Microbial Evaluation of Fresh, Minimally-processed Vegetables and Bagged Sprouts from Chain Supermarkets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial and fungal quality of minimally-processed vegetables (MPV) and sprouts. A total of 116 samples of fresh-cut vegetables, ready-to-eat salads, and mung bean and wheat sprouts were randomly collected and analyzed. The load of aerobic mesophilic bacteria was minimum and maximum in the fresh-cut vegetables and fresh mung bean sprouts respectively, corresponding to populations of 5.3 and 8.5 log CFU/g. E. coli O157:H7 was found to be absent in all samples; however, other E. coli strains were detected in 21 samples (18.1%), and Salmonella spp. were found in one mung bean (3.1%) and one ready-to-eat salad sample (5%). Yeasts were the predominant organisms and were found in 100% of the samples. Geotrichum, Fusarium, and Penicillium spp. were the most prevalent molds in mung sprouts while Cladosporium and Penicillium spp. were most frequently found in ready-to-eat salad samples. According to results from the present study, effective control measures should be implemented to minimize the microbiological contamination of fresh produce sold in Tehran, Iran

Kefir protective effects against nicotine cessation-induced anxiety and cognition impairments in rats

Background: Nicotine as one of the potent psychostimulant drugs is characterized by its parasympathomimetic activity. Upon the abrupt discontinuation of nicotine intake, a number of symptoms such as anxiety, depression and cognition impairment develop. Kefir as a food supplement is rich in tryptophan. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of Kefir on nicotine cessation-induced anxiety, depression and cognition impairment. Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats were divided into four groups. All the groups received 6 mg/kg/day of nicotine for 17 days and then the negative control groups got 5 mg/kg/day of normal saline. The positive control groups were given 40 mg/kg/day of Sertraline HCl for 7 days. The group treated with Cow Milk Kefir (CMK) and Soy Milk Kefir (SMK) received 5 mg/kg/day for 7 days. On the 25 th day, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Open Field Test (OFT) and Forced Swim Test (FST) were used to investigate anxiety and depression. In addition, Moris Water Maze was applied to evaluate learning and memory in the animals between the 20 th and 25 th days. Results: The results showed that administration of CMK, SMK and Sertraline had higher anti-depression and anxiolytic effects on nicotine withdrawal-induced depression and anxiety in rats (P < 0.05). Moreover, CMK and SMK improved learning and memory impairment results in the nicotine withdrawal period (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed that Kefir had a potential effect on the treatment of nicotine cessation-induced depression, anxiety and cognition impairment in the animal model. Kefir may be useful for adjunct therapy for nicotine abandonment treatment protocols

Development of Antibacterial Biocomposites Based on Poly(lactic acid) with Spice Essential Oil (Pimpinella anisum) for Food Applications

Among the main biodegradable food packaging materials, poly-lactic acid (PLA) is a commercially successful polymer used notably in the food packaging industry. In this study, active PLA films containing different percentage of anise essential oil (AE) (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% v/v) were developed, and characterized by physical, mechanical and antibacterial analysis. Based on physical examinations, thermal stability of PLA/AE films was greater than the neat PLA film, and the minimum water vapor permeability (WVP) was recorded for PLA/0.5AE film (1.29 × 10 11 g/m s), while maximum WVP was observed for PLA/1.5AE (2.09 × 1011 g/m s). Moreover, the lightness and yellowness of the composites were decreased by the addition of AE. For the PLA composites with 1.5% AE, the tensile strength decreased by 35% and the elongation break increased by 28.09%, comparing to the pure PLA. According to the antibacterial analysis, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of PLA/AE film were 5 to 100 mg/mL and the active composite could create visible inhibition zones of 14.2 to 19.2 mm. Furthermore, the films containing AE inhibited L. monocytogenes and V. parahaemolyticus in a concentration-dependent manner. The confirmation of the success of the incorporation of EOs into the PLA films was further evaluated using principal component analysis, where positive results were obtained. In this context, our findings suggest the significant potency of AE to be used as an antibacterial agent in active food packaging

Effect of Auricularia auricula aqueous extract on survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-12 and on sensorial and functional properties of synbiotic yogurt

The effect of Auricularia auricula aqueous extract (AAE) on the survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-12, and on chemical and sensory properties of yogurt was investigated during 28 days of storage at 4°C. The use of 0.05% of AAE improved the survival of L. acidophilus La-5 and B. bifidum Bb-12 about 0.35 and 0.58 log CFU/g, respectively. However, AAE in 0.1% concentration enhanced the survival of L. acidophilus La-5 and B. bifidum Bb-12 about 0.43 and 0.51 log CFU/g, respectively. Moreover, 0.1% concentration of AAE drastically increased antioxidant activity and total phenolic content to 115.30 mg BHT eq./kg and 1,057.6 mg Gallic acid/kg after 28 days, respectively. Addition of AAE to the yogurt significantly decreased sensorial acceptance while increased syneresis compared to the control group (p &lt; .05). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that addition of AAE improved probiotic protection and functional properties of the yogurt recommending its application in symbiotic yogurt

Application of cultivable lactic acid bacteria isolated from Iranian traditional dairy products for the production of liquid and dried kashks

This study was aimed to produce liquid and dried kashk as a traditional dairy-based product on an industrial scale. Furthermore, the microbial, chemical properties as well as the proximate composition including pH, moisture, salt, fat, protein, total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and peroxide value (PV) were assessed after 1, 10 and 20 days of cold storage (7 degrees C). Also, the samples from traditional dairy products such as yogurt, doogh, dried kashk, and lolek were collected, and the diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was determined as L. lactis subsp cremoris, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. lactis subsp lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus heiveticus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus cases, and Lactobacillus fermentum. The mean values of fat, protein, and TVN for dried and liquid kashk samples were measured as (7.4 +/- 0.7, 2.7 +/- 0.1%), (51 +/- 3.8, 8.7 +/- 0.6 g/100 g) and (15.3 +/- 3.9, 14.9 +/- 4.1 mg/100 g), respectively. The microbial analysis revealed yeasts and molds were the most prevalent microorganisms in both types of kashks, while no Coliform, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were found in all samples. In conclusion, the selected species from traditional products which presented a specific property may provide a wide range of genetic variants to design modified species with desired characteristics116This article was donated in memoriam of Dr. Hamid Reza Gheisari, who passed away during the experimental phase of this manuscript. This study was part of an MSc Thesis supported by the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services (grant no. 240/426

Data on molecular dockings of multi-epitope vaccines with human TLR 1, 2, 4, and 6.

Data on molecular dockings of multi-epitope vaccines with human TLR 1, 2, 4, and 6.</p

Physiochemical properties of 12 putative immunogenic proteins of <i>P</i>. <i>gingivalis</i>.

Physiochemical properties of 12 putative immunogenic proteins of P. gingivalis.</p

The comparative analysis of putative immunogenic targets against <i>P</i>. <i>gingivalis</i> based on quartile scoring method.

Twelve proteins with a score ≥ 20 were selected: WP_005874477.1 (26), WP_004583657.1 (25), WP_021664214.1 (25), WP_099840460.1 (25), WP_004585254.1 (23), WP_012457596.1 (23), WP_099779133.1 (23), WP_099780539.1 (23), WP_004583425.1 (21), WP_097626800.1 (21), WP_211599956.1 (21), and WP_004584259.1 (20).</p