCl concentration up to 3%. With the increase in NaCl concentration, the —OH stretching vibration was shifted to high wavenumbers (3 226 and 3 227 cm-1), and the number of hydrogen bonds in a water molecule was increased. Overall, the addition of a proper amount of NaCl could change the secondary structure of pork proteins and enhance protein hydration, thereby helping improve processing properties of pork batter.

The study was designed to investigate the effects of spraying exogenous spermidine (0.25 mmol/L) on fruit yield, quality and volatile compounds in tomato cultivar Jinpengchaoguan. Plants were exposed to 75 mmol/L salinity-alkalinity stress c(NaCl):c(Na2SO4):c(NaHCO3):c(Na2CO3) = 1:9:9:1. Four treatments were performed: 0 mmol/L salinity-alkalinity plus 0 mmol/L Spd (CK), 0 mmol/L salinity-alkalinity plus 0.25 mmol/L Spd (CS), 75 mmol/L salinity-alkalinity plus 0 mmol/L Spd (S), and 75 mmol/L salinity-alkalinity plus 0.25 mmol/L Spd (SS). The results showed that applying 0.25 mmol/L Spd (SS) significantly improved fruit VC (P < 0.05), soluble sugar and lycopene contents and yields (P < 0.05). Under salinity-alkalinity stress the organic acid and nitrate contents were reduced significantly (P < 0.05). Headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) was used to analyze the volatile substances of tomato fruits in different treatments. Our results illustrated that salinity-alkalinity stress could decrease the total number of volatile substances and the relative contents of characteristic aroma compounds, and this effect could be mitigated by spraying Spd. Therefore, spraying Spd can reduce the adverse effects caused by salinity-alkalinity stress, resulting in improved fruit quality and aroma, and increased fruit yield.

This study was aimed to explore the properties of soluble aggregates from whey protein isolate (WPI) modified with mixed chymotrypsin and transglutaminase (TGase) using electrophoresis, a fluorescence spectrophotometer and a rotational rheometer. The results showed that the viscosity of protein aggregates modified by mixed enzymes was higher, and the content of free sulfhydryl groups was significantly decreased; however, the surface hydrophobicity and ζ-potential did not change significantly when compared with single TGase modification. The average particle size of mixed enzyme-modified aggregates was (153.66 ± 9.15) μm, while that of TGase-modified aggregates was (157.92 ± 10.91) μm, suggesting no significant difference. Comparative analysis using SDS-PAGE and Native-PAGE showed that single TGase-modified aggregates had higher molecular weight, and was trapped at the injection port; in contrast, the molecular weight of aggregates modified by mixed enzymes was moderate, mostly distributed around 65 kD, which was coincided with the particle size distribution. The surface of aggregates modified by both enzymes showed a corrugated shape with structural uniformity. The solubility curve of mixed enzyme-modified WPI aggregates in the range of pH 2.0–7.0 was gentle, while the solubility was increased at pH 4.0–5.0 when compared with the unmodified whey protein. The results in this study may provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for applying enzymatically modified WPI in yogurt and fermented dairy beverage.

In order to elucidate the thermal denaturation mechanism of pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC), intact PSC was extracted from jellyfish umbrella. The denaturation temperature of PSC under different heating rates, and the rates of residual PSC after heating at different temperatures for different times were investigated by a microcalorimeter. The thermal denaturation kinetics of PSC was analyzed as well. The results showed that the endothermic peak gradually moved towards lower temperature area with the decrease in heating rate, suggesting that the denaturation temperature of PSC declined with the decrease in heating rate. However, the change in heating rate did not show any significant impact on the heat of reaction. As the temperature rose, the increase of energy per unit time, namely the quantity of heat, could increase the degeneration rate of PSC, thereby shortening the degeneration time of PSC. The thermal denaturation process of PSC could be described by a regression equation with a reaction order of 0.9. At 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 ℃, the D90 values (time required for 90% denaturation) were 53.76, 26.11, 15.75, 4.89, 4.26 and 2.55 min, respectively. The Z90 value (temperature change for 90% reduction of D value) was 3.69 ℃. The apparent activation energy was 481.90 kJ/mol. This research can provide a theoretical guideline for further development and utilization of jellyfish collagen.

In order to investigate gel properties of cross-linked tapioca starch, the pasting and rheological properties of tapioca starch with different cross-linking degrees were determined using a rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA) and a dynamic rheometer. Viscosity measurement showed that final viscosity and setback first increased and then decreased with increasing cross-linking degree, while breakdown continuously decreased. The steady-state rheological properties showed that all tapioca starch pastes with different cross-linking degrees were pseudo-plastic non-Newtonian fluids (T0 > 0, n < 1). The dynamic rheological properties demonstrated that the storage modulus (G’) and loss modulus (G”) of the cross-linked tapioca starch gel (6% m/m) were improved throughout the whole frequency range (0.1～10.0 Hz) compared to the raw starch gel. The G’ of the properly cross-linked tapioca starch gel was increased, while tanδ was decreased during 2 h aging at 4 ℃. Compared to the raw starch gel, the G’ and G” of the cross-linked tapioca starch gel (15% m/m) were improved during both heating and cooling. During cooling, the G’ was increased rapidly with increasing cross-linking degree suggesting improved gel properties.

Roasting is one of the major ways of cooking lamb in our country, whereas the suitability of different cuts of lamb for roasting is not clear yet. An overall study of the quality of roast meat of different lamb cuts can provide a valuable guideline to standardize roast lamb processing. This research was carried out with Bamei × Small tailed raw lambs raised in drylot and slaughtered at the age of 6 month. Seven carcass cuts, including striploin, shoulder, kunckle, loin, chuck tender, silverside and shank, were taken as samples for the study. Physicochemical parameters, processing quality, muscle fiber microstructural characteristics and eating quality were analyzed. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, correlation analysis and comparison of coefficient of variation were used to screen the key quality indices of roast meat. A model for comprehensive quality assessment was developed as follows: Y = 0.345 7A1 + 0.264 0A2 + 0.253 5A3 + 0.136 8A4 (where A1 –A4 represent shear force, protein-to-fat ratio, gel cohesiveness and myofibrillar protein solubility, respectively). Shoulder and chuck tender were not suitable for roasting, striploin, kunckle, loin and silverside were moderately suitable for roasting, and shank was very suitable for roasting. A regression equation to describe sensory evaluation as a function of comprehensive quality evaluation was established as follows: y = 1.25x ? 0.06 (R2 = 0.871 3). In conclusion, the comprehensive quality evaluation model was able to accurately reflect the suitability of different lamb cuts for roasting, thus being useful to evaluate the quality of roast lamb.

The antioxidant capacity of polysaccharides extracted from abalone viscera was studied by measuring their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity and their ability to protect human liver LO2 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage. The results demonstrated that the crude polysaccharide (CAVP) and two purified fractions (AVP1 and AVP2) all had apparent free radical scavenging capacity with a half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of DPPH radical scavenging activity of 1.46, 1.74 and 1.55 mg/mL, respectively, and an IC50 of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of 7.14, 15.27 and 8.11 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, all three polysaccharides in the concentration range from 0.5 to 4.0 mg/mL could protect LO2 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damaged as indicated by significantly increased survival rate and CAVP at 4.0 mg/mL, AVP1 at 0.5 mg/mL and AVP2 at 0.5 mg/mL decreased the activity of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in cell culture supernatant. CAVP significantly increased the intracellular activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) at 4.0 mg/mL, catalase (CAT) at 0.5 mg/mL and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at 0.5 mg/mL. AVP1 at 4.0 mg/mL resulted in a significant elevation in CAT activity and a highly significant increase in GSH-Px and SOD activities. AVP2 at both 0.5 and 4.0 mg/mL could highly significantly increase CAT activity. All three polysaccharides at 4.0 mg/mL could significantly reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) as a lipid peroxidation product. Therefore, abalone visceral polysaccharides could be used as potential antioxidant ingredients in functional foods.

Several common food spoilage bacteria and pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Rhizopus, Penicillium, Mucor, and Aspergillus were used as test bacteria and fungi to explore the antimicrobial properties and stability of yellow water, a byproduct of Chinese liquor fermentation. Antimicrobial properties were measured by the Oxford cup method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the double dilution method. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were used as indicator bacteria to investigate the effects of pH, temperature, ultraviolet, sodium chloride, saccharose and metal ions on the stability of the antimicrobial. The results showed that yellow water could inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Penicillium and Aspergillus, but had little effect on the growth of Mucor and Rhizopus. The MIC values were 6.25% for all four species of bacteria, and 1.56% and 3.13% for Penicillium and Aspergillus, respectively. Antimicrobial activity of yellow water increased at acidic pH, and decreased slightly at alkaline pH, but it was still high. Antimicrobial activity of yellow water decreased slightly after high temperature treatment but was hardly affected by ultraviolet light. This antimicrobial activity was slightly enhanced with increased concentrations of sodium chloride and saccharose. Metal ions showed little effect on the stability of the antibacterial. Moreover, Fe2+ could enhance the antimicrobial activity.

The purpose of this study was to reveal the antioxidant activity in vitro of Phyllanthus emblica L. seed oil and to explore the role of the polyunsaturated fatty acids presented in the seed oil in its antioxidant mechanism. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazl (DPPH) radical and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphoate) radical (ABTS+·) scavenging assays were employed to evaluate the antioxidant activity. The results indicated that the scavenging capacity of Phyllanthus emblica L. seed oil against DPPH radical and ABTS+· were 95.91% and 98.58%, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5.08 and 9.84 mg/mL respectively. The main antioxidants in Phyllanthus emblica L. seed oil were polyunsaturated fatty acids including α-linolenic acid. Conjugated fatty acid and hydroxyl fatty acid were detected in mixed fatty acids after oxidation characterized by ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Moreover, monohydroxyl fatty acid was detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) under the condition of excessive DPPH radical. All the above data indicated that the free radicals scavenging mechanism of polyunsaturated fatty acids included polyunsaturated fatty acid conjugation, singlemolecule addition, α-H oxidation of C＝C double bond and epoxidation reaction at least.

Two different methods of colorimeter and computer vision system (CVS) were used for the detection of color changes in catfish (Clarias leather) muscle during ice storage for 18 days, and the accuracy of CVS in the measurement of fish muscle color (L*, a*, b*) was investigated. The experimental results illustrated that the changing trends of color and total color difference (ΔE) of catfish muscle during ice storage detected by both methods were similar. The lightness (L*) and ΔE values gradually increased with storage time (P < 0.05), redness (a*) increased slowly in the first 3 days, and then declined significantly (P < 0.05), and yellowness (b* value) did not significantly change during the whole storage period (P > 0.05). The CVS measured results were calibrated and validated with those measured by colorimeter. It was found that the calibration values were not significantly different from the results from colorimeter (P > 0.05). The correlation coefficients between the L*, a* and b* values from the two methods were from 0.89 to 0.97, suggesting that after calibration, the CVS values could describe the color changes in catfish muscle accurately, and allow rapid and accurate color measurement.

Objective: In this study, the serotyping, antibiotic susceptibility and some genes associated with quinolone and fluoroquinolones resistance of 432 chicken-borne Salmonella isolates in and around Yangling, Shaanxi province were studied for better understanding the epidemiological characteristics of Salmonella serovars. Methods: Salmonella serovars were determined using slide agglutination method. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by the agar dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The resistant genes of qnrA, qnrB, qnrS and aac(6’) -Ib-cr, commonly carried by plasmid and associated with resistance to quinolone and fluoroquinolones, were identified using PCR and DNA sequencing. Results: Totally 37 serotypes were identified among 396 Salmonella isolates, and the other 36 isolates were unidentified. The most prevalent serotype was Salmonella typhimurium (17.93%), followed by S. thompson (12.88%), S. essen (8.84%) and S. infantis (6.57%). Among 432 Salmonellae isolates, antibiotic resistance was commonly found to sulfafurazole (89.81%), and approximately 50% of the isolates were resistant to sulfamethoxazole, naladixic acid, tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium. aac(6’)-Ib-cr (16.67%) was most frequently detected, and the detection rates of qnrB, qnrS and qnrA were 10.19%, 6.71% and 1.62%, respectively. The distribution of these four genes differed in different serotypes of isolates. More qnr and aac(6’)-Ib-cr genes were detected in the isolates found to be more resistant to both fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. Conclusion: The serotype of Salmonella isolates from retail chicken in Yangling and its surrounding areas was diverse, and qnr and aac(6’)-Ib-cr genes were commonly found in these isolates that were resistant to many antibiotics.

A mixture of wheat bran, soybean flour and peanut flour (WSPM) was fermented by Rice Leaven, a rice wine starter culture manufactured by Angle Yeast Co. Ltd., and then added to wheat flour at a mass ratio of 1:9 for the production of bread with improved quality and enhanced wheat bran utilization. Bread supplemented with the fermented mixture was evaluated for sensory quality, flavor compounds and antioxidant properties in comparison with ordinary bread and breads supplemented with unfermented bran or an unfermented mixture of soybean and peanut flour. The results showed that the addition of soybean and peanut could improve the flavor of bread. The addition of fermented WSPM significantly improved the quality of bread supplemented with bran as indicated by significantly higher sensory scores, springiness, hardness and color L and b values (P < 0.01), while no significant difference was observed in comparison with ordinary bread (P > 0.05). More alcohols, esters and aldehydes were detected which were evenly distributed in bread compared with three control breads. Furthermore, some flavor compounds including pyrazines, furans and ethyl esters were uniquely detected from bread supplemented with fermented WSPM, which was high in polyphenols and flavonoids levels with increased antioxidant properties. In conclusion, the addition of fermented WSPM can improve the quality and antioxidant activity of bread.

A total of 11 different varieties of cowpea were collected in this study to investigate their nutritional value. Total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents were measured and correlated with antioxidant activities (ferric reducing antioxidant power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity). Significant differences in phenolic contents and antioxidant activities among different varieties of cowpea were observed. The Xinza No.1 cultivar exhibited the highest levels of total phenolic content (5.59 mg GAE/g), total flavonoid content (4.12 mg CAE/g) and antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power and DPPH radical scavenging activity). Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents showed highly significant correlations with ferric reducing antioxidant power and DPPH radical scavenging activity (P < 0.01), while weak correlation was observed with hydroxyl radical scavenging activity.

In this study, the effect of γ-polyglutamic acid and NaCl on gelation properties of minced chicken breast meat was investigated. The results showed that the addition of 0.9‰ γ-polyglutamic acid alone could significantly reduce the cooking loss rate, increase the gel strength and water-holding capacity, and significantly improve the hardness, springiness, chewiness and cohesiveness of chicken meat gels, but it had little effect on the whiteness of the gels. The effect of γ-polyglutamic acid on gelation properties of chicken breast muscle was enhanced by the addition of a certain amount of NaCl. The addition of both 3.0% NaCl and 0.6‰ γ-polyglutamic acid resulted in the smallest cooking loss rate and highest water-holding capacity, gel strength, hardness, springiness, chewiness and cohesiveness of chicken breast meat gels. The whiteness of the gels was the smallest when the addition of NaCl and γ-polyglutamic acid were 3.0% and 1.2‰. Rheological curves showed that γ-polyglutamic acid could improve the gel-forming capacity of chicken breast meat proteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) studies indicated that γ-polyglutamic acid and myofibrillar proteins were cross-linked with each other.

In this experiment, fresh yellow peaches grown in warm and humid were processed into canned peaches. Sensory evaluation of fresh and canned peaches was performed in terms of color, aroma and flavor and physical attributes, and flesh color difference and texture properties were also determined on fresh fruits. It was found that the sensory quality of fresh and caned yellow peaches could be divided into five grades based on 19 quality indices. Out of these quality indices, seven were selected as key technical indices based on our data combined with market requirements for objective evaluation of the fresh and canned samples. The results showed that fruit hardness, elasticity, and adhesive force were all positively correlated with the quality of the cans. The percentage decrease in texture properties of fresh fruits after processing into cans was in the decreasing order of elasticity > adhesive force > hardness. Total color difference (DE*) value was positively correlated with flesh color. When the DE* value of fresh fruits was close to 50, that of canned products was at a higher level; when the value was changed by more than 10%, the color of the flesh was dark orange. The cultivar Jinlu No. 4 was found to be more suitable to be processed into cans, which exhibited average scores for overall quality, integrity, flesh color, aroma, texture and flavor of 1.63, 1.13, 0.88, 0.75, 0.75, and 1.50, respectively. Meanwhile, its average fruit weight was 183.16 g with a longitudinal diameter of 7.04 cm, a transverse diameter of 7.10 cm and a flesh thickness of 2.24 cm and the edible part and the stone accounted for 81.48%, and 6.31% of total fruit weight, respectively. The hardness, elasticity, adhesive force and DE* value were 16.6 g, 0.42 mm, 2.0 g and 56.39, respectively.

In order to improve its suitability for processing and functional properties, Rosa roxburghii Tratt. pomace was subjected to twin-screw extrusion, superfine grinding or both and then evaluated for basic nutritional components, morphology, microstructure and physicochemical properties. The results showed that all three treatments had significant effects on nutritional components and physicochemical properties of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. pomace. Twin-screw extrusion provided the highest content (24.39%) of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) of all treatments, which was 3.11 times as high as that in the raw pomace. Twin-screw extrusion superfine grinding (in the particle size range of 250–150 μm) resulted in an increase in swelling capacity and a decrease in water-holding capacity compared to the control (passed through a 60-mesh sieve), and they showed lower glucose adsorption capacity except for a slight increase at several glucose concentrations. The water solubility of pomace after individual and combined treatments was significantly increased compared to in the control group (P < 0.05). The cation exchange capacity of pomace was most improved after the combined treatment. The physicochemical properties and therefore physiological effect of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. pomace were improved after modification, which will provide a theoretical basis for the development of functional foods with dietary fiber.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of positively charged, neutral charged and negatively charged amino acids, represented by Lys, Ala, and Asp, respectively, on pasting and rheological properties of rice starch. The results showed that both Lys and Asp significantly increased peak viscosity (PV) and breakdown (BD) of rice starch and reduced final viscosity (FV) and setback (ST) (P < 0.05). However, Ala had little influence on pasting properties (P > 0.05). Thus, the two charged amino acids (Lys and Asp) had stronger effects on rice starch than the neutral one (Ala). In addition, all three amino acids had different effects on rheological properties of rice starch. Lys and Ala resulted in increased elasticity of starch gel, while Asp had the opposite effect. Besides, the relationship between shear stress τ and shear rate γ during the steady flow test was analyzed by using the power law model τ = kγm, and the results showed that the m values of all samples were < 1, suggesting that both starch and starch-amino acid mixture were pseudoplastic fluid. Additionally, Lys enhanced the pseudoplastic behavior, while Asp had the opposite effect.

An amino acid ionic liquid (AAIL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium 1-aminopropane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid salt ([C2mim][Glu]), was synthesized by the neutralization method from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C2mim]Br). The binding behavior of α-lactalbumin (α-LAB) with [C2mim][Glu] and [C2mim]Br was evaluated by affinity capillary electrophoresis and fluorescence quenching method. The binding constants of both α-LAB-[C2mim][Glu] and α-LAB-[C2mim]Br were in the order of magnitude of 106 L/mol, with the former being higher than the latter, and the binding ratios were approximately 1:1. This research may provide some references for further studies aimed to understand the mechanism behind α-LAB-ionic liquid interaction and develop an efficient and environment-friendly extraction system for α-LAB.

The effects of natural-air drying, hot-air drying and vacuum freeze-drying on the quality and microstructure of cuttlefish were investigated. Quality parameters such as sensory quality, color, shrinkage ratio, texture, flavor and formaldehyde content were determined and the rehydration ratio of dried cuttlefish and the changes in some texture parameters after rehydration were examined. The results showed that the shrinkage rates of dried cuttlefish produced by various drying methods were in the decreasing order of natural-air drying > hot-air drying > vacuum freeze-drying, with significant differences being observed among these (P < 0.05). Vacuum freeze-dried cuttlefish were better than the other two groups in color and rehydration ratio, showing a rehydration ratio of up to 524.25% at 9 h of rehydration in water, which was 2.5 times as high as that of the natural-air dried samples, but in terms of texture and flavor, the muscle fiber showed a little deformation and loose arrangement. The hot-air dried samples had significant advantages in sensory, texture and flavor characteristics, and the content of taste-active amino acids was 1 519.20 mg/100 g, which was significantly higher than that of the other dried samples (P < 0.05), but the formaldehyde content was 260.83 mg/kg, which was 4.7 times as high as that of the fresh samples. In addition, the muscle fiber had a large deformation and a dense arrangement. In contrast, the formaldehyde content of the natural-air dried samples was the lowest of all three drying methods, which was as low as 22.06 mg/kg. Natural-air drying resulted in a little deformation and dense arrangement of the muscle fiber, and the sensory quality and color of the dried product needed to be further improved.

In this study, we investigated the water absorption capacity, viscosity and molecular weight of arabinoxylan (AX) in dough after xylanase treatment (0、50、100、150 mg/kg), as well as its mechanism of action on dough. We found that when xylanase was added in the range of 0-150 mg/kg, the water absorption capacity and viscosity of AX were decreased, while molecular weight was reduced after this treatment. When the dosage was 150 mg/kg, the water absorption capacity of AX was the lowest (water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) was 4.28 g/g, water unextractable arabinoxylan (WUAX) was 7.56 g/g), viscosity was least (WEAX was 35 mL/g, WUAX was 4 035 mL/g), relative molecular weight was minimum (WEAX was 360 298, WUAX was 1 002 309). The addition of xylanase reduced water absorption capacity, shortened dough development and stability times, increased weakening degree, reduced resistance to extension and enhanced extensibility, consequently improving dough processability.

To further elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity of casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) and its efficacy in enhancing recovery from intestinal inflammation, the effect of CGMP on the NF-κB p65 subunit in colon carcinoma cells HT-29 treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its role in regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway were determined. Furthermore, plasmids were constructed to express CGMP and NF-κB?essential?modulator (NEMO) and then used to co-transfect HT-29 cells. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to identify the interaction between the expressed proteins. Finally, we detected the pro-apoptotic effect of CGMP on HT-29 cells by measuring the change in mitochondrial transmembrane potential. The experimental results indicated that after 30 h transfection of HT-29 cells, the co-expression and interaction of CGMP and NEMO were confirmed. CGMP affected the NF-κB signaling pathway through its interaction with NEMO with a concomitant increase in apoptosis of HT-29 cells in a time-dependent manner. This effect of CGMP was maximum at 0.1 μg/mL. In conclusion, the interaction of CGMP and NEMO can indirectly affect IKK (IκB kinase) and therefore the NF-κB signaling pathway through IκB. The study revealed another way CGMP could regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway, and fully indicated that there are multiple ways CGMP could execute anti-inflammatory effect.

Iso-suillin, a phenolic compound isolated from Suillus flavus, has significant anti-tumor activity. However, the role of iso-suillin in cardiovascular system remains unclear. Herein, primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were pretreated with iso-suillin for 24 or 48 h, and then stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB. The cell proliferation was evaluated by cell counting. VSMC cell cycle distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, Western blot was used to examine protein expression, and immuneprecipitation analysis was used to identify the phosphorylation and ubiquitination of smooth muscle 22 alpha (SM22α). The results showed that iso-suillin inhibited PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation. Iso-suillin increased the expression of SM22α (a marker of cell differentiation), and reduced the level of PCNA. Furthermore, iso-suillin decreased the levels of phosphorylated and ubiquitinated SM22α upon PDGF-BB treatment, which may be associated with iso-suillin-decreased protein kinase C (PKC) δ activity. Collectively, these data demonstrated that iso-suillin prevented VSMC phenotype transformation through decreasing PKCδ-mediated SM22α degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in VSMCs.

In the present study, corosolic acid (CA) was extracted and separated from Folium Eriobotryae. A Cu2+-induced low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation model was employed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of CA on LDL oxidation in vitro, and a human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) model of oxidative damage induced by (2,2’-azobis-2-methyl-propanimidamide dihydrochloride, AAPH) was employed to evaluate the protective effect of CA on oxidative damage. In the dose range of 10-100 μmol/L, CA effectively extended the lag time of the Cu2+-induced LDL oxidation process, reduced the area under the oxidation kinetic curve (AUC) and inhibited the generation of lipid peroxide indicating that CA could effectively inhibit LDL oxidation induced by Cu2+. In the cellular experiment at the dose range of 2-10 μmol/L, CA effectively reduced LDH leakage induced by AAPH, maintained the integrity of cell structure, enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and therefore oxidative stress resistance, reduced the proportion of sub-G1/G0 cells and necrosis or apoptosis induced by AAPH. These results demonstrated that CA could elevate cellular antioxidant capacity, maintain the integrity of cellular structure, and ultimately protect HAECs against oxidative stress damage induced by AAPH.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alkaloids from Ba lotus seeds (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) on HCl/ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Mice were intragastrically administered with alkaloids from Ba lotus seed (ABLS) and gastric mucosal injury was induced in mice by HCl/ethanol. Serum cytokine and other index levels were examined by using commercial kits, and the gastric tissue was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot assay. The gastric mucosal injury area, percentage inhibition, gastric secretion volume and pH of gastric juice in the 100 mg/(kg·d) ABLS treated-mice were 1.13 mm2, 84.5%, 0.52 mL and 3.3, respectively. Additionally, serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), motilin (MOT), substance P (SP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in these mice were lower than those in the control mice, while the levels of somatostatin (SS) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were higher than those in the control mice. The treated mice had higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and lower MDA level in gastric tissues than the control ones. ABLS also could increase the mRNA and protein expression levels of inhibitor kappaB-α (IκB-α), epidermal growth factor (EGF), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS), Mn-SOD, Gu/Zn-SOD and catalase (CAT), and decrease nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) and inducible NOS (iNOS) expression in gastric tissues compared to those in the control group. This study has demonstrated that ABLS treatment attenuated gastric mucosal injury due to their antioxidant capacity.

This study was focused on the oxidative lipid changes of abalone meat under different precooking and storage conditions in order to explore the quality changes. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value was tested by a steam distillation method. The fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that TBARS value was 1.01 mg/kg in fresh abalone samples, which increased to 4.12, 4.31 and 3.40 mg/kg, respectively after storage at 4 ℃ for 4 days, –18 ℃ for 35 days and –80 ℃ for 35 days. TBARS value in precooked (heating at 80 ℃ for 2 h) abalone was 1.90 mg/kg, and it remained stable at 1.91, 1.86 and 1.91 mg/kg after storage at 4 ℃ for 4 days, –18 ℃ for 35 days and –80 ℃ for 35 days. After storage at –18 ℃ for 35 days, the contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in precooked samples (9.78% and 5.32%) were higher than those in unpretreated samples (8.76% and 5.01%). In conclusion, the oxidation of fatty acids was mainly observed in samples during cold storage, which was inhibited by the precooking treatment.

Using three different antimicrobials: sorbic acid, chitosan (CS) and sorbic acid-chitosan microcapsules (S-MP), each added at a level of 3%, antimicrobial ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer films, sorbic acid-EVOH (S-EVOH), chitosan-EVOH (CS-EVOH) and sorbic acid-chitosan microcapsules-EVOH (S-MP-EVOH), were prepared by sequential blending, granulation, extrusion and blow molding. Using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pre-coated film as outer film, EVOH/PET, S-EVOH/PET, CS-EVOH/PET and S-MP-EVOH/PET composite films were prepared and applied to the preservation of snakehead fillets at (4 ± 1) ℃. The total viable count (TVC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), drip loss, K value and sensory evaluation were analyzed periodically during cold storage. The results indicated that CS-EVOH/PET film could extend the shelf-life of snakehead fillet by 2 days, and S-EVOH/PET and S-MP-EVOH/PET films could extend the shelf-life by 4 days compared to EVOH/PET film.

For the purpose of investigating the effects of storage conditions on fillet quality, grass carp fillets (without dark meat) and salmon fillets were stored at 4, 10 (with and without light exposure at an intensity of 5 000 lx) and 25 ℃. It was demonstrated that the pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value and color difference of both grass carp and salmon fillets changed significantly (P < 0.05) during storage, and total viable count (TVC), pH, TVB-N, TBA, color difference, andadenosine triphosphate (ATP) decomposition (K value) were increased with prolonging storage time. Meanwhile, light exposure had significant effects on the pH and TBA value of both grass carp and salmon fillets during storage (P < 0.05), resulting in a higher increase in pH and causing photooxidation, which accelerated the increase in TBA value, compared with dark conditions. However, the effects on TVC, TVB-N, K value and color difference were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Different storage temperatures exhibited significantly different effects on fish quality during storage (P < 0.05).

Time-resolved fluorescence technique is a relatively new technique that has many applications in the field of food quality detection. This review outlines the principle and features of time-resolved fluorescence technique, and pointed out that this technique allows dynamic measurement of fluorescence emission to obtain detailed information. Moreover, its applications in food quality analysis are also summarized and some strategies for its application are put forward for quality analysis of vegetable oil. At last, we conclude with some perspectives on the future application of time-resolved fluorescence technique in the field of food quality detection.

As a new type of fluorescent nanomaterial, carbon dots (CDs) possess a number of unique optical properties. Compared with semiconductor quantum dots, some advantages of CDs, including lower toxicity, higher biocompatibility, higher photostability and stronger anti-photobleaching effect, are attractive in various fields. Interestingly, increasing attention is attracted to the detection of heavy metals, antibiotics, pathogenic bacteria, pesticide residues and banned additives, and nutritional and functional components in foodsusing CDs nowadays. Recently, the synthesis and optical properties of CDs have been reviewedmany researchers, but there are few reviews that focus on the application of CDs in food detection. This article briefly reviews the optical properties and synthesis of CDs, with emphasis on its applications in food detection. Meanwhile, the future trend of carbon dots is also discussed.

Nowadays, the incidence of hypertension, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which threaten human health, increases year by year. Previous studies showed that oxidative damage in endothelial cells was usually a common response at the early stage of these diseases. Moreover, some therapeutic strategies such as physical therapy and cardiac surgery may leave some problems affecting endothelial function. In this context, the mechanism of oxidative damage in endothelial cells is of growing interest to researchers, and many efforts have been made to seek the most suitable effectors like active components derived from foods to inhibit oxidative damage in endothelial cells, thereby preventing or reducing the occurrence of related diseases. The mechanisms of action of several common inducers such as hydrogen peroxide, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, high glucose concentration and radiation in causing oxidative damage in endothelial cells are described in this review, which will provide valuable information to select a suitable inducer for induction of oxidative damage in endothelial cells and therefore to facilitate the selection of effectors and the study of the underlying mechanism.

Phenolic compounds are a group of secondary metabolites ubiquitously found in plants that contain multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups. Phenolic compounds have been proved to have a variety of biological activities. However, since phenolic compounds are insoluble in water and susceptible to photodegradation, their applications in the food industry are greatly limited. The delivery system is a technology commonly used for protecting bioactives and choosing the appropriate delivery systems can effectively reduce the degradation rate of phenolic compounds and improve their bioavailability. This article reviews current delivery systems to encapsulate phenolic compounds and their preparation methods. Problems existing in this field of research are discussed. Lastly, we conclude with some perspectives on future research priorities.

Fruits and vegetable constitute an important part of human daily diet because they contain some necessary nutritional elements, such as vitamin, mineral salt and plant fiber. Fruits and vegetables are prone to mechanical damage during postharvest operations, which will reduce the eating quality. Meanwhile, both fruits and vegetables can be easily infected with fungi or bacteria (such as late blight, dry rot and soft rot) once they are injured, which in turn can infect normal ones. Bruise damage occurs under the skin of fruits and vegetables without its rupture. Bruised fruits and vegetables are easily confused with normal ones, causing potential economic losses and food safety hazards. Thus, bruise detection has been attracting more and more attention. This paper reviews the mechanism of mechanical damage with respect to consequent physiological and physical changes and the state-of-art progress in the detection of bruise in postharvest fruits and vegetables by taking advantage of optical, thermal, acoustic and electromagnetic properties. Potential difficulties and future research directions are proposed.

Post-harvest losses and food safety issues caused by spoilage currently remain a restricting factor for the fishery processing industry in our country. Essential oils are volatile aroma compounds formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites. Essential oils possess proven antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and are of tremendous interest as novel and promising natural preservatives for aquatic foods. This article offers a systematic review of the applications of essential oils in aquatic food preservation, including their effectiveness, impact on the flavor of aquatic products and safety for consumption.

Studies concerning the shelf life prediction of aquatic products can offer a theoretical foundation for monitoring and controlling the safety of aquatic products. The shelf life prediction of aquatic products, which are highly perishable, enables timely quality monitoring during storage, transportation and sales and prediction of the remaining shelf life. This article elucidates the major factors affecting the shelf life of aquatic products, including microbes and chemical reaction, physical change and environmental temperature. Herein, we put forward two new strategies for establishing shelf life prediction models for aquatic products, and we also summarize several common shelf life prediction models such as kinetic models based on reduced quality of aquatic products, based on temperature change, based on statistical analysis and based on artificial neural network. Finally, we discuss the existing problems in the shelf life prediction of aquatic products. We hope that this review will provide references for future research.

The concept of “medicine and food homology” means that some foods and medicines are derived from the same source. Medicinal and edible traditional Chinese herbs have both nutritional and medicinal value. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have been reported on the anti-aging activity of some medicinal and edible traditional Chinese herbs, which has been gradually accepted by people. Therefore, medicinal and edible traditional Chinese herbs have broad prospects for the development of anti-aging agents. This article reviews the medicinal and edible traditional Chinese herbs previously reported for their antioxidant and anti-aging activity to screen some of these herbs for further studies on their anti-aging activity. Furthermore, we summarize recent studies on the anti-aging mechanism of medicinal and edible traditional Chinese herbs, and we also discuss future research directions.

This paper aims to analyze the current status and shortcomings of China’s food inspection system. To improve China’s food inspection system, we suggest improving the laws and regulations on food inspection, clarifying the responsibilities of the inspection authorities at all levels, accelerating the establishment of a team of professional food inspectors, and enhancing the capacity of food inspectors by drawing on the experience of the U.S. food inspection system.

Food safety crimes frequently occur nowadays, and the current situation of food safety is grim and complicated. Food safety is a matter of life and health of the public and also a major social problem of governmental concern. In view of the actual problems existing during the transition of administrative law enforcement on food safety supervision to criminal justice such as difficulties in finding food safety crimes and transferring them to judicial organs, identifying potential risks and legal application, we point out that dual legislative system on law violations and crimes, non-unified standards for the recognition of food safety offenses, and difficulties in launching criminal investigation and in evidence fixation and transformation are the causes of the unsmooth transition from administrative law enforcement on food safety supervision to criminal justice. Moreover, we propose some suggestions for improving the current mechanism for the transition from administrative law enforcement on food safety supervision to criminal justice.