High-voltage electrostatic field technology in food processing and preservation: mechanisms, applications, and emerging innovations.

From seaweed to smart materials: The nanotechnological promise of carrageenan.

Immunological functional studies of a putative lipocalin member LcApoM_AGPRP in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea).

• Sustainable e-nose systems enhance real-time monitoring of meat and seafood freshness • Metal oxide nanostructures and biodegradable sensors reduce environmental impact • AI and machine learning improve the detection of VOCs in spoilage assessment • Integration with IoT and smart packaging enables non-invasive freshness evaluation • Case studies show e-nose systems can reduce food waste and improve shelf-life control • Self-powered and MEMS-based sensors lower energy consumption in food quality monitoring Electronic nose (e-nose) sensor arrays have emerged as a crucial technology for meat and seafood preservation through their ability to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The growing need for sustainable food preservation methods has driven significant developments in this field, particularly focusing on environmental responsibility and economic viability. This review examines recent innovations in e-nose technology, focusing on sustainable materials and energy-efficient designs. It analyzes developments in sensing materials, including metal oxide semiconductors and biodegradable components, along with energy-efficient innovations such as self-powered sensors and optimized arrays. The study also evaluates the integration of e-nose systems with spectroscopic methods, biosensors, and sustainable cloud computing solutions, supported by machine learning algorithms. The review reveals significant advancements in sustainable e-nose technology, demonstrating improved detection accuracy while maintaining environmental responsibility. Integration with complementary technologies has enhanced comprehensive quality assessment capabilities. Case studies in meat and seafood preservation showcase the technology's potential for reducing food waste and improving monitoring efficiency. While challenges remain in optimizing sensor selectivity and stability for low-concentration VOCs, ongoing developments in sustainable materials and energy-efficient designs indicate promising future applications in food preservation practices. These innovations contribute to both environmental sustainability and economic feasibility in the food industry.

Discovery, evolution, and environmental co-selection of novel msrA-harboring plasmids in multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus from retail foods.

Sodium benzoate induces reproductive toxicity via hormonal disruption, ovarian damage and altering kisspeptin/RFRP-3 expression.

Silver nanoparticles for inactivation and destruction of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms; mechanisms, efficiency and recent advances

Investigating sustainable and renewable sources of carbon quantum dots for utilization in food packaging systems: A review

Phytochemical-driven selenium nanoparticles from Tribulus terrestris: a multi-mechanistic antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic strategy with biocompatibility

The principles of employing antimicrobial compounds in active packaging: Mechanisms, applications, and future directions

Sodium chloride induces filamentation in Listeria monocytogenes grown in culture medium and cooked pork.

Synergistic inhibition of lipid and protein oxidation in refrigerated pork by a chitosan-based composite film incorporated with ZnO and lysine-modified walnut melanin.

Carbon dots from tuna stick water doped with phenolic acids: Structural, optical, and physicochemical properties with enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a microbial population-density communication mechanism that coordinates gene expression, affecting virulence, biofilm formation, and food spoilage activities. Its disruption, termed quorum quenching (QQ), emerged as a promising strategy for mitigating microbial pathogenicity and enhancing food preservation. This review summarizes the main bacterial QS systems and addresses QQ mechanisms, with an emphasis on autoinducers degradation and competitive receptor antagonism, focusing on natural compounds with antivirulence potential. Special attention is given to applications in food science, where QS influences spoilage, safety, and the performance of starter cultures in fermentations. Evidence shows that phenolic compounds play a central role as natural QS inhibitors, attenuating bacterial communication without imposing selective pressure for resistance. Practical examples include reducing spoilage in food products, as well as controlling biofilm formation. We discuss challenges and future directions, emphasizing technological barriers and the valorization of agro-industrial byproducts as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds. • QS drives spoilage, virulence, and biofilm formation in food systems • Quorum quenching offers antivirulence control without selecting resistance • Phenolic compounds are key natural inhibitors of bacterial QS networks • QS-targeted strategies improve food safety and shelf-life • Encapsulation enables practical use of natural QS inhibitors in foods

• Mutational scanning indicates more processing sites in K2 than initially recognized. • Insights into precursor processing help to predict the mature toxin structure. • Single mutations can enhance killer toxin function and change target specificity. • Yeast killer toxins are part of structural families despite low sequence identity. Yeast killer toxins (YKTs) are antimicrobial proteins secreted by yeast with potential applications ranging from food preservation to therapeutic agents in human health. However, the practical use of many YKTs is limited by specific pH requirements, low temperature stability, low production yields, and narrow target specificity. While protein engineering could potentially overcome these challenges, progress is hindered by a lack of detailed knowledge about sequence-function relationships and structural data for these often multi-step processed proteins. In this study, we focused on the YKT K2, encoded by the M2 satellite dsRNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Using alanine scanning mutagenesis of the full open reading frame and structure predictions combined with molecular dynamics simulations, we generated a comprehensive sequence-structure–function map, refined the model for the proteolytic processing of the K2 precursor, and predicted the mature toxin structure. Our findings also demonstrate that K2 can be engineered toward enhanced toxicity and altered target specificity through single-site mutations. Furthermore, we identified structural homology between K2 and other killer toxins, including the SMK toxin from the yeast Millerozyma farinosa . Our cost-effective workflow provides a platform to broadly map YKT sequence-structure–function relationships.

A bio-based intelligent konjac glucomannan/carboxymethyl chitosan film with ZIF-67@carmine-enhanced freshness monitoring for seafood preservation.

• Evolved resistant variants of L. monocytogenes EGD-e emerged under antibiotic stress • Ciprofloxacin resistant variants displayed cross-protection to heat in skimmed milk • Mutations in genes related to antibiotic target and efflux pumps are involved • Mutation in stress response genes seems to be related to oxytetracycline resistance • Mutations in cell wall-related genes are suggested to increase thermoresistance The extensive use of antibiotics in primary production has promoted the emergence of resistant bacteria. Due to cross-protection phenomena, these antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria may also withstand food preservation treatments applied in the food industry. This study aimed to evaluate the emergence of resistant variants (RVs) of Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e after prolonged exposure to antibiotics (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and oxytetracycline) based on adaptive laboratory evolution assays. RVs were selected by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration, then characterized phenotypically against heat treatments (58 °C/ 20 min) and genotypically to identify mutations responsible for changes in thermoresistance. Five ciprofloxacin RVs (Lm Cip1-5 ) and one oxytetracycline RV (Lm Oxy ) were obtained. Several ciprofloxacin RVs showed greater thermoresistance in McIlvaine buffer (pH 7.0) than the parental strain, also observed in skimmed milk (pH 6.8). Mutations identified in codY (Lm Oxy ) and fepR and parC (ciprofloxacin RVs) are likely responsible for the antibiotic resistance. Moreover, mutations in genes linked to cell wall biosynthesis ( rml ), metabolism and RNA or energy processing (e.g., cshA, atpA2, lmo2794 ) may contribute to increased thermoresistance. These findings highlight the interaction between AMR and cross-protections mechanisms, and the potential risk posed by AMR bacteria in the food chain, which could compromise the traditional preservation methods.

Photodynamic-Nano synergistic strategies for food preservation: Mechanisms, applications, and safety challenges.

Crosslinking strategies and functionalization modification approaches for chitosan-based hydrogels in food preservation applications: A review

Zein–pectin edible and active coatings incorporating cherry extract yielded from pomace by-products for raspberry shelf-life enhancement