Botrytis cinerea is a ubiquitous fungal pathogen mainly found on citrus and stone fruits. The use of mathematical models to quantify and predict microbial growth curves has received much attention because of its usefulness in decision making for preventing risk to human and animal health. In this study, we used sodium propionate to inhibit mycelial growth of the pathogenic fungus B. cinerea in vitro and modeled the efficacy of sodium propionate using a mathematical model. The antifungal efficacy of different concentrations (0.1–2.2% w/v) of sodium propionate was evaluated by measuring mycelial growth. The higher the concentration of sodium propionate tested, the greater the inhibitory effect on B. cinerea. Three mathematical models were used as deterministic models: the modified logistic model, the modified Gompertz model, and the Baranyi and Roberts model. The modified logistic model showed the best performance with satisfactory statistical indices (root mean squared error: RMSE, and R²), indicating that it was a better fit than the other models tested in this study. Furthermore, a stochastic modified logistic model that assumes a multivariate normal distribution of two random kinetic parameters successfully described the growth behavior of B. cinerea mycelia at various concentrations of sodium propionate as a probability distribution. Although the performance of sodium propionate in inhibiting B. cinerea was not ideal, Monte Carlo simulation may be a useful tool for predicting the probability of events based on the variability of B. cinerea growth behavior.

The six heavy-metals and ten minerals in ten wood-rotting mushrooms were determined. Pb was not detected. Cd (0.02–0.32 mg/kg), Hg (0–0.05 mg/kg), and As (0.04–0.82 mg/kg) did not exceed Chinese standard levels, except for the Hg (2.15 mg/kg) in one Oudemansiella raphanipes sample. Auricularia heimuer had high levels of Ca (11 209 mg/kg) and Fe (603.54 mg/kg), indicating its suitability as a functional food. O. raphanipes with high contents of Fe (192.66–682.62 mg/kg), Zn (88.11–107.17 mg/kg), and K (17 273–22 560 mg/kg), which can be used as health food to supplement Fe, Zn, and K simultaneously. Pleurotus citrinopileatus was rich in Se (0.11–0.47 mg/kg) and it can be used as a Se-rich supplement (0.1–10 mg/kg). Ca and Mg, P and K, and K and Mg were highly and significantly positively correlated, indicating that they could co-accumulate in the mushrooms.

Acrylamide (AA) in foods is mainly generated from free asparagine through the Maillard reaction with reducing sugars. Mung bean sprouts are often eaten pan-fried (stir-fried or sauteed). The Food Safety Committee in Japan estimated that the intake of AA from pan-fried/sauteed sprouts was substantially high. Here we analyzed AA formation during pan-frying of mung bean sprouts. Raw sprouts contained about 780, 600, and 380 mg/100 g of fructose, glucose, and asparagine, respectively. The sprouts turned brown gradually during pan-frying, and the AA content increased with up to 9 min of heating; AA of 100 and 200 µg/100 g raw sample was reached after 3 and 9 min of heating, respectively. The sugar content decreased during pan-frying, although the asparagine content did not decrease significantly. When a homogenate of mung bean sprouts was incubated with asparaginase, the asparagine content and the AA generated by pan-frying were reduced. When the sprouts were pretreated at 37 °C for 3 h or 60 °C for 1 h, the AA formation by pan-frying was mitigated.

Phyllanthus emblica L. has been used for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but its mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, fluorescence imaging in Zebrafish was used to screen phytomedicines for effects on atherosclerosis development in vivo. We found that an ethyl-acetate extract of P. emblica fruit (E-EA) proved highly effective for reducing vascular monocyte infiltration. The E-EA also reduced vascular cholesterol deposition in Zebrafish fed a high-fat diet. In vitro, E-EA suppressed the net deposition of cholesterol in macrophages in response to oxidized LDL. Suppression of macrophage foam-cell genesis resulted from substantial decrease in fluorescence-labelled-ox-LDL uptake as well as increased cholesterol efflux. Secretion of inflammatory cytokines from macrophages was also suppressed. QTOF-LC/MS revealed several unique compounds present in E-EA that have yet to be characterized for their anti-atherosclerosis effects. Our studies suggest that the fruit of P. emblica may suppress vascular lipid deposition by inhibiting macrophage recruitment and foam-cell genesis.

Purple yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is a widely distributed tropical and subtropical food source, which is characterized by its color and viscosity. It contains stable acylated anthocyanins, which are used as naturally sourced colorants. We investigated the isolation of new acylated anthocyanins in purple yam using molecular networking analysis. Regardless of the degrees of acylation, all anthocyanins found in purple yam were clustered to the same network. The cluster of anthocyanins showed that purple yam contained other minor anthocyanins. We found a new minor acylated anthocyanin named alatanin H. Its structure was determined via spectroscopic analysis, including NMR and MS.

Lactobacillus paracasei K71 (K71) isolated from Japanese sake lees (Sakekasu) was previously shown to enhance IL-12 production in mouse spleen cell culture. In this study, we examined whether heat-killed K71 exerts immunostimulatory effects in normal BALB/c mice. Six-week dietary supplementation with 0.2% heat-killed K71 resulted in significantly higher levels of serum IgG2a and fecal IgA than control mice. Upon administration, heat-killed K71 increased IFN-γ production in Peyer's patch cells while simultaneously suppressing IL-4 production in spleen cells. Spleen cells from mice fed heat-killed K71 exhibited a significant increase in cytotoxicity against YAC-1 cells. Furthermore, splenic CD49b⁺NKp46⁺ NK cells from mice fed heat-killed K71 showed significantly enhanced IFN-γ production. These results suggest that oral intake of K71 may augment Th1 type immune function and innate immunity, thereby potentially preventing infections and/or tumorigenesis.