Potential effect dietary supplementation of calcium tetraborate in quails exposed to cadmium: Its impact on productive performance, oxidative stress, cecal microflora, and histopathological changes.

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, and Cd exposure harms human health, agriculture, and animal husbandry. The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effect of dietary supplementation of calcium tetraborate (CTB) on productive performance, oxidative stress, cecal microflora, and histopathological changes in quail exposed to Cd. A total of one hundred twenty, 6-week-old Japanese quail (four females and two males/replicate) were divided into four groups (30 quails/group): the control group (feeding basic diet), CTB group (basic diet containing 300 mg/kg CaB4O7, 22.14% elemental B/kg diet), the Cd group (basic diet containing 100 mg/kg cadmium chloride (CdCl2) (total Cd content of 92.1 mg/kg)) and the CTB + Cd group (basic diet containing 300 mg/kg CTB and 100 mg/kg CdCl2). The results showed that Cd exposure caused decreased performance, increased the proportion of broken and soft-shelled eggs, induced oxidative stress, affected cecal microflora, epicardial hemorrhages in the heart, focal necrosis in the liver, degeneration in the kidneys, and degenerated and necrotic seminiferous tubules in the testicles. CTB prevented Cd-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue by increasing total antioxidant status and reducing total oxidant status. In addition, CTB improved egg production and feed conversion ratio (FCR). CTB protected the cecal microflora by inhibiting Enterobacteriaceae and promoting Lactobacillus. CTB also reduced Cd-induced histopathological damage in the heart, liver, kidneys, and testicles. In conclusion, these findings suggest that CTB could be used in Cd-challenged quail, and this compound provides new insights into the toxicity of environmental Cd.

Quantification of Bioactive Metabolites Derived from Cell-Free Supernatant of Pediococcus acidilactici and Screening their Protective Properties in Frankfurters.

The specific aims of the current study were to determine and quantify the bioactive compounds derived from the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of Pediococcus acidilactici and screen their protective effect in frankfurters by applying an edible coating. This was achieved by immersing the peeled frankfurters in the CFS (CFS: 50% and 100%) alone or in combination with chitosan (CH: 0.5% and 1%) solutions for 3 min. Untreated frankfurter samples (control) exceeded the maximum acceptable total viable count limit (7.0 log10) on the 14th day, whereas samples treated with 100% CFS + 1% chitosan reached the limit on day 28 during refrigerated storage (P < 0.05). This treatment provided a 14-day extension to the shelf life of frankfurters without causing any significant changes in color and sensory attributes (P > 0.05). Additionally, this treatment inhibited oxidation in the frankfurters, leading to no significant changes in TBA and TVB-N within this group during storage (P > 0.05). This protective effect was mainly attributed to the wide variety of bioactive compounds identified in the CFS, including a total of 5 organic acids, 20 free amino acids, 11 free fatty acids, 77 volatiles, and 10 polyphenols. Due to these bioactive compounds, CFS exhibited a strong radical scavenging capacity (DPPH: 435.08 TEAC/L, ABTS: 75.01 ± 0.14 mg TEAC/L; FRAP: 1.30 ± 0.03 mM FE/L) and antimicrobial activity against microorganisms primarily responsible for the spoilage of frankfurters. In conclusion, the results indicate that the CFS contains high levels of bioactive metabolites, and an edible chitosan coating impregnated with CFS can be utilized to extend the shelf life of frankfurters through its antimicrobial effects and oxidation stabilization.

Evaluation of homemade fermented pickle juice as a marinade: Effects on the microstructure, microbiological, physicochemical, textural properties, and sensory attributes of beef strip loin steaks.

The current study aimed to characterize homemade fermented pickle juice and evaluate its efficacy as a marinade on physicochemical, microbiological, textural properties, microstructure, and sensory attributes of the strip loins. Organic acids, phenolics, flavonoids, volatiles, total phenolic content (TPC), and in-vitro antioxidant capacity (ABTS and FRAP) analyses were carried out. Furthermore, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the diameter of inhibition zones of the pickle juice were determined against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, S. enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes. The strip loins were marinated with five different concentrations (10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of pickle juice at 4 °C for 24 h. A total of 4 organic acids, 23 phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and 69 volatiles were identified in the pickle juice. The TPC, ABTS, and FRAP values of the pickle juice were found to be 184.24 ± 33.28 GAE/L, 44.48 ± 0.41 mg TEAC/L, and 2.79 ± 0.01 mM FE/L, respectively. The MIC and inhibition zones were recorded between 7.81 and 12.50% and 8.25-13.80 mm against pathogenic bacteria, respectively. The textural properties of the strip loins marinated with 100% pickle were improved compared to the control (P < 0.05). Moreover, this concentration decreased the number of pathogens in strip loins, ranging between 1.07 and 2.77 log10 CFU/g (P < 0.05). Regarding sensory attributes, the strip loins marinated with 50% and 100% pickle juice had higher scores compared to the non-marinated samples. The results of this study indicated that pickle juice can be evaluated as a marinade to improve the microbiological quality and textural properties of strip loins.

Characterization of lactic acid bacteria postbiotics, evaluation in-vitro antibacterial effect, microbial and chemical quality on chicken drumsticks.

The aims of this study were to characterize postbiotics, and to evaluate their antibacterial effects in-vitro and on chicken drumsticks. Postbiotics [Pediococcus. acidilactici (PA), Latilactobacillus sakei/Staphylococcus xylosus (LS)] exhibited strong antioxidant activity, and their total phenolic contents were found as 2952.78 ± 0.4 and 1819.44 ± 0.39 mg GAE/L, respectively (P < 0.05). A total of 19 different phenolic and flavonoids were determined in the postbiotics. The results of the study revealed that 5% and 10% postbiotics + EDTA decreased the number of L. monocytogenes nearly 5.0 log10 in 6 h in TSB. S. Typhimurium count in the chicken drumstick decontaminated with 10% PA was found as 2.1 log10 lower than the control group on day 0. L. monocytogenes counts in the chicken drumstick decontaminated with 10% Postbiotics+1% LA groups were found to be 1.1 log10 lower than the control group (P < 0.05). The lowest total mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts in the chicken drumsticks were found in the 10% Postbiotics+1% LA samples, and postbiotics did not change the color properties of the drumstick samples on day 0 (P > 0.05). In conclusion, postbiotics and their combinations with natural preservatives may be an alternative approach to reduce the food-borne pathogens and to extend the shelf-life of poultry meat and meat products.

Impact of chitosan embedded with postbiotics from Pediococcus acidilactici against emerging foodborne pathogens in vacuum-packaged frankfurters during refrigerated storage.

The objective of the study was to carry out characterization of postbiotics from Pediococcus acidilactici and to assess their efficacy (50% and 100%) in combination with chitosan (0.5 and 1%) against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes on frankfurters during refrigerated storage for 35 days. High amounts of total phenolic content (1708.15 ± 93.28 mg GAE/L) and carboxylic acids, which comprised 74.89% of the total volatiles, were found in the postbiotics. On day 0, the postbiotic-chitosan combinations decreased the E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium counts ranging from 1.58 to 3.21 log10 compared to the control in frankfurters (P < 0.05). Total viable count and number of lactic acid bacteria were effectively reduced in all treatment groups (P < 0.05), and postbiotic and chitosan treatments did not cause any changes in pH and color of the frankfurters. In conclusion, postbiotic-chitosan combinations can be used to reduce the risks that might be associated with E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and S. Typhimurium in frankfurters.

Characterization of Pediococcus acidilactici postbiotic and impact of postbiotic-fortified chitosan coating on the microbial and chemical quality of chicken breast fillets.

This study was carried out to characterize antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and the phenolic and flavonoids profile of postbiotic of Pediococcus acidilactici and to evaluate the effects of postbiotics (10% and 50%) alone and in combination with chitosan coating (1%) on the microbial and chemical quality of chicken breast fillets during storage at 4 °C. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the postbiotics were found to be 1291.02 ± 1.5 mg/L TEAC and 2336.11 ± 2.36 mg/L GAE, respectively. The most abundant phenolic was vanillic acid, followed by t-caffeic, gallic, and caftaric acids. The postbiotic-chitosan (50% + 1%) combination decreased L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium counts by 1.5 and 2.1 log10 CFU/g, respectively, compared to the control (P < 0.05). This combination decreased the total viable count (TVC), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and psychrotrophic bacteria count compared to the control (P < 0.05). No differences were found in thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values among the samples during storage (P > 0.05). Postbiotic treatment did not significantly change the pH values and color properties of the breast fillets (P > 0.05). Postbiotic-chitosan combinations extended the shelf-life by up to 12 days compared to the control. In conclusion, the postbiotic-chitosan combination can be used to preserve and improve the microbial quality of chicken meat products.

Validation and verification of LAMP, ISO, and VIDAS UP methods for detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in different food matrices.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is one of the most important food-borne pathogens to threaten public health. Cultural methods are used as a gold standard while they are laborious and time-consuming. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method is an alternative method that became widely used for the detection of food-borne pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of LAMP method for detection of E. coli O157:H7, also to compare detection performances with VIDAS UP and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) methods in different food matrices (beef meat, minced lamb meat, milk, cheese, apple puree, and soybean sprouts). E. coli O157:H7 were spiked in three different levels (high 4.58; medium 2.32; low 0.30 log10 CFU/g-ml) to food matrices. Although there were no significant differences in terms of the specificity and sensitivity values among the three methods (p ≥ .05), it was determined that the highest specificity and sensitivity values obtained from the LAMP method. Sensitivity and specificity values of LAMP method were found as 0.997 and 0.988, for the ISO method were 0.989 and 0.971, and for the VIDAS UP method were 0.980 and 0.963, respectively. In milk samples, sensitivity and specificity values of the VIDAS UP method were significantly lower than LAMP and ISO methods (p < .05). However, there were no significant differences found for the other food matrices among the three methods (p > .05). It can be summarized from this study that specificity and sensitivity values of the LAMP method are equal or higher and less time-consuming than ISO and VIDAS UP methods. In conclusion, using a simple, fast, and inexpensive detection method, such as LAMP, especially in endemic regions or in an outbreak to control spreading of pathogens, is very important for public health.

Development and evaluation of a novel Campylobacter spp. enrichment medium.

Although rapid detection kits continue to be developed and used, the classical culture method is still accepted as a gold standard. Therefore accelerating the classical culture methods safely is important for the detection of Campylobacter. The aim of this study is to design and compare a novel developed medium with other confirmed media in naturally and experimentally contaminated food matrices. Besides classical culture methods, it is subjected to qPCR and FISH methods. In this study, Campylobacter counts are investigated in spiked milk, chicken breast meat, cumin, minced beef meat, celery and tomato puree. Also to evaluate the enrichment medium in naturally contaminated samples, Campylobacter detection is performed in 20 chicken neck skin samples obtained from different sales points. The study showed that the novel broth provides a faster detectable number of Campylobacter. It was found to provide detectable Campylobacter counts after eight hours of inoculation. The results have shown that there is a significant increase on Campylobacter count in the detection performed using the spiked foods. Furthermore, the entire natural contaminated chicken neck skin samples are found to be positive the same as the other mediums. As a result of the study, in the classic culture methods, designed enrichment medium is faster than the currently used enrichment mediums. It is an important point of view to develop fast and reliable diagnostic methods for assuring adequate public health.

Effect of some chemical decontaminants on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium with different attachment times on chicken drumstick and breast meat.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of some decontaminant agents on the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes with different attachment periods to chicken drumstick with skin and skinless breast meat. For this purpose, S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes were given periods of 0.5 (30 s), 20 and 210 min to attach to the chicken drumstick and breast meat. At the end of the each attachment period, the meat samples were treated with lactic acid, (2 and 4%), cetylpyridinium chloride (0.5%) and acidified sodium chlorite (1200 ppm). In the drumstick sample treated with cetylpyridinium chloride, the reduction level of L. monocytogenes with 30 s attachment period was 3.2 log10 CFU/ml while the reduction level was found to be 2.2 log10 CFU/ml with 20 min attachment period. Decontamination with acidified sodium chlorite resulted in reduction of 1.8 log10 CFU/ml in S. Typhimurium attached to the chicken drumstick for 30 s while the reduction levels of S. Typhimurium with 20 and 210 min attachment periods were 1.2 and 1.3 log10 CFU/ml, respectively. The results indicated that some antimicrobial agents have more strong effect on L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium on the chicken meat parts in the first 30 s of attachment. However, there were no changes in the efficacy of the decontaminants on the survival of L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium on chicken meat when the attachment time of these bacteria were extended from 20 min to 210 min.