Ocimum basilicum essential oil (OBEO) is an effective anesthetic and sedative for large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during live transport. This study aimed to assess the impact of OBEO on various physiological and biochemical parameters during live transport, thereby enhancing animal welfare and survival. Fish were exposed to 0 and 5 mg/L OBEO for 72 h during transport. Blood and liver samples were collected every 12 h after transport to evaluate blood biochemistry, tissue damage, oxidative stress-related and inflammation-related gene expression, intestinal microbiota, and liver metabolomics. The results demonstrated that the OBEO treatment significantly reduced serum cortisol levels and heat shock protein 70 (p < 0.05) while increasing the activity of liver antioxidant enzymes in large yellow croakers. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the expression of genes related to oxidative stress and inflammation was upregulated (p < 0.05), thereby enhancing the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities of the fish. Microscopic examination of gill tissues revealed that OBEO alleviated morphological damage. Additionally, OBEO treatment altered the composition of intestinal microbiota, which contributed to the regulation of inflammatory responses. Moreover, liver metabolomics analysis identified key metabolic pathways, including arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism, which could mitigate liver damage and enhance antioxidant and immune functions. In conclusion, OBEO effectively reduces transport stress in large yellow croakers through physiological, molecular, and metabolic mechanisms, providing a promising strategy to improve animal welfare and survival rate during live transport.

Rye bread attracts increasing attention for its rich nutrients and various health benefits. However, its commercialization is limited by the low gluten content, which impairs the formation of a continuous elastic gluten network. Laccase (strengthening dough structure) and α-amylase (optimizing yeast fermentation and dough rheology) are well-recognized effective improvers for cereal products. However, their composite application in rye bread has been studied less, leaving room to explore their combined effects. This study examined the combined action of Bacillus-derived α-amylase (AmyBs) and Trametes hirsuta AH28-2-derived laccase (LacA) in rye bread. Results showed the composite (4 U LacA +2 U AmyBs) outperformed single enzymes, more effectively enhancing dough structure, rheology and water-holding capacity, and significantly improving rye bread quality. This research demonstrates the potential of the laccase-α-amylase composite to improve the quality of modified rye bread, provides insights into the underlying functional mechanisms, and offers useful references for optimizing rye bread production.

Texture-oral processing interactions are crucial for bolus formation and nutrient release. This study examined oral processing of fibrous whey protein-starch emulsion gels with different hardness levels. Using an in vitro oral model, the effects of saliva volume, cutting level, and compression on bolus properties, starch digestion, and emulsion breakdown were evaluated. Oral processing promoted gel fragmentation, generating small particles (<30 mm2) and markedly reducing hardness (10-30-fold) and viscoelasticity. Initial gel hardness mainly governed bolus particle size and oil droplet release, while oral processing parameters, especially salivary volume and compression, mainly influenced bolus rheology. Saliva volume was also the dominant factor governing starch hydrolysis, while cutting level had limited impact. Notably, softer gels showed lower sensitivity to oral processing variations, indicating better swallowing suitability. Overall, these results demonstrate the synergistic roles of gel structure and oral dynamics in regulating bolus properties, offering insights for designing safer, nutritionally optimized dysphagia-friendly foods.

To develop nutrient-rich whole-food gels for individuals with dysphagia, this study constructed a pork-whole soy milk composite gel (PSG) using a hybrid animal-plant protein approach. The effects of xanthan gum, konjac glucomannan, and guar gum at different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) on the gel properties, protein conformation, and microstructure of different PSGs were systematically investigated. The results indicated that polysaccharides interfered with protein cross-linking and disrupted the gel network, leading to reduced gel hardness. Due to their abundant hydrophilic groups, the polysaccharides significantly enhanced the water-holding capacity (p < 0.05), achieving a synergistic outcome of structural softening and functional reinforcement. A comprehensive evaluation identified the PSG with 1.0% xanthan gum as the optimal formulation, which exhibited a 43.2% increase in water-holding capacity and a hardness only 23.5% of the control, complying with both International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Level 5 and Japanese Dysphagia Diet Level III standards. This study elucidates the mechanism by which polysaccharides modulate whole-food protein gels and provides a practical strategy for developing dysphagia-friendly foods that preserve nutritional quality and are suitable for industrial production.

Nitrite is a prevalent environmental contaminant in the natural water domain and poses a significant threat to fish populations due to its toxic effects. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of nitrite concentration on cell apoptosis, oxidation reaction mechanism, and immune pathway of sea bass during simulated live transport. Fish were exposed to nitrite concentrations of 0, 15.05, and 30.11 mg/L for 48 h, respectively. Blood and liver samples were collected at intervals of 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, R12, and R24 h post-exposure to assess hematological parameters, oxidative stress indicators, immunological enzyme activities, and gene expression levels. The results indicated that the nitrite-exposed group had lower serum levels of LZM and IgM compared to the CK group. The SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px enzyme activities were significantly elevated in the livers of the nitrite-exposed group (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression level of Nrf2 was upregulated in the nitrite-exposed group, while Keap1 was downregulated. The mRNA relative expression levels of NF-κB, TLR-3, and TNF-α in the immune pathway were upregulated in the nitrite-exposed group. The mRNA expression of the apoptosis gene P53 was upregulated with increased nitrite concentration, along with the upregulation of the apoptosis-promoting gene Bax and the downregulation of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2. The mRNA expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 9 genes in sea bass was significantly increased in the nitrite-exposed group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, sea bass exposed to nitrite not only showed abnormal changes in serum composition but also showed oxidative stress, apoptosis, and liver tissue damage, highlighting the multifaceted impacts of nitrite exposure on aquatic biology. The graphical abstract of the nitrite-induced toxic effect in sea bass via liver and blood. ↑: increase, ↓: decrease.

Background:Chaohu Lake (CL) is one of the most polluted areas in China due to its high content of antibiotics. However, the distribution and influencing factors of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in this lake are still controversial. Methods:To solve this problem, we used metagenomic sequencing to investigate the distribution and in-fluencing factors of ARGs in CL. Results:Our findings revealed the existence of nine kinds of ARGs, including 45 specific genes. The most abundant types were multidrug, bacitracin, polymyxin, macrolide lincosamide streptogramin, and aminoglycoside. Multiple microorganisms were undeniable ARG reservoirs, although they were not dominant species in the microbiota. Our results also showed that both the microbiota and physiochemical factors played important roles in shaping the distributions of ARGs in CL. Specifically, the levels of PO4-P (0.5927) and total phosphorus (0.4971) had a greater impact than total nitrogen (0.0515), NO3-N (0.0352), NO2-N (-0.1975), and NH3-N (-0.0952). Conclusions:These findings provide valuable insights into the distribution and influencing factors of ARGs in lakes.

The natural curcumin-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) was developed, and its inactivation potency against Fusarium graminearum in vitro and in vivo was systematically investigated by fluorescence probe assay, trypan blue staining, scanning electron microscope (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), etc. Results showed that under the irradiation of blue LED, the photosensitizer of curcumin was excited to generate massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells of F. graminearum, and the PDI completely inactivated their mycelia and spores under the treatment of 150 mu M curcumin and 10.8 J/cm(2) irradiation. Further analysis found that the PDI ruptured the cellular microstructures, damaged the cell membrane by increasing its permeability and oxidizing the lipids, degraded the intracellular DNA and proteins inside the spores of F. graminearum. Meanwhile, the PDI also potently killed >99.99% spores of F. graminearum on maize under the treatment of 200 mu M curcumin and 10.8 J/cm(2) irradiation. Moreover, the PDI suppressed the production of zearalenone (ZEN), and residual ZEN could not be detected after the storage of maize for 10 days. Therefore, this study systematically explored the inactivation efficiency of curcumin-mediated PDI against both the mycelia and spores of F. graminearum, which provides a valid and promising method to control the fungal hazards in grains.

Misuse of antibiotics drives the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Although reducing residual antibiotic concentrations can help curb ARG proliferation, the biodegradation and transformation of antibiotic stereoisomers may exacerbate resistance development. However, the impact of antibiotic enantiomers on ARG proliferation remains poorly understood. This study employed metagenomic analysis to investigate the enantiomer-specific selection and resistance risks of chiral antibiotic ofloxacin (OFL) and its (S)-enantiomer, levofloxacin (LEV), in activated sludge. Results showed that LEV primarily promoted the enrichment of ARGs related to aminoglycoside and mupirocin resistance by selecting for pathogenic bacteria carrying virulence factors under high toxicity stress. OFL-driven ARG proliferation involved more diverse mechanisms, including increased gene mobility, co-selection with heavy metals, broader host range, and elevated pathogenicity. The antibiotic resistome risk index (ARRI) further demonstrated a higher environmental risk under OFL treatment than LEV. These findings offer critical insights into the enantioselective resistance risks posed by chiral antibiotics.

Umami peptides originating from Grass Carp marinated with Red Yeast Rice Flour (RYRF), contribute a unique taste to dishes. Nonetheless, traditional methods present difficulties in efficiently screening for umami peptides on a large scale. For this reason, our objective was to identify umami peptides from Grass Carp marinated with RYRF through a combination of peptidomics, in silico simulation and sensory evaluation. By integrating LC MS/ MS, sensory evaluation and electronic tongue, we successfully identified three new umami peptides: KTGAAAT, KTGGGVT and AALVKA. Results from molecular docking suggested that these peptides can interact with the T1R1 binding pocket, forming a stable complex. The pivotal interaction forces comprised hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, which played significant roles in the umami presentation mechanism. This study provides fresh insights into the umami flavor profile of Grass Carp marinated with RYRF and offers important theoretical guidance regarding the underlying mechanisms of umami taste.

Ficus benghalensis L. belongs to the family Moraceae, native to Asia and commonly known as Banyan. It has been identified as an important medicinal tree due to its antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties (Singh et al., 2009; Thite et al., 2014). In March 2021, leaf spots were observed on Banyan trees in the Kharian forest zone, District Gujrat, Punjab Province, Pakistan. Initial symptoms on leaves were irregular, water-soaked, and light brown lesions. The lesions turned dark brown at the centre, and the margins gradually turned yellow. The average size of lesions was 12 to 20 × 8 to 13 mm. The lesions coalesced and produced necrotic areas on the leaf (Figure 1). Samples (n=34) were collected based on symptoms and infected leaf segments were excised into small pieces (10-20 mm), surface disinfected with 1% NaClO for 10 seconds and rinsed three times with sterilized distilled water (SDW). Ten pieces/sample were mashed and soaked in 1.5 ml SDW to obtain a suspension. Later, 10 µL of the suspension was streaked on Nutrient agar (NA) and King's B medium (KBM) and incubated for 72 h at 30°C. After 72 h bacterial colonies appeared on NA and KBM medium. Each colony was re-streaked for three times to obtain the purified colonies. Morphological and biochemical characteristics of isolated bacterial cultures were performed by following the method of Schaad et al. (2001). Bacterial colonies appeared pale yellow to creamy, smooth, and circular with undulated margins on both NA and KBM medium. The colonies produced a fluorescent blue colour on KBM under the UV light. Isolated bacterial cultures were positive for oxidase, negative for levan production and arginine dihydrolase. Based on these characteristics, the pathogen was identified as Pseudomonas species. For molecular identification, 16S rRNA and rpoB genes were amplified and sequenced using the following primers: 27F/1492R (Lane, 1991) and LAPS/LAPS27 (Ait Tayeb et al. 2005), respectively. All the isolates were identified as P. cichorii after BLASTn analysis. The sequences of isolate BLS-01 obtained in this study were deposited in GenBank with accession No. OK397593 for 16S rRNA and OK423684 for rpoB exhibiting 100 % similarity with P. cichorii Accession No. MK356431 for 16S rRNA and JQ267563 for rpoB. A pathogenicity test was performed on healthy Banyan seedlings to fulfil Koch's postulates. Leaves from seedling plants were inoculated with 3 mL of BLS-01 suspension (108 CFU/ml) by spraying the inoculum on leaves using a sterilized spray bottle. The leaves sprayed with sterilized distilled water served as control (Figure 2). The experiment was performed three times following the same protocol as described above. Symptoms that appeared on inoculated leaves after 7-10 days were similar to the symptoms observed on original infected Banyan tree leaves in the forest zone. Control leaves remained asymptomatic during the whole experiment. The pathogen from the artificial infected leaves was re-isolated and identified as P. cichorii based on morphological, biochemical, and molecular characteristics. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot of F. benghalensis caused by P. cichorii in Pakistan.

The impact of curcumin-mediated photodynamic treatment (PDT) on the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory qualities of salmon sashimi has not been explored. Herein, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of PDT on the shelf-life quality of ready-to-eat salmon fillets during chilled storage (4 degrees C) in comparison with five widely investigated natural extracts, including cinnamic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, dihydromyricetin and nisin. From a microbial perspective, PDT exhibited outstanding bacterial inhibition, the results of total viable counts, total coliform bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae family, and H2Sproducing bacteria were notably inactivated (p < 0.05) to meet the acceptable limits by PDT in comparison with those of the control group and natural origin groups, which could extend the shelf-life of salmon fillets from<6 days to 10 days. In the alteration of physicochemical indicators, PDT and natural extracts were able to maintain the pH value and retard lipid oxidation in salmon fillets, while apparently slowing the accumulation (p < 0.05) of total volatile basic nitrogen and biogenic amines, especially the allergen histamine, which contrary to with the variation trend of spoilage microbiota. In parallel, PDT worked effectively (p < 0.05) on the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate to maintain salmon fillet freshness. Additionally, the physical indicators of texture profile and color did not have obvious changes (p < 0.05) after treated by PDT during the shelf life. Besides, the sensory scores of salmon samples were also significantly improved. In general, PDT not only has a positive effect on organoleptic indicators but is also a potential antimicrobial strategy for improving the quality of salmon sashimi.

Extending shelf life and maintaining the high quality of food are arduous challenges. In this study, the self-assembly properties of zein were used to load carvacrol essential oil, and then sodium caseinate was selected as a stabilizer to fabricate carvacrol-loaded composite nanoparticles. The results showed that the composite nanoparticles had a high encapsulation efficiency for carvacrol (71.52–80.09%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the carvacrol-loaded composite nanoparticles were spherical and uniformly distributed, with particle sizes ranging from 80 to 220 nm. First and foremost, the carvacrol-loaded nanoparticles exhibited excellent water-redispersibility, storage-stability, and antioxidant properties, as well as antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Benefiting from the antimicrobial and antioxidative abilities, the films with carvacrol-loaded composite nanoparticles effectively inhibited food spoilage and prolonged the shelf-life of cherry tomatoes and bananas. Therefore, carvacrol-loaded composite nanoparticles may have potential application prospects in the food industry.

To improve the mechanical properties of zein films, glycerol (GLY) and glutaraldehyde (GDA) were, respectively, selected as plasticizer and cross-linking agent to fabricate modified zein films by casting method. It was generally believed that the tensile strength (TS) of the modified film was improved with more GDA content. However, there was an interesting phenomenon that above 1 wt% GDA would reduce the TS value. Optimum films were obtained by using 25 wt% GLY and 1 wt% GDA, given dry state properties of tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB %), oxygen transmission rate as 15.22 MPa, 4.25%, 15.5061 cm3/(m2·24 h·0.1 MPa). Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and rheological properties of the film-forming solutions were evaluated. The films were further characterized through using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), oxygen-permeability coefficient (OTR), transmittance (T%) and water contact angle (CA). The cross-linking mechanism of zein films was demonstrated that GLY was effective to fully “lubricate” between the zein molecular chains, GDA was beneficial to obtain the network structure through intra- and intermolecular cross-linking reactions of zein protein. Improving the understanding of this cross-linking mechanism can be useful to develop an environment-friendly, biodegradable polymer which has a strong potential in the packaging industrial applications.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the world's most significant economic fruit crops, and China is the second-largest producer of mango (Kuhn et al., 2017). Postharvest mango anthracnose is caused by Colletotrichum species and reduce the self-life of mature fruit (Wu et al., 2020). Colletotrichum species also cause postharvest anthracnose and fruit rot disease of Apple, Banana and Avocado (Khodadadi et al., 2020; Vieira et al., 2017; Sharma et al., 2017). In July 2019, mango fruits cv. 'Jin-Hwang' were observed at different fruit markets (39°48'42.1"N 116°20'17.0"E) of the Fengtai district, Beijing, China, exhibiting typical symptoms of anthracnose including brown to black lesions in different size (≤ 2 cm) with identified border on the mango fruit surface. Later, the lesions were coalesced and extensively cover the surface area of the fruit. The lesions were also restricted to peel the fruit and pathogen invaded in the fruit pulp. About 30% of mango fruits were affected by anthracnose disease. The margins of lesions from infected mango fruits (n=56) were cut into 2 × 2 mm pieces, surface disinfected with NaClO (2% v/v) for 30 s, rinsed thrice with distilled water for 60s. These pieces were placed on PDA medium and incubated at 25°C for 7 days. Pure culture of fungal isolates was obtained by single spore isolation technique. Initially, the fungal colony was off white, and colony extended with time, turning light gray at the center. The morphological examination revealed that conidia were hyaline, oblong, and unicellular. The conidia were measured from 10 days old culture and dimensions varied from 13.3 to 15.8 µm in length and 4.6 to 6.1 µm in width. For molecular identification, a multi-locus sequence analysis; the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) region, partial actin (ACT) gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene and chitin synthase (CHS-1) gene were amplified by using the primer sets ITS1/4 (White et al. 1990), ACT-512F/ACT-783R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), GDF1/GDR1 (Guerber et al. 2003) and CHS1-79F/CHS-1-354R (Carbone and Kohn 1999) respectively. The partial sequences of MTY21 were deposited to GenBank accessions (MT921666 (ITS), MT936119 (ACT), MT936120 (GAPDH) and MT936118 (CHS-1). All obtained sequences showed 100% similarity with reported sequences of Colletotrichum alienum ICMP.18691 with accessions numbers JX010217 (ITS), JX009580 (ACT), JX010018 (GAPDH) and JX009754 (CHS-1) which represented the isolate MTY21 identified as C. alienum by constructing Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic tree analysis using Mega X (Kumar et al., 2018). For the confirmation of Koch's postulates, the pathogenicity test was conducted on 36 fresh healthy mango fruits for each treatment. Fruits were punctured with the help of a sterilized needle to create 2mm2 wounds and inoculated with 10µL inoculum (107 spores/mL) of MTY21. Control mango fruits were inoculated with 10µL sterilized distilled water and incubated at 25 °C with 90% relative humidity. The lesions appeared at the point of inoculation and gradually spread on the fruit surface after 7 days post inoculation. The symptoms were similar to the symptoms on original fruit specimens. The re-isolated fungus was identified as C. alienum based on morphological and molecular analysis. Mango anthracnose disease caused by several Colletotrichum species has been reported previously on mango in China (Li et al., 2019). Liu et al. (2020) reported C. alienum as the causal organism of anthracnose disease on Aquilaria sinensis in China. C. alienum has been previously reported causing mango anthracnose disease in Mexico (Tovar-Pedraza et al., 2020) To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. alienum causing postharvest anthracnose of mango in China. The prevalence of C. alienum was 30% on mango fruit which reflects the importance of this pathogen as a potential problem of mango fruit in China.

The sessile biofilms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes have increasingly become a critical threat in seafood safety. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of modified atmospheres on the formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus and L. monocytogenes biofilms. The stress responses of bacterial biofilm formation to modified atmospheres including anaerobiosis (20% carbon dioxide, 80% nitrogen), micro-aerobiosis (20% oxygen, 80% nitrogen), and aerobiosis (60% oxygen, 40% nitrogen) were illuminated by determining the live cells, chemical composition analysis, textural parameter changes, expression of regulatory genes, etc. Results showed that the biofilm formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus was efficiently decreased, supported by the fact that the modified atmospheres significantly reduced the key chemical composition [extracellular DNA (eDNA) and extracellular proteins] of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and negatively altered the textural parameters (biovolume, thickness, and bio-roughness) of biofilms during the physiological conversion from anaerobiosis to aerobiosis, while the modified atmosphere treatment increased the key chemical composition of EPS and the textural parameters of L. monocytogenes biofilms from anaerobiosis to aerobiosis. Meanwhile, the expression of biofilm formation genes (luxS, aphA, mshA, oxyR, and opaR), EPS production genes (cpsA, cpsC, and cpsR), and virulence genes (vopS, vopD1, vcrD1, vopP2β, and vcrD2β) of V. parahaemolyticus was downregulated. For the L. monocytogenes cells, the expression of biofilm formation genes (flgA, flgU, and degU), EPS production genes (Imo2554, Imo2504, inlA, rmlB), and virulence genes (vopS, vopD1, vcrD1, vopP2β, and vcrD2β) was upregulated during the physiological conversion. All these results indicated that the modified atmospheres possessed significantly different regulation on the biofilm formation of Gram-negative V. parahaemolyticus and Gram-positive L. monocytogenes, which will provide a novel insight to unlock the efficient control of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in modified-atmosphere packaged food.

In this study, recombinant rice quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (rQSOX) was expressed and characterized, and its performance in flour-processing quality was further evaluated. The purified rQSOX exhibited the highest sulfhydryl oxidation activity (1.96 IU/mg) using dithiothreitol as a substrate, accompanying the production of H2O2. The optimal temperature and pH were 60 °C and pH 8.0 for rQSOX catalyzing oxidation of dithiothreitol. And rQSOX retained 50% of its maximum activity after incubation at 80 °C for 1 h. Moreover, rQSOX supplementation improved the farinograph properties of dough, indicated by the increased dough stability time and decreased degree of softening, and enhanced viscoelastic properties of the dough. Addition of rQSOX (10 IU/g flour) provided remarkable improvement in specific volume (37%) and springiness (17%) of the steamed bread, and significantly reduced the hardness by half, which was attributed to the strengthened gluten network. The results provide an understanding for rQSOX using in flour-processing industry.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a kind of gram-negative marine pathogen, which usually adheres to stainless steel (SS), glass (GS) and other abiotic surfaces in aquaculture and food processing in the form of biofilm and causes the spread of gastrointestinal illness. However, the deeply survival adaptation mechanism of V. parahaemolyticus biofilm cells on these contact surface remained unclear. Here, proteomics was used to investigated the physiological response of the V. parahaemolyticus biofilms cells to different abiotic surfaces (SS, GS and polystyrene (PS)). In addition, the effect of contact materials on the physical-chemical properties of biofilms are also characterized. Results showed that the expression of proteins of biofilm cells established on the SS surface were mainly related to the alleviation of metal ion stress and toxicity. The up-regulated proteins in the biofilm cells formed on the GS surface were mainly involved in the biological processes of sugar uptake, protein synthesis and bacterial chemotaxis. Meanwhile, the significantly expressed proteins in the biofilm cells formed on the PS surface were mainly involved in the cellular physiological activity of aromatic compound metabolism, osmotic stress and nutrient transport. All functional proteins mentioned above were closely related to the interaction characteristics of the contact surface and biofilm. This study provided an in-depth comparison of V. parahaemolyticus biofilm formation on these three abiotic surfaces, and presented a model in first time for the adaptation behavior of biofilm cells on different surfaces as affected by metal ion stress, nutrition, osmotic stress, and sugar utilization, which could facilitate an efficient control strategy for biofilm formation in industrial field.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a potent inducer for skin photoaging. This paper investigated the anti-photoaging effects of the acetylated and amidated hexapeptide (AAH), originally identified from Spirulina platensis, in (Ultraviolet B) UVB-irradiated Human immortalized keratinocytes (Hacats) and mice. The results demonstrated that AAH had much lower toxicity on Hacats than the positive matrixyl (81.52% vs. 5.32%). Moreover, AAH reduced MDA content by 49%; increased SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities by 103%, 49%, and 116%, respectively; decreased MMP-1 and MMP-3 expressions by 27% and 29%, respectively, compared to UVB-irradiated mice. Employing isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomics, 60 differential proteins were identified, and major metabolic pathways were determined. Network analysis indicated that these differential proteins were mapped into an interaction network composed of two core sub-networks. Collectively, AAH is protective against UVB-induced skin photoaging and has potential application in skin care cosmetics.

This study investigated characteristics of recombinant wheat Endoplasmic Reticulum Oxidoreductin 1 (wEro1) and its influence on Chinese steamed bread (CSB) qualities. The purified wEro1 monomer, which contained two conserved redox active motif sites, bound to flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor with a molecular weight of similar to 47 kDa. wEro1 catalyzed the reduction of both bound and free FAD, and its reduction activity of free FAD reached 7.8U/mg. Moreover, wEro1 catalyzed the oxidation of dithiothreitol and wheat protein disulfide isomerase (wPDI). Both glutathione and the reduced ribonuclease could work as electron donors for wEro1 in catalyzing the oxidation of wPDI. Additionally, wEro1 supplementation improved the CSB qualities with an increased specific volume of CSB and decreased crumb hardness, which was attributed to water-insoluble wheat proteins increasing and gluten network strengthening. The results give an understanding of the properties and function of wEro1 to facilitate its application especially in the flour-processing industry.