Edible films and coatings as carriers of living microorganisms: a new strategy towards biopreservation and healthier foods

Edible films and coatings have been extensively studied in recent years due to their unique properties and advantages over more traditional conservation techniques. Edible films and coatings improve shelf life and food quality, by providing a protective barrier against physical and mechanical damage, and by creating a controlled atmosphere and acting as a semipermeable barrier for gases, vapor, and water. Edible films and coatings are produced using naturally derived materials, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, or a mixture of these materials. These films and coatings also offer the possibility of incorporating different functional ingredients such as nutraceuticals, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flavoring, and coloring agents. Films and coatings are also able to incorporate living microorganisms. In the last decade, several works reported the incorporation of bacteria to confer probiotic or antimicrobial properties to these films and coatings. The incorporation of probiotic bacteria in films and coatings allows them to reach the consumers gut in adequate amounts to confer health benefits to the host, thus creating an added value to the food product. Also, other microorganisms, either bacteria or yeast, can be incorporated into edible films in a biocontrol approach to extend the shelf life of food products. The incorporation of yeasts in films and coatings has been suggested primarily for the control of the postharvest disease. This work provides a comprehensive review of the use of edible films and coatings for the incorporation of living microorganisms, aiming at the biopreservation and probiotic ability of food products.Ana Guimaraes received support through grant SFRH/BD/ 103245/2014 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Luís Abrunhosa was supported by grant UMINHO/BPD/51/2015 from project UID/BIO/04469/2013 financed by FCT/MEC (OE). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684), and of BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Vectors used in Figure were designed by Freepik.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enumeration and survival studies of free and encapsulated Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Lactis in Cheddar cheese

The regulatory standards set by food authorities globally for probiotic foods such as Cheddar cheese makes it essential to have reliable enumeration media that will accurately monitor the survival of probiotic bacteria over the shelf life of Cheddar cheese. This study therefore investigated various selective and differential media for reliable enumeration of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp., starter lactic acid bacteria (SLAB) and non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSALB) from Cheddar cheese using pure cultures and commercial probiotic Cheddar cheese. All media showed variation in counts and selectivity. Some reported selective media failed to inhibit SLAB and NSLAB. The media that were reliable and also gave good recovery were, Reinforced Clostridium Agar with Bromocresol green and Clindamycin (RCABC), which was selective for L. acidophilus spp. and Reinforced Clostridium Agar with Aniline blue and Dicloxacillin (RCAAD), which was differential for Bifidobacterium spp. and SLAB. Reinforced Clostridium Agar with Bromocresol green and Vancomycin (RCABV) was found suitable for NSLAB. Additionally, an enzyme based colorimetric assay was modified successfully and used as a confirmatory test to check the presence of bifidobacterial colonies on enumeration media. Six batches of probiotic Cheddar cheese were manufactured with the incorporation of LAFTI L10 (L. acidophilus) and LAFTI B94 (B. lactis). The survival of probiotic bacteria, SLAB and NSLAB were monitored over a six-month ripening period using the selected media. The survival of free probiotic bacteria throughout the ripening process decreased consistently in all the six batches. In order to enhance the survival of probiotic bacteria, the effect of microencapsulation on the viability of LAFTI L10 and LAFTI B94 in Cheddar cheese was studied. Six batches of Cheddar cheese were manufactured with the incorporation of alginate-starch encapsulated and free cells of LAFTI L10 and LAFTI B94. The survival of both the encapsulated and free probiotic bacteria was studied over a six month ripening period. The survival of encapsulated LAFTI L10 and LAFTI B94 (107 cfu/g) was found to be significantly better than that of free bacteria (105 cfu/g) at the end of six months of ripening period in Cheddar cheese

Selective enumeration of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp., starter lactic acid bacteria and non-starter lactic acid bacteria from Cheddar cheese

Twelve media were evaluated for selective and/or differential enumeration of Lactobacillus. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp., starter lactic acid bacteria (SLAB) and non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) from Cheddar cheese. All media showed variation in counts and selectivity. Some reported selective media failed to inhibit SLAB and NSLAB. The media that were selective and/or differential and also gave better recovery were Reinforced Clostridium Agar with bromocresol green and clindamycin (RCABC), which was selective for L. acidophilus spp. and Reinforced Clostridium Agar with aniline blue and dicloxacillin (RCAAD), which was differential for Bifidobacterium spp. and SLAB. Reinforced Clostridium Agar with bromocresol green and vancomycin (RCABV) was found suitable for NSLAB. Apart from pure cultures, these media were also tested with commercial Cheddar cheese containing L. acidophilus. Additionally, Cheddar cheese containing L. acidophilus and B. lactis was manufactured and the selected media were used to monitor the initial survival of probiotic bacteria, SLAB and NSLAB present

Development and validation of social-cognitive theory based oral cancer awareness assessment tool for adolescents

Introduction: Creating oral cancer awareness among adolescents will bring change by modifying the risk factors responsible for oral cancer. Social cognitive theory (SCT) is one promising theory for developing oral cancer awareness programmes among school adolescents. However, data are limited on SCT-based intervention assessment in creating oral cancer awareness among rural community. To develop and validate a SCT-based Oral Cancer Awareness (SCT-OCA) assessment/survey tool for evaluation of intervention implementation. Material and Methods: A mixed method design encompassing both qualitative and quantitative was accomplished to develop and validate the assessment tool for rural setting. Methods and Material: Domains and items for SCT-OCA assessment tool for adolescents were selected using subject matter expert. A 21-item assessment tool was developed using three rounds of Delphi technique and validated using Lawshe method. The knowledge on oral cancer and its risk factors and key constructs of social-cognitive theory was selected as items of the tool. The final assessment tool was translated to regional language, which was used for evaluation of intervention implementation. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, version 16. Descriptive statistics includes means, standard deviations and frequency. Validation using Lawshe, component factor analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated. Results: The overall content validity ratio was agreeable, and 21 items were finally selected in assessment tool. The overall Cronbach's alphas of 0.718 for survey was acceptable. The agreement was good for the domains of tool. Conclusions: This study developed the SCT-OCA assessment tool for intervention specifically designed for adolescents to measure oral cancer awareness

Effect of encapsulation on the survival of probiotic bacteria in the presence of starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria in Cheddar cheese over a 6-month ripening period

Probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFTI B94) were encapsulated in calcium-alginate hydro-gel to study the effect of encapsulation on their survival in Cheddar cheese. Twelve batches of Cheddar cheese were manufactured incorporating encapsulated and free probiotic bacteria. The survival and the effect of encapsulated probiotic bacteria on the growth of starter lactic acid bacteria (SLAB) and non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) were assessed over a six-month ripening period. The survival of encapsulated bacteria (107 cfu/g) was found to be significantly (P<0.05) greater than that of free bacteria (105 cfu/g) at the end of six-months. Also, addition of encapsulated probiotic bacteria did not change the population of SLAB and NSLAB. This study therefore demonstrates that encapsulated probiotic bacteria survive better than free probiotic bacteria in Cheddar cheese during the long ripening period and had no effect on the SLAB and NSLAB growth during ripening

Effectiveness of meditation on wellness management among corporate employees in India: An interventional study

Abstract Background and Aims Urban corporate sector relies heavily on workplace well‐being, with meditation being a potent stress reduction method that significantly enhances the quality of life (QoL) and wellness. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of meditation on wellness management among corporate employees in India. Methods The quasi‐experimental controlled study design was employed from May to June 2021, which assessed stress, QoL, and wellness indices (satisfaction with life, well‐being) with meditation practice as the intervention. The online questionnaire incorporates questions from the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale, World Health Organization (WHO) QoL Scale, Five‐item Satisfaction with Life scale and WHO‐5 Well‐being Index. A nonrandom sampling technique selected 146 and 74 subjects in the intervention and control groups, respectively, among the employees of Star health‐ and allied insurance company. The data was analyzed using SPSS V27 (©IBM SPSS Statistics). The Wilcoxon signed rank test for the dependent groups, and Mann–Whitney U test for the independent groups (between subjects) was performed. Results Among a total of 220 subjects who enrolled in the recruitment survey, 146 subjects underwent the intervention thus providing a response rate of 66.4%. For the intervention group, the difference (within group) in mean scores between baseline and endline assessment shows a reduction in stress (0.02) and significant improvement in QoL (0.21) and wellness indices (satisfaction with life: 0.21, well‐being: 0.24). The difference (between the experimental and control groups) in mean endline scores shows a decrease in stress (0.07), an increase in wellness indices (satisfaction with life: 0.12, well‐being: 0.23), and a significant change in the QoL (0.17). Conclusion Meditation intervention in corporate wellness programs enhances the QoL, wellness, and stress management, establishing the effectiveness of health profile‐raising ingenuities at the workplace