Ultraviolet Light Treatment Research Articles

Campylobacter control strategies at postharvest level.

Campylobacter is highly associated with poultry and frequently causes foodborne illness worldwide. Thus, effective control measures are necessary to reduce or prevent human infections. In this review, Campylobacter control methods applicable at postharvest level for poultry meat during production, storage, and preparation are discussed. Drying and temperature are discussed as general strategies. Traditional strategies such as steaming, freezing, sanitizing, organic acid treatment, and ultraviolet light treatment are also discussed. Recent advances in nanotechnology using antibacterial nanoparticles and natural antimicrobial agents from plants and food byproducts are also discussed. Although advances have been made and there are various methods for preventing Campylobacter contamination, it is still challenging to prevent Campylobacter contamination in raw poultry meats with current methods. In addition, some studies have shown that large strain-to-strain variation in susceptibility to these methods exists. Therefore, more effective methods or approaches need to be developed to substantially reduce human infections caused by Campylobacter.

Panuveitis after ultraviolet light treatments for light adjustable intraocular lens.

To resport a case of panuveitis after light adjustable intraocular lens (LAL) implantation and ultraviolet (UV) light treatment. Case report. A 68-year-old woman with a history of herpes zoster without ocular involvement presented with panuveitis in her right eye two weeks after a UV light lock-in treatment for a recently implanted LAL. An infectious and inflammatory workup was only notable for positive HSV-1 and VZV IgG, but the patient did not have any history of ocular HSV or VZV. Over the course of five months, the panuveitis resolved completely with topical steroids and the patient had a good visual outcome. Though causality cannot be established in this case, physicians should be aware of the possibility of uveitis after UV light treatments. Extra caution should be observed in patients with history of herpetic disease.

An investigation into the use of incoherent UV light to augment IR nanosecond pulsed laser texturing of CFRP composites for improved adhesion

The preparation of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) surfaces for adhesive bonding has been widely reported. Such reports include laser texturing using both near-infrared (IR) lasers and ultraviolet (UV) lasers. In this report, we present, for the first time, findings showing that surface treatment of CFRP using incoherent UV light, at 254 nm wavelength, can increase the adhesive bonding strength of CFRP by 75 % compared to non-treated samples. It is also around 10 % stronger than NIR laser-textured samples. However, combination treatments, where the UV irradiation is conducted either before or after laser texturing did not give a significant benefit over the laser-textured samples. A germicidal 46 W 254 nm UV lamp was used for the UV light treatment, while an IR nanosecond pulsed fibre laser operating at 1064 nm was used for the laser texturing treatment. The material tested was an autoclave-cured T700 CFRP composite.The wettability of the treated CFRP surfaces and the adhesive bonding were quantitatively assessed. This study concludes that low-cost incoherent UV treatment effectively reduces the water contact angle of the CFRP surface and activates CFRP surfaces. All treatments led to bonding strengths at least 50% greater than for the untreated surfaces.The predominant failure mode for UV-treated samples was Cohesive Substrate Failure (CSF), indicating that the adhesion strength exceeded the interlaminar shear strength of the CFRP material. All samples treated with the laser (including combined treatment with UV) exhibited Light Fibre Tear Failure.

Sausage Quality during Storage under the Partial Substitution of Meat with Fermented Oyster Mushrooms.

The increasing global demand for meat production, driven by a rapidly expanding population and changing dietary preferences has prompted the search for protein-rich, sustainable, and healthier meat alternatives. In this context, edible mushrooms are viewed as advantageous substitutes for meat, offering a viable solution. This study aimed to investigate the effects of partially replacing (25% and 50%) pork meat in sausage samples with fermented oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), which were subjected to various pretreatments. Six different pretreatments were applied to fresh oyster mushrooms as follows: blanching in water, steaming, oven-cooking, microwave treatment, high hydrostatic pressure treatment, and ultraviolet light treatment. The effects of mushroom replacement on the moisture, pH, lipid oxidation, color, and textural properties of sausages during the 4-week refrigerated storage period were evaluated. The results revealed that replacing pork meat with fermented oyster mushrooms resulted in an increase in moisture content and b* values and a decrease in pH, L*, a*, and shear force values, proportional to the mushroom percentage. The lipid oxidation findings suggest that the antioxidant capabilities of fermented oyster mushrooms were influenced by the pretreatment methods applied to the mushrooms, exhibiting varying levels of effectiveness.

Effects of ultraviolet light supplementation on hen behaviour and welfare during early lay

Poultry can see in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum and supplementation of UVA has been shown to reduce laying hens’ fear and stress. The shorter wavelengths (UVB) also facilitate vitamin D3 production. However, UV spectrums are typically not included in indoor commercial poultry lighting which may result in less than optimum welfare of laying hens. This study predicted that UVA and UVA/B supplementation would increase desirable behaviours such as foraging and exploratory pecking and reduce measures of fear and stress. The effects of UV light supplementation were assessed on 252 ISA Brown hens during the period from 16 to 27 weeks of age. Birds were housed in eighteen pens (14 hens/pen) under three different light treatment groups each with six replications: (i) UV0: standard control lighting with LED white light, (ii) UVA: control lighting plus a supplemental ‘daylight’ avian bulb providing UVA, and (iii) UVA/B: control lighting plus a supplemental full spectrum reptile bulb containing both UVA and UVB wavelengths. Behavioural time budgets were assessed in the home pens at 18 and 24 weeks. At 20, 23, and 26 weeks, assessments included: individual behavioural tests of tonic immobility and open field, pen-level novel object tests and blood heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios. At 27 weeks the UV supplemental lights were turned off for 3 days as a ‘stressor’ with bird locations in the pen measured before and during the stressor, along with H/L ratio and attention bias test assessments. Results showed limited effects of the supplemental lights. At 26 weeks both UV light treatments reduced tonic immobility duration (P = 0.006) and vocalisations across time in the open field test (P = 0.0003), while the UVA/B hens had lower H/L ratios than the UV0 hens (P = 0.01). However, removing the treatment lights did not result in greater stress and anxiety and there were few differences observed in the home pen time budgets. Overall, these results align with complementary findings in the same birds showing minimal impact of the UV treatments on measures of egg production, egg quality, bone health, and circulating plasma P and Ca but with an increase in serum vitamin D (25(OH)D3) for the UVA/B hens. The supplemental UV lights in this study were only on one side of the pens which could have minimised their impacts. Similarly, effects may vary at different points in the production cycle than included in this study.

Effects of different aging methods on the ability of biochar to adsorb heavy metal cadmium and its physical and chemical properties.

The aging process can affect the physical and chemical properties as well as adsorption capacity of biochar. This study focuses on the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) as the research object, and artificially ages biochar prepared from rice straw and corn straw through accelerated freeze-thaw cycles, alternating dry wet cycles, and ultraviolet light treatment, in order to evaluate the effects of different aging conditions on the physical and chemical properties of the two different types of biochar and on their adsorption capacities for Cd. After aging, the pH of rice and corn biochar decreased to varying degrees, respectively. The surface structure was ruptured, the average pore diameter was decreased, and the specific surface area was increased by 27.3%, 21.9%, and 9.8% (rice) and 95.4%, 27.7%, and 13.4% (corn). Ultraviolet light aging has the most significant impact on the elemental content of biochar, and the C content was decreased by 12.4% (rice) and 9.3% (corn). The O content was increased by 11.2% (rice) and 44.1% (corn), and the numbers of O/C, H/C, (O + N)/C, and oxygen-containing functional groups were increased. These results demonstrate that the aging process reduces the degree of aromatization of biochar, while enhancing its polarity and Cd adsorption capacity. Rice straw biochar (RSB) has a greater ability to adsorb Cd than corn straw biochar (CSB). In addition, ultraviolet light aging is particularly effective in increasing heavy metal adsorption.

Parabens and Methylisotiazolinone (MIT): Preservatives with Different Behaviors When Subjected to Ozone and Ultraviolet Light Treatments

The influence that contaminants exert on the degradation of other substances commonly found in the same water bodies drives this study, which aims to investigate the simultaneous degradation of preservatives such as parabens and methylisothiazolinone (MIT). Mixtures of five parabens, MIT solutions, and mixtures of all five parabens plus MIT (each at 5 mg/L) were treated using 254 nm UV light, ozone treatments, and simultaneous ozone and UV light treatments at three different pH levels (3, 5, and 9). Regardless of pH, UV light is inefficient in degrading parabens, whereas MIT is efficiently degraded under this radiation. On the other hand, ozone treatments rapidly degrade the paraben mixture at any pH, with a basic pH resulting in faster degradation due to the predominance of the indirect mechanism. MIT, due to its structural characteristics, reacts minimally with ozone, and the process is enhanced at basic pH when hydroxyl radicals are involved. The simultaneous treatment with ozone and UV light proves to be the fastest method for eliminating both parabens and MIT at any pH. However, when treating joint mixtures of parabens and MIT, behaviors change notably, particularly for processes involving UV light due to the interfering effect of MIT. Both parabens and MIT require more time to degrade, except at an acidic pH. Only MIT reduces its ozone treatment time when treated alongside parabens due to the distinct degradation mechanisms that each type of contaminant has in the presence of ozone.

Ultraviolet light differentially reduces viability of fish‐ and fish farm‐associated flavobacteria (families Flavobacteriaceae and Weeksellaceae)

AbstractObjectiveGlobally, flavobacteria (family Flavobacteriaceae and Weeksellaceae) are leading causes of disease‐related losses in fish‐farms and hatcheries. One route flavobacteria gain access to aquaculture facilities is via source water. Ultraviolet (UV) light treatment of source water has been effective in reducing the risk of disease outbreaks caused by nonflavobacteria; however, the UV dose required to inactivate flavobacteria has been understudied. The primary objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of UV light treatments for reducing the viability of fish‐pathogenic and fish‐associated Flavobacterium and Chryseobacterium species in a planktonic form.MethodsSixty‐five flavobacterial isolates belonging to ten Flavobacterium spp. and Chryseobacterium spp. were exposed to a low (25 mJ/cm2) and high (126 mJ/cm2) dose of UV light via a collimating beam apparatus under in vitro conditions, after which treatment efficacy was determined via culture.ResultAll assayed flavobacteria were reduced by an average of ~1000‐fold or ~100,000‐fold at the low and high UV doses, respectively; however, substantial differences in reduction at the same UV dose were noted among isolates of the same flavobacterial species, including F. psychrophilum, F. columnare, and F. oreochromis. In addition, F. psychrophilum multilocus sequence typing variants ST10 and ST78, which are two of the most widespread variants in the United States of America, were among the least susceptible to ultraviolet light.ConclusionOverall, results demonstrate that viable flavobacteria can be reduced substantially by ultraviolet doses of 25–126 mJ/cm2, suggesting such treatments represent a promising tool for minimizing flavobacterial loads in hatcheries and aquaculture facilities, thereby enhancing biosecurity and reducing the risk of epizootics.

Decontamination protocols affect the internal microbiota of ticks

Studies on the microbiota of ticks have promoted hypotheses about the combined effects of the bacterial community, its functional contributions to the tick’s physiology or probable competition effects with some tick-borne pathogens. However, knowledge on the origin of the microbiota of newly hatched larvae is missing. This study aimed to elucidate the source(s) of the microbiota in unfed tick larvae, addressing the composition of the “core microbiota” and the best ways to decontaminate eggs for microbiota studies. We applied laboratory degree bleach washes and/or ultraviolet light treatments on engorged Rhipicephalus australis females and/or their eggs. No significant effects of these treatments on the reproductive parameters of females and the hatching rates of eggs were observed. However, the different treatments did show striking effects on the composition of the microbiota. The results indicated that bleach washes disrupted the internal tick microbiota in females, implying that bleach may have entered the tick and subsequently affected the microbiota. Furthermore, the analyses of results demonstrated that the ovary is a main source of tick microbiota, while the contribution of Gené’s organ (a part of the female reproductive system that secretes a protective wax coat onto tick eggs) or the male’s spermatophore requires further investigation. Further studies are needed to identify best practice protocols for the decontamination of ticks for microbiota studies.Graphical

Mild heat treatment achieved better inactivation of Salmonella and preservation of almond quality than ultraviolet light and chemical sanitizers

This study was conducted to compare the effects of ultraviolet light (UV), chemical sanitizers, and heat treatments on Salmonella inactivation and preservation of almond quality. Whole, skinless, and sliced almonds, representing different shape and surface topography, were inoculated with a Salmonella cocktail consisting of S. Montevideo, S. Newport, S. Typhimurium, S. Heidelberg, and S. Enteritidis. Inoculated almonds (50 g) were treated by UV (30 mW/cm2, 30 or 60 min), 75 °C heat (up to 150 min), and chemical sanitizers (3 % hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 1 % cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), 30 or 60 min) alone or in combinations. Uninoculated almonds were similarly treated for analyzing color, visual appearance, and weight changes. In general, UV treatment alone was ineffective in inactivating Salmonella; the 30- and 60-min UV treatments reduced Salmonella by 1.3 (± 0.1) and 1.7 (± 0.1), 2.7 (± 0.2) and 3.3 (± 0.1), and 1.3 (± 0.1) and 1.7 (± 0.1) log CFU/g on whole, skinless, and sliced almonds, respectively. Prior wetting of almonds with water and chemical solutions in a few cases significantly (P < 0.05) increased the UV inactivation of Salmonella. The most pronounced Salmonella killing effect achieved by the combined treatments were: 1-min H2O2 dipping followed by 60-min UV treatment for whole (3.0 logs) and skinless almonds (3.8 logs) and 1-min CPC dipping followed by 60-min UV treatment for sliced almonds (3.0 logs). However, none of those achieved >4 log reductions of Salmonella as required by FDA. The 30-min UV treatment produced discolored but overall acceptable almonds, whereas the 60-min UV treatment led to deteriorated almonds including a dark color, oil extraction, and shrunk kernel size. Prior wetting reduced the sample weight loss but caused local burning and kernel cracking. A sequential approach of a 60-min 75 °C heat treatment and two 30-min wet UV treatments successfully reduced Salmonella by >4 logs, but more severe kernel cracking occurred. In contrast, a single heat treatment of vacuum packaged whole almonds at 75 °C for 150 min was capable of achieving >5 log reductions of Salmonella while preserving almond color and visual qualities and minimizing weight loss. These results clearly demonstrated that the heat treatment was a much better processing technology than UV and sanitizers for raw almond pasteurization.

Evaluating the effects of different processing methods on the nutritional quality of bovine milk

Milk is a universal food that is widely consumed around the world irrespective of age. It has a complex matrix consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that have successfully retained the interest of researchers as yet. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of low-temperature long-time (LTLT), ultraviolet light (UV), and ultrasound (US) treatments on physicochemical properties, microbial count, and fatty acid profiling of three types of bovine milk – Country (C), Jersey (J), and Holstein Friesian (HF). The study was conducted in southern India, where these three types of milk are commonly consumed. It was found that no significant (p ˂ 0.05) differences in the proximate composition of milk samples subjected to different treatments compared to untreated milk. However, LTLT treatment resulted in a reduction in ascorbic acid content and significant changes in antioxidant activity and lactose content. LTLT treatment was also able to kill the pathogenic bacteria E. coli, whereas UV and US treatment only showed a notable reduction in the E. coli count. Fatty acid profiling of the treated milk samples was done using GC/MS, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to study the types of chemical bonds present. The results showed that non-thermal treatments (UV and US) were able to sustain the chemical characteristics of milk and had potential for implementation in the dairy industry. Overall, the study highlights the potential benefits of non-thermal treatments such as UV and US in maintaining the chemical properties of milk and reducing pathogenic bacteria count. The findings could be useful in the dairy industry to ensure the safety and quality of milk.

Fabrication of Antifouling/Antimicrobial Polysulfonium‐Coated Surface Against Biofilms and Water Bacterial Contamination

Bacterial attachment and colonization on the surface have caused a severe threat to human healthcare. The development of surface coatings with high antibacterial activity and low toxicity is highly desired. Herein, a series of sulfonium‐containing polypeptoids with various structural motifs on the side chains is synthesized, which are efficiently grafted on the silicone surface via plasma and ultraviolet light treatment. The resulting coating demonstrates excellent antibacterial properties against both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, as well as a sustained antibacterial effect at ambient temperature for up to one week. Moreover, the coating exhibits excellent in vitro antibiofilm and protein resistance properties, as well as excellent hemo/biocompatibility. Further, by fabricating a decontamination system with the coated substrates, the obtained coating materials show high efficiency in bacterial decontamination of water, which has great potential for use in water disinfection systems. All these results suggest that prepared coating with dual antibacterial and antifouling properties has great potential in combating bacterial contamination.

Effect of ultraviolet irradiation on immunoreactivity and other protein characteristics of wheat gliadin in flour and flatbread

Pulsed light (PL) was investigated for reducing the immunoreactivity of gliadin of wheat flour, however, the obstacle with using PL light was that the food temperature was highly increased with a short treatment time. Therefore, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was used to study its effects on immunoreactivity of gliadin, free sulfhydryl groups, gluten, and molecular weight of wheat proteins in wheat flour and flatbread samples. Also, the effect of heat treatment combined with UV light treatment on some protein features were studied. The immunoreactivity of gliadin was highly reduced, 60%, of flour treated with only UV, while the reduction was not obvious for flour treated with infrared light along with UV light and for flatbread samples. The free sulfhydryl groups were 3030, 3878, 4372, and 4784 µmol.g-1 after zero, 30, 60, and 120 min of UV light respectively. While the free sulfhydryl groups were reduced for flatbread samples treated by UV light. SDS-PAGE results showed that there was a clear reduction of the gliadin bands of flour treated with UV light compared to other treatments. In conclusion, thermal treatment along with or before UV light treatment reduced the effect of UV light on the immunoreactivity of wheat gliadin.

Flexible Cyclic Immunofluorescence (cyCIF) Using Oligonucleotide Barcoded Antibodies.

Advances in our understanding of the complex, multifaceted interactions between tumor epithelia, immune infiltrate, and tumor microenvironmental cells have been driven by highly multiplexed imaging technologies. These techniques are capable of labeling many more biomarkers than conventional immunostaining methods. However, multiplexed imaging techniques suffer from low detection sensitivity, cell loss-particularly in fragile samples-, and challenges with antibody labeling. Herein, we developed and optimized an oligonucleotide antibody barcoding strategy for cyclic immunofluorescence (cyCIF) that can be amplified to increase the detection efficiency of low-abundance antigens. Stained fluorescence signals can be readily removed using ultraviolet light treatment, preserving tissue and fragile cell sample integrity. We also extended the oligonucleotide barcoding strategy to secondary antibodies to enable the inclusion of difficult-to-label primary antibodies in a cyCIF panel. Using both the amplification oligonucleotides to label DNA barcoded antibodies and in situ hybridization of multiple fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides resulted in signal amplification and increased signal-to-background ratios. This procedure was optimized through the examination of staining parameters including staining oligonucleotide concentration, staining temperature, and oligonucleotide sequence design, resulting in a robust amplification technique. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate the flexibility of our cyCIF strategy by simultaneously imaging with the original oligonucleotide conjugated antibody (Ab-oligo) cyCIF strategy, the novel Ab-oligo cyCIF amplification strategy, as well as direct and indirect immunofluorescence to generate highly multiplexed images.

Formation mechanism and stability of low environment-sensitive ternary nanoparticles based on zein-pea protein-pectin for astaxanthin delivery

This study was devoted for preparing zein-pea protein-pectin ternary nanoparticles through an alcohol-free pH-shifting method for the delivery of astaxanthin (Ax). The complexation of zein and pea protein (PP) in the weight ratio range of 1:2.5 to 1.2:1 maintained the dispersity at pH 7.0 with the average particle size of 90.47–132.38 nm and the polydispersity index of 0.204–0.245. The circular dichroism, fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and other analyses indicated that the zein interacted with PP to form a composite structure through the folding action of protein structure in the process of pH reduction driven by hydrophobic and electrostatic forces. The incorporation of pectin (pec) further enhanced the physicochemical stability of the nanoparticles. The optimal weight ratio of zein/PP/pec was 2:4:3, and the encapsulation efficiency of astaxanthin reached 94.22%. The X-ray diffraction results showed that the astaxanthin was amorphous after embedding. Compared with Ax/zein-PP, the Ax/zein-PP-pec showed better colloidal stability under the conditions of wide pH range (4.0–8.0), high temperature (90 °C), long time ultraviolet light treatment, and 15-day storage. These results indicated that the construction of the zein-PP-pec nanoparticles could be used as a low environment-sensitive nanocarrier for the loading, protection, and delivery of hydrophobic functional substances such as astaxanthin.

Ultraviolet Light Treatment of Titanium Microfiber Scaffolds Enhances Osteoblast Recruitment and Osteoconductivity in a Vertical Bone Augmentation Model: 3D UV Photofunctionalization

Vertical bone augmentation to create host bone prior to implant placement is one of the most challenging regenerative procedures. The objective of this study is to evaluate the capacity of a UV-photofunctionalized titanium microfiber scaffold to recruit osteoblasts, generate intra-scaffold bone, and integrate with host bone in a vertical augmentation model with unidirectional, limited blood supply. Scaffolds were fabricated by molding and sintering grade 1 commercially pure titanium microfibers (20 μm diameter) and treated with UVC light (200-280 nm wavelength) emitted from a low-pressure mercury lamp for 20 min immediately before experiments. The scaffolds had an even and dense fiber network with 87% porosity and 20-50 mm inter-fiber distance. Surface carbon reduced from 30% on untreated scaffold to 10% after UV treatment, which corresponded to hydro-repellent to superhydrophilic conversion. Vertical infiltration testing revealed that UV-treated scaffolds absorbed 4-, 14-, and 15-times more blood, water, and glycerol than untreated scaffolds, respectively. In vitro, four-times more osteoblasts attached to UV-treated scaffolds than untreated scaffolds three hours after seeding. On day 2, there were 70% more osteoblasts on UV-treated scaffolds. Fluorescent microscopy visualized confluent osteoblasts on UV-treated microfibers two days after seeding but sparse and separated cells on untreated microfibers. Alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin gene expression were significantly greater in osteoblasts grown on UV-treated microfiber scaffolds. In an in vivo model of vertical augmentation on rat femoral cortical bone, the interfacial strength between innate cortical bone and UV-treated microfiber scaffold after two weeks of healing was double that observed between bone and untreated scaffold. Morphological and chemical analysis confirmed seamless integration of the innate cortical and regenerated bone within microfiber networks for UV-treated scaffolds. These results indicate synergy between titanium microfiber scaffolds and UV photofunctionalization to provide a novel and effective strategy for vertical bone augmentation.

Assessing quality of blood components derived from whole blood treated with riboflavin and ultraviolet light and separated with a fully automated device.

Combining pathogen reduction and automated separation of whole blood (WB), together with the use of improved additive solutions, may increase reproducibility and extend shelf-life of blood components. Forty WB units were collected from volunteer donors and randomised 1:1 into two groups: 1) pathogen reduction with riboflavin and ultraviolet light (PRT); or 2) no treatment (Control). After two hours (h) at room temperature, all units underwent fully automated separation into red blood cell concentrate (RBCC), plasma and leukopack components. RBCCs were leukoreduced and stored in phosphate-adenine-glucose-guanosine-saline-mannitol (PAGGSM) solution while plasma units were shock frozen within 8 h of collection and stored at ≤ -25°C. RBCCs were sampled on day 1 and weekly thereafter until day 42, while plasma was sampled on days 1 and 30. The main study objective was to assess the in vitro quality of separated RBCCs using biochemical and haematological parameters. Plasma protein content after one cycle of freeze-thaw was also analysed. The quality of RBCCs was largely comparable between the PRT and Control groups, except for a significantly higher degree of haemolysis and extracellular potassium levels in the PRT group after 35 days of storage. While potassium concentration was significantly higher in the PRT group at all timepoints, the degree of haemolysis exceeded the accepted European threshold (i.e., <0.8% of red cell mass in ≥ 90.0% of tested units) after day 35. Most plasma protein levels were significantly lower in the PRT than the Control group at both day 1 and day 30. Pathogen reduction with riboflavin and ultraviolet light treatment of WB can be combined with fully automated separation to obtain RBCCs that may be stored for up to 35 days in PAGGSM solution with acceptable quality, comparable to that of RBCCs from untreated blood. The relative differences between factor concentrations in plasma from the PRT and the Control groups were similar during the 30-day storage.

Effect of ultraviolet light treatment on microbiological safety and quality of fresh produce: An overview.

Fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables have been associated in several foodborne illness outbreaks. Although investigations from those outbreaks reported that the contamination with pathogenic microorganisms may occur at any point in the farm to fork continuum, effective control strategies are still being widely investigated. In that direction, the concept of hurdle technology involving a sequence of different interventions have been widely explored. Among those interventions, ultraviolet (UV) light alone or in combination with other treatments such as use of organic acids or sanitizer solutions, has found to be a promising approach to maintain the microbiological safety and quality of fresh and fresh-cut produce. Recent advances in using UV as a part of hurdle technology on the safety of fresh produce at different stages are presented here. Furthermore, this review discusses the mechanism of UV induced antimicrobial activity, factors that influence antimicrobial efficacy and its effect on produce. In addition, the challenges, and prospects of using UV irradiation as an intervention treatment were also discussed.

Pea protein based nanocarriers for lipophilic polyphenols: Spectroscopic analysis, characterization, chemical stability, antioxidant and molecular docking

The current research aims to construct and assess pea protein isolate (PPI) nanocarriers for lipophilic polyphenols of curcumin (CUR), quercetin (QUE) and resveratrol (RES), respectively. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that the binding affinity declined in sequence of QUE > CUR > RES and about one polyphenol compound was bound to protein. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that hydrophobic interaction was mainly responsible for complexation between CUR/RES and PPI, while hydrogen bonding for QUE with PPI. All nanoparticles showed particle size of 154–159 nm. Three lipophilic polyphenols were successfully encapsulated into PPI, with loading capacity of RES > QUE > CUR. Complexation of three polyphenols did not change the secondary structure of PPI. Results of FTIR, DSC and XRD confirmed that polyphenols changed from crystalline to amorphous state after combination with PPI. SEM pictures exhibited regular spherical microstructure of nanocomplexes. PPI shielded polyphenols from sensitive environment of ultraviolet light and thermal treatment. ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity of polyphenols were considerably improved through complexation with PPI. Molecular docking studies showed binding energy with 11S legumin in sequence of QUE > RES > CUR, and stronger hydrogen bonds were built between QUE and the protein than the other two polyphenols. Data in the present work may provide helpful information for encapsulation of lipophilic polyphenols with pea protein and the potential application in food science, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries in the future.

Ultraviolet light alters experimental aquarium water microbial communities.

The effect of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, alone and in combination with CO2 exposure, on the water microbial community composition was tested in replicate experimental aquaria using source water from an established Amazon-themed exhibit housing mixed species of fishes. Total bacterial abundance, α-diversity metrics, and β-diversity metrics were determined 3 weeks and 1 week before, and weekly during 8 weeks of continuous treatment. The UV treatment significantly lowered the overall bacterial abundance while CO2 treatment had no effect. However, the UV exposure effect was variable across phyla. Some phyla were decreased while others were increased, including some of potential clinical significance. At the genus level, there were no significant differences in the relative abundance of Mycobacteria between treatments and an increase in the relative abundance of Aeromonas spp. with UV light treatment. Further work is needed to determine if the observed effects are dose-dependent or if different exposure doses produce different results.