ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF NATURAL BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND HIGH PRESSURE PROCESSING AGAINST POTENTIAL PATHOGENS IN INFANT FOODS

This study investigated the antimicrobial efficacy of bioactive plant compounds along with high pressure processing (HPP) against pathogens Bacillus cereus and Cronobacter sakazakii in infant formula and infant rice cereal. The influence of these applications on antimicrobial activity, shelf-life and sensory attributes of infant foods were examined. Trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and [10]-Gingerol (GI) were incorporated (0.05%) in infant rice cereal reconstituted with infant formula. The cereal was inoculated with either B. cereus (ATCC 14579) or B. cereus spores (107-108 log CFU g-1). All the samples were stored at 7, 23 or 37°C for 0, 4, 8 and 24 h. TC showed the highest antimicrobial activity by inhibiting the B. cereus and its spores up to 2.72 and 3.8 log CFU g-1, respectively. HPP (600 MPa for 5 m), and TC (0.05-0.1%) along with Chitosan (CH) (1%), were applied to reconstituted powder infant formula which was inoculated with either 3 strains of C. sakazakii (ATCC 29544, ATCC 12868, and ATCC BAA 894) or 5 strains of B. cereus spore (ATCC 14579, ATCC 33018, ATCC 12826, ATCC 4342, and Difco Spores) cocktail (107-108 log CFU ml-1). All the samples were stored at 7, 23 or 45°C for 5-8 weeks. HPP and TC (0.1%) combination exhibited the highest inhibition (P \u3c 0.05) by reducing the B. cereus spores 2.97 log CFU ml-1 after 7 d. C. sakazakii was fully inactivated by HPP, TC (0.05%) and C (1%) combination following 8 weeks of storage at 7 and 23°C and 2 weeks storage at 45°C. The combination of HPP and bioactive compounds exhibited additive antimicrobial effect. Gradual decrease (P \u3c 0.05) in pH was observed in rice cereal and non-HPP formula samples due to the microbial growth and metabolic activity. Significant differences (P \u3c 0.05) were found in color, aroma and general appearance of EGCG and GI applied cereal samples, while TC only did exhibit a cinnamon taste. In summary, the antimicrobial findings suggest that TC, EGCG, GI and CH could be incorporated in infant foods along with HPP as natural and safe alternatives to synthetic preservatives and thermal applications

EVALUATION OF NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AGAINST FOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Raw and processed foods are vulnerable to contamination during their production, distribution and sale. Thus, a wide variety of chemical preservatives are used in the food industry to prevent the growth of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. However, health and economic concerns have led to an intensive search for natural alternatives, such as plant extracts, that can safely be used as substitutes for synthetic antimicrobials and preservatives to partially or completely inhibit the growth of bacteria. This study evaluated the antimicrobial effects of natural phenolic compounds extracted from vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. The main objective was to determine the lowest concentration of phenolics to inhibit the visible growth of the pathogenic bacteria which is defined as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Some of the most common Gram-positive and Gram-negative foodborne pathogens were treated with several natural phenolic compounds. Concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20 ppm (pH 5-6) of each compound were evaluated by broth micro-dilution method and the MICs were determined by using official density (OD) assay. The results demonstrated that the phenolic compounds have varying antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogens. Natural sources of phenolic compounds contain major antibacterial components and have great potential to be used as natural antimicrobials and food preservatives

EFFECT OF ROYAL JELLY ON QUALITY OF CHILLED SEMEN FROM DAMASCUS BUCK

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of different concentrations of royal jelly (RJ) in Tris-egg yolk (TEY) and Tris-soybean (TSL) extenders on sperm quality of Damascus buck chilled semen. The ejaculates were collected from five bucks using an electroejaculator twice a week during the reproductive season. Semen samples were pooled and diluted in extenders supplemented with RJ (1%, 0,75%, 0,50%, 0,25%) with a final concentration of 150x106 spermatozoa/mL and stored for 72 hours. The samples were evaluated for sperm quality parameters, including motility, viability, abnormality, membrane integrity, pH, osmolarity. When the RJ doses were compared among each other, 1% RJ concentration caused an increase in the percentage of abnormal and dead spermatozoa in the TSL extender. In the TEY extender, the control and 0.25% RJ concentration groups had the lowest motility and viability values. Generally, the addition of medium and high doses of RJ in the TEY extender group was found to be beneficial to sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity. Although motility was terminated at the 48th hour in the TEY control and 0.25% RJ groups, other trial groups continued. In conclusion, it was determined that the TSL extender was superior to the short-time storage of the goat spermatozoa in the between-groups evaluation, and the RJ supplementation did not achieve any success during the liquid storage at 4°C in the TSL extender. RESUMENEl objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la suplementación de diferentes concentraciones de jalea real (RJ) en los diluyentes Tris-yema de huevo (TEY) y Tris-soja (TSL) sobre la calidad del semen refrigerado de machos cabríos Damasco. Los eyaculados se recogieron dos veces por semana durante la temporada reproductiva de cinco machos utilizando un electroeyaculador. Las muestras de semen se agruparon y diluyeron en TEY y TSJ suplementados con RJ (1%, 0,75%, 0,50%, 0,25%), a una concentración final de 150x106 espermatozoides/ml y se almacenaron durante 72 horas. Las muestras fueron evaluadas para parámetros de calidad como motilidad, viabilidad, anormalidad, integridad de la membrana, pH y osmolaridad. Cuando las dosis de RJ se compararon entre sí, la concentración de RJ al 1% causó un aumento en el porcentaje de espermatozoides anormales y muertos en el extensor de TSL. En el diluyente TEY, el control y los grupos de concentración de 0,25% RJ tuvieron los valores más bajos de movilidad y viabilidad. En general, se encontró que la adición de dosis medias y altas de RJ en el grupo TEY fue beneficiosa para la motilidad de los espermatozoides y la integridad de la membrana plasmática. Aunque la motilidad se terminó a las 48 horas en el control TEY y en los grupos con 0,25% de RJ, en los otros grupos de prueba la motilidad continuó. En conclusión, se determinó que el diluyente TSL fue superior para el almacenamiento a corto plazo de los espermatozoides de macho cabrío en la evaluación entre grupos, y que la suplementación con RJ no logró ningún éxito durante el almacenamiento de líquido a 4°C en el diluyente TSL

A small library of chalcones induce liver cancer cell death through Akt phosphorylation inhibition

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the fifth most common and the second deadliest cancer worldwide. HCC is extremely resistant to the conventional chemotherapeutics. Hence, it is vital to develop new treatment options. Chalcones were previously shown to have anticancer activities in other cancer types. In this study, 11 chalcones along with quercetin, papaverin, catechin, Sorafenib and 5FU were analyzed for their bioactivities on 6 HCC cell lines and on dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) which differentiates into hepatocytes, and is used as a model for untransformed control cells. 3 of the chalcones (1, 9 and 11) were selected for further investigation due to their high cytotoxicity against liver cancer cells and compared to the other clinically established compounds. Chalcones did not show significant bioactivity ([Formula: see text]) on dental pulp stem cells. Cell cycle analysis revealed that these 3 chalcone-molecules induced SubG1/G1 arrest. Akt protein phosphorylation was inhibited by these molecules in PTEN deficient, drug resistant, mesenchymal like Mahlavu cells leading to the activation of p21 and the inhibition of NF[Formula: see text]B-p65 transcription factor. Hence the chalcones induced apoptotic cell death pathway through NF[Formula: see text]B-p65 inhibition. On the other hand, these molecules triggered p21 dependent activation of Rb protein and thereby inhibition of cell cycle and cell growth in liver cancer cells. Involvement of PI3K/Akt pathway hyperactivation was previously described in survival of liver cancer cells as carcinogenic event. Therefore, our results indicated that these chalcones can be considered as candidates for liver cancer therapeutics particularly when PI3K/Akt pathway involved in tumor development

Is there any relationship between unrecognized Celiac disease and unexplained infertile couples?

Background/Aims: Celiac Disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by small intestinal malabsorbtion and diarrhea, triggered by the ingestion of food products containing gluten. There are studies reporting that some nutritional deficiencies and some factors related to immunity may cause a decrease in fertility as well as some problems in sperm parameters. The prevalence of CD in unexplained infertility (UEI) couples is not as high as that mentioned in some reports. There is no accurate knowledge about the prevalence of CD in a UEI couple