Application of in vitro gut fermentation models on food components: a review” [Food Sci. Biotechnol. 25: 1–7(2016)] This article corrects: Application of in vitro gut fermentation models on food components: a review (Food Sci. Biotechnol. 25: 1–7(2016)).

Evaluation model for cocoa butter equivalents based on fatty acid compositions and triacylglycerol patterns Abstract An effective evaluation model was established to digitize the quality of cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) based on determinations of total and sn-2 fatty acid compositions and triacylglycerol (TAG) profiles and the “deducting score” principle. Similarity scores for selected fats and oils calculated from the model revealed differences between them and parallel cocoa butter compositions. For CBE1 and CBE2, total similarity scores were 90.6 and 90.0, whereas those of mango (76.3), dhupa (84.1), sal fat (84.7), kokum (78.3), palm mid fractions (PMF, 77.9), shea butter (64.0), illipe butter (89.7) and Pentadesma butyracea butter (67.2), respectively. Similarity scores were found to agree with physical properties, including polymorphism, crystal morphology, crystallization or melting behaviors, and solid fat content. The present study provides an accurate means of assessing CBE quality and hopefully will contribute to the development of commercial CBEs.

Vital parameters for high gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production by an industrial soy sauce koji Aspergillus oryzae NSK in submerged-liquid fermentation Abstract In submerged-liquid fermentation, seven key parameters were assessed using one-factor-at-a-time to obtain the highest GABA yield using an industrial soy sauce koji Aspergillus oryzae strain NSK (AOSNSK). AOSNSK generated maximum GABA at 30 °C (194 mg/L) and initial pH 5 (231 mg/L), thus was able to utilize sucrose (327 mg/L of GABA) for carbon source. Sucrose at 100 g/L, improved GABA production at 646 mg/L. Single nitrogen sources failed to improve GABA production, however a combination of yeast extract (YE) and glutamic acid (GA) improved GABA at 646.78 mg/L. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C8:N3) produced the highest cell (24.01 g/L) and GABA at a minimal time of 216 h. The key parameters of 30 °C, initial pH 5, 100 g/L of sucrose, combination YE and GA, and C8:N3 generated the highest GABA (3278.31 mg/L) in a koji fermentation. AOSNSK promisingly showed for the development of a new GABA-rich soy sauce.

Development of RAPD-PCR assay for identifying Holstein, Angus, and Taiwan Yellow Cattle for meat adulteration detection Abstract Incidents of food fraud have occurred worldwide, particularly in the form of meat adulteration. In this study, molecular probes were developed using the Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in order to identify three beef subspecies–Holstein, Angus, and Taiwan Yellow Cattle. Four RAPD-PCR 10-nucleotide primers were chosen out of a total of 60 primers. The selection was based on the reproducibility of species-specific amplicons able to detect various origins of cattle breeds. The results demonstrated that primer OPK12 produced three unique amplicons (1100 bp, 1000 bp and 480 bp) in Holstein; primer OPK14 generated one amplicon that only appeared in Holstein and Angus (200 bp); primer OPK19 amplified two species-specific amplicons in Holstein measuring 550 bp and 650 bp, respectively. However, due to the relatively lower repeatability of RAPD-PCR, higher and more specific testing repeats were required to increase the accuracy of the conclusion.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol fraction from the Schisandra chinensis baillon hot water extract fermented using Lactobacilius paracasei subsp . tolerans Abstract Waste management is a major part of the food industry. The present study was designed to utilize the discarded byproduct of Schisandra chinensis Baillon. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of a 30% ethanol fraction (RPG-OM-30E) from the fermented hot water extraction of the Schisandra chinensis Baillon byproduct were investigated using RAW 264.7 cells and zebrafish larvae. RPG-OM-30E reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in the RAW 264.7 cells. Additionally, RPG-OM-30E inhibited mRNA expression and protein secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (Il-6) and interleukin-1β (Il-1β). The anti-inflammatory effects of RPG-OM-30E were tested in Tg(mpx::EGFP)i114 zebrafish larvae. Neutrophil migration to a wound site was decreased by RPG-OM-30E. Neutrophil aggregation was also inhibited by RPG-OM-30E after induction of an LPS-induced immune response in the yolk. Finally, the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of RPG-OM-30E were examined in vivo. Mice with induced oxidative damage recovered from the stress following RPG-OM-30E treatment.

Biochemical characterization of a semi-purified aspartic protease from sea catfish Bagre panamensis with milk-clotting activity Abstract Pepsin from stomach of Bagre panamensis was semi-purified and biochemically characterized. The acid proteolytic activity and purification fold were 3875 U/mg protein and 91.85, respectively, after purification process. The optimum pH and temperature for semi-purified protease were 2–3 and 65 °C, respectively. The enzyme activity was stable after heating proteases at 50 °C for 120 min, but only 30% residual activity was detected after heating at 65 °C for 30 min. SDS-PAGE analysis showed two proteins bands after dialysis (26.1 and 38.6 kDa). Only the band of 38.6 kDa had proteolytic activity, which was inhibited using pepstatin A. Organic solvents, surfactants and reducing agents affect the proteolytic activity at different extent; however, metal ions or EDTA have no impact on protease activity. The semi-purified protease exhibited milk coagulant activity, with a maximum activity at 45 °C. The obtained results highlight the potential biotechnological use of B. panamensis pepsin.

Development of a freshness indicator for monitoring the quality of beef during storage Abstract Quality of beef and detect changes in freshness during storage was evaluated using freshness indicator. The freshness indicator can indicate spoilage or freshness of the packaged product through color changes directly detected by the naked eye. We also monitored changes in pH, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, volatile basic nitrogen, and total bacterial count. A change in the color of the indicator reflects the pH of the headspace of the beef packaging. Beef was stored at 20 °C for 24 h, after which the color of the freshness indicator changed. Results of color change from freshness indicator are similar to quality parameters including chemical, microbiological, and sensory evaluation that are commonly used to characterize the freshness of beef. The results show that this freshness indicator is useful for determining the shelf life of beef products by monitoring physicochemical changes and microbial safety.

Anti-attachment, anti-biofilm, and antioxidant properties of Brassicaceae extracts on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Abstract Bacteria can survive and persist in food processing environments by attachment and biofilm formation and transfer to food products, causing serious foodborne illness. In this study, we investigated natural substances that belong to the family Brassicaceae to determine whether they have potential anti-attachment activities against Escherichia coli O157:H7. The inhibition of biofilm formation was evaluated by crystal violet and resazurin assays at different stages of biofilm formation (initial attachment, biofilm formation, and after biofilm development) of E. coli O157:H7. The sessile cells were reduced to a range of 13.8–31.3% by young radish, radish, radish sprout, red cabbage, and kale extracts, and the viability was reduced to between 5.83 and 51.5%. The radical scavenging activities and the presence of polyphenolic compounds were compared. The presence of phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, and phenylethyl ITC in the Brassicaceae family verified the potential use as a natural anti-biofilm substituent against E. coli O157:H7.

High-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography to set the analysis method of stearoyl lactylate, a food emulsifier Abstract Stearoyl lactylates (SLs, E481/E482) and their sodium and calcium salts are emulsifiers commonly used as food additives. This study was performed to set the analytical method of SLs in Korea using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). A new HPLC method using C18 column with water and methanol as the eluents, and a new GC method using DB-1 column with He as the carrier gas, were developed and were compared with previously reported analytical methods. The new HPLC and GC methods indicated a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.999 in the calibration curves. The detection and quantification limits are 0.26 and 0.78 μg/kg for the HPLC method, respectively, and 16.54 and 50.12 μg/kg for the GC method, respectively. The new HPLC and GC methods indicated precision of 0–2.0%, and accuracy of 92.7–108.5%. Therefore, they can be applied in numerous food samples to determine the level of SLs.

Formula optimization for melanosis-inhibitors of Pacific white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) by response surface methodology Abstract Melanosis is major problem of crustaceans during their rigor mortis storage. This study for the first time was designed to optimize the formula of preservatives to maintain the color feature of Pacific white shrimp using response surface methodology. A three-factors-three-levels Box-Behnken design was applied to evaluate the effect of chitosan, citric acid and l-cysteine on color features (L*, a*, b* and ΔE) of Pacific white shrimp. It was found that the increasing rate of ΔE was retarded by the higher concentrations of chitosan, citric acid and l-cysteine in a certain range. The optimal formula for inhibiting the increase of ΔE was 1.36% chitosan, 0.47% citric acid and 0.31% l-cysteine. Under the optimal pretreated conditions, the predicted ΔE of shrimp after 8 days of storage was 14.59, close to the measured values (14.49). These results indicated that the optimal combined preservatives could retard the decrease of lightness and the aggregation of ΔE and melanosis effectively, and might be a potential application for retarding melanosis and extending shelf life of Pacific white shrimp.