Chinese Sichuan Research Articles

Rondotia melanoleuca sp. nov., a new wild-mulberry silkworm from China (Lepidoptera, Bombycidae)

Several yellow larvae with black spots were discovered in the wild of Chinese Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and were further raised in captivity. Reared adults exhibit a striking black and white wing pattern, and they represent unequivocally a new species, here described as Rondotia melanoleucasp. nov. Molecular analyses suggest that this species could be sister to all previously known species of Rondotia.

COGNITIVE BASES OF CHINESE SICHUAN FOOD NAMES

This article examines the content of Chinese Sichuan culinary names and the cognitive mechanisms involved in their formation. The concept of metonymy was utilized to analyze conceptual metaphors. These linguistic units’ distinctive characteristics have been identified.

Forest foliage fuel load estimation from multi-sensor spatiotemporal features

• Spatiotemporal features of spaceborne SAR and optical data were combined first time. • The addition of spatiotemporal features greatly improves the estimation of FFL. • Temporal features seem more important than spatial features. • Both spatial and temporal changes in FFL can indicate forest fire risk. Foliage fuel is the most flammable component in crown fires. Spatiotemporal dynamics of foliage fuel load (FFL) are important for fire managers to assess fire risk. Here, we integrated optical data from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from Sentinel-1 to estimate FFL. We first reconstructed seamless time series from the Landsat 8 and Sentinel-1 imagery by accounting for unequal time intervals between image observations and outliers. We then extracted temporal features that are proxies of the intra- and inter-annual dynamics from these time series. In addition, we derived spatial features from the imagery that quantify spatial context and therefore used varying window sizes. The random forest regression was implemented to assess the importance of the spatiotemporal features, reduce errors, and derive robust FFL estimates. The satellite estimates were validated against 96 field measurements from Pinus yunnanensis forests in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Both the spatiotemporal features of SAR and optical data importantly contributed to FFL estimation. When only optical data was used, the model achieved a R 2 of 0.75 (relative Root Mean Squared Error (rRMSE) = 25.3 %), while when only SAR data was used the R 2 was 0.76 (rRMSE = 25.6 %). However, when optical and SAR data were combined, the R 2 increased to 0.81 (rRMSE = 23.2 %). We also found that temporal features were more important predictors of FFL than features that captured spatial context. We demonstrated our FFL mapping method by a case study in the Chinese Sichuan Province, in relation to the occurrence of a fire. Our method needs additional validation over different tree species and forest types, yet has potential for mapping forest fuel loads and fire risk.

Two new species and additional records of mainland Chinese Domene (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae).

Material of the genus Domene Fauvel, 1873 from the Chinese provinces Heilongjiang, Gansu, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and Guizhou is examined. Eight species were identified, six of them described previously and two are newly described: D. hui sp. n. (Guangdong: Shimentai); D. leigongensis sp. n. (Guizhou: Leigong Shan). The genus is now represented in mainland China by 23 species.

Effect of a compound starter cultures inoculation on bacterial profile and biogenic amine accumulation in Chinese Sichuan sausages

Effects of a starter culture composed of Lactobacillus sakei, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Staphylococcus xylosus and S. carnosus at the ratios (m/m) of 1:1:1:1 on bacterial profile and biogenic amine accumulation in Chinese Sichuan sausages were demonstrated. In starter culture-inoculated sausages, Lactobacillus spp., Pediococcus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. were predominant bacterial genus and their relative abundances ranged from 70.14% to 25.98%, 57.66% to 14.08%, and 15.71% to 13.40% during fermentation, respectively. Accordingly, Lactobacillus spp. and Weissella spp. were predominant bacterial genus and their relative abundances ranged from 63.14% to 24.70% and 49.40% to 11.96% during spontaneous fermentation, respectively. Furthermore, the abundances of undesirable microorganisms such as Yersinia spp., Enterobacter spp., Acietobacter spp. and Psychrobacter spp. were lower than that of the control. The levels of histamine, putrescine, tyramine and cadaverine in Chinese Sichuan sausages with starter cultures inoculation were significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the control, and were decreased by 83.09%, 69.38%, 51.87% and 57.20%, respectively, at the end of the ripening. These results revealed that the starter cultures inoculation was a better alternative for microbial quality improvement and biogenic amine reduction of Chinese Sichuan sausages with good sensory attributes.

Exploring the typical flavours formation by combined with metatranscriptomics and metabolomics during Chinese Sichuan paocai fermentation

Microbial metabolism is considered to have an important influence on the formation of taste, aroma and flavour compounds during vegetable fermentation. However, the relationship between microbial gene expression and the biosynthetic sources of flavor compounds are still unclear. In this study, genetic and metabolite profiles were used to characterize flavour development during Sichuan paocai (SCP) fermentation. Metatranscriptomic results showed that gene expression and enzyme activity by Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae were strongly involved in SCP fermentation. Differential expression of 666 genes involving 27 metabolic pathways – most associated with amino acids– accompanied the accumulation of 17 amino acids (from 31.5 μg/mL to 738.4 μg/mL). In addition, 239 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified and odour activity values showed 10 volatile organic compounds (include 5 sulphur compounds) exert an important influence on the aroma of SCP. Sulphur compounds, Glu, Asp, Lactic acid, acetic acid and maltic acid exert an important influence on the sour, umami and sulphur flavour of SCP. The cysteine and methionine metabolism asparate and glutamate biosynthesis and metabolism and pyruvate metabolism were responsible for the key flavours formation. This study provides significant guidance in the aroma, flavour and tastes regulation in SCP fermentation and new product development.

The Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC02 on Fatigue and Biochemical Oxidation Levels in a Mouse Model of Physical Exhaustion.

Chinese Sichuan pickle is a fermented food rich in microorganisms. Microorganisms have the potential to become an important new form of potent future therapeutic capable of treating human disease. Selecting vitamin C as a positive control, a lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC02, LP-CQPC02) isolated from Sichuan pickle was given to mice over 4 weeks to investigate the effect of CQPC02 on fatigue levels and biochemical oxidation phenomena in exercise-exhausted Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice. The fatigue model was established by forced swimming of mice, the levels of hepatic glycogen, skeletal muscle glycogen, lactic acid, blood urea nitrogen and free fatty acid were measured by physicochemical methods, serum serum creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured by kits, the histopathological changes in the livers of mice were observed by H&E slicing, and the mRNA changes in the livers and skeletal muscles were observed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Both vitamin C and LP-CQPC02 increased swimming exhaustion time. The concentration of LP-CQPC02 and exhaustion time were positively correlated. LP-CQPC02 also increased liver glycogen, skeletal muscle glycogen and free fatty acid content in mice and reduced lactic acid and blood urea nitrogen content in a dose-dependent manner. As walnut albumin antioxidant peptide concentration increased, levels of mouse CK, AST, and AST gradually decreased. LP-CQPC02 increased SOD and CAT levels and decreased MDA levels in a dose-dependent fashion. LP-CQPC02 up-regulated expression of mRNA encoding copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), and CAT in swimming exhaustion mouse liver tissue. LP-CQPC02 also up-regulated alanine/serine/cysteine/threonine transporter 1 (ASCT1) expression while down-regulating syncytin-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression in swimming exhaustion mouse skeletal muscle. Overall, LP-CQPC02 had a clear anti-fatigue and anti-oxidation effect. This suggests that LP-CQPC02 can be developed as a microbiological therapeutic agent.

Discrimination of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim through volatile aroma compounds analysis with artificial neural network.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM), a special spice from Chinese different areas, have a widespread variation in quality and price. To avoid the commercial adulteration of ZBM, it is necessary to discriminate them from different areas. As volatile aroma compounds (VAC) have the potential to discriminate ZBM, electronic nose (E-nose) was used to preliminarily discriminate the VAC through sensor response analysis, radar chart analysis, and principal component analysis. Then, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized to identify VAC through hierarchical cluster analysis and quantitative analysis. Finally, artificial neural network (ANN) was employed to assess the accuracy of the discrimination of ZBM. As a result, we found that ZBM could be successfully discriminated between Chinese Sichuan and the other areas. Our findings would provide guidance for evaluating and predicting the variation of VAC of ZBM from different areas in further study. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM) is a traditional and important spice used in Sichuan cuisine especially hotpot, which are famous all over overseas. However, the ZBM from different producing areas bring various flavors, hampering the quality of Sichuan cuisine developing toward to standardization. Therefore, the authors in this work pursuit an effective way to distinguish the ZBM produced in Sichuan rather than in other province. According to the results of the present study, ZBM could be successfully discriminated between Chinese Sichuan and the other producing areas by using E-nose and GC-MS through artificial neural network. These findings would provide the guidance for evaluating the producing areas of ZBM to be whether or not Sichuan, which could offer the practical help in the purchase of the raw material in the supply chain. Besides, these also can be applied to predict the variation of volatile aroma compounds of the ZBM in the further study.

Stick insects of the genus Interphasma Chen et He, 2008 (Phasmida: Phasmatidae) from China

An annotated list of the species of the genus Interphasma Chen et He, 2008 from China is given. Interphasma huayingshanense Li, Shi et Wang, sp. n. is described from the Chinese province Sichuan. The type specimens of a new species are deposited in the collection of the Department of Plant Protection, College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University.

Metatranscriptomics reveals the gene functions and metabolic properties of the major microbial community during Chinese Sichuan Paocai fermentation

Chinese Sichuan Paocai (CSP) is one of the world's best-known fermented vegetables with a large presence in the Chinese market. The dynamic microbial community is the main contributor to Paocai fermentation. However, little is known about the ecological distribution and functional importance of these community members. In this study, metatranscriptomics was used to comprehensively explore the active microbial community members and key transcripts with significant functions in the Paocai fermentation process. Enterobacter, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus dominated the three-fermentation stages (Pre-, Mid- and Lat-), respectively. Carbon metabolism was the most abundant pathway. GH (glycoside hydrolase) and GT (lycosyl transferase) were the two most highly expressed carbohydrate-active enzymes. The most highly differentially expressed genes were grouped in the biosynthesis of amino acids, followed by glycolysis. Meta-pathways in the Sichuan Paocai fermentation ecosystem were reconstructed, Lactobacillaceae and Enterobacteriaceae were the two most important metabolic contributors. In addition, the nrfA and nirB were two genes referred to distinct nitrite reductase enzymes and 9 specialized genes, such as eclo, ron and ent were expressed to produce autoinducer 2 (AI-2) kinase in response to population density. The present study revealed functional enzymes and meta-pathways of the active microbial communities, which provide a deeper understanding of their contribution to CSP products.

Distinguish different Chinese medicine types of metabolic syndrome by combining body mass index and uric acid.

To provide clinical support for traditional Chinese medicine classification of metabolic syndrome patients. The retrospective study was conducted at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, and Sichuan Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China, and comprised data of metabolic syndrome patients having visited the two hospitals between January and December 2017. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the different types of Chinese medicine. Group1 had Qi-Yin deficiency and group 2 had phlegm-blood stasis. Various laboratory tests related to metabolic syndrome were conducted, analysed and compared in both the groups. Of the 263 patients, 173(66%) were in group 1 and 90(34%) were in group 2. Body mass index and blood uric acid level had statistical significance between the groups (p<05) .The sensitivity was over 90% and the accuracy was 60%. Body mass index and blood uric acid level were found to be the two independent factors to distinguish between different types of metabolic syndrome.

Genome and metabolites analysis reveal insights into control of foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruits by Lactobacillus pentosus MS031 isolated from Chinese Sichuan Paocai

Abstract The presence of pathogens in fresh-cut fruits represents a risk for the public health since these products generally do not receive any further treatment before consumption. In this study, a Lactobacillus pentosus MS031 was isolated from Sichuan Paocai with broad antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides produced by the L. pentosus MS031 had broad activity and resistance to heat, but they were sensitive to proteinases and their activity vanished under alkaline condition. Bacteriocin-like substance obtained by pH-absorption related methods showed activity only against Staphylococcus aureus. However, cell-absorbed substance and cell-secreted into culture substance had activity against both S. aureus and Escherichia coli. Foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut fruit mixture were controlled by the metabolites of the L. pentosus MS031 that Listeria monocytogenes was reduced by 96.3 %, Salmonella typhi and E. coli were decreased to an undetectable level. The complete genome of the L. pentosus MS031 was sequenced using Illumina and MinION nanopore platform with a size of 3,805,216 bp, consisting of one chromosome and eight plasmids. After mining using BAGEL4, two novel bacteriocins, pentocin MS1 and pentocin MS2, were identified. Furthermore, fragments of 5 antimicrobial peptides were identified by LC–MS/MS in the fermentation supernatant. In addition, antimicrobial cyclic dipeptides and small compounds were identified in the antimicrobial metabolites. The results indicate antimicrobial metabolites of the L. pentosus MS031 can control foodborne pathogens in fresh-cut product during subsequent cold storage, which is significant for food industry.

Dynamics of physicochemical factors and microbial communities during ripening fermentation of Pixian Doubanjiang, a typical condiment in Chinese cuisine

As the spirit of Chinese Sichuan cuisine, Pixian Doubanjiang (DBJ) is an indispensable flavor condiment and has been widely used for centuries, which is made from red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), meju and brine after open ripening fermentation. In this study, the physicochemical factors including pH value, titratable acidity, moisture, organic acids, free amino acids and volatile components etc., were identified; the compositions of microbial communities and representative microbiota were investigated; the correlations between physicochemical factors and representative microbial taxa were analyzed, at different ripening stages. The results indicated that the organic acids were all relatively stable starting from the 12th month; most of the free amino acids (17/20) reached the peak concentrations at the 6th month and 28 volatile components were considered as major odorant flavors in DBJ. Zygosaccharomyces rouxii could be the key microorganism associated with 10 volatile components to the maturing of DBJ flavor. The comprehensive analysis on the physicochemical changes related to the succession of microbiota is expected to help us understand the maturing of the taste and flavor in DBJ production.

Unraveling microbial community diversity and succession of Chinese Sichuan sausages during spontaneous fermentation by high-throughput sequencing.

The microbial community diversity and succession of Chinese Sichuan sausages during the spontaneous fermentation were demonstrated using high-throughput sequencing technology. The bacterial diversity was abundant and the succession of bacterial community along the direction of Lactobacillus spp. increased and Weissella spp. decreased. While fungal diversity was single and trace fungal population was detected. The core functional microbiota were lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp., Weissella spp. and Pediococcus spp. In initial fermentation, Weissella spp. was the dominant bacteria and its relative abundance was 49.84%, but then its relative abundance decreased to 11.96% during fermentation before recovering to 26.74% at the end of fermentation. Meanwhile, Lactobacillus spp. rose from 24.70 to 55.74% and became the dominant genus. Moreover, Pediococcus spp. increased from 0.06 to 18.05% on day 20 but then decreased to 1.89% on day 30. These results revealed that the primary microorganisms contributing to spontaneous fermentation of Chinese Sichuan sausages were bacteria, while eukaryotic microorganisms such as yeast scarcely contributed to fermentation.

Inhibitory Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC02 Isolated from Chinese Sichuan Pickles (Paocai) on Constipation in Mice

Sichuan pickles (Paocai) are a traditional Chinese fermented vegetable food that is rich in beneficial microorganisms. In this study, the inhibition of constipation by Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC02 (LP-CQPC02) isolated from Sichuan Paocai was studied by establishing a constipation model of mice using activated carbon. The constipation inhibition effect of LP-CQPC02 was determined by observing the defecation of mice, rate of active carbon propulsion, pathological section observation, serum index, and small intestinal mRNA expression. The results showed that LP-CQPC02 inhibited the decrease in body weight caused by constipation in mice. At the same time, LP-CQPC02 also increased the propulsion rate of activated carbon in the small intestine and shortened the time of discharge for the first black stool. LP-CQPC02 increased gastrin (Gas), motilin (MTL), endothelin (ET), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in constipated mice, and it also decreased the level of somatostatin (SS). qPCR results showed that LP-CQPC02 upregulated the expression of c-Kit, stem cell factor (SCF), and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and downregulated the expression of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in mice with constipation, and a stronger effect was observed with a high concentration of LP-CQPC02. The experimental results showed that LP-CQPC02 has a stronger constipation inhibitory effect than the commonly used commercial Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (LB), and the inhibitory effect of LP-CQPC02 on constipation increases with increasing concentration of LP-CQPC02. Therefore, LP-CQPC02 is a high-quality microbial resource with a good constipation inhibition effect and probiotic potential.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of 29 Y-STR loci in the Tibetan population from Sichuan Province, Southwest China.

Y-Chromosomal short tandem repeat polymorphisms (Y-STRs) are widely applied in human forensic cases and population genetic studies. There is a lack of information about the Sichuan Tibetan population in the Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD, https://yhrd.org, release 59). In this study, 502 unrelated male individuals residing in the Sichuan Province were recruited and genotyped at 29 Y-STR loci. A total of 479 haplotypes were observed, 460 (96.03%) of which were unique. The haplotype diversity (HD) and discrimination capacity (DC) for the Sichuan Tibetan population were 0.9998 and 0.9542, respectively. To reveal the genetic diversities and relationships between the Chinese Sichuan Tibetan and 29 other previously reported populations, forensic parameter analysis, multi-dimensional scaling, and phylogenetic reconstruction were performed. The results showed that the Sichuan Tibetan population was relatively isolated from other populations, suggesting that genetic proximity is in line with geographical boundaries.

Analysis of 7 volatile N-nitrosamines in Chinese Sichuan salted vegetables by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled to modified QuEchERS extraction

A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled to QuEchERS extraction method was developed for the determination of 7 volatile N-nitrosamines (VNAs) in Chinese Sichuan salted vegetables, and the method detection limit (MDL), method quantification limit (MQL), recovery and relative standard deviation (RSD) were determined. Furthermore, the VNA contents of 406 Sichuan salted vegetables were measured and discussed. The MDL of the 7 VNAs ranged from 0.02 to 0.15 ng/g, and their recoveies when spiked with 10 ng/g standards ranged from 91.5 to 106.1%. The within-day RSD and between-day RSD were 2.1–4.6% and 2.4–7.2%, respectively. These results indicate that the method developed was of good accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility. The mean content of total VNAs in the 406 Sichuan salted vegetables was 0.56 ng/g, and more than 95% of them (n = 386) were at low VNA content (<3 ng/g), which suggests good control of VNAs in Sichuan salted vegetables. Preparation method and packaging mode significantly affected the VNA content of Sichuan salted vegetables (P < 0.05), while vegetable type and production region did not (P > 0.05). The VNA with both the highest concentration and the highest occurrence frequency of ≥3 ng/g was N-nitrosopyrrolidine.

Correlation between microbiota and flavours in fermentation of Chinese Sichuan Paocai

Sichuan Paocai (SCP), a traditional fermentationed food, possesses unique flavours driven by various microbiota in fermentation ecosystems. However, the association between these microbiota and flavours is poorly understood. Here, we measured the structural dynamics of the microbial diversity and flavour compounds during SCP fermentation (0–7 days) using high-throughput sequencing and flavour analyses. Firstly, a total of 90 bacteria and 135 fungi were identified. The results showed that fermentation process was initiated by environmental microorganisms, such as Micrococcaceae, followed by a heterolactic fermentation phase dominated by Leuconostocaceae, and finally succeeded by homolactic fermentation led by Lactobacillaceae. Secondly, 6 organic acids, 12 amino acids and 86 volatile flavours were detected. The fermentation process was divided into 4 stages based on flavours: Day 0; Days 1–3; Days 4–6; and Day 7. Analysis of the correlation between microbiota and flavours indicated that bacteria contributed more to flavours formation than did fungi, and Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Achromobacter and Pediococcus were closely correlated with flavours. This study provides a systematic method for understanding the characteristics of fermented foods and useful guidelines for screening of strains that produce desirable flavours and functional substances.

A new species of the genus Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov Kishida from China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae).

The genus Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov Kishida, 2017 belongs to the tribe Lithosiini, subfamily Arctiinae, family Erebidae, and was recently erected for Barsine nubifascia Walker, [1865] and its allies (Volynkin et al. 2017). At present the genus includes ten valid species distributed in Himalaya (Pakistan, Nepal, northern and northeastern India, Bhutan), China and North Vietnam (Volynkin et al. 2017; Volynkin 2017). During studies of extensive Lithosiini materials deposited in Museum Witt / Zoologische Staatssammlung, München (Munich, Germany), I found a short series of one more, yet undescribed species from the Chinese province Sichuan. The description of the new species is presented below.

New data on the genus Domene (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae)of mainland China.

Material of the genus Domene Fauvel, 1873 from the Chinese provinces Heilongjiang, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi was examined. Twelve species were identified, seven of them described previously, and five are newly described: D. aqiang Peng and Li, sp. n. (Guangdong: Nanling); D. jiangi Peng and Li, sp. n. (Fujian: Tanshan Park); D. jini Peng and Li, sp. n. (Guangxi: Jiuwan Shan); D. nanlingensis Peng and Li, sp. n. (Guangdong: Nanling); D. tui Peng and Li, sp. n. (Guizhou: Sanchahe). The genus is now represented in mainland China by 21 species. A key to the Domene species of mainland China is provided.