A three-factor central composite rotatable design was adopted for studying the combined effects of flaxseed gum (FG), xanthan gum and soy protein isolate (SPI) on the productivity and textural properties of pork sausages. It was found that addition of FG, xanthan gum or SPI significantly increased the productivity of pork sausages (P＜0.01) in a concentration-dependent fashion. FG and SPI had significant interactive effects on the productivity and adhesiveness of pork sausages (P＜0.05). Hardness was significantly increased with increasing SPI addition (P＜0.05), while increasing addition of xanthan gum or SPI caused in a gradual decrease in springiness, and there was a significant interaction between both additives (P＜0.05). Cohesiveness showed a highly significant decreasing trend (P＜0.01) with increasing FG addition but revealed a gradual increase with increasing addition of xanthan gum or SPI; meanwhile, a significant interaction was observed between xanthan gum and SPI (P＜0.05). Chewiness was not significantly affected by FG, xanthan gum or SPI.

This paper reports on the results of an investigation into the effects of temperature, heating time, initial pH, protein concentration and antioxidant type on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in a simulated thermal processing system consisting of BSA and glucose. Fluorescence intensity at an excitation/emission wavelength of 370 nm/440 nm was used as a measure of the formation of AGEs. The results showed that the production of AGEs tended to first increase to the maximum at 100 ℃ and 60 min, respectively, and then decrease with increasing temperature and prolonged heating time. Initial pH was an important variable that influences the formation of AGEs; the largest amount of AGEs were formed at pH 7.0, followed by alkaline conditions, and the formation of AGEs was minimized under acid conditions. The formation of AGEs was substantially affected by tea polyphenols, liquorice flavonoids and rosemary acid but little affected by Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Zn2+ or Ca2+. Hence, the formation of AGEs is affected importantly by process conditions including heating time, temperature and initial pH, and is inhibited by tea polyphenols, liquorice flavonoids and rosemary acid as food-grade natural antioxidants but is not affected by metal ions.

The interaction between myohemoglobin (Mb) and prodigiosin (PG) was investigated by UV-visible, fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, FT-IR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques. The UV absorption of Mb was increased in the presence of PG, indicating that PG interacted mainly with amino acid residues on the outside of Mb. The peak fluorescence intensity of Mb was increased through its interaction with PG. Moreover, the binding constant between them was decreased with increasing temperature. The enthalpy change (ΔH) was －25.293 kJ/mol, and the entropy change (ΔS) was －10.238 J/(mol•s) at 298 K and －10.239 J/(mol•s) at 310 K as calculated according to the thermodynamic equation. The data showed that Van der Waals force played a critical role in the interaction between Mb and PG. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic analysis revealed alteration of the microenvironment of amino acid residues as a result of the interaction between both materials. FT-IR analysis showed alternation of the secondary structure of Mb induced by the interaction of amide groups in its polypeptide chains with PG. CD analysis demonstrated a reduction in α-helix content of Mb due to PG-induced alteration of the secondary structure. 

Objective: To compare the changes in silver nitrate-induced glyceollin production in three types of soybeans: yellow, green and black, each of which consisted of three cultivars. Methods: Glyceollin production in soybeans was induced by 0.01 mol/L silver nitrate solution and determined by HPLC. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) using a mobile phase consisting of acetic acid solution (pH 3) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 mL/min through gradient elution. Glyceollin was detected at 285 nm. Column temperature was set at 40 ℃. Results: Under the same extraction and determination conditions, silver nitrate-induced glyceollin production in soybeans decreased in the following order: green ＞ black ＞ yellow. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study can provide evidence for the selection of suitable soybean type for research and applications of glyceollins.

In this study, tartary buckwheat seeds were pretreated by different magnetic field intensities. During subsequent germination, the changes in the specific activity of three key enzymes including phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), chalconeisomerase (CHI) and rutin-degrading enzymes (RDEs) and their relationships with total flavonoid content were explored. The results showed that (1) the same enzyme was induced to different extents by different magnetic field intensities: the biggest specific activity of PAL was attained at 0.3 T, whereas the specific activity of CHI reached the highest level at 0.2 T, and no significant difference in the specific activity of RDEs was observed when compared with the control; 2) the same magnetic field intensity induced different enzymes to different extents: PAL showed the biggest variation in its specific activity at 0.3 T, while the biggest variation was observed for CHI at 0.2 T; (3) the highest level (62.90 mg/g) of total flavonoids in germinated tartary buckwheat seeds was reached in response to the combined effect of three enzymes at 0.2 T. This study demonstrates that magnetic field stimulation can induce the production of flavonoids in tartary buckwheat seeds during germination.

This study focused on the effect of initial pH in a fructose-lysine model system on the properties of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) related to the inhibitory effect on banana enzymatic browning. MRPs were prepared through the reaction of 0.5 mol/L fructose and 0.5 mol/L lysine at a pH ranging from 2 to 11, 110 ℃ for 1 h. Then, their antioxidant activity (including DPPH free radical scavenging ability and reducing power), chelating copper activity and the inhibitory effect on polyphenoloxidase banana were evaluated. The results showed that the Maillard reaction between fructose and lysine could be accelerated at alkaline conditions, however, MRPs prepared from acidic conditions (especially at pH 2 or 3), were more effective in inhibiting banana polyphenoloxidase and scavenging DPPH free radicals. The reducing power of MRPs prepared at pH 9 was highest, while those prepared at pH 2 had the lowest reducing power. Chelating copper activity of MRPs prepared at pH 2—4 or pH 11 was predominant. Generally , initial pH showed a significant effect on the efficacy of MRPs for inhibiting banana enzymatic browning, and the properties related to the inhibitory effect of MRPs prepared at different initial pHs were much different from each other, such as DPPH radical scavenging ability, reducing power, chelating copper activity and the inhibitory effect on banana polyphenoloxidase. It could also be deduced that early stage MRPs may play key roles in inhibiting banana polyphenoloxidase.

The effect of three types of carrageenan (Car), an anion polysaccharide, with different charge density on the thermal properties, phase behavior, and morphology structure of soybean 7S protein was studied using turbidity determination, phase diagram construction, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The thermal stability of 7S protein was increased with increasing charge density of Car at the same concentration. All three types of Car could increase the denaturation temperature of soybean 7S protein and reduce the enthalpy value, and the decreasing order of their effectiveness was λ-Car > ι-Car >κ-Car. λ-Car/7S phase diagram had lower square of compatibility area but higher square of incompatibility area compared with κ-Car/7S and ι-Car/7S phase diagrams. Both the macro and microstructure of the incompatibility area showed phase separation while Car and soybean 7S protein in the compatibility area showed uniform distribution structure. The diversity of phase behavior and microstructure of 7S protein/Car mixtures was beneficial to design novel functional food materials with controlled release properties for flavor and bioactive agents.

The purpose of this work was to study extraction conditions and antioxidant activity in vitro of capsular polysaccharide (CP) from Lactobacillus helveticus MB2-1, a potent CP producing strain isolated from Sayram traditional yogurt from Xinjiang. After 18 h of hydrolysis with both pepsin and trypsin at a total dosage of 1400 U/mL under the conditions of 37 ℃ and pH 6.0, the yield of CP was 184.58 mg/L and the resulting extract contained 95.58% polysaccharide and 1.82% protein. At 4.0 mg/mL, it had strong scavenging activities against DPPH and hydroxyl free radicals with corresponding scavenging rates of 84.30% and 48.22% and powerful reducing power (83.88%) and ferrous ion-chelating capacity (35.68%).

This study was performed to compare the effects of direct heating and microwave heating on the stability of phytosterol when present in a liquid lipid matrix (rapeseed oil). As demonstrated by a comparison of the retention rates of phytosterol after both heat treatments, phytosterol remained stable, whereas its antioxidant activity markedly declined during direct heating at a temperature not exceeding 150 ℃; the stability of phytosterol when directly heated temperature 180 ℃ decreased obviously with increasing heating time, and the retention rate was only 0.5607 after 14 h. No obvious change in phytosterol oxidation was found with microwave power and heating time across the ranges studied, while the antioxidant activity decreased.

Adsorption properties and kinetics for of the removal of K+ from mother liquor B on BK001 type ion exchange resin were investigated by studying the effects of temperature, concentration and resin particle size on K+ static exchange. At 303 K and 333 K, the adsorption behavior of K+ on the resin obeyed Langmuir isothermal adsorption. The exchange process was mainly dominated by particle diffusion; the apparent activation energy was 35.1 kJ/mol, the reaction order was 1.389, and the apparent frequency factor was 8439 min-1.

SOD activities in peel, pulp, seed and leaf tissues from 16 citrus varieties were measured. The distribution of SOD activity in citrus tissues and the change of SOD activity during citrus growth period were analyzed. The results showed that SOD activity was detected in all the four citrus tissues with significant differences among them and decreased in the following order: leaf ＞ seed ＞ peel ＞ pulp. Significant differences in SOD activity were observed for the same tissue among some of the citrus varieties studied. During the middle and late growth stages, SOD activity showed diverse changing trends within a narrow range with increasing degree of maturity; SOD activity in seed and leaf tissues revealed an increasing trend.

in vitro binding studies of peanut oil to chitosan (CS) were carried out in stimulated digestive juice. Fat-binding characteristics of chitosan were investigated by measuring its fat-binding capacity (FBC) under various conditions. Meanwhile, the relationship of FBC with molecular structure for chitosan was analyzed. Chitosan showed an approximately 3-fold increase in FBC at pH 2—3 compared with pH 6.4—7.2. A higher FBC level was found for chitosan at 0.010—0.0067 g/mL in normal saline solution adjusted to pH 2 with hydrochloric acid. Similarly, middle molecular weight chitosan had a higher FBC level. The maximum FBC level was attained for chitosan when mixed with peanut oil at a mass ratio of 1:30. The FBC level of chitosan was dependent on its chain conformation. During the binding process, the FBC level of chitosan increased in the first 2 h, and then reached a plateau.

In this study, the distribution of organically bound forms of selenium in Se-rich peanuts was analyzed by determining the amounts of total, protein-bound, polysaccharide-bound and fat-bound selenium. Protein-bound selenium was the most predominant bound form in Se-rich peanuts, accounting for 69.29% of the total selenium amount, and alkali-soluble protein was the most prominent form among five types of soluble proteins, representing 45.19% of the total selenium amount. Polysaccharide ranked second among three organically bound forms, with a content of 11.76% relative to the total selenium amount. Fat-bound selenium accounted for only 8.61%.

This study was carried out to investigate temperature-dependent changes in the viscosity of Jincheng orange pomace pectin, prepared by the traditional acid extraction method, under various conditions of pectin concentration, temperature, pH, sucrose concentration, NaCl concentration and Ca2+ concentration. Jincheng orange pomace pectin solution was a typical pseudo-plastic non-Newtonian fluid. Its viscosity gradually declined with increasing temperature. However, the pectin solution showed characteristics of a Newtonian fluid at 100 ℃. Its viscosity became lower at higher or lower pH values, but became higher as sucrose and Ca2+ concentration increased, and initially rose and then declined with increasing NaCl concentration.

An investigation into the effects of internal temperature, water-bath temperature, holding time and chilling temperature on the Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and cooking loss of pork longissimus dorsi muscle was studied with the aim of developing a reliable, standardized sample pretreatment approach for the determination of pork WBSF. Pork WBSF and cooking loss were positively related to internal temperature, water-bath temperature and holding time. WBSF values of pork samples chilled to a temperature between 0 ℃ and 4 ℃ showed maximum coefficient of variation. Different sample pretreatment methods had significantly different effects on pork WBSF. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the sample pretreatment procedure for the determination of pork WBSF involves heating in a 72 ℃ water bath to an internal temperature of 70 ℃ and then immediately storage at 0—4 ℃ overnight.

The individual and combined effects of sodium citrate and sodium lactate on the water-holding capacity (WHC) of frozen silver carp surimi were studied. The individual addition of sodium citrate and sodium lactate and their combination was effective in improving the WHC of frozen surimi, especially their combined use. The results of optimization by orthogonal array design indicated that the addition of 0.25% sodium lactate and 0.50% sodium citrate resulted in minimum thaw loss in frozen surimi and that no significant differences in centrifugation loss and cooking loss were found compared with the addition of 0.50% compound phosphate (P ＞ 0.05). The combined use of sodium citrate and sodium lactate in a given proportion may be an alternative to compound phosphate.

The effects of heating time and temperature on the content and antioxidant activity of anthocyanins in black currant extract were investigated in order to evaluate the heat stability and antioxidant stability of anthocyanins. The extract was heated at 60, 80 ℃ or 100 ℃ for 1—5 h and afterwards analyzed for the content and thermal degradation kinetics of anthocyanins. Besides, the antioxidant stability was assessed by DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing power and ABTS free radical scavenging assays. The results showed that heat induced a significant reduction in anthocyanin content (P ＜ 0.05). The thermal degradation of anthocyanins followed first-order kinetics. The reaction rate constant was increased and the half-time was decreased with increasing heating temperature. The activation energy for the degradation reaction was 71.97 kJ/mol. The scavenging capacities against DPPH and ABTS free radicals as well as reducing power of anthocyanins were attenuated to different extents with increasing heating temperature and time. Accordingly, avoidance of long-term high temperature exposure during processing is necessary to prevent anthocyanin degradation and thus protect its antioxidant activity.

Heavy metal pollution in water is a serious threat to human health. A series of strategies are being adopted in many countries for the removal of metal pollution from water. In the present study, the bio-adsorption of Cr (Ⅵ) by apple pomace was systematically studied. The adsorption rate of Cr (Ⅵ) by apple pomace was increased with decreasing particle size of apple pomace, but positively dependent on apple pomace dosage at the same initial Cr concentration, and showed a general increasing trend with increasing initial Cr concentration at the same apple pomace dosage. The decreasing order of the effects of three operating parameters on Cr (Ⅵ) adsorption was temperature ＞ pH ＞ adsorption time, and the optimal adsorption conditions were pH 4, 60 ℃ and 5 h as determined using an orthogonal array design. Under these conditions, the adsorption rate of Cr was 72.43%. Cr (Ⅵ) adsorption by apple pomace was a 120 min fast adsorption process followed by a slow adsorption process, could be described well with Freundlich adsorption equation, and obeyed second-order kinetics. The optimal solid/liquid ratio for adsorbing Cr (Ⅵ)  in 50 mg/L aqueous solution with apple pomace was 8:1000 (m/V). In addition, apple pomace was more effective in adsorbing Cr (Ⅵ) at low and middle concentrations (≤ 30 mg/L) than activated carbon.

This study was designed to investigate the DPPH, superoxide anion and hydroxyl free radical scavenging activities and reducing power of different fractions (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) of the 95% ethanol extract of burdock (Arctium lappa L.) leaves using VC, VE and TBHQ as controls. The ethanol extract of burdock leaves revealed strong antioxidant activity in vitro. Ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions had strong DPPH radical scavenging activity and were superior to TBHQ, and the content of chlorogenic acid in the two fractions was 44.34 mg/g and 35.48 mg/g, respectively.

Physico-chemical properties such as the contents of total carbohydrates, sulfate and uronic acid and average molecular weight of polysaccharide PPS0, isolated from Pavlova viridi, and its two degradation products, PPS1 and PPS2, were determined. In addition, their total antioxidant capacity, hygroscopicity and water retention activity were investigated and correlation analysis between their physicochemical properties and bioactivities was performed. The results showed that total antioxidant capacity of PPS1 and PPS2 was better than that of PPS0 and comparable to that of vitamin C. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity of PPS0 and its degradation products was inversely proportional to molecular weight but directly proportional to uronic acid content. All three samples presented excellent water absorption and retention capacities which were significantly negatively related to molecular weight (P ＜ 0.05). The maximum hygroscopicity and moisture retention rate of PPS0 were 47.80% and 70.63%, respectively. Furthermore, the water absorption and retention capacities of PPS0 and its degradation products were significantly superior to those of chitosan (P ＜ 0.05).

Inclusion conditions and inclusion ratio of parsley seed essential oil (PEO) with β-cyclodextrin (CD) or its derivatives including HP-β-CD and DM-β-CD were investigated at the molecular level by UV spectroscopy. The inclusion constants and thermodynamic parameters including ?G, ?H and ?S in the range of 25—55 ℃ were also determined. Solid inclusion complexes were prepared by saturated aqueous solution method and identified by UV spectroscopy and integrating sphere technique. Meanwhile their stability was evaluated as well. The results showed that the inclusion ratio between β-CD and parsley seed essential oil was 1:1. The inclusion capacities of β-CD was in the deceasing order: HP-β-CD ＞ DM-β-CD ＞ β-CD. The inclusion process was an exothermic and enthalpy-driven process. The inclusion complexes had good stability to light and heat.

Theaflavins have attracted extensive attention due to their strong bioactivity. The instability and easy degradation in aqueous solution of theaflavins limit their applications. Theaflavin monomers with high purity (＞95%) including theaflavin (95.6%), theaflavin-3-O-gallate (95.2%), theaflavin-3’-O-gallate (99.8%) and theaflavin-3,3’-O-gallate (96.3%) were separated from a sample of commercial theaflavin mixture. Their stability under various environmental conditions (pH, temperature and medium composition) was investigated. It was found that higher concentrations of theaflavins were more stable during storage at lower temperatures and pH levels, thereby being beneficial to the preservation of quality and the extension of shelf life.

Breast and leg meat samples from three chicken breeds including 40-day-old white-feather chicken, 120-day-old yellow-feather chicken and 200-day-old spent Fenxi hen were used to prepare cooked meat and soup. A multiple-frequency pulse electronic tongue was used to characterize and classify both raw and cooked samples, and their electrode signals were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Significantly different electronic tongue sensor signals were observed for raw breast and leg samples from the same chicken breed. In addition, silver electrode was better than platinum electrode for the discrimination of breast meat samples from different chicken breeds, but platinum electrode was effective in discriminating leg meat samples from different chicken breeds. However, single electrodes were not effective in discriminating cooked leg meat and soup. The optimized use of electrodes allowed effective discrimination among different chicken breeds for raw breast and leg meat, cooked leg meat and soup. This study suggests that multiple-frequency pulse electronic tongue has potential applications in discrimination among meat and meat products from different chicken breeds.

White granular substances on the surface of douchi were analyzed by means of microbiological identification and physio-chemical determination. Efflorescence on the surface of douchi was not caused by microbial contamination. Most white granular substances on the surface of douchi were massive in structure and small amounts of them had a rod-like or needle-like structure. They had poor solubility and the major composition was tyrosine. Efflorescence could be effectively inhibited by 500 W microwave treatment for 120 s.

In the present study, the potential suitability of some biochemical parameters for quality evaluation of chilled fresh pork was assessed by measuring their changes in chilled fresh pork during storage at 4 ℃ and performing sensory evaluation. The cumulative variance contribution rate of two designated factors was 84.874% as demonstrated by principal component analysis, which could meet the analytical requirements. Further analysis indicated that peroxide value (POV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and the total number of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus when explained by component No. 2 and proteolysis index (PI) when explained by component No. 1 could not be used for quality evaluation of fresh pork., while total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), total viable count (TVN) and cadaverine content when explained by component No. 1 could be used for quality evaluation of fresh pork. Besides, pH could provide important references for quality evaluation of fresh pork. But further studies are needed to examine if acid value (AV) can be used as a measure of the quality of fresh pork.

The in vitro antioxidant activity of lactoferrin was evaluated by spectrophotometrically measuring its lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and scavenging capacities against and hydroxyl and DPPH free radicals. Lactoferrin had obvious lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and scavenging activities against hydroxyl and DPPH free radicals. in the following decreasing order:  lipid peroxidation ＞ hydroxyl free radical ＞ DPPH free radical. The free radical scavenging mechanism may be due to the interaction between lactoferrin and iron ion, which is necessary for reaction systems.

A pure strain of Lactobacillus and a pure strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated from the dough prepared by the traditional ripening method and used individually or in combination to prepare new doughs. The new doughs, especially the one fermented with Lactobacillus alone, showed more obvious aggregation and hydrolysis of starch granules than control dough (without microbial inoculation) as observed under a scanning electron microscope. This study demonstrates that starter culture inoculation is effective in promoting the aggregation and hydrolysis of starch granules in dough and speeding up dough ripening.

Essential oil was extracted from white basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) flower grown in Heilongjiang Province by Clevenger method with an average yield of 0.527%. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 25 compounds were identified. The most abundant compound was linalool with a relative content of 64.421%. The antibacterial activity of the essential oil against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus albus and Bacillus subtilis was tested by filter paper method and compared with that of penicillin sodium. The essential oil had similar anti-Escherichia coli activity as penicillin sodium at 3 mg/mL, and similar anti-Staphylococcus albus as penicillin sodium 0.75 mg/mL, but lower anti-Bacillus subtilis activity than penicillin sodium at 0.1875 mg/mL. Its inhibitory effects on three strains declined in the following order: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus albus and Bacillus subtilis.

In order to explore the effect of ultra high pressure (UHP) treatment on the quality of strawberry juice, fresh strawberry juice was subjected to UHP treatment with various pressures and pressure-holding times. The total number of bacteria, and the activities of POD, POD and PG as well as the contents of nutritional components such as reducing sugar, TTS and vitamin C were detected. The total number of bacteria declined with increasing pressure from 200 to 500 MPa. UHP treatment at 400 MPa for 10 min achieved commercial sterility, but no significant difference in reducing sugar, soluble solid and titratable acid contents was observed in comparison with the control group (P ＞ 0.05). VC content was significantly increased in all treatment groups tested except for treatment for 25 min at 400 MPa. The antioxidant activity and brightness of strawberry juice were enhanced after UHP treatments, and the original color of strawberry juice could be best preserved by UHP treatment at 400 MPa for 15 min.

Low-calorie, low-fat and palatable meatballs were made from minced pork and modified konjac gel. The effects of preparation conditions of modified konjac gel and its amount added to meatballs on quality parameters of meatballs were studied. The best modified konjac gel was obtained by dispersion of 4 g/100 mL konjac flour, starch and protein in an aqueous solution adjusted to pH 10 and subsequent storage at 4 ℃ for 4 h. Meatballs with the addition of 50% modified konjac gel showed increased springiness and hardness and decreased water loss rate, revealed no change in quality characteristics after exposure to high temperatures, and had higher quality and better health benefits due to the presence of konjac rich in dietary fiber.

In this study, Chinese leeks were sprayed by chlorpyrifos and dimethoate, respectively. The content of soluble protein and the activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), acid phosphatase (ACP), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in leeks were determined at different time interval after spraying. The results showed that soluble protein content in samples collected 2 h after chlorpyrifos spraying was increased, whereas the opposite result was observed when dimethoat was used. Both pesticides could result in an increase in soluble protein content in samples collected 1 d and 7 d after spraying compared with blank control group, and the chlorpyrifos and dimethoate treatment groups were restored to normal after 14 d and 11 d, respectively. GST activity was suppressed in Chinese leeks treated by chlorpyrifos, especially on the second day after spraying. GST activity was significantly higher in samples collected on the third day after dimethoate spraying and slightly higher those collected on the eleventh day than blank control group, and also inhibited to different extents at other time points. Similarly, GSH-Px activity was very significantly inhibited by chlorpyrifos and dimethoate and was basically restored to normal on the third after spraying, although an increased level of GSH-Px activity was observed for dimethoate treatment group compared with blank control group; on the fifth day, both treatment groups were lower to different extents than blank control group and then kept for a long time. The two pesticides did not have an obvious effect on ACP or AKP activities and showed only minor differences. The above finding clearly demonstrated that the effect of chlorpyrifos on Chinese leek was slightly more persistent than dimethoate, whereas GST and GSH-Px activities were increased by dimethoate compared with chlorpyrifos, and both pesticides had only minor effects on ACP and AKP activities.

In order to improve the quality of silk fibroin yogurt, a two-variable, three-level factorial experimental design was used to explore the effects of silk fibroin in combination with one of four common stabilizers including pectin, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, acid-resistant carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) on the viscosity and water-holding capacity of stirred yogurt. The results showed that combined with pectin, xanthan gum or sodium alginate, silk fibroin had a highly significant on the viscosity of stirred yogurt (P＜0.01). Moreover, there was a highly significant interaction of silk fibroin with each of the three stabilizers (P＜0.01). All the combinations of silk fibroin with pectin, xanthan gum or acid-resistant CMC had a highly significant effect on water-holding capacity of stirred yogurt (P＜0.01), and a highly significant interaction between silk fibroin and xanthan gum was found (P＜ 0.01). Four optimized combinations were obtained as follows: 0.5% silk fibroin and 0.01% pectin, 1% silk fibroin and 0.03% xanthan gum, 1% silk fibroin and 0.03% sodium alginate, and 0.5% silk fibroin and 0.05% acid-resistant CMC, which revealed a viscosity and a water-holding capacity of 903.8 mPa•s and 65.5%, 1196.2 mPa•s and 68.0%, 1320.6 mPa•s and 68.3%, and 962.1 mPa•s and 65.0%, respectively.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of adding different proportions of Quercus mongolia acorn flour on rheological properties of wheat flour. A Brabender farinograph and an extensograph were used for analysis of rheological properties. Meanwhile, correlation analysis between physiochemical properties and rheological parameters of mixed flours was carried out. The results indicated that increasing proportion of Quercus mongolia acorn flour caused an initial decline in water absorption of mixed systems, followed by its increase. In addition to this, dough formation and stabilization times were shortened and the degree of dough softening was enhanced. All mixed samples showed an increase in tensile strength and elongation ratio and a decline in extensibility and energy with prolonged dough development time. The four extensograph parameters tended to initially increase and then decline as the dough development time was fixed and the proportion of Quercus mongolia acorn flour was increased. The contents of wet gluten and protein in mixed flour dough rheological properties had a highly positive correlation with rheological properties, suggesting that adding different proportions of Quercus mongolia acorn flour had significant effects on dough rheological properties.

This study dealt with the isolation of anthocyanins from Morus nigra Linn. fruits grown in Xinjiang by high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC). The solvent system used consisted of methyl tert-butyl ether, butanol, acetonitrile, water and trifluoroacetic acid (2:2:1:5:0.01, V/V). Fifty-gram sample was injected. As a result, 4 individual anthocyanins with purities of 99.24%, 88.5%, 99.9% and 96%, respectively, were obtained. They were identified by HSCCC, UV-vis spectroscopy and LC-MS as cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside, respectively. The HSCCC method was efficient, stable, simple and easy.

Objective: To study antiarrhythmic constituents in Cephalosporium sinensis mycelia. Methods: Antiarrhythmic constituents in Cephalosporium sinensis mycelia were separated and purified by silical gel column chromatography and ODS RP C18 HPLC and structurally identified according to physio-chemical properties and spectral data. Results: Five active compounds were separated from the water saturated butanol-soluble fraction of ethanolic extract from Cephalosporium sinensis mycelia, including uridine, thymidine, 2’-deoxyuridine and uracil. Conclusion: The main antiarrhythmic constituents in Cephalosporium sinensis mycelia are nucleosides.

A new neutral phytase gene (phyc) from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DSM 1061 (GenBank: HM747163) was cloned into expression vector pET22b(+). The phytase was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The molecule weight of the phytase protein was about 42 kD determined by SDS-PAGE. The expressed phytase was about 30% of the total soluble protein of E. coli. The recombinant protein was purified by 6×His-Tagged Protein Purification Kit. Optimal pH value and temperature of the phytase were 7.0 and 60 ℃, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the activity was 15 U/mg. The Km value of the phytase for hydrolysis of sodium phytate under 60 ℃ was 0.30 mmol/L.

A cypermethrin-degrading strain named B-1 was isolated from soil samples collected from a tea garden in Ya’an, Sichuan province. According to its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence (GenBank Accession No. HQ009796 ), B-1 was identified as Bacillus licheniformis. B-1 degraded cypermethrin by a co-metabolic mechanism and the degradation rate was 93.93% for 20 mg/L cypermethrin in 72 h and 70.35% for 100 mg/L cypermethrin in 240 h. 3-PBA was detected as an intermediate product during the degradation process. The degradation rates for deltamethrin, cyfluthrin and fenvalerate at a concentration of 20 mg/L were 95.62%, 79.73% and 55.67% in 72 h, respectively. B-1 could produce a non-inducible esterase that degrades cypermethrin. The enzyme was found both inside and outside the cells mainly as an extracellular product. Isozyme electrophoresis analysis suggested that intracellular and extracellular esterase extracts from strain B-1 had the same esterase electrophoretic pattern. Acute toxicity tests showed that culture supernatant of strain B-1 had no observed toxicity for mice.

In this study, cbh (cellobiohydrolase)Ⅱgene from Trichoderma viride, 1611 bp in length and containing a signal peptide sequence, was cloned by PCR and inserted into the nmt1 promoter (Pnmt1) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe expression vector to obtain a recombinant plasmid pESP-2-cbh Ⅱ. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into S. pombe SP-Q01 by electroporation. S. pombe transformants carrying cbh Ⅱgene were successfully obtained as demonstrated by PCR and double enzyme digestion. The transformants were inductively cultured and total proteins were extracted from them and detected by SDS-PAGE to contain a protein band of approximately 81 kD. The maximum cellobiohydrolase activity of the fermentation supernatant of the S. pombe transformants was measured by DNS method to be 165 U/mL. The above results indicated that cbh Ⅱ gene was successfully expressed in S. pombe, which was controlled by Pnmt1 promoter and that the signal peptide sequence of the cbh Ⅱ gene was correctly recognized by S. pombe to produce extracellular expression products.

To explore the safety of Listeria phage as a biological antimicrobic agent, its elimination and immune responses to it in BALB/c mice were analyzed. Mice were immunized by oral single-dose or triple-dose (once daily on 3 consecutive days) administration of 1×108 PFU of phage LipG2-5 and the number of phages in mouse feces sampled at different time points following administration was examined and body weight was measured. Phage treatment groups showed no significant difference in body weight from control group. Meanwhile, serum and intestinal mucosa were collected for analysis of the production of specific antibodies. As a result, the number of phages declined over time after administration and was no longer detectable in mouse feces from 7 until 35 d after administration. ELISA analysis indicated that oral administration of phages induced a low level of specific antibodies in the serum of mice without significant differences compared with control group. Similarly, the measured level of mucosal IgA 35 d after administration was not high. From these results, we conclude that Listeria phage can be directly excreted through the digestive tract without being retained in the body and inducing antibodies.

A fungus coded Salicorn 8 was isolated from the halophyte Salicornia bigelovii. Its 18S rDNA and ITS region were amplified by PCR and then sequenced after extraction of genomic DNA. Homology analysis was conducted and ITS gene phylogenetic tree was constructed. Together with morphological analysis, the strain was identified as Fusarium equiseti.

In the current study, high-xylanase-producing strain was screened from different soil samples by transparent circle method, using xylan as the only carbon source in medium. The cultural condition for xylanase production by strain L10608 was optimized and the hydrolysis property of the enzyme was further investigated. The results indicated that the optimum fermentation medium contained a carbon source of water-insoluble xylan (80 mesh) of 25 g/L, compound nitrogen source of soya peptone of 25 g/L and yeast extract of 5 g/L, initial pH 6.0, cultural temperature 40 ℃, rotational speed of 200 r/min, surfactant polysorbate 80 of 4 g/L . Under the optimized condition, the enzyme activity reached 1074.8 U/mL. The xylanase utilized all birch wood xylan, beech wood xylan and oat xylan as the substrate, exhibiting that xylanase produced by L10608 was endo-xylanase with xylobiose and xylotriose as the major hydrates. These results showed that strain L10608 could hopefully be used for industrial production of functional xyloolygosaccharides.

Lactic acid bacteria isolated from spontaneously Malolactic fermented grape swine were identified by biochemical identification and 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the strains were Oenococcus oeni,  Lactobacillus mali, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis. Intraspecific genetic diversity of these strains was further analyzed by single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) and phylogenetic tree was constructed by the method of pair group method with arithmetic Mean (UPGMA). The results showed that SE-AFLP could identify lactic acid bacteria to strain level in lactic acid bacteria classification. 

The synergistic hydrolysis efficiency of Kudzu starch with α-amylase and glucoamylase was evaluated and a model of enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics was established in our study. The effects of single α-amylase system followed by single glucoamylase system, mixed α-amylase and glucoamylase system, starch granules with different sizes and α-amylase/glucoamylase combination with different ratios on reducing sugar formation were investigated to determine the pattern of starch hydrolysis and the optimal α-amylase/glucoamylase combination. Based on starch granules with different sizes and experimental data as well as previous studies, a modified kinetic model for the hydrolysis of Kudzu starch with the combination of α-amylase and glucoamylase was established. At the same time, the effects of initial concentration of Kudzu starch and different α-amylase/glucoamylase combinations on the model of enzyme kinetics were also investigated in this paper. The kinetic constants were determined and the model was verified through multiple experiments. These results showed a significant difference (P＜0.01) in the rate of reducing sugar formation between single enzyme system and mixed enzyme system. The α-amylase exhibited a high synergistic effect on glucoamylase. The optimal α-amylase/glucoamylase combinations were α-amylase concentration of 20 U and glucoamylase concentration of 36 U. Finally, these results also showed that the model of enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics was valid only if the initial concentration of Kudzu starch was not more than 18.5 mg/mL, and the concentrations of α-amylase and glucoamylase were less than 40 U and 72 U, respectively.

In order to explore the hydrolysis kinetics of bovine bone collagen by collagenase isolated from Bacillus cereus MBL13 and the optimal hydrolysis conditions, the effects of substrate concentration, hydrolysis temperature, enzyme concentration, hydrolysis pH and hydrolysis time on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) were analyzed. The optimal conditions for the hydrolysis of bovine bone collagen were bone collagen concentration of 30 g/L, hydrolysis time of 6 h, hydrolysis temperature of 45 ℃, initial enzyme concentration of 0.35 g/100 mL and hydrolysis pH of 8.0. Based on the experimental data, a kinetic model equation was obtained as V = 9.3633·[S]/(114.785+[S]). Enzymatic hydrolysis process was analyzed at the wavelength of 230 nm and 570 nm.

In this study, Lactobacillus fermentum (L. f) and Micrococcus rossus (M. r) were used together to produce fermented goose sausage. The effects of four fermentation conditions including temperature, time, inoculum size and L. f-to-M. r ratio on sensory evaluation score and POV were investigated by one-factor-at-a-time method. The fermentation conditions were optimized using an orthogonal array design based on sensory evaluation score and POV. The optimal fermentation conditions were determined as follows: a 1:1 mixture of L. f and M. r was inoculated at an inoculum size of 1×107 CFU/g for fermentation at 25 ℃ for 20 h. The sensory evaluation score and POV of goose sausages obtained under these conditions were 96 and 2.3 meq/kg, respectively. Moreover, the reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging rate were 0.45 and 85.7%, respectively, suggesting powerful antioxidant effects.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains were isolated from different yoghurt brands produced in different regions in China and analyzed for genetic diversity and antibiotic susceptibility. Further, antibiotic-resistant isolates were subjected to genetic analysis. A total of 18 Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains were obtained using modified MRS medium. They were subjected to RAPD typing and analyzed for susceptibility to 11 different antibiotics. Besides, their potential antibiotic-resistance genes were detected by PCR. The results showed that 18 Lactobacillus bulgaricus isolates had considerable genetic diversity and diverse antibiotic-resistance phenotypes. All of them were susceptible to roxithromycin and resistant to kanamycin. Meanwhile, they also could resist ampicillin, penicillin G, chlortetracycline, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, lincomycin, streptomycin, neomycin and gentamycin to different extents. tet(M) gene was detected in isolate B-8, and ant(6) gene in both B-8 and B-41, and aph(3’)-Ⅲa gene in B-43, B-47, B-49 and B-51. These findings suggested that 18 Lactobacillus bulgaricus isolates had serious multiple antibiotic resistance.

An integrative expression vector designated as pFY008 was constructed with HisH gene as a homologous recombination target site. For food-grade expression of nattokinase gene (aprN) in Lactococcus lactis, the expression cassette PnisA-aprN gene was integrated into the genome of Lactococcus lactis by homologous recombination. A food-grade recombinant Lactococcus lactis was constructed to produce a thrombolytics protein. The recombinant Lactococcus lactis was found to have fibrinolytic activity. Meanwhile, it had fine stability and high safety.

In this study, different species of moulds were analyzed for effectiveness in fermenting cooked soybeans suspended in water (3:5, m/V) to produce γ-aminobuyric acid (GABA). As a result, Aspergillus oryzae 3.800 was found to have the highest GABA producing ability. The strain was mutagenized by UV irradiation for 2 min. For secondary screening, the resulting mutant strains were cultured initially in PDA medium containing 1 g/100 mL L-glutamic acid and then in soybean suspension. A stable high-yield mutant named as 3.800-4 was obtained. The GABA yield of the mutant was 4.491 g/L during culture in PDA medium containing 1 g/100 mL L-glutamic acid and 0.874 g/L during culture in soybean suspension, which was increased by 23.58% and 29.67%, respectively, compared with the original strain.

Bacterial strain F35, isolated from Pinctada fucata mucus using Zobell 2216E medium, had an inhibitory effect on six common foodborne pathogens. The strain was identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus based on its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA sequence. After removal of acids and hydrogen peroxide, its fermentation supernatant was treated separately with four proteases. Compared with the fermentation supernatant, all the resulting hydrolysats showed a decrease in inhibitory effect against Listeria monocytogenes. In conclusion, the antibacterial substances of strain F35 are protein or polypeptide and thus have great potential to be developed as new natural food preservatives.

In the present study, agar-well diffusion method and Oxford Cup method were used to detect the antimicrobial activities of marine Pseudomonas GY-1 strain. The results showed that GY-1 strain and its fermentation broth had relatively strong inhibition activity against a variety of phytopathogenic fungi, including Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium graminearum, Alternaria solania, Alternaria alternate, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Alternaria tenuis Nees. Further study had successfully purified a protein from Pseudomonas GY-1 by ammonium sulfate fractional precipitation, DEAE sepharose fast flow ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-75 filtration chromatography. This protein showed obvious inhibition activity against B. sorokiniana. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the molecular weight of the protein was about 70.9 kD.

The effect of carbon resource, nitrogen source, Cu2+ and other factors on laccase secretion by and cell growth of Flammulina velutipes LP03 were investigated. The optimum conditions were 3 g/100 mL corn flour, 1 g/100 mL peptone，0.5 g/100 mL glucose，1 mmol/L copper sulfate, initial pH 6.0, 200 mL/500 mL liquid medium, 28 ℃ and 160 r/min. The maximal enzyme activity was (1813.52 ±5.59) U/L, which was 3.78 times of that before optimization.

Immobilized Lactobacillus helveticus L7 was used for biosynthesizing c9,t11-CLA from linoleic acid. The immobilization conditions were optimized by response surface methodology. The optimal conditions for the preparation of immobilized cells required 1.78 g/100 mL sodium alginate, 3.13 g/100 mL calcium chloride and 30 min immobilization time. The fermentation of immobilized cells under the optimal conditions could result in the highest accumulation of c9,t11-CLA up to 561 μg/mL. Meanwhile, the immobilized strain displayed good transformation properties. No obvious change in the activity of the immobilized strain was observed after reuse for five times, and the yield of c9,t11-CLA remained up to 549 μg/mL. Examined by scanning electron microscope (ESEM), the internal structure and surface of immobilized bead were observed, and were suitable for the mass transfer. Therefore, sodium alginate-immobilized cells had a good performance in improving the recycling rate of cells, reducing the production costs of c9,t11-CLA, and improving economic efficiency of enterprises.

The ability of six edible fungi, Russula delica Fr, Flammulina velutipe, Lentinus javanicus, Bamboo-sun, Russula lepida and Abalone mushroom, to produce cellulase were compared using the Congo red saucer rapid screening method. Meanwhile, the optimum carbon source and medium formula for cellulase production were screened and optimized. The result showed that Russula lepida produced the largest transparent rings of 20 mm in diameter, showing its high yield of cellulase. Among the four kinds of carbon source, CMC-Na, bean dregs, straw powder and glucose, the bean dregs promoted Russula lepida to produce cellulase. The optimized medium for cellulase production by Russula lepida was bean dregs 60 g/L, ammonium sulfate 2.0 g/L, Tween-80 1.5 mL/L, and pH 5.4.

The tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum LPb1 in stimulated human digestive environment such as artificial gastric and intestinal fluid was tested. Lactobacillus plantarum LPb1 was first trrsyrf with artificial gastric juice for 3 h, then with artificial intestinal juice for another 3 h at 37 ℃, the survival rate of Lactobacillus plantarum LPb1 cells was 88.6%. LPb1 mixed with a strain of Streptococcus thermophilus was inoculated into skim milk to produce yogurt. The results showed the combination starter produced acid well and the final products had good water retention property, meanwhile the yogurt was weak in post-acidifying activity at the storage temperature (4 ℃). Taking sensory evaluation as indicators, the optimum fermentation conditions were inoculums size of 4.45% of mixed culture, fermentation temperature 40.40 ℃, and fermentation time 8.53 h.

This study was designed to investigate experimental conditions for high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) separation of the ethanol extract of Armillaria mellea fermentation broth supernatant. The best separation results were achieved using a solvent system composed of butanol, ethyl acetate and deionized water (1:4:5, V/V). Four peaks were separated well with an extraction yield of 51.10%, 1.47%, 0.86% and 1.80%, respectively.

Alkaline protease was immobilized onto magnetic chitosan microspheres prepared from Fe3O4 and chitosan by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and its appearance and structural properties were analyzed. The results showed that the magnetic chitosan microspheres had spherical appearance with a particle size increasing from 15 to 20 nm after immobilization. FT-IR analysis revealed that Fe3O4 was well wrapped up in the magnetic chitosan microspheres. The magnetic chitosan microspheres had complete crystal structure, good magnetic response and strong superparamagnetic behaviors before and after immobilization of alkaline protease. The optimal reaction temperature and pH for the immobilized enzyme were 50 ℃ and 11 compared with 60 ℃ and 10, respectively, for the free enzyme. The Km was 5.85 ×10-4 mg/mL for the immobilized enzyme and 6.06 ×10-4 mg/mL for its free counterpart.

In this study, Brevibacterium sp. was cultured in a fermentation medium supplemented with cholesterol to enhance the production of cholesterol oxidase. Through one-factor-at-a-time analysis, three experimental conditions including cholesterol and Tween-80 concentration in the fermentation medium and ultrasonic power (for promoting the release of intracellular cholesterol oxidase) were found to significantly influence the activity of crude cholesterol oxidase solution. The optimal cholesterol and Tween-80 concentration as well as ultrasonic power and treatment time were 3.30 g/L, 3.72 mL/L, 80 W and 20 min, respectively, as optimized using Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology. The resulting cholesterol oxidase activity was 731.967 U/L, which was increased by 1.17-fold when compared with that obtained in the absence of cholesterol.

An enzymatic casein hydrolysate rich in ACE inhibitory peptides was prepared through sequential hydrolysis with pepsin and trypsin and ultrafitrated to collect peptides less than 6000 u in molecular weight with ACE inhibitory activity. The effects of different concentrations of the casein hydrolysate and the peptides on the growth of DVS (Direct Vat Set) yogurt starter were explored. Their application in yoghurt was explored by investigating their effects on text properties such as acidity, hardness and viscosity and sensory quality. The casein hydrolysate when added at 4 g/100 mL and the peptides when added at 0.3 g/100 mL had a stimulating effect on the growth of lactic acid bacteria but did not have an obvious effect on the sensory quality of yoghurt. Inhibitory effects on the growth of lactic acid bacteria were observed when the hydrolysate was added at concentrations equaling or exceeding 5 g/100 mL or the peptides were added at concentrations equaling or exceeding 0.35 g/100 mL.

Immobilized papain was prepared through cellulose acetate membrane entrapment and glutaraldehyde crosslinking. The effects of power, frequency and time on the efficacy of ultrasound treatment to stimulate the activity of immobilized papain were investigated in this study. The optimal ultrasound treatment conditions were determined by uniform design and least square regression analysis to be 135 kHz, 0.05 W/cm2 and 25 min. Under these conditions, the relative enzyme activity of immobilized papain was 197.22%. The results of validation experiments showed an actual value of 182.68% with a relative error of 7.37% and no significant difference.

After the end of the fermentation of soybean dregs by Aspergillus niger L. for α-galactosidase production, the fermentation broth supernatant was harvested as crude enzyme solution. Electrophoretically pure α-galactosidase was obtained from the crude enzyme solution by aqueous two-phase extraction in polyethylene glycol-6000-KH2PO4 system and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration, resulting in a purification factor of 36.4 and a total activity recovery of 70%. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was approximately 125 kD as determined by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography and 58.5 kD as determined by SDS-PAGE, suggesting that the native enzyme was a homodimer. The optimum pH and temperature for the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-α-D-galactopyranoside (pNPGal) by the enzyme were 4.0 and 65 ℃, respectively, and the apparent Km and kcat/Km were 0.915 mmol/L and 1.07 × 105 L/(mol•s), respectively, whereas those for melibiose were 21.0 mmol/L and 9.96 × 103 L/(mol•s), respectively. The enzyme activity was inhibited by some metal ions, especially Fe2+, Mn2+ and Hg+, but was stable in the pH range of 1.5 to 8.2. After 60 min of exposure to 60 ℃, 60% of the original activity was retained. Therefore, the enzyme has good acid and thermal stability.

Objective: To investigate the effect of L-arginine (L-Arg) on the expression of heat shock protein 70 mRNA and protein in kidney cells and its renal protective effect and mechanism. Methods: Twelve weaned piglets were randomly divided into two groups (6 piglets per group): one was control group and the other was L-Arg group, both of which were consistent with each other in terms of sex, body weight and consanguinity. A daily basal diet was fed to both groups and in addition, L-Arg was supplemented to the basal diet for the L-Arg group. After 7 d of feeding, all the piglets were killed, and plasma was collected for determination of the contents of L-Arg, ornithine (Orn) and citrulline (Cit) and kidney was also collected to determine the mRNA expression levels of HSP70 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by PCR and the protein expression levels of HSP70 and iNOS by Western blotting and to observe morphological changes. Results: L-Arg supplementation significantly increased plasma levels of L-Arg and Orn, mRNA expression levels of HSP70 and iNOS and HSP70 protein expression level and reduced the number of erythrocytes in kidney tubules. Conclusion: L-Arg supplementation to the diet of piglets can elevate HSP70 protein and mRNA expression and iNOS mRNA expression in the kidney and protect the kidney through maintaining the conformational stability of proteins, inhibiting the activation of apoptotic pathways of cells and alleviating kidney damage induced by weaning stress.

Objective: To analyze the storage protein and amino acid composition and evaluate the nutritional value of three different relay-cropped soybean cultivars: Guixia No.3, Gongxuan No.1 and Zhongjiang Shiyuehuang. Methods: Soybean protein was determined using a near infrared grain analyzer, and amino acid composition was determined using an automatic amino acid analyzer. Results: The average content of relay-cropped soybean protein was 48.71%, and the relative contents of storage protein 7S and 11S were 24.94% and 67.57%, respectively. As far as the high-protein cultivar Zhongjiang Shiyuehuang was concerned, relay-cropped soybean had a storage protein 11S/7S ratio as high as 3.08, which was significantly increased by 0.19 (P = 0.001) compared with that of (2.89) of solo-cropped soybean. The average amino acid content in relay-cropped soybean was 37.3%, and the average ratio of essential to total amino acids was not less than 38%, close to or larger than that obtained from the FAO/WHO standard or the whole egg reference pattern. According to the FAO/WHO reference pattern, the  amino acid score (AAS), chemical score (CS), essential amino acid index (EAAI), score of RCAA (SRCAA) of relay-cropped soybean were 64.34, 76.82, 82.10, 83.06 and 78.06, respectively, with variations of 2.38 (P = 0.002), 3.01 (P = 0.012), 0.03 (P = 0.209), 0.45 (P = 0.202) and －0.19 (P = 0.754) when compared with solo-cropping soybean. Conclusion: Relay-cropped soybean has the same or even higher nutritional value as solo-cropped soybean and more reasonable 11S/7S ratio which is good for the quality of soybean protein products. As a consequence, it is necessary to select highly nutritional soybean cultivars for relay-cropping with corn.

The anti-tumor activity of petroleum ether extract and ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide extracted from Tricholoma mongolicum fruit bodies was studied by measuring their effects on tumor inhibitory rate, immune organ indexes and immune factor contents in H22-bearing mice. Besides, the effects of ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide on cellular apoptosis were investigated. Petroleum ether extract at 50 mg/(kg•d) did not have any tumor growth inhibitory activity. The tumor inhibitory rates of petroleum ether extraction residue at 35 mg/(kg•d) and ergosterol peroxide at 5 mg/(kg•d) were 69.61% and 67.15%, respectively. Each treatment group showed a higher thymus index compared with positive control group (cyclophosphamide) and highly significant differences were observed for high-dose (70 mg/(kg•d) petroleum ether extraction residue group and high-dose (10 mg/(kg•d) ergosterol peroxide group (P≤0.01). However, there were irregular differences in spleen index between treatment and control groups. Serum VD content in petroleum ether extract groups was relatively close to normal control group, but ergosterol at 5 mg/(kg•d) and ergosterol peroxide at 5 mg/(kg•d) and 10 mg/(kg•d) revealed a highly significant difference compared with normal control group (P≤0.01). Furthermore, a significant increase in serum IL-2 level was found for each treatment group compared with normal control group and there was a highly significant difference compared with positive control and negative control groups (P≤0.01). The results of cellular apoptosis tests indicated that both ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide could induce the apoptosis of HepG2 cells and inhibit their division and resulted in an apoptotic rate at the early stage of 41.2% and 42.33%, respectively.

After UV irradiation treatment, two Drosophila strains, Xinong 12 and Drosophila Zhongnong e, were cultured in a medium supplemented with melanin derived from apricot kernel skin (AS-M). Fecundity, lifetime, SOD activity, MDA content, protein concentration, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were measured to evaluate the anti-UV irradiation effect of AS-M. Compared with control group, UV irradiation substantially reduced fecundity, lifetime and T-AOC in both Drosophila strains, protein concentration and SOD activity tended to first increase and then decrease, and MDA content markedly increased. AS-M addition at concentrations varying from 0.02 to 0.2 mg/mL could distinctly improve the fecundity of the two Drosophila strains compared with 2 min UV irradiation group. The difference between 0.02 mg/mL and 0.2 mg/mL treatment groups did not reach a significant level. Compared with 5 min UV irradiation group, AS-M addition resulted in a significant increase in lifetime, protein concentration, T-AOC, SOD activity and a reduction in MDA content. These results demonstrated that AS-M has anti-UV irradiation effect in Drosophila.

Flavourzyme and trypsin were used in combination for one-step hydrolysis of oyster homogenate. The resulting hydrolysate was separated by Sephadex G-25 column chromatography. As a result, a bioactive peptide was obtained. The apoptosis inducing effect of the bioactive peptide on HeLa cells was examined by sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay, trypan blue staining assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining assay and DNA ladder assay. Meanwhile, the mechanism was analyzed by flow cytometry and real-time PCR. This peptide had a molecular weight of 751 D. It could effectively inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells, arrest the cell cycle transition from G1 to S phase and induce the up-regulation of apoptotic gene expression. Its mechanism of action was probably associated with up-regulating apoptotic gene expression and arresting the cell cycle.

Objective: To explore the anti-fatigue effect of dihydromyricetin (DMY) in mice. Methods: A total of 40 male mice were randomly divided equally into high-dose DMY group (300 mg/kg), middle-dose DMY group (200 mg/kg), low-dose DMY group (100 mg/kg) and control group (distilled water). The mice were intragastrically administered the same volume of DMY solution or distilled water once daily for one successive week. Anti-hypoxia and weight-bearing swimming tests were carried out to analyze changes in serum lactic acid and urea nitrogen contents and liver glycogen content, MDA content and SOD activity before and after exercise. Results: Compared with the control group, weight-bearing swimming time was significantly prolonged by DMY administration at three doses, while a significant prolongation in anoxia survival time was observed for only high-dose and middle-dose groups (P＜0.05); in addition, both groups revealed a significantly higher level of liver glycogen (P＜0.01) but significant lower levels of serum lactic acid and urea nitrogen (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01) and liver MDA (P＜0.01), whereas there was no significant difference in SOD activity between the two DMY groups. Conclusion: DMY has an obvious anti-fatigue effect, which may be related to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in liver tissue.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of puerarin on weight loss and obesity-related cytokines in rats with diet-induced obesity. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat models of diet-induced obesity were created and randomly divided into three groups: obesity model group, sibutramine positive control group and puerarin treatment group. In addition, a normal control group was set up. Each group consisted of 6 rats and was intragastrically administrated once daily for 42 consecutive days. During the administration period, body weight was measured once a week. Each group was fasted for 24 h after the last administration, and then anaesthetized with diethyl ether for blood sampling from the retro-orbital plexus and routine blood indexes and the levels of glucose (Glu), insulin, leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and triglycerides (TG) in the serum of rats were assayed. After puerarin administration for 42 days, body weight was reduced by 21% when compared with the control group. The levels of Glu, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), insulin, leptin, VEGF and TNF-α were decreased by 16%, 20%, 58%, 12%, 70%, 36% and 36%, respectively. The levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and adiponectin were increased by 26% and 16%, respectively. Therefore, puerarin can inhibit the increase of body weight, reduce the levels of LDL-C, Glu, insulin and leptin, increase the concentrations of HDL-C and adiponectin, elevate the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibit inflammatory cytokines, and improve insulin resistance and leptin resistance in obese rats.

Objective: To compare the improving effects of enzymatic bone fine powder (EBFP) and enzymatic bone ordinary powder (EBOP) on bone density and apparent calcium absorption rate (ACAR) in rats. Methods: Totally 100 female SD rats at 4 weeks old were randomly divided into 10 groups of 10 rats each including high-, medium- and low-dosage EBFP and EBOP groups, high-, medium- and low-dosage calcium carbonate (CC) groups (550.0, 283.3 mg and 216.7 mg of calcium in per 100 g of feed, respectively), and low calcium (LC) control group (150 mg of calcium in per 100 g of feed). After 13 weeks of feeding, ACAR, bone calcium content, bone density, bone length and bone constant weight in rats were determined. Results: Femur bone density in EBFP groups was significantly higher than that in LC group (P＞0.05), but was not lower than that in the CC control groups. Femur bone density in EBOP groups was significantly higher than that in LC group, but femur bone calcium content and distal femoral bone mineral density were lower in low-dosage EBOP group than CC group (P＜0.05). There was no significant difference (P＞0.05) in ACAR, bone calcium content, bone density, bone length, total food utilization and body weight between EBFP and EBOP groups at the same dosage. Femur bone constant weight was higher in medium-dosage EBFP group than medium-dosage EBOP group (P＜0.05). Conclusion: Enzymatic bone fine powder can increase bone density in rats, while it is uncertain whether enzymatic bone ordinary powder can do so. 

The aim of this study was to determine the immunoregulatory effect of lactoferrin on Th1/Th2 cell balance in the peripheral blood of mice with food allergy. In order to establish allergic mouse models, BALB/C mice were repeatedly sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Lactoferrin was administrated to mice during preventive treatment or intragastric provocation. The levels of serum IgE, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40 and TGF-β were determined at 1 h after the last administration. The results showed that Th1/Th2 cell balance in the peripheral blood of mice with food allergy revealed a shift towards Th2 cell direction. Lactoferrin administration at 2 mg/(kg•d) significantly increased IFN-γ and IL-12p40 levels and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, but decreased IgE, IL-4 and IL-6 levels during intragastric provocation. When the dosage was increased to 20 mg/(kg•d), these cytokines except IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio were significantly decreased. Meanwhile, lactoferrin administration significantly increased the levels of serum IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IFN-γ, TGF-β and IgE during preventive treatment, especially at 20 g/(kg•d), resulting in a significant increase in IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio. Therefore, lactoferrin can promote Th1/Th2 cell balance in ovalbumin-induced food allergy mice.

Objective: To explore the protective effect of coenzyme Q9 against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in human vascular endothelial cells. Methods: An HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) model of H2O2-induced oxidative damage was created by MTT assay and used to study the preventive effect and its mechanism of coenzyme Q9 against H2O2-induced oxidative damage. Results: Coenzyme Q9 at 100 μg/mL could exert preventive and repairing effects against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in HUVEC cells. The mechanism was partially due to that fact that the generation of ROS and MDA was inhibited by coenzyme Q9. Meanwhile, preventive treatment with coenzyme Q9 could effectively protect SOD against H2O2-induced damage but had no repairing effect. Conclusion: Coenzyme Q9 has protective and repairing effects against oxidative damage in human vascular endothelial cells.

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein that is a pleiotropic factor with potent anti-microbial and immunomodulatory activity. It mainly exists in mammalian milk. In recent years, the function of lactoferrin in promoting bone growth has gradually become a hot topic of research. In this review we focus on the most recent progress in research on the structure, physical and chemical characteristics of lactoferrin and its effect and mechanism of action on osteoblast, osteoclast and bone growth. Further prospects for its applications as a factor that influences osteoblast and osteoclast and yet-to-be-solved problems are discussed as well.

Oenococcus oeni is the major lactic acid bacteria that induce malolactic fermentation (MLF) in wine. Its metabolites including lactic acid, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin and biogenic amines play an essential role in wine, especially in terms of sensory quality. This article reviews the metabolism of Oenococcus oeni during MLF in wine, and describes the metabolism of sugars, organic acids, nitrogenous substances and phenolic compounds. Changes in the growth and metabolic pathway of Oenococcus oeni with various factors are discussed in this paper. It has been proven that pH, SO2, ethanol concentration and glucose/fructose ratio are critical factors affecting the metabolism of Oenococcus oeni. The role of phenolic compounds in metabolism has gained more and more attention. On the one hand, phenolic compounds can influence MLF indirectly through stimulating or inhibiting the growth of Oenococcus oeni. On the other hand, different phenolic compounds also can influence the metabolism of other phenolic compounds, thus affecting the taste and quality of wine. Fully comprehensive understanding of Oenococcus oeni metabolism in wine will contribute to better regulation of the whole MLF process.

Spinosad has been used extensively in agricultural production as a new green biologic insecticide. Sum of spinosyn A and spinosyn D is currently being evaluated as spinosad residue in agriculture products in many countries throughout the world, and ADI and MRL have been also formulated for spinosad in agriculture products. It has been suggested that spinosad retention properties of agricultural products vary among the processes of production, storage, and further processing.

Food-borne diseases are mainly caused by bacterial pathogens present in foods. How to effectively detect food-borne bacterial pathogens is the key to prevent and control food-borne disease. This systematic review describes immunological, metabolomics, molecular biological and biosensor techniques for rapid detection of food-borne bacterial pathogens. Immunological techniques are currently very popular due to rapidity, simplicity and low operating requirements. But molecular biological techniques are the main development direction.

This paper reviews the recent progress in research and applications in disease and insect control, dielectric heating, drying and quality evaluation of electrical properties of fruits and vegetables. Besides, current problems in research and applications and future prospects are discussed.

The shelf life of foods is not only the quality guarantee from manufacturers, but also the quality requirements from consumers. In view of arbitrary and improper use of predictive shelf life models, we herein analyze factors that influence the shelf life of foods, identify sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological properties as four aspects of food quality for shelf life prediction, explore the corresponding quality deterioration mechanisms and detection methods for the end of shelf life, summarize common predictive shelf life models and algorithms and develop new predictive shelf life models based on food quality deterioration theory. Meanwhile, further directions for research on shelf life prediction of foods are discussed.

Bacterial biofilm is a biological phenomenon, in which bacteria adapt themselves to the natural environment for survival purposes. It is formed by the accumulation of microorganisms and their secretion. Biofilm-forming bacteria, which have very strong antibiotic, anti-phagocytic and anti-chemotactic activities, pose a huge hazard for the meat industry. Bacterial biofilm can cause an increase in the residual population of bacteria and residual bacteria cannot be eliminated by ordinary cleaning and disinfection. This paper focuses on the formation and characteristics of bacterial biofilm and its hazards for the meat industry and control measures.

Fresh-cut vegetables are a type of emerging processed vegetable products. The structure of fresh-cut vegetables can be destroyed due to peeling and cutting, resulting in adverse physical effects and some adverse physiological and biochemical responses so that the shelf life will be shortened and consequently limit processing and distribution. Ozone and ozone water have great potential for applications in cold sterilization of foods and can provide a new, effective, green technique that is very suitable for the sterilization of fresh-cut vegetables. This paper reviews the effect of ozone water on the quality of fresh-cut vegetables, which will provide references for the application of ozone water in the fresh-cut vegetable industry.

Curcumin is a natural spice and coloring agent which has been widely used in the food processing industry. Recent studies in vitro have demonstrated that curcumin also has potent antioxidant activity, which is closely associated with  intracellular glutathione levels. This article reviews the antioxidant activity of curcumin and its association with intracellular glutathione levels. We focus on the induction of rate-limiting enzymes involved in glutathione metabolic pathways by curcumin.  Meanwhile, the inductive effect of curcumin on glutathione metabolic enzymes and its antioxidant mechanism are analyzed.

Anthocyanins are an important class of nutrients present in fruit juice which has a vital impact on the quality of fruit juice and human health. Non-thermal processing is uniquely characterized by retaining nutrients in fruit juice and therefore has received extensive attention. This paper reviews the effects of four non-thermal processing including high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, ultrasonic treatment and irradiation on the stability of anthocyanins in fruit juice. In addition, the mechanism underlying the degradation of anthocyanins during non-thermal processing and its influencing factors are explored for the purpose of providing useful supports for stability control of anthocyanins in fruit juice.

Carotenoids, a group of natural pigments in many fruits and vegetables, have provitamin A activity and can be used as biological antioxidants, thereby playing an important role in human health. Lipophilic carotenoids released from foods are incorporated into lipid droplets and transferred to the small intestine to form mixed micelles together with bile salts and lipids. The carotenoids in micelles are finally absorbed by intestinal cells and undergo further metabolic process. in vitro digestion models have been used to imitate the digestion of carotenoids in the gastrointestinal tract and its bioavaiability in vitro has been investigated. A great deal of factors may affect the bioavailability of carotenoids, including the species and structures of carotenoids, food matrix, lipids, sample processing and preparation, different in vitro models, and detection methods. These factors may exhibit different impacts on different kinds of catotenoids and synergistic effects may be observed between these factors.

As an important seasoning in our daily life, salt is an essential ingredient in foods. However, excessive salt intake can cause hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. These issues have gained widespread attention and reduction of salt intake is imminent. In this paper, the current status of salt intake in different countries, the harm of high sodium diet, the major strategies to reduce salt intake and the status of salt reduction all over the world are summarized. Further prospects of  salt-reducing strategies are proposed.