Bifidocin A, produced by Bifidobacterium animalis BB04, is a novel bacteriocin with antimicrobial activity against a wide range of foodborne bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of bifidocin A against Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of bifidocin A for Staphylococcus aureus CVCC 26112 was 0.058 μg/mL. Time-kill assays showed that bifidocin A effectively inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus CVCC 26112 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Results also suggested that bifidocin A exerted its anti-Staphylococcus aureus effect through the dissipation of the cytoplasmic membrane proton motive force (PMF), increased membrane permeability, and the formation of cell membrane pores, leading to the destruction of membrane integrity and ultimately complete disintegration of the cells.

In this study, the effects of different stages of in vitro simulated digestion on the stability of Plantago asiatica L. seed verbascoside (PSV) were explored. It was found that the concentration of PSV in all simulated digestion systems was reduced after digestion for 4 h, and the highest reduction of (71.26 ± 0.96)% was observed in the gut bacterial culture, followed by the simulated gastrointestinal digestion system ((28.46 ± 0.50)%). After simulated digestion, xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity in various simulated digestion systems increased, in particular in the gut bacterial culture (P < 0.05), followed by the simulated gastrointestinal digestion system. The aglycone metabolites of verbascoside, caffeic acid and hydroxytyrosol, were detected from all simulated digestion systems by LC-MS. The in vitro xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of caffeic acid and hydroxytyrosol was higher than that of verbascoside. The degradation of verbascoside into xanthine oxidase inhibitory metabolites is likely to be one of the effective ways to exert its physiological activity in vivo.

The combined antibacterial effect of γ irradiation and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) against Shewanella putrefaciens was evaluated and the underlying mechanism was investigated. The irradiation dose required to reduce total colony number to 10% of the initial level (D10) was reduced and the relative irradiation sensitivity was increased with increased concentration of CEO. The combination of γ irradiation and CEO was more effective in inhibiting the growth of S. putrefaciens than each alone. The combination treatment exhibited an obvious negative effect on cell morphology, intracellular ATP and pH, membrane proteins and fatty acids in S. putrefaciens. The combination resulted in a reduction of 40 kD subunits and an increase of 18 kD subunits in membrane proteins, as well as a significant reduction of C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, C17:1, and C18:1 in membrane lipids (P < 0.05). The mechanism for the synergism was due to the potential of γ irradiation to increase the destructive effect of CEO on the cell membrane of S. putrefaciens thus causing its death.

Compression test and finite element method (FEM) simulation were conducted to investigate the compression properties of jujube fruits (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) at different ripening stages. The study aimed at reducing mechanical damage at harvest and during postharvest sorting, transportation and storage. The elastic moduli and contact stress of jujubes harvested at the white maturity and crisp maturity stages were measured under compression in two directions. From the experiment data, it was observed that the rupture force of white maturity fruits was greater than that of crisp maturity fruits in both transverse and vertical compression directions. The force-deformation curves of white maturity and crisp maturity fruits were similar, with obvious bioyield point under transverse compression rather than under vertical compression. Under transverse compression, elastic modulus predicted by the standard established by the American Society of Agricultural Engineering (ASAE) was in agreement with that evaluated by FEM simulation. The average apparent elastic modulus of white maturity fruits predicted by the ASAE standard and evaluated by FEM simulation were 3.527 and 3.263 MPa, respectively with an average relative difference of 11.38%, while those of crisp maturity fruits predicted by the ASAE standard and evaluated by FEM simulation were 3.131 and 2.877 MPa, respectively with an average relative difference of 12.96%. However, there was a larger difference between the elastic modulus predicted by the ASAE standard and that determined through FEM simulation under vertical compression, which was 26.24% and 27.66% for white and crisp maturity fruits, respectively. These results can provide a theoretical basis for packaging design and stacking for transportation, grading and storage.

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) on the p65 subunit of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) of HT-29 human colon cancer cells challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Furthermore, Western blotting technology was used to detect and compared the expression levels of the key proteins involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway such as IκBα, p-IκBα, E3RSIκB and UBC5 in the control group, milk-derived CGMP group and LPS group to uncover the molecular mechanism of CGMP in regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway. The results showed that all three doses of CGMP (0.001, 0.010 and 0.100 μg/mL) could suppress the degradation of IκBα in some degree, which is involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway of HT-29 cells challenged with LPS and this effect was more significant at the dose of 0.100 μg/mL, which was significantly different when compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Therefore, it was confirmed that CGMP could suppress the degradation of IκBα by repressing the expression of p-IκBα, E3RSIκB and UBC5, thereby inhibiting the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. As a result, CGMP can significantly reduce the degradation of IκBα in the NF-κB signal pathway, increase the amount of protein trimer-IκBα-p65-p50 and decrease nuclear translocation of p65 and downstream gene expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation and ubiquitination of IκBα and reducing the expression of p-IκBα and key ubiquitin proteins (E3RSIκB and UBC5). This study illustrates that milk-derived CGMP plays an anti-inflammatory role by regulating the NF-κB signal pathway.

Quantitative comprehensive quality evaluation of high-acid apple is important to promote the rational planning of apple producing bases and industrial competitiveness. The overall quality of high-acid apples collected from different growing areas in 8 provinces in northern China from the year 2011 to 2014 was quantitatively evaluated. Taking into account that high-acid apple is consumed as a fresh fruit or as a juice, the main quality factors, including titratable acidity, soluble solids content, vitamin C content and juice yield, were divided to three categories: physiological, physical and appearance quality using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and K-means cluster analysis. A system to evaluate the overall quality of high-acid apple based on the selected indicators was established. The results showed that the quality of high-acid apples was relatively higher from Ningxia and Liaoning provinces; the quality of high-acid apples was varied from Shaanxi and Hennan provinces and was general from Gansu, Shanxi and Shandong provinces. The quality of most high-acid apples was good during 2011–2012 and varied during 2013–2014. The developed evaluation system could reflect the regional and inter-annual quality fluctuations of high-acid apple and the evaluation results could provide references for the structural adjustment of high-acid apple producing areas and the development of apple juice enterprises.

Albumin is the major protein in almond. In this experiment, we purified and structurally characterized 2S-albumin from Shache No.1 almond (SC-1) from Xinjiang. Crude albumin extract was obtained from almond by repeated precipitation with organic solvents and then fractionated chromatographically on Q Sepharose FF to obtain 2S-albumin. By HPLC-MS analysis, the accurate molecular mass of 2S-albumin was determined to be 31.40 kD, which was separated into two bands (18.0 and 19.5 kD) in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), indicating that it was composed of two distinct subunits connected through disulfide bonds. In 2S-albumin, the contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid and arginine residues were relatively high, and its dominant secondary structure was β-sheet (65.9%). The carbonyl group content of 2S-albumin was 4.45 nmol/mg, the active thiol group content was 39.95 μmol/g, the total thiol group content was 57.11 μmol/g, the surface hydrophobicity was 23.45 μg, and the denaturation temperature was 43.3 ℃. These results can provide a theoretical support for the development and utilization of Xinjiang grown almond.

The fluorescence spectra and antioxidant properties of casein non-phosphopeptides-soybean peptide complex (CNPSPC) prepared under different pH conditions were analyzed. The results showed that with the increase of pH, the content of surface-exposed Trp residues buried in hydrophobic environment in CNPSPC was became lower than in the raw protein, and the microenvironment polarity of Trp residues was decreased. The results of thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay showed that the fluorescence intensity of CNPSPC was maximum at pH 6.0, which represented β-sheet was the dominant secondary structure of CNPSPC. The microenvironment of Trp residues was changed by the assembly, thereby changing the molecular conformation of CNPSPC. Compared with casein non-phosphopeptides (CNPP) and soybean peptide (SP), the antioxidant capacity of CNPSPC was improved. The scavenging activities of CNPSPC against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion and hydrolxyl radicals were maximum at pH 6.0, which increased by 3.34, 1.12 and 1.08 times compared to soybean protein respectively.

In order to prepare high quality mulberry powder, foam drying technology was applied to mulberry drying. Food-grade monoglyceride, soy protein isolate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose were used as foaming agent and stabilizer for foam drying in this study. Mulberry powder was produced by using hot air foam drying (HAFD, 50, 60 and 70 ℃) in comparison with short-medium wave infrared foam drying (SMIRFD, 50, 60 and 70 ℃). The moisture content, water activity (aw), glass transition temperature (Tg) and particle size of mulberry powder produced by SMIRFD at 70 ℃ were 0.107 g/g, 0.173, 5.033 ℃, and 19.037 μm, respectively. The product showed higher retention of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C-3-G) and cyanidin-3-Orutinoside (C-3-R). In summary, SMIRFD at 70 ℃ was a suitable drying method for the production of high-quality mulberry powder.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sugars with different molecular weights on structural, functional and rheological properties of plant protein modified by Maillard reaction. Crosslinked rice dreg protein by transglutaminase (TGase) was used for glycosylation reaction in a wet state with ribose, glucose, lactose, or gum arabic, and then the properties of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were analyzed. The results showed that as the reaction proceeded, the degree of substitution (DS), pH and degree of browning (DB) of the system changed significantly, and the most evident changes were observed when ribose and glucose were involved in the reaction, followed by lactose and gum arabic. The structure of ribose made it susceptible to reaction with free amino groups such as Lys and Arg in rice dreg protein (RDP). The solubility and emulsifying properties of MRPs from theses sugars were enhanced in varying degrees, and the decreasing order was ribose, glucose, lactose, and gum arabic. Rheological data indicated that all samples were pseudoplastic fluids, whose apparent viscosity showed a shear-thinning phenomenon, and the apparent viscosities of MRPs from glucose and ribose were larger than that of crosslinked RDP, while those of MRPs from lactose and gum arabic were smaller.

The effects of NaCl, sucrose and Na2CO3 on pasting properties of starch from the seeds of Euryale ferox Salisb. were investigated. Pasting temperature, solubility, swelling power, freeze-thaw stability and other pasting properties were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and other methods in the presence of various NaCl (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, m/m), sucrose (4%, 8%, 12%, 16%, 20%, m/m) and Na2CO3 (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.5%, m/m) concentrations. Pasting temperature, swelling power and solubility of the starch were increased and freeze-thaw stability was decreased by the addition of NaCl, sucrose and Na2CO3 at all concentrations. Light transmittance of the starch paste was 1.3%, and it decreased in the presence of NaCl, but increased in the presence of sucrose and Na2CO3. In addition, low contents of NaCl (1%–3%) and Na2CO3 (0.5%–1.5%) were favorable for the stability of the starch paste. High contents of NaCl (4%–5%) and Na2CO3 (2.0%–2.5%) increased retrogradation and consequently reduced stability, while sucrose increased the stability of the starch paste. Therefore, NaCl, sucrose and Na2CO3 all had significant impacts on gelatinization properties of the starch.

Pathogenic microorganisms in meat are one of the most important factors in human food-borne diseases. In the present study, the prevalence of Salmonella, coliform bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in various yak tissues, and the serological identification and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella were investigated. Totally, 277 samples of muscle and visceral tissues from yaks in Northwest Sichuan plateau were collected including 155 samples from free grazing yaks and 122 samples from stall-fed fattening yaks both without diarrhea symptoms. The results showed that no significant difference in the carrier rate of pathogenic microorganisms in various yak tissues was between two feeding regimens (P > 0.05), but the absolute value of detection rate in free grazing yak was higher than that in stall-fed fattening yak. Different Salmonella serotypes were isolated from yak tissue samples from two different feeding systems. The Salmonella serotypes isolated from stall-fed fattening and grazing yak muscle were S. newport and S. enteritidis, respectively. The Salmonella serotypes isolated from fecal samples of grazing yak were S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis and S. saintpaul, while only S. dublin was isolated from fecal samples of stall-fed fattening yaks. The feeding regimens had no effect on the antibiotic resistance of Salmonella isolated from yaks, and the Salmonella isolated from stall-fed and free grazing yaks showed high resistance to lincomycin (83.33% and 81.82%), tetracycline (66.67% and 63.64%), and midecamycin (66.67% and 72.73%). Overall, the microbiological safety of yaks was identical between two feeding regimens, and the antibiotic resistance of Salmonella isolated from the yaks was high.

We studied the effect of adding 5 g/100 mL glucose on the color and residual water content of freeze-dried hemoglobin and explored the influences of pH, temperature and NaCl concentration on the stability of freeze-dried hemoglobin. The results showed that glucose could improve the L* and a* values of hemoglobin, and decrease the relative content of methemoglobin. Besides, glucose could significantly enhance the stability of hemoglobin to pH, temperature and NaCl concentration. Meanwhile, the stability of glucose-treated hemoglobin was the highest under the conditions of pH 7, temperatures below 60 ℃ and NaCl concentration of 0.6 mol/L.

Dry-cured hams were produced by intensified high-temperature ripening at 36 ℃ for 45 days with 6.5% salt curing. Changes in the salt and moisture contents, pH, color, myoglobin oxidation, and haem pigments and Zn porphyrin Ⅸ (Zn-PP Ⅸ) of semimembranosus were examined during processing. Furthermore, the color formation of dry-cured hams was studied and the effect of NaCl replacement with KCl on the color change during processing was examined. The results showed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in physicochemical indicators, color parameters, and the content and state of red pigments between the control and 30% NaCl substitution with KCl. The unique color of dry-cured hams was formed by a combination of the oxidation state of myoglobin, red pigments contents and the state of muscle tissue. The relative contents of oxymyoglobin (OMb) and metmyoglobin (MMb) increased by about 22.07% and 25.21%, but deoxymyoglobin (DMb) decreased about 47.27%. L* value was significantly positively correlated with the relative content of DMb (P < 0.01) and negatively with the relative contents of OMb and MMb (P < 0.01) and it was significantly affected by the ratio of OMb to MMb (P < 0.01). In the low range (0%–27.49%), the higher relative content of MMb could result in a bigger a* value, and MMb had a bigger impact on a* value than did OMb. The contents of haem pigments and Zn-PP IX increased by about 394% and 5 296% during the processing of dry-cured hams and were significantly positively correlated with a* and C values (P < 0.01).

The effectiveness of various microwave-convective drying treatments (pulse ratio and air) on the drying characteristics and quality of white radish slices was studied. The moisture ratio, drying rate, effective diffusivity (Deff), and activation energy (Ea) were assessed, and the internal temperature of samples during the drying process and final product color were measured. The Deff increased gradually and then rapidly as moisture content decreased. The Ea of samples increased slightly and then increased rapidly as the moisture content decreased. A logistic model could describe the relationship between Ea and moisture content well. The Ea of samples without air was the highest. Among all the drying treatments, the samples dried with a high pulse ratio (on/off, 5 s/20 s) at a low hot air temperature (30 ℃) exhibited the lowest temperature and the lowest difference between the maximum and minimum temperature of samples and had the most desirable color.

The freezing points (FP) of raw milk from Zhongdian yak (ZY, n = 38), cattle-yak (CY, n = 85), Diqing yellow cattle (DYC, n = 18) and Simmental cattle (SC, n = 20) were measured and correlated with other physicochemical properties including somatic cell count (SCC), and urea nitrogen (UN), fat, protein and lactose contents. The results showed that the milk freezing points (MFP) of ZY, CY and DYC were ?0.589, ?0.587 and ?0.582 ℃, respectively, which were significantly lower than that of SC (?0.555 ℃). The SCC in milk from ZY, CY, DYC and SC were 52.21 × 104, 56.06 × 104, 48.67 × 104 and 45.45 × 104 cells/mL, respectively, which were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). Milk urea nitrogen (MUN) of ZY was 11.70 mg/100 mL, which was significantly higher than that of CY (7.63 mg/100 mL, P < 0.05) and SC (4.81 mg/100 mL, P < 0.01), and higher than that of DYC (8.51 mg/100 mL, P > 0.05). No significant correlation was observed between MFP and any other physicochemical index for ZY and DYC (P > 0.05). MFP was highly positively correlated with milk fat and SCC of CY (P < 0.01), and milk lactose and non-fat solids of SC (P < 0.01), and positively correlated with milk total solids of SC (P < 0.05). The correlation between MFP and other physicochemical indexes of all 161 milk samples tested was analyzed using Pearson correlation. The results showed that significantly positive correlations between MFP and fat, lactose or total solids content (P < 0.01), and between MFP and SCC (P < 0.05) were found. The measurement of MFP, SCC and MUN in raw milk from ZY, CY and DYC can provide an important reference for pricing of fresh raw milk based on its quality in the future.

The present work was undertaken to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of crude polysaccharides extracted from Ganoderma lucidum spores with unbroken (UGS) cell wall, and those with cell wall broken mechanically (MGS) and biologically–mechanically (BGS) in terms of their scavenging activities against DPPH, hydroxyl and ABTS radicals and K3Fe(CN)6 reducing power and their ability to protect yeast cells from oxidative damage. The results showed that the three crude polysaccharides had different antioxidant activities in a dose-dependent manner. The scavenging capacities against DPPH, hydroxyl and ABTS radicals, and the reducing power of BGS polysaccharides were the highest among the three polysaccharides. At 5.0 mg/mL, the scavenging rates of DPPH, hydroxyl and ABTS radicals were 84.6%, 91.0%, and 99.9%, respectively, and the reducing power was 1.09. The protective effect of BGS polysaccharides on UV-induced oxidative damage was relatively strong. Therefore, the crude polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidum spores with biologically and mechanically broken sporoderm has high antioxidant activity.

The quality of four main grape cultivars, Shuanghong, Shuangyou, Gongniang No. 1 and Beibinghong planted in Tonghua was comprehensively analyzed and compared. Their general physical and chemical characteristics were measured, and the contents of total phenols, total anthocyanins, and aroma components in grape fruits were evaluated by HPLC and HS-SPME-GC-MS. In terms of all the parameters measured, there were some differences among the cultivars. Shuanghong and Beibinghong had larger hardness than other cultivars, while Shuangyou and Gongniang No. 1 had higher fruit weight and juice yield than other cultivars. Shuanghong was rich in minerals. The types and contents of organic acids were different among the four grape cultivars. The total acid content in Gongniang No. 1, the total sugar content and sugar/acid ratio in Beibinghong, the contents of total phenols and total anthocyanins in Shuanghong were significantly higher than those in other cultivars (P < 0.05). The color of all the cultivars was purple red. In addition, Shuanghong had the darkest color. Moreover, 96 aroma components, belonging to seven chemical groups, were identified from the four grape cultivars. The main aroma components identified were esters. Beibinghong contained the highest number and amount of ester compounds. These four grape cultivars had their own distinctive taste and flavor and they could be processed to obtain products with local characteristics.

The microwave-ultrasonic synergism (MUS) was applied in the glycosylation of rapeseed protein (RP) and the functional properties and molecular structure of RP-dextran conjugates were investigated. The results indicated that the grafting degree of RP was up to 67.1% under the following reaction conditions: microwave power 500 W, ultrasonic power 300 W, and treatment time 7 min, which was even higher than that obtained by wet heating and microwave methods. Therefore, the combined treatment could significantly increase the efficiency of glycosylation reaction. Compared with rapeseed protein and the RP-dextran conjugates prepared by other methods, the solubility, emulsifying activity, foaming capacity, and foam stability of the RP-dextran conjugates prepared by MUS were significantly improved to 55.7%, 13.9 m2/ g, 50.0% and 80.0%, respectively. The results of surface hydrophobicity and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy indicated that combined microwave and ultrasonic treatment led to protein unfolding and increased the molecular flexibility of RP, thereby promoting the glycosylation reaction of RP and improving the functional properties of RP-dextran conjugates.

Sugar, vinegar, sodium caseinate and perilla oil may ameliorat peppery tastes according to our literature review and life experience. Tasting experiments were designed to evaluate the ameliorative effects of the four substances on peppery tastes. For this purpose, discriminant functions were established by stepwise discriminant analysis and tested by re-substitution method and jackknife methods. The results showed that sodium caseinate, vinegar and perilla oil rather than sugar contributed to the amelioration of peppery tastes in the decreasing order: sodium caseinate > vinegar > perilla oil, with standard function coefficients of 1.015, 0.339 and 0.144, respectively. The discriminant functions were used to classify the test samples based on these parameters and a scatter diagram was plotted. The results revealed that the discriminant model could rank the ameliorative effects on peppery tastes at four levels. The accuracy of re-substitution and jackknife methods were 98% and 88%, respectively, indicating that the established discriminant functions were robust and reliable. The evaluation system established in this experiment was effective in assessing the ameliorative effect of different substances on peppery tastes, and thus it deserves wide application.

Objective: To isolate and purify a polysaccharide from dried roots of Polygala tenuifolia and to determine its physicochemical properties and biological activity. Methods: The purified polysaccharide was obtained by ultrasonicassisted extraction, alcohol fractional precipitation, deproteinization, decolorization, dialysis, DEAE-cellulose 52 and Sephadex G-100 gel column chromatography. The purity of the final purified product was determined by UV-visible spectroscopy, spin spectrophotometry and gel filtration chromatography (GPC). The relative molecular mass of the polysaccharide was determined by high performance gel permeation chromatography, the monosaccharide composition was analyzed by high performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD), the antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl free radical scavenging assays, and the hypoglycemic activity was evaluated by α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity. Results: A homogeneous polysaccharide (PTP-1) was obtained. The relative molecular mass of PTP-1 was 4.62 × 104. Its monosaccharide composition was composed of galactose, glucose and mannose with a molar ratio of 3.92:1.00:2.08. The polysaccharide showed DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity in a dose-dependent manner in a certain concentration range, with IC50 of 0.35 and 0.51 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, it was able to significantly inhibit α-glucosidase activity with IC50 of 0.52 mg/mL. Conclusion: PTP-1 is a pure polysaccharide with antioxidant and hypoglycemic activity.

The properties of poly-(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films added with chitosan (CS) and chitosan nanoparticles (NCS) were evaluated. A colorimeter and an ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometer were used to investigate the optical properties. A gas permeability tester and a water vapor permeability tester were used to test the gas permeability and water vapor permeability, respectively. The moisture absorption capacity was measured under isothermal conditions, and the experimental data were fitted with various common isotherm models. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the molecular structure and crystallinity. The results showed that the addition of CS enhanced the UV barrier properties of PVA film and the effect of NCS was more prominent. The addition of CS or NCS reduced the gas permeability and improved the water vapor permeability. Moisture absorption isotherms of PVA, PVA/CS and PVA/NCS films could be best fitted with the GAB equation (R2 > 0.98). FT-IR results indicated that PVA/CS and PVA/NCS films were homogenous with intermolecular hydrogen bonds being formed between PVA and CS. DSC analysis showed that the addition of CS or NCS slowed down the crystallization rate, reduced the degree of crystallinity, and increased the endothermic enthalpy of PVA.

The 95% ethanol extract from lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) was fractionated by successive extraction with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins and oleanolic acid in the crude extract and its fractions were evaluated as well as their antioxidant activities in vitro as indicated by radical scavenging capacities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and (2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonate (ABTS) radicals. Besides, the correlation between total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins or oleanolic acid and antioxidant activity was analyzed. Results indicated that different solvent extracts from lingonberry showed a significant antioxidant activity. The ethyl acetate-soluble and butyl alcohol-soluble fractions had higher free radical scavenging capacity, and the former exhibited the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 0.27 and 0.05 mg/mL, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the antioxidant activity of the different extracts and the contents of total phenols and total flavonoids.

Based on the results of color difference and sensory evaluation of commercial yellow tea samples, we established the relationship between color parameters and sensory scores for color, and analyzed the correlation between color and chemical components. The results showed that there was a remarkable difference in color among yellow tea samples, which had a significant influence on the sensory quality of yellow tea (P < 0.01). Good correlation was found between sensory scores for color and chroma (Ps) value, converted from hue value (O) in chromatic aberration system, which was fitted to a quadratic model. The accuracy of the model was found to be 98.9%. Therefore, Ps value could be regarded as an index to evaluate the color quality of yellow tea. Ps value was positively correlated with thearubigins content (P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with chlorophyll content in yellow tea (P < 0.05). Therefore these two components were considered to be related to the color of yellow tea. The model presented in this study can provide a theoretical basis to evaluate the color of yellow tea.

In this study, we investigated the preparation of highly pure D-borneol from the essential oil extracted from the leaves of Dryobalanops aromatica through steam distillation. Crude D-borneol was obtained after the essential oil was subjected to freeze-drying and centrifugation. Then, the crude product was purified by recrystallization in petroleum ether, 120# gasoline, and anhydrous ethanol, respectively. The chemical composition, optical rotation, morphology and thermal properties of the as-obtained crystals were characterized. The results showed that the content of D-borneol in the essential oil was about 68.10%, and its purity was more than 98% after recrystallization. There were no obvious differences in mass spectrum or optical rotation between D-bormeol standard and the solvent recrystallized crystals. The appearance of the petroleum ether and gasoline 120# recrystallized crystals showed regular hexagons with clear boundary, while the ethanol recrystallized crystal was irregularly and granularly dispersed or aggregated. However, the results of thermal analysis showed that the thermal properties of all three recrystallized crystals were the same, indicating that the appearance of crystals did not affect their thermal performance. Furthermore, Mo’s equation could describe the non-isothermal crystallization process of D-borneol crystal. This study can provide an important technical reference for the exploitation and utilization of Dryobalanops aromatica and the production of high-purity D-borneol.

In this study, dietary fiber was extracted from the residue left after the removal of starch from 6 varieties of potato, namely, Shepody, White Rose, Black Rose, Kexin No. 1, Favorita, and Jizhangshu No. 8, by sequential hydrolysis with medium-temperature α-amylase, alkaline protease and glucoamylase. The chemical composition, microstructure, and physicochemical properties of dried potato residue (DPR) and potato dietary fiber (PDF) were studied. The results showed that the chemical compositions of DPR from different varieties were significantly different (P < 0.05). The contents of total dietary fiber (TDF) in Shepody and Black Rose were 43.16% and 31.87%, respectively. The highest yield of PDF was extracted from Shepody (62.19%), and the yield of PDF extracted from White Rose was the lowest (42.99%). The extraction yield of PDF from Black Rose was 51.27%. Compared with DPR, the contents of starch and pectin in PDF decreased due to the enzymatic hydrolysis, and the contents of protein, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin increased. The structure of DPR was compact while the structure of PDF was loose with some wrinkles and microholes. The content of starch in dietary fiber from Black Rose was the lowest; the content of protein was 7.69%, which was significantly lower than that in White Rose (P < 0.05); and the content of cellulose was 21.30%. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in lignin between Black Rose and White Rose, which were richer in lignin than other varieties (P < 0.05). Generally, dietary fiber from Black Rose is superior to that from other varieties in terms of water holding capacity (WHC), oil holding capacity (OHC), swelling capacity (SC), and glucose binding capacity (GAC). So Black Rose is a suitable potato variety for the extraction of PDF.

In this study, the effect of dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) on the contents of catechin, procynidin B2 and epicatechin in grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) was studied. The proanthocyanidins were subjected to different cycles (1–4) of DHPM at different pressures (100, 140, 180, 220 and 260 MPa) and then analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the contents of these substances increased with increasing DHPM pressures, but they rose firstly and then declined with increasing number of DHPM cycles. Two DHPM cycles at 260 MPa resulted in the highest contents of catechin and epicatechin (0.163 2 and 0.128 6 mg/mL, respectively) among all treatments and the highest content of procynidin B2 of 0.057 6 mg/mL was obtained after three DHPM cycles. Hence, it was demonstrated that DHPM could destroy the non-covalent bonds between polymeric proanthocyanidin chains and consequently depolymerize them into oligomers and monomers with higher biological activity.

The bacterial species on commercial bean sprouts were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and the efficacy of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) with different pH values in killing bacteria, yeast and mold on commercial bean sprouts was evaluated. The results showed that 5 bacterial strains were isolated, belonging to the genera of Kosakonia, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Enterobacter, respectively. AEW with available chlorine concentration of 46.00 mg/L and pH values of 3.02, 4.47 and 5.58 could significantly decrease microbial counts on commercially available fresh bean sprouts. AEW with pH 4.47 and available chlorine concentration of 46.09 mg/L could decrease the total bacterial count, mould and yeast count and coliform count by 1.14, 2.48 and 1.29 (lg(CFU/g)) on soybean sprouts and by 1.23, 1.42 and 1.25 (lg(CFU/g)) on mung bean sprouts, respectively. AEW could play an active role in improving the safety of commercial bean sprouts for consumption.

The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of phytosterol (PS), phytosterol ester (PSE) and dairy products supplemented with PS and/or PSE in reducing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases for the purpose of providing a scientific basis for guiding the practical use of plant-derived phytochemicals and Yangxin dairy (YXD), a commercial dairy product supplemented with both PS and PSE. SD rats were randomly divided into 9 groups with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the normal control and model groups were fed a normal diet and a high fat diet, respectively and then administrated by gavage with 0.9% normal saline, while those in the PS, PSE, YXD and placebo groups were given a high fat diet and gavaged with PS at 23.6 and 47.2 mg/mL, PSE at 23.6 and 47.2 mg/mL, YXD at 30 and 60 g/250 mL and peanut oil, respectively. After 4 consecutive weeks of administration, all the rats were sacrificed for the collection of blood and visceral tissue samples. The results showed that total serum cholesterol levels in the rats in the PS, PSE and YXD groups significantly decreased and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased in a dose-dependent manner compared with the model group. These treatments also caused a reduction of triglyceride, total antioxidant capacity and malonaldehyde levels, although the effect was unstable. The same trends were also seen for the corresponding indicators in liver and pathological sections. PSE and YXD had better efficacy in reducing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Furthermore, YXD had higher potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and protect the liver and blood vessels.

Objective: To ascertain the effect of dietary leucine supplementation on intestinal immune function in ultra-early weaned piglets suffering from intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Methods: Sixteen normal birth weight (NBW) piglets weaned at 14 days of age and sixteen IUGR newborn piglets were selected according to their birth weight. All the piglets were randomly divided into four groups with 8 replicates in each group, and fed control diet alone or supplemented with 0.35% L-leucine for 21 days, respectively. Results: Compared with NBW piglets, IUGR piglets showed significantly lower lysozyme activity and complement-3 (C3) level in the serum (P < 0.05), a significant reduction in the number of goblet cells (GC) and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in the jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) content in the ileum, and a significant increase intumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) content in the ileum (P < 0.05). In addition, IUGR piglets had significantly increased TNF-α mRNA expression but significantly decreased IL-10 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 0.35% L-leucine significantly increased lysozyme activity and the levels of C3 and C4 in the serum, the numbers of GC in the ileum and IEL in the duodenum and jejunum, IL-10 content in the ileum, and the mRNA expression of IL-2 and IL-10 in the ileum of IUGR piglets (P < 0.05). Conclusion: IUGR could induce intestinal mucosal inflammatory response and hinder intestinal growth and development in early weaned piglets. L-Leucine could effectively alleviate intestinal mucosal injury caused by IUGR, and improve intestinal immune function in piglets.

In the present study, polyphenols from Porphyra haitanensis (PP) were extracted and separated, and their in vitro antioxidant activity was investigated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, the ability to inhibit the color fading of β-carotene and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), as well as their protective effect against oxidative damage induced by ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) in human skin fibroblast cells (HSFs). The aim of this investigation was to ascertain the applicability of PP to protect the skin against UV damage. In vitro tests demonstrated that PP had strong antioxidant activity, whose DPPH radical scavenging capacity was equivalent to that of BHT at the same concentration but whose ability to inhibit the color fading of β-carotene in the presence of linoleic acid and FRAP were weaker. The cellular experiment showed that PP significantly reduced lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from HSFs induced by UVB irradiation, maintained cell membrane integrity, decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), therefore attenuating cellular oxidative stress, enhancing the oxidative stress resistance of endothelial cells and significantly inhibiting the apoptosis of HSFs. These findings led us to conclude that PP can protect HSFs against UVB-induced oxidative damage and has potential for protection against UV-induced skin damage.

Objective: To explore the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum (II) (CDDP)-induced oxidative damage in mouse testis sertoli cells TM4 and its possible mechanism. Methods: The survival rate of the cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was examined by xanthine oxidase method. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was measured by thiobarbituric acid assay. Glutathione (GSH) content was determined by nitrobenzoic acid method. Results: LBP at 5–100 mg/L could significantly enhance the survival rate of TM4 cells (P < 0.01), and at 20–100 mg/L could significantly inhibit the toxic effect of CDDP on TM4 cells (P < 0.01), and the best protective effect was observed as 50 mg/L. LBP at 50 mg/L could significantly reduce intracellular MDA content, increase SOD activity and GSH levels drop compared with CDDP control group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: CDDP-induced damage in TM4 cells could be remarkably reversed by LBP, which may be related with the strong antioxidant potential of LBP.

The contents of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TG), the mRNA expression level of fatty acid synthase (FAS), sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), and the protein expression level of phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) were investigated for studying the effects of pigments from Pu-erh tea on lipid metabolism in HepG2 cell line cultured with normal or oleic acid enriched medium. The results showed that pigments from Pu-erh tea significantly decreased the contents of TG and TC in HepG2 cells cultured in oleic acid-enriched medium in a dose-dependent manner, although having no significant effect on HepG2 cells cultured in normal medium. The mRNA expression levels of FAS and SREBP-1c were significantly down-regulated, and the mRNA level of ABCA1 was significantly up-regulated, the mRNA expression level of CYP7A1 showed an increased tendency and the protein expression level of p-AMPK was significantly up-regulated after the treatment with pigments from Pu-erh tea for 24 hours in HepG2 cells cultured in oleic acid-enriched medium (P < 0.05). Therefore, pigments from Pu-erh tea could improve lipid metabolism in HepG2 cells cultured in oleic acid-enriched medium by regulating the mRNA levels of enzymes and transcription factors.

The aim of this study was to determine the preventive effects of alkaloids extracted from Ba lotus seeds (AEBLS) on CCl4-induced hepatic injury in mice. AEBLS was purified using 732 exchange resin and then orally administered to mice. Afterwards, the mice were injected with CCl4 to induce hepatic injury, and liver index, serum biochemical parameters, and the mRNA expression of related genes in hepatic tissue were evaluated. The results showed that AEBLS could reduce liver weight and liver index in mice with hepatic injury. AEBLS could decrease aspartate aminotransferase (AST), aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), urea nitrogen (BUN), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increase albumin (ALB), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels of the serum of mice with hepatic injury. Meanwhile, it could also increase serum levels of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL?6), IL?12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). RT-PCR results also confirmed that AEBLS could upregulate Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and IκB-α mRNA expression and downregulate NF-κB-p65, iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression in the liver tissue of mice with hepatic injury. Therefore, AEBLS has a good preventive effect on CCl4-induced hepatic injury, which is close to that of silymarin.

To discuss the health risk associated with dietary exposure to pesticide residues in staple leaf vegetables in Guangdong province, 33 target pesticides in 6 kinds of leaf vegetables collected in 2014 and 2015 were evaluated. Point evaluation and probability assessment with @Risk v5.7 software were used to assess the health risk derived from acute and chronic dietary exposure to pesticides with a detection rate of over 5%. Totally, 22 pesticides were detected with a detection of rate of 1.7%–36.1% and there were 10 pesticides with a detection rate of over 5% including imidacloprid, acetamiprid, carbendazim, chlorantraniliprole, dimethomorph, cyromazine, bifenthrin, difenoconazole, chlorpyrifos and metalaxyl. The risk quotients for acute dietary exposure to these pesticides were between 1.31 and 28.22, while those for chronic dietary exposure were between 0.87 and 70.00 for 99% of consumers, suggesting the health risk associated with their dietary exposure was acceptable. More attention should be paid to the pesticides with high chronic exposure risk quotients such as chlorpyrifos and difenoconazole. Findings from this study provide scientific grounds for risk management of vegetable quality and safety.

This work studied the effect of selenium polysaccharide from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal) Ijinskaja (Se-CPP) on blood glucose, serum lipid and immunity in diabetic mice. The diabetic mice induced by high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin were administrated with physiological saline, Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal) Ijinskaja polysaccharide (CPP), CPP + sodium selenite, sodium selenite, Se-CPP at low, middle and high doses (0.2, 0.6, 1.8 g/(kg·d)) and Xiaoke pill. After 42 d administration, the levels of glucose tolerance, serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), the activities of antioxidant enzymes, immune organ index, and spleen lymphocyte transformation rate were measured. The results showed that blood glucose, serum TC and TG levels in the low- and middle-dose Se-CPP groups were lower than those in the CPP and CPP + sodium selenite groups. In addition, Se-CPP had better antioxidant activity and could more effectively improve immunity in diabetic mice than CPP.

Objective: To investigate the effect of two yeast metallothioneins (MT-1 and MT-2) on mercury elimination and the repairing of liver damage and oxidative damage in mice with acute mercury chloride poisoning. Methods: A mouse model of acute mercury poisoning was established by subcutaneous injection of mercuric chloride in normal saline in the neck. The acute mercury poisoning mice were lavaged with each MT at different doses or DMPS for 14 continuous days. At the end of the treatment period, the body weight, liver coefficient, mercury levels in blood and liver, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum, and liver alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities were measured. Results: Compared with the normal group, body weight in the model group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and liver coefficient was increased (P < 0.05); serum mercury levels were increased significantly (P < 0.05); SOD and serum GSH-Px activities and T-AOC were decreased significantly (P < 0.05); serum MDA level and liver ALT and AST activities were increased significantly (P < 0.05). Yeast MT at middle and high doses and the positive control dimercaptopropansulfonate sodium resulted in significantly higher body weight compared with the model group (P < 0.05), and exhibited no significant difference from the normal group (P > 0.05). The treatments resulted in significantly dose-dependently reduced liver coefficient in comparison with the model group (P < 0.05). For all treatment groups, Hg2+ levels in serum and liver, serum MDA level, and liver ALT and AST activities were decreased to different extents, and serum GSH-Px and SOD activities and T-AOC were increased to different extents. High-dose yeast metallothioneins had the best effect in the dose range of 0.16–0.80 mg/kg, and the effect was significantly different from that of other groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Both yeast MT could significantly dose-dependently bind free Hg2+ in mice with acute mercury chloride poisoning and repair liver damage and oxidative damage.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum YS-1 (LP-YS1) on activated carboninduced constipation in Kunming mice. The experimental results showed that anti-gastric acid and bile salt activities of LP-YS1 were stronger than that of Lactobacillus bulgaricus. LP-YS1 could inhibit the decrease in body weight, fecal weight, fecal pellet number and fecal moisture content caused by constipation in mice. Meanwhile, LP-YS1 could raise gastrointestinal (GI) transit rate and reduce the time to the first black stool defecation. LP-YS1 also could increase serum motilin (MTL), endothelin (ET), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), substance P (SP), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels and decrease somatostatin (SS) level in constipated mice. reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments revealed that LP-YS1 could raise c-Kit, stem cell factor (SCF) and glial cellline-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA expression and reduce transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA expression in the small intestine of constipated mice. High concentration of LP-YS1 had a better effect. Based on these results, LP-YS1 could effectively inhibit constipation.

To investigate the effect of prodigiosin on intestinal development and antioxidant function in weaned rats, thirty male SD weaned rats, which suffered from intestinal injury induced by weaning stress, were randomly equally divided into control, low-dose, and high-dose groups. The rats in the control group were orally administered daily with sterile saline, while those in the low-dose, and high-dose groups were gavaged daily with 100 and 200 μg prodigiosin/kg body weight, respectively. The administration lasted for 14 days. All the rats were sacrificed after the last administration to collect tissue samples. Body weight and feed intake were recorded daily. Organ weights and the lengths of small intestine and colon were measured, and organ indexes were calculated. The morphological structures of ileum and colon were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Ileal villus height and crypt depth, the thickness of colonic mucosa, and the number of goblet cells were measured. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione-peroxidase (GHS-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in ileum and colon were determined. The results showed that high-dose prodigiosin could significantly increase body weight, daily feed intake, liver, spleen, thymus, small intestine and colon indexes, ileal villus height, the ratio of villus height and crypt depth, the thickness of colon mucosa, T-AOC, GHS-Px and SOD activities in ileum, and SOD in colon (P < 0.05), and decrease MDA contents in ileum and colon. In conclusion, prodigiosin is beneficial for improving the growth performance of weaned rats, and enhancing antioxidant capability in ileum and colon, as well as attenuating intestinal injury induced by weaning stress.

In this study, a composite preservative consisting of protocatechuic acid and Tween-20 was used to evaluate the effect of soaking time, storage temperature, protocatechuic acid concentration and Tween-20 concentration on its efficacy in preserving the postharvest quality of Xiangyan No. 5 green hot peppers. The investigation was carried out using an L9 (34) orthogonal array design. The results showed that compared with the control (CK1) and positive control groups (CK2, using NW20 as preservative), 2.5 min soaking with 125 mg/L protocatechuic acid and 0.02% Tween-20 (V/V) significantly reduced water loss in green hot peppers by 41.98% and 15.74% (P < 0.05) and significantly decreased the incidence of decay by 70.39% and 20.09% after 21 days storage at 10 ℃, respectively. Meanwhile, this treatment could reduce respiration intensity, delay the decline in vitamin C and chlorophyll content, effectively restrain the accumulation of malondialdehyde and polyphenol oxidase, and improve peroxidase and catalase activity. The quality of this treatment was superior to that of CK1 (P < 0.05) with respect to all the above parameters. These data suggest that protocatechuic acid coating treatment (ZJZ) can delay the senescence of post-harvest peppers and extend the shelf life of pepper, so that it has a good efficacy in the postharvest preservation of green hot peppers.

Kiwifruits (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Qinmei) were treated at harvest with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and then stored at (0.0 ± 0.5) ℃. The mechanism of chlorophyll degradation and the effect of 1-MCP treatment on the contents of chlorophyll and its derivatives and the activities of related enzymes were studied. The results showed that chlorophyllide a, pheophorbide a and pheophytin a were the major degradation products of chlorophyll a during storage. The contents of these three derivatives increased initially and then decreased during storage. The changes in the contents of chlorophyllide a and pheophorbide a were in accordance with the changes in the activities of chlorophylase and Mg-dechelatase, respectively. Therefore, chlorophyll degradation followed the degradation pathway of pheophorbide a oxygenase. The treatment with 1.0 μL/L 1-MCP increased the activity of peroxidase and delayed the maturity and senescence of kiwifruits. 1-MCP inhibited the activities of chlorophylase and Mg-dechelatase, and slowed down the degradation of chlorophyll. 1-MCP restrained the production of chlorophyllide a, pheophytin a and pheophorbide a, and thus delayed the maturity and senescence of kiwifruits. These results provide a theoretical basis for the application of 1-MCP to delay chlorophyll degradation in kiwifruit.

The effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment on softening-related compound contents and enzyme activities in “Yueshuai” apples during cold storage was investigated, and the regulatory mechanism of 1-MCP treatment on the softening of “Yueshuai” apples was also explored for the purpose of providing the theoretical basis for the preservation of “Yueshuai” apples. The apples were stored at (0.0 ± 0.5) ℃ and relative humidity of 90%–95% after pretreatment with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μL/L 1-MCP. The fruit firmness, respiration intensity, ethylene production rate, cell wall components and related enzyme activities of “Yueshuai” apples were determined at regular intervals during storage. The peaks of respiration and ethylene production rate appeared after cold storage for 30 days; at the same time, polygalacturonase activity reached its peak. The peaks of pectin methyl esterase, cellulose and β-glucosidase appeared after cold storage for 45 days; the water-soluble pectin content was increased rapidly and protopectin and cellulose content were decreased constantly during the 45 days of storage. Treatment with 0.5 μL/L 1-MCP delayed the peaks of respiration intensity, ethylene production rate, and polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulose (Cx) activity. It significantly inhibited the decline in protopectin and water-soluble pectin contents rather than the decline in fruit firmness at the end of cold storage (P < 0.05). In addition, 1.0 and 2.0 μL/L 1-MCP treatment could significantly inhibit respiration intensity, ethylene production rate, the activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes, the contents of pectin and cellulose, and the decline of fruit firmness (P < 0.05). During cold storage, protopectin and cellulose were decomposed continuously, leading to continuous generation of water-soluble pectin and a rapid decline of fruit firmness. The activity peak of all cell wall-degrading enzymes expect PG appeared after the peaks of respiration and ethylene production rate. Respiration intensity and ethylene production rate could control the softening of “Yueshuai” apples. In conclusion, 1-MCP treatment can delay the degradation of cell wall components and suppress the softening of “Yueshuai” apples by inhibiting respiration intensity, ethylene production rate and fruit softening-related enzyme activities. Meanwhile, the effect of 1.0 and 2.0 μL/L treatment is more significant.

The aim of this study is to provide theoretical support for reducing the loss of grapes caused by Botrytis cinerea during storage. Botrytis cinerea was exposed to ozone at different concentrations (0, 30, 60 and 90 μL/L) for different times (5, 10 and 15 min), and then stored at (20 ± 1) ℃. The mycelial diameter, the formation of Botrytis cinerea spores and plasma membrane integrity were analyzed to explore the inhibitory effect of ozone on Botrytis cinerea. In a second experiment, postharvest ‘Red Globe’ grapes were inoculated with Botrytis cinerea and exposed to four different concentrations of ozone for 15 min, and then stored at (20 ± 1) ℃ for 5 days. The incidence, lesion size and related enzymes activities were measured to evaluate the inhibitory effect of ozone on controlling gray mold in postharvest grapes. The results indicated that compared with the control group, the growth of Botrytis cinerea was inhibited by ozone but the effect decreased gradually over storage time. Ozone could concentration-dependently and time-dependently damage the integrity of the plasma membrane of Botrytis cinerea and reduce conidia germination. On the other hand, the growth of Botrytis cinerea in grapes was strongly inhibited by ozone at concentrations of 60 and 90 μL/L. Meanwhile, ozone could inhibit the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) content and help maintain higher levels of antioxidant enzyme activities. Taken together, this study suggested that ozone was effective against gray mold in postharvest ‘Red Globe’ grapes by inhibiting the growth of the pathogen and inducing host resistance and the best effect was observed at a concentration of 90 μL/L and 15 min treatment.

Squids are an important resource for oversea fisheries in China. Immediate freezing of squids after harvest is required. Therefore, frozen squids are the major raw material for all squid products. Low-temperature storage especially frozen storage has been widely used in food preservation. Frozen aquatic products must be thawed before they are processed. However, the process may also cause drip loss and reduced quality. The quality of frozen aquatic products depends not only on freezing methods and temperature and temperature fluctuations, but also on subsequent thawing methods. This review article discusses many physical and chemical changes including moisture content, protein denaturation and oxidation, lipid oxidation, color and pH and microbial changes including specific spoilage organisms during low-temperature storage and thawing of squids, in order to provide valuable information on improving squid storage process.

Bacillus cereus is a food-borne opportunistic pathogen widely present in the environment and foods. It is frequently associated with two types of food-borne illness: emesis and diarrhea. The study on Bacillus cereus typing has important implications for the prevention, early warning, tracing and molecular epidemiological survey of Bacillus cereus. Currently, the popular methods for typing Bacillus cereus include traditional typing methods such as phage typing and biochemical typing, and molecular typing methods such as multilocus sequence typing, repetitive sequence-PCR, random amplified polymorphic DNA, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In this paper, all these methods are reviewed with the aim of providing references for the typing of Bacillus cereus.

Aroma is an important sensory attribute of tomatoes. Tomato aroma is formed by a complex mixture of more than 400 volatile compounds, and it plays an important role in the classification and consumer acceptability of tomato products. This article provides a brief overview of the volatile aroma compounds of tomato fruits and their variations during ripening and summarizes their biosynthetic pathways. The focus of this review is on the factors affecting the formation of aroma compounds in tomato fruits. We expect this review to provide some theoretical and practical guidelines for researchers, producers, retailers and consumers.

Anthocyanins are widely distributed in plants, which belong to the class of flavonoids. In recent years, anthocyanins have been proven for their biological activities such as antioxidant activity, inhibiting cell proliferation, accelerating cell apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory effect. Many animal experiments and epidemiological studies have demonstrated their role in preventing the development of colon cancer. This paper reviews the nutrient uptake of anthocyanins and their mechanism of action as an anti-colon cancer agent with the aim of providing theoretical references for the research and development of anthocyanins.

Flavor is the sensory impression synthesized by the taste perceived in the mouth, the smell perceived in the nose and trigeminal sense, mainly including the aroma and taste of food. Most of flavor substances are nonnutritive substances that do not take part in the metabolism of the human body. Flavor is one of the major factors affecting food quality, and plays an important role in consumers’ choice of foods. The article summarizes the recent progress made in studying the effect of aroma on satiety and taste. Moreover, problems existing in the application of aroma technology are discussed and the prospects for the application of recent studies in the development of foods including new health foods are presented.