“Pha-ork Kontrey” is a Cambodian traditional fermented small fish and is characterized by a low salt concentration and short fermentation period. Suitable starter culture strains from different fermented fish were isolated in an effort to control the growth of contaminating bacteria in the food. Five log CFU/g of Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus was spiked into Pha-ork samples before fermentation. Cultures of isolated Lactobacillus plantarum strains (8 to 9 log CFU/g) were spiked to the samples at the same time. Growth of the inoculated L. plantarum showed rapid increases in lactic acid concentration. The number of spiked E. coli or S. aureus was significantly reduced in 48 h at room temperature (28–32 °C) in the presence of starter culture (9 log CFU/g), whereas 120 h fermentation was required without it. The use of starter culture did not significantly change the quality of Pha-ork Kontrey in term of appearance and color; however, for odor, taste, and overall, the use of starter culture at 9 log CFU/g was significantly better than other treatments. To suppress the growth of spiked E. coli and/or S. aureus into Pha-ork Kontrey, 3-day fermentation with isolated L. plantarum (9 log CFU/g) is recommended.

Isomerization of galactose to produce rare sugars, tagatose and talose, was performed in a Teflon screw-lid container, used as a batch reactor, at approximately 120 °C. Galactose was dissolved at 5% (w/w) in NaH₂PO₄-Na₂HPO₄ buffer at pH 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0. A high yield (approximately 13%) for the conversion of galactose to tagatose was achieved at pH 7.0, with slight changes in the solution color. The tagatose yield increased with increasing buffer concentration of 10 mmol/L; however, it was nearly constant at concentrations of >10 mmol/L. Conversely, little talose was produced at buffer concentrations of <10 mmol/L; however, its yield significantly increased at buffer concentrations of 10 mmol/L. When the galactose concentration was ≥5%, the tagatose yield decreased; however, the tagatose concentration increased with increasing galactose concentration; for example, the tagatose concentration was 1.71% (w/w) when the initial galactose concentration was 25% (w/w).

Gongju, as one of the most famous Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. varieties, is considered to be an herbal tea in Asia. Polyphenols determine the quality of Gongju directly. However, polyphenols are instable during the storage process. The feasibility of using multispectral imaging (MSI) system to detect the content of chlorogenic acid, apigenin, and total flavonoids in Gongju at different storage periods was investigated. Spectral data were analyzed with three chemometrics models, including PLS, SVM, and BPNN. Compared with PLS and BPNN, SVM had the greatest prediction result of chlorogenic acid, apigenin, and total flavonoids with R²_p of 0.843, 0.872, 0.734, and RMSEP of 2.926, 0.059, 1.609 mg/g, respectively. These results suggested the MSI system under the SVM model provided a reliable prediction performance on changes of polyphenols in Gongju during storage, so that given a fast, and non-destructive quality identification method for the chrysanthemum industry.

Tartary buckwheat bran is an underutilized byproduct of buckwheat flour production that is extremely rich in rutin. In this study, the relationship between color change and rutin content in Tartary buckwheat bran sample amounts of 20 to 100 g during roasting between 10 to 30 min at 160 to 240 °C was investigated with the aim of obtaining rutin-rich Tartary buckwheat bran. Increasing the roasting time and temperature and decreasing the sample amounts caused reductions in the rutin content and the L* and b* values. However, even after roasting for 10 min at 160 to 230 °C and for 20 min at 160 °C in sample amounts of 100 g, Tartary buckwheat bran retained high levels of rutin. As a higher rutin content has been closely associated with higher values of L* and b*, analyzing color parameters using a chromaticity meter is promising for predicting the rutin content in roasted Tartary buckwheat bran.

Thermal diffusivity is an important thermophysical property used in the modeling and computation of unsteady-state heat transfer in basic food processing. The objectives of this study were to propose a new determination method for thermal diffusivity and to examine the applicability of this method to materials of several shapes and sizes. The samples (burdock root, carrot, and radish) were heated in a water bath at 90±1 °C for durations of up to 10 minutes. Then, 2- and 3-dimensional unsteady-state heat conduction problems were solved numerically with a finite element method. The thermal diffusivity of each sample was determined by a sequential estimation method based on the temperature profiles of the sample. The thermal diffusivity values of the samples ranged from (1.1–1.5)×10⁻⁷ m²/s. The thermal diffusivity could be estimated regardless of size, shape, and 2 and 3 dimensions for carrot within the setting range of this experiment.

An investigation using Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis (AEDA) applied to the aroma concentrate of a model heated seasoned soy sauce, prepared from soy sauce and mirin, revealed 36 aroma peaks, and 32 compounds were identified or tentatively identified from the detected peaks. Among them, 3-(methylthio) propanal was the most dominant compound, showing the highest Flavor Dilution (FD) factor, followed by 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, 5(or 2)-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2(or 5)-methyl-3(2H)-furanone, and 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone. While most of the identified compounds have already been reported, 2,3-dihydro-5-hydroxy-6-methyl-4(4H)-pyranone was identified in the seasoned soy sauce for the first time. A comparative AEDA study of the unheated and heated seasoned soy sauces revealed that approximately half of the aroma peaks were detected at FD factors that were 16-fold higher in the heated seasoned soy sauce, while the remainder showed equal or highly similar FD factors. This indicated that the heating history of the seasoned soy sauce as well as the materials employed are important in the aroma of heated seasoned soy sauce, and a limited number of aroma components are related to changes in the seasoned soy sauce aroma by heating. Finally, relative quantitative analysis of aroma active compounds, i.e., Strecker aldehydes, furanone/pyranones, and phenols, in the seasoned soy sauce heated for different times revealed that only a few components greatly increased during heating and these might be important for the changes in the seasoned soy sauce aromas with different heating times.

Pyrrolothiazolate is a Maillard reaction product isolated from a model solution containing cysteine and glucose. This compound is a yellow pigment and it has a unique pyrrolothiazole ring, which has never been reported in the various heterocyclic compounds formed through the Maillard reaction. To clarify the distribution of this pigment in foods and some of its biological properties, we measured it in various foods and beverages and examined its antibacterial and mutagenic activities. As a result, this compound was found in soy sauce, miso, and beer. The contents of the pigment in these foods ranged from 1 to 106 µg/100 mL or 100 g. Thus, pyrrolothiazolate was formed during food processing and storage as well as in the model systems. Pyrrolothiazolate did not show antibacterial activity nor mutagenicity with the Ames test.

Observation of bovine raw milk and cream was attempted by combining high-pressure freezing with cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In raw milk, casein micelles were observed to be distributed in the aqueous phase, with an average diameter of about 140 nm, which was in agreement with previous reports. In cream, the number of casein micelles adsorbed on the fat globule interface was observed to be larger compared with that observed under freeze replication with a cryoprotectant. Results showed that high-pressure freezing combined with cryo-SEM is a useful method for observing the native structures of raw milk and cream in their original states, which was difficult to achieve using conventional electron microscopy.

As an essential fermentative starter of light-aroma-type Xiaoqu Baijiu, Xiaoqu plays a crucial role in the formation of flavor characteristics. Herein, we explored the correlations between the microbiota and volatiles via polyphasic detection and analysis methods. Significant differences in microbial community structure were observed among three typical Xiaoqu from different regions of China. Moreover, the diversity of bacterial community was much higher than that of fungal community in Xiaoqu samples. In total, fourteen dominant bacterial and five dominant fungal genera were detected in Xiaoqu samples, of which Herbaspirillum, Weissella, and Rhizopus were the common dominant genera. The correlation network analysis showed that 74 different volatiles were correlated with 19 dominant genera. Importantly, the results suggested that the difference of locations and the diversity and relationship of microbiota in Xiaoqu truly affected the abundance and composition of volatiles in Xiaoqu Baijiu. Overall, our study provides scientific information on identifying the key microbiota contributing to the formation of Baijiu flavor.

The optimal conditions for the preparation of maltotriose-conjugated chicken myofibrillar proteins (Mfs), exhibiting high solubility in low ionic strength medium, through the Maillard reaction were investigated using random-centroid optimization. Parameters of temperature, relative humidity (RH), reaction time, and maltotriose to chicken Mfs mixing ratio were examined, resulting in 13 vertices. Evaluations were carried out related to each individual vertex, and the optimal preparatory conditions resulting in the highest solubility were determined as follows: temperature of 53 °C, RH of 45%, reaction time of 38.5 h, and maltotriose to chicken Mfs mixing ratio of 4.24 (w/w), presenting 54.9 ± 1.9% solubility in low ionic strength medium. Its hydroxyl radical averting capacity showed 8.1 ± 0.4 µmol of gallic acid equivalent per gram of protein. The thermal gel-forming ability of chicken Mfs was retained by the maltotriose-conjugation.

Streptomyces sp. P-3 produces a novel streptomycetes elastase (SEL), which is a new member of the S1 serine protease family. First, we examined the production conditions of SEL with various parameters. Maximum enzyme production was achieved when the strain was grown in a medium containing defatted soybean meal and yeast extract at 28 °C for 44 h. Subsequently, the substrate specificities of SEL were compared to those of papain and subtilisin Carlsberg, which are commercially available enzymes for meat tenderization. The substrate specificity of SEL toward elastin was more than 12-fold higher than that of the other two enzymes. Furthermore, through the analysis of the degradation of myofibrils and elastin from beef, SEL demonstrated low activity toward myofibrils and high activity toward elastin. Physical property evaluation indicated that the SEL-treated connective tissue underwent a higher tenderization effect than tissues treated with alternative enzymes. These characteristics suggest that SEL has potential applications for improving meat tenderness without causing over tenderization.

The anti-hypertensive effects of hesperidin and hesperidin-containing fermented Mikan tea were investigated in 8-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight for both, over 20 weeks. At the end of the protocol, a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of approximately 60 mmHg was observed in the SHRs with the intake of hesperidin and Mikan tea. No change in the heart rate was observed between groups. Hesperidin altered the impaired vasomotor response in 28-week-old SHRs. Investigation of receptor expression related to mitogen-stimulated vasomotor action revealed that the Mas receptor (MasR) in the aorta of hesperidin-administered SHRs was up-regulated, while no changes in angiotensin II-type 1 and type 2 receptor expressions were observed. An increase in cAMP levels was confirmed in the aorta of hesperidin-administered SHRs, demonstrating that anti-hypertensive hesperidin plays a role in vessel regulation via the upregulated-MasR/cAMP axis.

Egg white gelation is caused by protein unfolding and aggregation. Intermolecular disulfide bonds have been reported to contribute significantly to the formation and strengthening of gel networks. The covalent crosslinks lanthionine and lysinoalanine, which are collectively known as isopeptide bonds, are also generated in heated egg white proteins. However, little is known regarding the relationship between the isopeptide bonds and the gel properties. Here, we investigated the effect of isopeptide bonds produced during the heating of egg white on the protein aggregation and gel texture. Egg white proteins formed isopeptide bonds, and the number of the bonds increased with increasing temperature. These were mainly composed of lanthionine, which were easily formed in ovotransferrin and lysozyme. A significant correlation coefficient of 0.99 was found between the gel hardness and lanthionine content. These results suggested that lanthionine hardens the egg white gel through strengthening intermolecular crosslinks, resulting in network fortification.

We have previously demonstrated that soy β-conglycinin (βCG) peptide improves obesity and reduces lipid abnormalities in obese model Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rats. In the present study, we fractionated βCG peptides by using hydrophobic synthetic absorbent materials and screened for peptide fractions with anti-obesity or hypolipidemic bioactivities. Wild-type Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO group) and OLETF rats (control group) were provided a normal diet containing 20% casein. We prepared hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides from βCG and fed OLETF rats diets in which 5% of the casein was replaced by either hydrophobic (the hydrophobic peptide group) or hydrophilic (the hydrophilic peptide group) peptides. After four weeks, hepatic triglyceride levels were lower in OLETF rats of the hydrophilic peptide group than in those of the control group due to decreased activity of hepatic fatty acid synthase, caused by the consumption of hydrophilic peptides. Although anti-obesity activity was not found in either βCG peptide fraction, the hydrophilic fraction of the βCG peptide could be a candidate for the identification of new peptide sequences that suppress hepatic lipid synthesis.

To investigate associations between meteorological parameters and flavonoid content of Zanthoxylum bungeanum leaves (ZBL) in different development stages, three cultivars of Meifengjaio, Shizitou, Qin'an Yihao were selected as experimental material. The flavonoid contents of ZBL were evaluated based on HPLC-MS technology (High Performance Liquid Chromatography - mass spectrograph). Results showed that the total flavonoid content of three ZBLs had significant difference, presented as Shizitou > Qin'an Yihao > Meifengjiao. However, its variation tendency remained nearly constant, with maximums between May and June, and lowest in August. Seven key flavonoids contents (quercitrin, hyperoside, afzelin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, epicatechin, catechin, rutin.) were identified. The Pearson correlation analysis of 36 meteorological parameters and 7 flavonoids contents indicated that 16 meteorological significantly affected the flavonoid content in ZBL, of which temperature, water vapor pressure and other parameters were significantly negatively correlated with flavonoid content, and wind speed was significantly positive. Quercetin-3-O-glucoside, afzelin, epicatechin and catechin were significantly affected by meteorological parameters, while rutin, quercitrin and ghyperoside were less. Finally, we selected the total flavonoid content in Shizitou as representative to fit with 16 key meteorological parameters respectively, and obtained the specific relationship expression, which revealed the functional relationship between climate and total flavonoid content. This study provided a theoretical basis for the rational harvesting of ZBL and promoted the further development and utilization of it.

The safety of 6-(methylsulfinyl) hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MSITC) and Wasabi sulfinyl (WS), a 6-MSITC-containing supplement from Wasabi rhizome, was evaluated by a toxicity test and human clinical trial. Synthetic 6-MSITC (SS) and WS were used in the Ames test to clarify their mutagenic activity, and then used in acute and sub-acute toxicity tests via oral administration in five-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. WS was further estimated by a human clinical trial. Eleven healthy subjects, aged 20–64 years, were enrolled in the clinical trial; they ingested five WS capsules daily for four weeks. The incidence and severity of WS ingestion-related adverse events were estimated by physical examination, weight and vital sign measurements (resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and heart rate), blood analysis, and urinalysis. In the Ames test, no mutagenicity of SS was observed in the range of 20–1 250 µg/plate. Lethal dose 50 (LD₅₀) values of SS were estimated to be 451.2 mg/kg in male rats and 400.7 mg/kg in female rats. No sub-acute toxicity was observed in Sprague-Dawley rats administrated WS at 2 500 mg/kg/day (containing 2.5 mg 6-MSITC/kg/day). In the human clinical trial, three adverse events occurred in 2 of 11 (18.2%) subjects, which were classified not to be side effects from WS ingestion by clinical physicians. Although some fluctuations were observed in clinical laboratory values and physical measurement values, these fluctuations were within the reference ranges without clinical significance. Thus, ingestion of 500 mg/day of WS was demonstrated for the first time to be safe at the least. Taken together, our data on the safety evaluation of 6-MSITC and WS, a 6-MSITC-containing supplement, provide the first standard references for Wasabi supplement application.

We investigated whether L. japonica Thunb. extract (LTE) has anti-hyperglycemic activity and/or inhibits the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. LTE was examined for free-radical scavenging activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects, LTE strongly exhibited both activities, ED₅₀ was 3.08 mg/mL, and IC₅₀ was 1.348 mg/mL, respectively. The concentration of myo-inositol, which evaluates the insulin-mimetic activities of LTE was 2.24 g/100 g. These and other results suggest that LTE corrects intracellular myo-inositol deficiencies and improve insulin sensitivity. After STZ-induced diabetic rats freely ingested LTE for 12 weeks, glycoalbumin and blood glucose levels were reduced while serum biochemical profiles were improved. When tested in rat lens crystallins, 0.25% LTE inhibited N^ε-(carboxymethyl) lysine formation by 17.7% when compared with the untreated groups. These results suggest that LTE ameliorates diabetes-induced abnormalities by an anti-hyperglycemic activities and inhibitory effects on the formation of AGEs.

Citrus natsudaidai is a popular citrus in Japan, but the peel is of limited use and its composition is not well documented. The purposes of this study were to obtain health-beneficial compounds from C. natsudaidai peel for food use by simple methods and to investigate the antioxidant capacities of extracts of different polarities without overestimating the effects. C. natsudaidai peel was extracted with water-ethanol and hexane-ethanol solutions to obtain five different soluble fractions. The highest total phenolic content (TPC) was obtained from the water-soluble fraction (WSF), and the lowest content was observed in the hexane soluble fraction (HSF). The WSF also showed the highest antioxidant activities, and the lowest activities were found in HSF. A positive correlation was detected between TPC and antioxidant activities. The polar extract of C. natsudaidai peel has potential as a natural additive or ingredient in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products with antioxidant activity.

The number of patients suffering from type I hypersensitivity, including hay fever and food allergies, is increasing. Recent studies have focused on food factors with fewer side effects. Previous studies have suggested that polysaccharides from seaweed suppress type I hypersensitivity by intraperitoneal administration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of polysaccharides extracted from dietary Pyropia yezoensis f. narawaensis (PPY) on type I hypersensitivity. Oral administration of PPY inhibited ear edema in the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction, but failed to have any effect when injected intraperitoneally. Oral administration of PPY for 4 days significantly increased interleukin (IL)-10 levels in serum as compared with the control group. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of PPY on ear edema was cancelled out by intravenous injection of anti-IL-10 antibody. On the other hand, it was demonstrated that PPY did not suppress β-hexosaminidase release in either a RBL-2H3 cell mono-culture or a Caco-2/RBL2H3 co-culture system, indicating that PPY does not inhibit RBL-2H3 degranulation either directly or through intestinal epithelial cells. In conclusion, dietary PPY could exert anti-allergic effects through the induction of IL-10 secretion in blood, suggesting that red algae may be effective in ameliorating type I hypersensitivity.

Rice bran contains a higher level of bioactive and taste-active components than polished rice. The outer (inedible bran) layer of rice grains will be fractionated and analyzed to determine the distribution pattern of the various compounds in the bran layer. The phenol content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and lipophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were higher in fractions obtained from the outer layer, decreasing upon moving inwards. The hydrophilic ORAC was the highest in the second most outer layer. Although the concentrations of sucrose, umami amino acids, sweet amino acids, bitter amino acids, and gamma amino butyric acid were higher in the inner fractions of the bran layer close to the outside of the polished rice, their distribution patterns differed slightly. The obtained results indicated that the antioxidant and taste-active compounds were localized in different portions of the bran layer.

Long-term ambient storage of pasteurized drinking yogurt (PDY) may result in excessive whey separation. This study aimed to develop a rapid and accurate prediction method of PDY whey separation when maintained at 25 °C for 45 and 90 days. Predictive models of whey separation were created by regression analysis based on the results of physical property measurements including the 48 hour Turbiscan Stability Index (TSI). The predictive model based on TSI showed a high coefficient of determination and high suitability not only when the pectin concentration in PDY was changed but also when the manufacturing conditions of PDY were changed. In addition, this model was superior in prediction accuracy and versatility as compared to models based on other physical property measurements. The advantage of the TSI model is that it allows for more rapid, accurate and versatile evaluation of spontaneous whey separation.

Endothelial cells are important for the maintenance of endothelial function. Nitric oxide (NO), synthesized by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), is produced and secreted from these cells and is involved in various physiological functions such as regulation of vascular relaxation, platelet aggregation, inflammation, and oxidation. Camellia japonica seed cake extract contains saponins, which are amphiphilic triterpenes that activate eNOS in endothelial cells. Therefore, we investigated whether defatted C. japonica seed cake extract (CJE) activates eNOS and increases NO production in bovine aortic endothelial cells. CJE increased NO production, eNOS mRNA expression, and eNOS activity in a concentration-dependent manner. CJE-stimulated NO production was reduced by eNOS and phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors, but not by 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase inhibitor. Furthermore, we confirmed that camelliasaponin B was, at least partly, involved in CJE-stimulated NO production. These findings suggest that CJE may help to prevent and treat vascular endothelium-dependent diseases by expanding blood vessels.

Volatiles in fruits of thorny and non-thorny types of Zanthoxylum schinifolium were determined and compared. In all samples, linalool, d-limonene, sabinene, 3-nonanone, β-myrcene and β-phellandrene were identified as the predominant volatiles. They presented 26.50%, 24.41%, 14.91%, 6.52%, 4.82% and 3.33% of total relative area (RA) in thorny type sample, respectively. Similarly, the six predominant volatiles occupied 29.12%, 19.02%, 12.77%, 2.72%, 5.02%, and 5.82% of total RA in non-thorny type sample. The contents of d-limonene, sabinene and 3-nonanone in thorny type sample were significantly higher than those in non-thorny type sample (p < 0.01), whereas the contents of linalool, β-myrcene and β-phellandrene were lower. Partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed that thorny and non-thorny types samples could be clearly differentiated based on the contents of volatiles. Citronellal, linalool oxide, nonanal, 1-heptanol and (E)-2-nonenal were the marked characteristic volatiles in fruits of thorny and non-thorny types samples. The findings provide important information for cultivation and utilization of Zanthoxylum schinifolium.

Angiogenesis is a fundamental step in the transition of tumors from a dormant state to a malignant one. Food factors capable of inhibiting angiogenesis, if found, would be useful tools to stop the progression of small cancers. In this study, we examined the antiangiogenic activities of four flavonols commonly found in foods: galangin, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin. The effects of these flavonols were tested in an in vivo model of angiogenesis, the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. These compounds showed strong antiangiogenic activities. Furthermore, we compared the results of the CAM assay with those of an in vitro model of angiogenesis, the tube formation assay. Flavonols with strong antiangiogenic activities in the CAM assay also showed strong inhibitory activities in the tube formation assay. We discuss the structure-activity relationship for the flavonols with regard to their antiangiogenic activities.