Inhibitory Activities of a Probiotic Bacterium (Bifidobacterium Pseudocatanulatum) on a Common Diarrheagrnic Pathogen (Salmonella Enterica) in Human

Sixteen strains of Salmonella were isolated from clinically diagnosed diarrhea patients. They were tested against a range of antimicrobial agents, and typed by serological test and RAPD fingerprinting. All the strains have the similar pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility. The serological test has typed them into 3 serovars but the RAPD fingerprinting has classed them into 2 major clusters. Three strains of bifidobacteria were analyzed for their survival rate in human stomach condition. It showed that the ability of bifidobacteria to survive was strains dependant. Bifidobacterium pseudocatanulatum F117 and Bifidobacterium infantis can survive at pH value of human stomach after exposure for 90 minutes but not Bifidobacterium pseudocatanulatum G48. The survival of bifidobacteria was higher in the pH after meal compared to the pH before meal (fasted state). The dose effect study demonstrated, that the initial concentration of bifidobacteria would affect the duration of inhibitory activity against Salmonella. Lower initial concentration exhibit greater inhibitory activity. The inhibition of Salmonella was due to the production of acetate and lactate by bifidobacteria and the effectiveness was higher at low pH. Acetate and lactate production was excessive when the initial concentration of bifidobacteria was low due to the high growth rates, metabolism, and competition of energy sources

Otimização das condições de cultivo para a produção de enzimas degradadoras de fitato por Enterobacter sakazakii ASUIA279 isoladas da raiz de milho da Malásia

The production of extracellular phytase by Enterobacter sakazakii ASUIA279 was optimized using response surface methodology with full-factorial faced centred central composite design. Two sets of experiments were carried out to optimize the five most profound factors of the cultivation conditions in order to maximize phytase production. Incubation temperature, initial pH of the media and percentage of rice bran supplemented into the media were optimized in Erlenmeyer flasks while agitation and aeration effect were controlled in a bioreactor. This design reduced the number of actual experiment performed to optimize phytase production and allowed the study of possible interactions among the factors. In the first set of experiments linear and quadratic effect of initial pH was determined to be the most significant factor affecting phytase production. In the bioreactor both linear effects of agitation and aeration, were identified to be highly significant (> 99 %) in respect to phytase yields. Optimal phytase production was observed at a incubation temperature of 39.7 ºC, an initial pH of 7.1, supplementation with 13.6 % rice bran , 320 rpm of agitation and 0 vvm of aeration.  A produção de fitase extracelular por Enterobacter sakazakii ASUIA279 foi otimizada usando a metodologia de superfície de resposta com projeto de compósito central centralizado em face de fatorial completo. Dois conjuntos de experimentos foram realizados para otimizar os cinco fatores mais profundos das condições de cultivo, a fim de maximizar a produção de fitase. A temperatura de incubação, o pH inicial do meio e a porcentagem de farelo de arroz suplementado no meio foram otimizados em frascos de Erlenmeyer, enquanto o efeito de agitação e aeração foi controlado em um biorreator. Este projeto reduziu o número de experimentos reais realizados para otimizar a produção de fitase e permitiu o estudo de possíveis interações entre os fatores. No primeiro conjunto de experiências, o efeito linear e quadrático do pH inicial foi determinado como o fator mais significativo que afeta a produção de fitase. No biorreator, ambos os efeitos lineares da agitação e aeração foram identificados como altamente significativos (> 99%) em relação aos rendimentos da fitase. A produção ótima de fitase foi observada na temperatura de incubação de 39,7 ºC, pH inicial de 7,1, suplementação com 13,6% de farelo de arroz, 320 rpm de agitação e 0 vvm de aeração

Production of banana cake premix from banana (Musa acuminata Colla) by-products via foam mat drying process

Introduction: Banana is a perishable fruit and rapidly overripe which can cause food waste problems to occur if not used to prepare other foods. Drying would be useful to overcome this problem by converting the overripe banana into a value-added product. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of different temperatures for foam mat drying on overripe banana puree. Besides, the sensory attributes and acceptability of banana cakes produced will be evaluated. Methods: The overripe banana puree was subjected to foam mat drying and the dried powder was subjected to banana cake production. Physical analysis, chemical analysis, and sensory evaluation were carried out for the banana cakes. Results: A significant different (p≥0.05) was observed for all of the overripe banana powder. The sensory evaluation showed that banana cake prepared from overripe banana powder and added with banana essence in the cake batter had significant difference (p<0.05) for the attributes of aroma, appearances, flavour, and after taste. In contrast, all the banana cakes samples showed no significant difference (p≥0.05) for the attribute of texture. Conclusion: This study showed that overripe banana powder has the potential to produce banana cake premix

Phytase: application in food industry

Phytates have been considered as a threat in human diet due to its antinutrients behaviour which known as strong chelators of divalent minerals such as Ca²+, Mg²+, Zn²+ and Fe²+. Phytic acid has a potential for binding positively charged proteins, amino acids, and/or multivalent cations or minerals in foods. The resulting complexes are insoluble, difficult for humans to hydrolyze during digestion, and thus, typically are nutritionally less available for absorption. The reduction of this phytates can be achieved through both enzymatic and non-enzymatic removal. Enzymatic degradation includes addition of either isolated form of wild-type or recombinant exogenous phytate-degrading enzymes microorganisms in the food matrix. Non-enzymatic hydrolysis of phytate occurred in the final food during food processing or physical separation of phytate-rich parts of the plants seed. The application of phytase with respect to breadmaking process, probiotics, animal feed supplement and transgenic crops are emphasised in this paper

Valorisation of virgin coconut oil application in mayonnaise production as functional Ingredient

Mayonnaise is favourable by large number of consumers due to the pleasant taste that can enhance the appetite. However, several commercial mayonnaises are produced by using high concentrations of oil that may cause high threats of developing several diseases due to the link to health issues. On the other hand, oils known for health promoting properties such as virgin coconut oil are underutilized even though having high potential as plant-based alternative healthy oil that can be used in mayonnaise production. In this study, virgin coconut oil was used to partially and/or fully replace soybean oil that is commonly used in mayonnaise production. Three mayonnaise samples were prepared by using three oil combinations including 100% virgin coconut oil, 50%:50% soybean oil:virgin coconut oil and 100% soybean oil. The antioxidant activity, physiochemical properties, lipid profile and sensory evaluation of the mayonnaise samples were determined by using standard methods. The results showed significantly higher antioxidant activity for the mayonnaise sample prepared with 100% virgin coconut oil in comparison to other two samples. No significant differences were observed for the physical properties including pH and colour. However, 100% virgin coconut oil mayonnaise sample had the largest droplet size, lowest texture firmness and lowest viscosity among the samples. The sensory evaluation demonstrated higher preference to the 100% soybean oil mayonnaise that scored total of 7.050, while the 100% virgin coconut oil mayonnaise scored 5.57 for overall acceptability. The findings of this study demonstrated high potential for using virgin coconut oil in mayonnaise production to improve the quality and the biological functions of the product while maintaining the organoleptic properties

Application of betel leaves (Piper betle L.) extract for preservation of homemade chili bo

This study is conducted to investigate the effect of different concentrations of betel leaves extract on color, pH and microbiological in homemade chili bo. The homemade chili bo with different concentrations (0 mg/ml, 0.75 mg/ml, 1.25 mg/ml and 1.75 mg/ml) of betel leaves extract were prepared for analysis. The results showed that the color of chili bo became darker as the concentration of betel leaves extract increased. The extract showed significant in the pH of chili bo after 7 days in which the highest concentration of extract showed the highest value of pH 4.31. The aerobic microbial count was decreased as the concentration of betel leaves extract increased in chili bo. After 7 days of storage, the highest concentration of betel leaves extract showed the highest percentage of reduction (6%), while the control sample showed 2.41% of aerobic reduction. The study also found that the extract contain lesser yeast and mold count (5.22 log CFU/ml) in homemade chili bo compared to the control sample (5.31 log CFU/ ml) after 7 days. Betel leaves extract can be considered as natural food preservatives in chili bo to reduce the growth of spoilage microorganism and thus enhance the shelf life of chili bo

Modified starches and their usages in selected food products:a review study.

Modified starches have been developed for a very long time and it applications in food industry are really significant nowadays. This paper will elaborate more about the definition and classifications of modified starches by considering several modification techniques such as physical, chemical, and enzymatic treatment. Review on journal’s papers of current decade has been done so as to observe the latest applications of modified starches in the food industry. In order to organize the findings, they have been divided into several sub-groups according to its functional applications, as fat replacer/fat mimetic, as texture improver, for high nutritional claim, for high shear and temperature stability, and for flavor oil encapsulation. Examples on its recent applications of specificfoods products were also included. Hopefully this paper will assist anyone especially students who wants to get information about the latest applications of modified starch in the food industry

Isolation and identification of biocellulose-producing bacterial strains from Malaysian acidic fruits

Biocellulose (BC) is pure extracellular cellulose produced by several species of micro-organisms that has numerous applications in the food, biomedical and paper industries. However, the existing biocellulose-producing bacterial strain with high yield was limited. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the potential biocellulose-producing bacterial isolates from Malaysian acidic fruits. One hundred and ninety-three bacterial isolates were obtained from 19 local acidic fruits collected in Malaysia and screened for their ability to produce BC. A total of 15 potential bacterial isolates were then cultured in standard Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium statically at 30°C for 2 weeks to determine the BC production. The most potent bacterial isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, morphological and biochemical characteristics. Three new and potent biocellulose-producing bacterial strains were isolated from soursop fruit and identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia WAUPM42, Pantoea vagans WAUPM45 and Beijerinckia fluminensis WAUPM53. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia WAUPM42 was the most potent biocellulose-producing bacterial strain that produced the highest amount of BC 0·58 g l−1 in standard HS medium. Whereas, the isolates P. vagans WAUPM45 and B. fluminensis WAUPM53 showed 0·50 and 0·52 g l−1 of BC production, respectively

Influence of storage conditions on the quality, metabolites, and biological activity of soursop (Annona muricata. L.) Kombucha

Kombucha is a slightly alcoholic beverage produced using sugared tea via fermentation using the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). This study aimed to optimize the production of soursop kombucha and determine the effects of different storage conditions on the quality, metabolites, and biological activity. The response surface method (RSM) results demonstrated that the optimum production parameters were 300 ml soursop juice, 700 ml black tea, and 150 g sugar and 14 days fermentation at 28°C. The storage conditions showed significant (P < 0.05) effects on the antioxidant activity including the highest antioxidant activity for the sample stored for 14 days at 25°C in light and the highest total phenolic content (TPC) for the sample stored for 7 days at 4°C in the dark. No significant effects were observed on the antimicrobial activity of soursop kombucha toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The microbial population was reduced from the average of 106 CFU/ml before the storage to 104 CFU/ml after the storage at 4 and 25°C in dark and light conditions. The metabolites profiling demonstrated significant decline for the sucrose, acetic acid, gluconic acid, and ethanol, while glucose was significantly increased. The storage conditions for 21 days at 25°C in the dark reduced 98% of ethanol content. The novel findings of this study revealed that prolonged storage conditions have high potential to improve the quality, metabolites content, biological activity, and the Halal status of soursop kombucha

Identification of antioxidant and antibacterial activities for the bioactive peptides generated from bitter beans (Parkia speciosa) via boiling and fermentation processes

The present study reports on the effects of boiling and fermentation processes on the antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity of the peptides generated from bitter beans. The protein content, peptide content, antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity were determined. The peptides were fractionated using size exclusion and the identified using LC-MS/MS in combination with PEAKS Studio software. The protein content for raw, boiled and fermented samples was 20, 15 and 13 g/100g DW and the peptide content was 0.3, 12.1 and 15.1 mg/g DW, respectively. Fermentation process increased the DPPH activity of bitter beans to 78.48 ± 3.16%. Fermentation process significantly increased the antibacterial activity of bitter beans towards Escherichia coli (45%), Salmonella Typhimurium (73%), Staphylococcus aureus (64%), and Listeria monocytogenes (57%). Out of the seven peptides identified in fraction 11, three peptides including EAKPSFYLK, PVNNNAWAYATNFVPGK and AIGIFVKPDTAV demonstrated antibacterial activity at different concentrations (1000, 500, 250 and 125 μg/mL). The DPPH activity was only observed for the peptides EAKPSFYLK (74%) and PVNNNAWAYATNFVPGK (87%). In conclusion, fermentation process increased the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of bitter beans due to the presence of low molecular weight peptides. The bioactive peptides are very promising ingredients to formulate functional foods and beverages