Radiation processing to improve the quality of fishery products.

Extensive investigations, worldwide, in the last 4 decades have shown the benefits of radiation processing for the preservation and microbial quality improvement of seafoods. In the present review, the various factors determining the quality of seafoods are first presented. The basic principles underlying the effects of ionizing radiation and specific effects on food constituents such as proteins, amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and tissue enzymes are discussed. Data on radiation processing of seafoods are reported and discussed with respect to shelf life enhancement under refrigeration by control of bacteria causing spoilage, radiation sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms and parasites of public health significance and their elimination in fresh and frozen fishery products, control of insect disinfestation in dried fishery products, influence of irradiation on nutritional and sensory quality attributes, detection of irradiation treatment, economics, and international status.

Effects of vitamin B6 deficiency on cytokine levels and lymphocytes in mice.

The effects of vitamin B6 (B6) deficiency on cytokine levels and proportions of lymphocyte subsets in BALB/c mice were investigated. The proportion of lymphocytes from the thymus and spleen of mice given no B6, that were CD4+ CD8- T cells, was larger than in mice given B6, and the ratio of CD8+ to CD4+ T cells in the thymus of mice given no B6 was lower. The concentrations of interleukin-5 and -10 in spleen cells stimulated in vitro with concanavalin A were significantly higher in the mice with B6 deficiency, as was their plasma corticosterone concentrations. These results suggested that B6 is necessary to maintain cytokine levels and lymphoid function in the thymus and spleen of mice.

Effect of vitamin B6 deficiency on an antibody production in mice.

To investigate the effects of vitamin B6 (B6) deficiency on an antibody production in BALB/c mice, the production of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E antibody against dinitrophenylated ovalbumin (DNP-OVA) were measured by the methods of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The mice fed on on a B6 deficient diet for 4 weeks were immunized intraperitoneally with DNP-OVA absorbed to aluminum hydroxide gel. The contents of anti DNP-IgE antibodies in sera of B6 deficient mice significantly increased compared to that of control mice fed on a diet containing B6. In addition, Interleukin-4, which was known to induce IgE production in allergic reactions from splenocytes of B6 deficient mice, was approximately four-fold higher than that in control mice. According to the recovery test to the B6 deficient mice, that is feeding the control diet for 21 days, all values in terms of the body, thymus, and spleen weight, total serum protein, IgG, and anti DNP-IgE content, regained almost the same levels as those of control. These results suggest that B6 deficiency in mice would have relation to the stimulation of specific IgE antibody production against DNP-OVA.

Isolation from a coastal fish of Vibrio hollisae capable of producing a hemolysin similar to the thermostable direct hemolysin of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

A vibrio isolated from the intestine of a coastal fish was identified as Vibrio hollisae by its biochemical characteristics. The isolate reacted with the gene probe for the thermostable direct hemolysin of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The hemolysin produced by the isolate from the fish had traits identical to those of the thermostable direct hemolysin-like hemolysin produced by a clinical strain of V. hollisae.

Stability of Radurized Indian Mackerel ( Rastrelliger kanagurta ) as a Function of Temperature.

The influence of 1.5 kGy of gamma irradiation on the stability of Indian mackerel ( Rastrelliger kanagurta ) stored at temperatures of 0, 5, 10 and 15 C was examined. Using several indices for assessment of quality, it was found that the radiation treatment suppressed the rate of spoilage of fish stored at the above temperatures. However, the relative spoilage rates of both unirradiated and irradiated mackerel were similar as a function of storage temperature. The storage-life of fish calculated on the basis of the Spencer and Baines equation for evaluation of spoilage compared favorably with scores obtained by organoleptic evaluation.

Regulatory responses of arginine deiminase in whole cells of Clostridium sporogenes.

Arginine deiminase (EC 3.5.3.6) has been shown to have regulatory properties. The activity was observed to be sigmoidal with respect to substrate concentrations. Addition of histidine to the system caused the abolition of sigmoidal responses. The regulatory properties of the enzyme as well as the desensitising action of histidine could also be demonstrated with whole cell suspensions. The pH of the system also seemed to influence modulations in the enzyme.