Food Of Origin Research Articles

Yogurt as a fermented food for healthy and sustainable daily consumption. Recommendations to the population

Yogurt has been valued very positively for centuries, but the concern for food sustainability and the fact that it is a food of animal origin has raised doubts about the consumption that may be convenient. The objective of this work is to deepen the topic and establish recommendations for the population. From the nutritional point of view, yogurt is a valuable food, for its high content, quality and bioavailability of its nutrients, in a low energy content, its components together with probiotic microorganisms are provided in a matrix that helps achieve greater nutritional and health benefit. Regular consumption of yogurt has been linked to cardiovascular protection, against diabetes, excess weight, cancer, bone health. Thinking about environmental sustainability, yogurt production is not particularly dangerous, as the kg of CO2 eq (greenhouse gases) associated with their production are the lowest obtained compared to other animal foods and even lower than those associated with the production of some plant foods and the supply of nutrients per 1000 kcal, per 100 g, or per euro is one of the highest available. There is the possibility to further improve sustainability with improvements in animal feed, packaging, transport, etc. Considering this evidence, the daily consumption of yogurt / fermented milk should be included in the food guidelines, not only as one more milk option, but specifying a specific consumption such as a ration / day, this pattern can be useful from the nutritional point of view and for the improvement of public health.

EXAMINATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF ANALYZES PERFORMED FOR THE PRESENCE OF RADIONUCLEIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD IN THE PERIOD 2019-2023 IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

The main focus of this research is to determine the extent of analyzes performed for the presence of radionuclides in food, their dynamics, which radionuclides are present in food, and how much their radioactivity was in the period 2019-2023. The research covers the period from January 01, 2019. until December 31, 2023. The data we used to conduct this research were obtained from the Public Health Institute of R. N. Macedonia. The tests were carried out with accredited methods and by the Regulation on the maximum allowed amounts of radionuclides in food, water, air, land, products, and raw materials of animal and plant origin and objects for general use. Relative numbers and trends are used as statistical methods of work. According to the results, in the period 2019-2023, radionuclides were analyzed in 6065 samples (2711 samples from imports, and 3354 samples from domestic production). The largest amount of radioactivity analyzes were performed in the group of mushrooms (51%) and the group of grain and flour (44%). The scope of analyzes performed for the presence of radionuclide residues in food in R.N. Macedonia shows a downward trend. In the analyzed products, no radioactivity above the limit values was detected (except in 2020 when only in 1 product from the mushroom group - dry morel) detected a value for Cs-137 = 662.8 Bq/kg, and the maximum allowed value is 600 Bq/kg ). It can be concluded from the study that food is safe in terms of the presence of radionuclide residues, but work should be done to increase the volume of analyzes performed for the presence of radionuclides in food, as well as to increase the coverage of different groups of products (fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea, etc.) in which such analyzes would be performed.

Vegetative reproduction and yield of bear garlic (<i>Allium ursinum</i> L.) in field cultivation

Bear garlic (<i>Allium ursinum</i> L.) and its value for human health have been known for centuries. Its leaves, flowers, and bulbs contain many health-promoting compounds, and can be essential raw materials for the production of food and dietary supplements of natural origin. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the possibility of growing bear garlic in field conditions that differed significantly from those required by this plant, using unconventional treatments: catch crops (phacelia), shade plant (turnip rape), and biopreparations (Bio-Algeen S90 and Kelpak SL). The plowing of phacelia biomass had a beneficial effect on the number of <i>A. ursinum</i> progeny bulbs, the unit weight of bulbs and their yield per unit area, and the leaf yield not only in the first year of cultivation but also in the follow-up. Winter turnip rape applied as a shade crop caused a slight increase in the unit weight of bulbs and their yield in the first and second years of cultivation and in the number of progeny bulbs in the second and third years of cultivation. The cultivation of <i>A. ursinum</i> with turnip rape increased the percentage of garlic root weight and leaf yield. There was a positive effect of the applied biopreparations on the studied traits of <i>A. ursinum</i> bulb yield and leaf yield and on the formation of progeny bulbs in relation to the control object. The analysis of the interaction of the factors of the experiment showed that the combination with the application of the phacelia catch crop and the simultaneous cultivation of the shade crop had the most favorable effect on <i>A. ursinum</i> progeny bulb formation, bulb unit weight, root system development, and leaf yield. In all years of the study, the worst effect was obtained in the control object, i.e., in the cultivation without the catch crop, rapeseed, and application of biopreparations.

Globalization of wild capture and farmed aquatic foods

Aquatic foods are highly traded, with nearly 60 million tonnes exported in 2020, representing 11% of global agriculture trade by value. Despite the vast scale, basic characteristics of aquatic food trade, including species, origin, and farmed vs wild sourcing, are largely unknown due to the reporting of trade data. Consequently, we have a coarse picture of aquatic food trade and consumption patterns. Here, we present results from a database on species trade that aligns production, conversion factors, and trade to compute apparent consumption for all farmed and wild aquatic foods from 1996 to 2020. Over this period, aquatic foods became increasingly globalized, with the share of production exported increasing by 40%. Importantly, trends differ across aquatic food sectors. Global consumption also increased by 19.4% despite declining marine capture consumption, and some regions became increasingly reliant on foreign-sourced aquatic foods. To identify sustainable diet opportunities among aquatic foods, our findings, and underlying database enable a greater understanding of the role of trade in rapidly evolving aquatic food systems.

Effect of Processing and Storage of Very-Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes and Sensory and Microbiological Quality

Consumers have become more aware of the impact of nutrition on health, paying attention to the composition and origin of food and looking for natural products. There is a trend towards a “healthy” diet with low-energy foods and a preference for healthier alternatives. This study aimed to assess the technological quality and food safety of very-low-sugar apple jams with steviol glycosides substituting sugar in various quantities. Apple jam variants with SG substitution at concentrations of 30, 50, and 80% selected in preliminary studies were subjected to physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological analyses during storage for 3 and 6 months. The studied jams were sensorily acceptable, and no significant changes in the technological quality of the products were observed, apart from color darkening. The microbiological quality during storage for 3 and 6 months was also satisfactory. The use of a natural sweetener, steviol glycosides, in the production of apple jam was shown to be satisfactory. It resulted in a product with taste and odor similar to conventional jam but with a low energy value. This product is suitable for people with diabetes, people on a restrictive diet, or those who pay attention to a product’s natural features, in line with the clean-label trend.

Optimized sizing of a pumping system using the Scilab software

Climate change represents, today, one of the greatest challenges regarding the availability of water resources for the cultivation of food and raw materials of plant origin that the world's population so badly needs. Sugarcane, due to its high added value to produce several products and whose accumulation of sucrose is mainly due to a perfect dosage of water, brought to light the need to obtain new irrigation strategies, thus aiming at a more sustainable, efficient and economical management of water consumption in this sector. As an alternative to this challenge, drip irrigation stood out, which allowed not only a more precise control of water dosage, but also essential nutrients for the development of sugarcane. Taking advantage of this, a sugar and alcohol plant in the interior of the state of São Paulo, whose identity will be preserved, made several investments to implement this system on its farms and one of these projects will be discussed in detail about the dimensioning of the entire piping network. which involves the pumping system, from water collection to discharge into a storage tank, responsible for supplying the dripping, using a pre-dimensioned pump and respecting the specifications defined by the client for this work. In addition, the free software Scilab was used to implement the piping and pumping sizing procedure, as an extra tool, in addition to development in Excel.

Assessment of the presence of multidrug-resistant Escherichiacoli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus in chicken meat, eggs and faeces in Mymensingh division of Bangladesh

The emergence of bacteria that is resistant to several drugs of clinical importance poses a threat to successful treatment, a phenomenon known as multidrug resistance that affects diverse classes of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Escherichiacoli, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcusaureus in chicken egg, meat and faeces from four districts of Bangladesh. A total of 120 chicken samples were collected from different poultry farms. Conventional culture and molecular detection methods were used for identification of bacterial isolates from the collected samples followed by antibiotic susceptibility test through the disc diffusion method, finally antibiotic resistant genes were detected by PCR. E. coli, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcusaureus were detected in meat, egg and faecal samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility results revealed isolates from faeces were 100 % resistant to amoxicillin, while all S.aureus and Salmonella sp. from faeces were resistant to doxycycline, tetracycline and erythromycin. Salmonella spp. isolates from eggs indicated 100 % resistance to erythromycin, amoxycillin, while E.coli were 100 % resistant to erythromycin. E.coli and S.aureus from meat were 100 % resistant to amoxicillin and erythromycin. However, Salmonella spp. from eggs were 100 % susceptible to doxycycline, gentamicin, levofloxacin and tetracycline. The mecA and aac(3)-IV genes were only found in S.aureus and E.coli, respectively. The Sul1,tetB, and aadA1 were highest in Salmonella spp. and S.aureus, while the sul1,tetA and blaSHV were higher in E.coli. Isolates from all samples were multidrug resistant. These findings indicate a high risk of transmission of resistance genes from microbial contamination to food of animal origin. The study emphasizes the need for effective biosecurity measures, responsible antibiotic use, and strict regulations in poultry production to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Understanding environmental generational amnesia through urban school garden learning experiences in Gimuy/Cairns, Australia

ABSTRACT This paper explores the potential role of school garden learning experiences in remediating Environmental Generational Amnesia (EGA). EGA is a generational type of environmental forgetting brought about by prolonged disconnection from “natural” landscapes, with symptoms manifesting as poor motor skills, deficient food origin knowledge, a lack of environmental moral affiliation and undeveloped connections to place. Drawing on interviews with teachers, parents, counsellors, groundskeepers, and administrators at a Far North Queensland primary school, this paper explores how school garden learning experiences foster interaction patterns that combat EGA’s symptoms. We find that urban school gardens offer new possibilities for reassembling students into more-than-human local ecologies in ways that can remediate the manifestation of EGA.

Novel phenazine-based microporous organic network for selective and sensitive determination of trace sulfonamides in milk samples

BackgroundSulfonamide (SA) residues in food of animal origin possess a potential threat to human health and environment. However, due to the polar and ionic characteristics and trace level of SAs and the complexity of food matrices, direct measurement of SAs in these samples is still very difficult. Development of efficient sample pretreatment method for sensitive and selective extraction of trace SAs is of great significance and urgently desired. Therefore, rational design and synthesizing advanced and selective extractants is quite important. ResultsIn this work, a novel phenazine-based microporous organic network (MON) named TEPM-DP is reasonably synthesized and employed as a packing material for selective solid phase extraction (SPE) and sensitive determination of four typical SAs in milk samples. Phenazine-based monomer with aromatic and heteroaromatic ring and numerous N atoms is chosen to construct TEPM-DP adsorbent to provide π-π, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and electrostatic extraction sites for SAs. The proposed method owns wide linear ranges, low limits of detection, high enrichment factors, and good precisions and recoveries for SAs in complex milk samples. The recoveries of SAs on TEPM-DP are much higher than those of commercial C18 and activated carbon. The extraction mechanisms are also elucidated via FT-IR, XPS, and comparative experiments. SignificanceThis work reports the first example of design and synthesizing phenazine-based MON in SPE via a simple and rapid solvothermal method. The results reveal the great prospects of TEPM-DP for enriching polar and ionic SAs in complex samples and uncover the potency of phenazine-based MON in sample pretreatment, which will promote the development of MON.

Biochemical characteristics of E. coli isolated from food of animal origin

Food of animal origin is a potential source of pathogenic E. coli that are dangerous to humans. While most strains are intestinal commensals, some can cause intestinal and extraintestinal infections. Their pathogenicity is associated with the presence of virulence genes, phylo-group and, in some strains, biochemical characteristics. In this study, a total of 61 E. coli isolates from meat, minced meat, meat preparations and carcass swabs from different animal species were analysed. The biochemical properties of the strains were determined using VITEK2 system and the data was compared with the presence of virulence genes from previous studies. The results showed a correlation between the presence of the eae virulence gene and the alkalinization of succinate. In addition, the presence of the virulence gene cnf1 was correlated with the enzyme tyrosine arylamidase, though the correlation between biochemical characteristics and the presence of virulence genes is questionable due to the small sample size and more strains need to be tested for further conclusions. Although no significant correlations were found between biochemical characteristics and the presence of virulence genes, this study describes the diversity of E. coli in the Republic of Croatia. The collected data also reveal new insights into biochemical characteristics of E. coli isolated from domestic and wild animals in the Republic of Croatia.

LAMP combined with Pyrococcus furiosus Argonaute for the ultrasensitive and highly specific point-of-care test platform for Listeria monocytogenes detection

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that causes serious infectious diseases in humans and animals. Rapid, accurate, and sensitive detection in the field is critical for the timely implementation of control measures and ensuring food safety. The study established a method that combines loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology and Pyrococcus furiosus Argonaute (PfAgo) reporter system, which can detect L. monocytogenes hly gene levels as low as 1.8 × 101 copies. To overcome the demands on instrumentation and equipment, lateral flow strip (LFS) technology was combined for the first time in a LAMP-PfAgo-based system to detect L. monocytogenes. The method was highly sensitive, with a limit of detection of 1.8 × 102copies, and specificity results showed no cross-reactivity with other pathogens. The performance of the method was comparable to that of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the detection of 18 food origin samples. Moreover, the LAMP-PfAgo reaction was equipped a low-cost thin metal bath as a simple amplification device, allowing it to detect L. monocytogenes samples in shorter time, highlighting its potential as a portable, rapid, accurate, and visual nucleic acid assay. The method can facilitate the early detection of pathogenic infections and promoting food safety detection technologies.

Control of residues of non-authorized pharmacologically active substance in food of animal origin. Results of a proficiency test for determination of chloramphenicol in honey organized by the Italian National Reference Laboratory for Residues

Chloramphenicol is a non-authorized substance for veterinary treatments. The Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1871 set a Reference Point of Action (RPA) equal to 0.15 µg/kg in force from 28 November 2022, lowering the Minimum Required Performance Limit set in the Commission Decision 2002/657/CE. A Proficiency testing (PT) for the determination of chloramphenicol in honey was organized by the Italian National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Residues to check the capability of official laboratories (OfLs) to enforce the new RPA. Six Italian OfLs and five European laboratories joined PT and received a blank and two spiked samples. The reference values (0.17 µg/kg and 0.34 µg/kg) were established as consensus from expert laboratories (the European Union Reference Laboratory and some NRLs). The PT was organized before the enforcement of the new RPA giving the OfLs the chance to test their methods in an early stage. Six participants sent results using both screening and confirmatory methods, two submitted only confirmatory data and three performed exclusively screening analysis. For screening methods all laboratories discriminated between blank and contaminated samples. The z scores were calculated only for confirmatory data and all laboratories got a |z|< 2 corresponding to a satisfactory performance.

Influence of Feed and Feeding Strategies on Rumen Microbiome: A Review

The presence of complex microorganisms in the rumen of ruminants are able to process the lignocellulose from low quality feed and fodder into volatile fatty acids, convert non-protein nitrogen into microbial protein and synthesize B vitamins, thus, ruminants are able to produce food of animal origin without competition for feed with non-ruminants and man. On the other hand, they contribute 14 per cent of anthropogenic methane, released annually into the atmosphere. Manipulating the rumen microbiome is considered as an important approach to reduce environmental impact, while increasing production efficiency in ruminants. A systematic literature search was undertaken and relevant research and review articles were downloaded, classified and salient points extracted to prepare the narrative review on “Influence of Feed and Feeding strategies on Rumen microbiome”. The microbial community in the rumen is the most diverse composed of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi and uncharacterized virome. Differences in ruminal microbial community compositions are predominantly attributable to diet. Dietary manipulation offers a viable solution to alter the rumen microbiome so that the present-day challenges faced by the ruminant livestock industry is addressed.

Exploring probiotic potential and antimicrobial properties of lactic acid bacteria from cow's milk

One of the most important foods in the world is milk, due to its nutrients and composition. Milk also contains lactic acid bacteria (LABs), which can produce antimicrobial compounds and organic acids; an essential factor in developing different methods to control other bacteria. Another critical factor is that several species of LABs are considered potential probiotics, offering several health benefits. This study aimed to isolate, identify LABs, characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and evaluate the inhibition potential against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 7644), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028); as well as verifying the acidification capacity, survival of simulated in vitro gastrointestinal conditions and identification of virulence genes and bacteriocin-producing genes. The study was carried out with LABs previously isolated from milk of cows with clinical mastitis, low and high (Somatic Cells Count) in herds from all regions of Brazil (South, Southeast, Central-West, North, and Northeast). One hundred and ten strains were selected for identification using the MALDI-TOF technique. The genera with the most significant spectrum of action were Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus in the antimicrobial action test against pathogens, concluding that Lactobacillus showed resistance to several antibiotics. The analysis of antimicrobial action made it possible to verify the potential production of antimicrobial compounds by LABs against the primary pathogens of food origin. The most significant reduction in pH could be observed from 24 h to 48 h, ranging from 6.8 (0 h) to 4.74 (48 h) for Lactobacillus and Lactococcus. All isolates survived tolerance tests at pH=3.0 and bile salts (0.5 %), with survival rates ranging from 34.2 to 69.9 % at pH = 3.0 and above 82 % at 0.5 % bile salts. Lacotococcus and Lactobacillus isolates presented the plnEF and plnNC8 genes. This study contributes to the search for alternatives in the treatment of bacterial infections with a reduction in the use of antibiotics, which, due to the increase in bacterial resistance, is causing difficulties in treating diseases caused by these microorganisms. pH is an important parameter when it comes to food safety and conservation. Tolerance to acid stress and bile salts are important properties in evaluating probiotic potential and the ability to maintain high counts under these conditions. The presence of the plnEF and plnNC8 genes suggests bacteriocin production.

An automated and high-throughput data processing workflow for PFAS identification in biota by direct infusion ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry

The increasing recognition of the health impacts from human exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) has surged the need for sophisticated analytical techniques and advanced data analyses, especially for assessing exposure by food of animal origin. Despite the existence of nearly 15,000 PFAS listed in the CompTox chemicals dashboard by the US Environmental Protection Agency, conventional monitoring and suspect screening methods often fall short, covering only a fraction of these substances. This study introduces an innovative automated data processing workflow, named PFlow, for identifying PFAS in environmental samples using direct infusion Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (DI-FT-ICR MS). PFlow’s validation on a bream liver sample, representative of low-concentration biota, involves data pre-processing, annotation of PFAS based on their precursor masses, and verification through isotopologues. Notably, PFlow annotated 17 PFAS absent in the comprehensive targeted approach and tentatively identified an additional 53 compounds, thereby demonstrating its efficiency in enhancing PFAS detection coverage. From an initial dataset of 30,332 distinct m/z values, PFlow thoroughly narrowed down the candidates to 84 potential PFAS compounds, utilizing precise mass measurements and chemical logic criteria, underscoring its potential in advancing our understanding of PFAS prevalence and of human exposure.Graphical abstract

Antitumor properties of traditional lactic acid bacteria: Short-chain fatty acid production and interleukin 12 induction

This paper presents an in vitro evaluation of antitumor properties through producing short-chain fatty acids and inducing interleukin 12. In addition, it offers the most important and functional probiotic properties of 24 Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Limosilactobacillus fermentum strains isolated from humans, foods, and fermented foods. To this end, survival in an acidic environment (pH = 2.5), tolerance in bile salt, viability in the presence of pepsin-pancreatin, adhesion percentage, antibiotic resistance, auto-aggregation, and potential percentage of co-aggregation are studied in contact with three human intestinal pathogens. These pathogens are Escherichia coli O157: H7 NCTC 12900, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica ATCC 13076, and Listeria monocytogenes ATTC 7644. Also, in vitro induction amount of IL-12 in mouse splenocytes is investigated to evaluate antitumor properties by 19 strains of L. gasseri and L. plantarum along with the development of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by 5 strains of L. fermentum and L. acidophilus. Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to measure short-chain fatty acids and IL-12, respectively. All strains had high viability under acidic conditions. The highest levels of pancreatin and pepsin resistance were found in strains LF56, LF57, LF55, OF, and F and strains LF56, LF57, and A7, respectively. All strains except LF56 had high resistance to bile salts. L. gasseri 54C had the highest average adhesion score (hydrophobicity) of 62.9 % among 19 strains. Despite the susceptibility of different strains of L. plantarum to the tested antibiotics, M8 and M11, S2G, A7, LF55, LF57, and 5G were resistant to kanamycin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Also, 21G was resistant to ampicillin, LF56 to tetracycline and M8, and M11, LF56, and 21G to Erythromycin. In addition, L. gasseri showed moderate resistance to ampicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline, while L. fermentum ATCC 9338 showed good resistance to ampicillin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol. In this respect, L. plantarum LF56 and gasseri 54C had the highest average auto-aggregation and co-aggregation against three pathogenic bacteria, respectively. The highest and lowest levels of acetic acid as short-chain fatty acids were produced by L. fermentum 19SH isolated from Horre 41.62 and L. fermentum 21SH from fermented seeds 27.047, respectively. Moreover, L. fermentum, with the OF code of traditional-fermented food origin, produced the most isobutyric acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid, with values of 0.6828, 0.74165, and 0.49915 mmol, respectively. L. fermentum isolated from the human origin with code F produced the most isovaleric acid of 1.1874 mmol. All the tested strains produced good propionic acid except L. fermentum 21SH from fermented seeds. Among strains, L. plantarum M11 isolated from milk and L. gasseri 52B from humans had the highest in vitro induction of IL-12, which is probably related to their cell wall compositions and structure.

Review of Capability of Methods for the Verification of Country of Origin for Food and Feed

Country of origin is defined as the country where food or feed is entirely grown, produced, or manufactured, or, if produced in more than one country, where it last underwent a substantial change. In the UK, EU-assimilated legislation states that indication of the country of origin is a mandatory labelling requirement for food and feed, including products such as meat, vegetables, eggs, honey and wine. The country of origin claim plays an important role for consumers who tend to relate certain country of origin labelling to superior quality or brand identity. Patriotism (or ethnocentrism) can also play a role in consumer food choice. In Europe, there are 3500 products with a specific geographical origin and their production methods are officially protected (Protected Designation of Origin = PDO; Protected Geographical Indication = PGI; Geographical Indication (for spirit drinks) = GI). These goods often carry a premium price. In addition to customer preference and sale price, country of origin claims are important to businesses when they seek to (i) monitor food miles (carbon footprint), (ii) ensure sustainable sourcing of, for example soy and palm oil (including new Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products), (iii) avoid trading of goods which are subject to sanctions, (iv) reassure consumers over concerns of farming and animal welfare standards, (v) avoid foods which are linked to exploitation of farm workers, enforced, or child labour. ‘Verification’ of geographical origin involves testing against a database to confirm that the data for a sample are consistent with those for that geographical location as claimed on a product label. Verification therefore does not involve testing a sample from an unknown location to unequivocally identify its provenance, as such methods are not available or are extremely limited in scope.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy-Visible and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Fusion Based on Deep Learning Network for Identification of Adulterated Polygonati Rhizoma.

The geographical origin of foods greatly influences their quality and price, leading to adulteration between high-priced and low-priced regions in the market. The rapid detection of such adulteration is crucial for food safety and fair competition. To detect the adulteration of Polygonati Rhizoma from different regions, we proposed LIBS-VNIR fusion based on the deep learning network (LVDLNet), which combines laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) containing element information with visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR) containing molecular information. The LVDLNet model achieved accuracy of 98.75%, macro-F measure of 98.50%, macro-precision of 98.78%, and macro-recall of 98.75%. The model, which increased these metrics from about 87% for LIBS and about 93% for VNIR to more than 98%, significantly improved the identification ability. Furthermore, tests on different adulterated source samples confirmed the model's robustness, with all metrics improving from about 87% for LIBS and 86% for VNIR to above 96%. Compared to conventional machine learning algorithms, LVDLNet also demonstrated its superior performance. The results indicated that the LVDLNet model can effectively integrate element information and molecular information to identify the adulterated Polygonati Rhizoma. This work shows that the scheme is a potent tool for food identification applications.

Some virulence genes and biofilm formation capabilities of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from different sources

In this study, it was aimed to determine the biofilm-forming abilities of both clinical and food-borne isolates of Listeria monocytogenes, to investigate the presence of nine different virulence genes, and to consider the current threat status of this agent. A total of 28 isolates, 21 from food and seven from clinical origin, were used in the study. To determine the biofilm formation abilities of isolates, two different methods namely “tube adherence” and “microplate” were used respectively. For the determination of nine different virulence genes of Listeria monocytogenes (inlA, inlC, inlJ, hylA, luxS, flaA, prfA, inlB, actA), the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used. As a result, all isolates were found to be able to form a biofilm to varying degrees by both tube and microplate methods. These two methods were similar in terms of their results. All nine different virulence gene regions were detected at various rates in the isolates. Whereas the genes directly related to biofilm formation for the isolates weren't detected, to form biofilm was observed. The virulence genes detected in clinical origin isolates were proportionally higher than in food-borne isolates (except for flaA and prfA gene regions). It was concluded that bacteria of Listeria monocytogenes continue to form biofilm and carry virulence genes regardless they are from food or clinical origin. Also, food-borne contaminations continue to be a severe threat to human health. So, to prevent listeriosis cases of both humans and animals should be taken required precautions and all cases should be considered carefully.

Polygonati Rhizoma varieties and origins traceability based on multivariate data fusion combined with an artificial intelligence classification algorithm

This study collected multidimensional feature data such as spectra, texture, and component contents of Polygonati Rhizoma from different origins and varieties (Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl from Yunnan and Guizhou; Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua from Anhui and Jiangxi; Polygonatum sibiricum Red from Hunan). Multivariate statistical analysis was used to select 39 characteristic factors for distinguishing PR origins and 14 characteristic factors for discriminating PR varieties (VIP > 1 and P < 0.05). In addition, by combining multivariate statistical analysis with a deep belief network (DBN) classification algorithm, a novel artificial intelligence algorithm was developed and optimized. Compared to traditional discriminant analysis methods, the accuracy of this new approach was significantly improved, achieving a 100% discrimination rate for PR varieties and a 100% accuracy rate for tracing the origin of PR. This research provides a reference and data support for constructing intelligent algorithms based on multidimensional data fusion, to achieve food variety discrimination and origin tracing.