Existence of circadian rhythm and its response behavior under different storage conditions of soybean sprouts.

The circadian system plays an essential role in plant cells, and numerous physiological events are generally modulated by circadian clock genes. To further improve postharvest handling of fresh produce, it is vital to understanding the behavior of clock gene expression and its underlying interactions with changes in quality. In this study, the effect of temperature and controlled atmosphere storage on the expression of clock genes (GmLCL1, GmPRR7, GmGI, GmTOC1, and GmLUX), postharvest quality characteristics and their related genes in soybean sprouts were investigated. By fitting the obtained gene expression level using the qPCR method with the cosine curve equation, it was successfully found that the circadian rhythm existed under constant dark storage conditions of soybean sprouts. A significant rhythm in clock gene expression was observed in control soybean sprouts. In contrast, low temperature storage diminished the cyclic expression of GmLCL1, GmPRR7, and GmTOC1, which also affected GmGI and GmLUX expression. Additionally, high CO2 concentrations during storage disturbed the circadian clock by affecting the phase and amplitude of each gene; for low O2 concentrations, it was only affected by amplitude. Interestingly, low temperature, low O2, and high CO2 maintained postharvest quality, including reduced respiration, weight loss and browning incidence. The expression behaviors of postharvest quality attribute-related genes (GmFUM1, GmCS, Gm2-OGDH, GmPPO1, GmPAL) were also influenced by the storage treatments. Overall, the findings first suggest a possible link between clock disruption and postharvest quality maintenance of soybean sprouts.

Modeling the metachronous ripening pattern of mature green tomato as affected by cultivar and storage temperature.

Nutritional benefits and organoleptic characteristics, including visual, textural, taste, and flavor, are the critical characteristics of economically important fruit. Ripening is a crucial phenomenon in the formation of these quality characteristics in fruits. Therefore, controlling the ripening phenomenon is extremely important not only to maximize the benefits of the fruit but also to avoid food losses caused by over-ripening. Tomato is an important model plant, especially for research on fruit ripening. The metachronous model of tomato ripening is presented in this report. This model predicts the postharvest ripening time of tomato fruit in terms of red color development based on the storage period. A modified sigmoid-type function model was used to develop the prediction model. The observations and analyses were conducted at different storage temperatures and in different tomato cultivars. The result exhibits that the integration of the proposed model and time lag was successfully showing the postharvest ripening time history of tomato fruit at the full range ripening process, from onset to fully ripe. This study provides critical information on postharvest quality control research and supply chain development in eliminating food loss and waste, which leads to the realization of sustainable development goals.

Dataset for life cycle assessment of strawberry-package supply chain with considering food loss during transportation.

This dataset includes two kinds of data (for inventory analysis in Table A1 to A13, and precondition of waste and recycle for plastic and cardboard in Table A14) for conducting life cycle assessment (LCA) of strawberry-package supply chain with considering food loss during transportation Inventory analysis includes input data for LCA analysis. The data in the inventory was referenced from the publication of Plastic Waste Management Institute Plastic Waste Management Institute, (2017) and calculated based on the damage area ratio measured in our co-submitted article (Sasaki et al., 2022). This data helps to reproduce the article (Sasaki et al., 2022) for inventory analysis and re-analyze the environmental impact through the life cycle of strawberry assessed in the co-submitted article. Data of waste (incineration and landfill) and recycle ratios for plastic was collected from the previous reports of the publication Basic Knowledge of Plastic Recycle 2021 (Plastic Waste Management Institute, 2021), and data of the ratios for cardboard was referenced from Transition of Collect Rate on Cardboard (Ministry of the Environment (MOE), 2016). Ratios in this data show Japan-specialized values and is useful for creating the inventory.

Long-term exposure to a 40-GHz electromagnetic field does not affect genotoxicity or heat shock protein expression in HCE-T or SRA01/04 cells.

Millimeter waves are used in various fields, and the risks of this wavelength range for human health must be carefully evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of millimeter waves on genotoxicity and heat shock protein expression in human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) and human lens epithelial (SRA01/04) cells. We exposed the cells to 40-GHz millimeter waves at 1 mW/cm2 for 24 h. We observed no statistically significant increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency or the level of DNA strand breaks in cells exposed to 40-GHz millimeter waves relative to sham-exposed and incubator controls. Heat shock protein (Hsp) expression also exhibited no statistically significant response to the 40-GHz exposure. These results indicate that exposure to 40 GHz millimeter waves under these conditions has little or no effect on MN formation, DNA strand breaks, or Hsp expression in HCE-T or SRA01/04 cells.

Carcinogenicity of intermediate frequency magnetic field in Tg.rasH2 mice.

Although the likelihood of exposure to leaking intermediate frequency magnetic fields (MFs) from electronic devices, such as induction-heating and wireless power transfer systems, has increased, biological data assessing the health risks associated with human exposure remain insufficient. We examined the carcinogenicity of a 20 kHz MF, a typical frequency produced by induction-heating cookers, using a transgenic rasH2 mouse model. Twenty-five male and female CByB6F1-Tg(HRAS)2Jic mice were exposed to a 0.20 mT, 20 kHz MF (22 h/day) or sham-exposed for 26 weeks. As a positive control, 10 male and female rasH2 mice from the same batch were administered a single intraperitoneal injection of 75 mg/kg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. A blinded histopathological evaluation was performed, and the same experiments were conducted twice, independently, to confirm the reproducibility of the results. Histopathological examination revealed that spontaneous neoplastic lesions, such as splenic hemangiosarcomas and gastric squamous cell papillomas, were less (1-3 per group) in the MF- and sham-exposed groups. The frequency of the neoplastic lesions was not significantly different between the groups. Eight to ten mice in each positive-control group exhibited malignant lymphoma. The outcomes were consistent between duplicated experiments, which indicates lack of carcinogenicity of 20 kHz MF in the rasH2 mouse model. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2019 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Twenty Four-Hour Exposure to a 0.12 THz Electromagnetic Field Does Not Affect the Genotoxicity, Morphological Changes, or Expression of Heat Shock Protein in HCE-T Cells.

To investigate the cellular effects of terahertz (THz) exposure, human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) cells derived from human eye were exposed to 0.12 THz radiation at 5 mW/cm² for 24 h, then the genotoxicity, morphological changes, and heat shock protein (Hsp) expression of the cells were examined. There was no statistically significant increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency of cells exposed to 0.12 THz radiation compared with sham-exposed controls and incubator controls, whereas the MN frequency of cells treated with bleomycin for 1 h (positive control) did increase significantly. Similarly, there were no significant morphological changes in cells exposed to 0.12 THz radiation compared to sham-exposed controls and incubator controls, and Hsp expression (Hsp27, Hsp70, and Hsp90α) was also not significantly different between the three treatments. These results indicate that exposure to 0.12 THz radiation using the present conditions appears to have no or very little effect on MN formation, morphological changes, and Hsp expression in cells derived from human eye.

Effects of Long-Term Exposure to 60 GHz Millimeter-Wavelength Radiation on the Genotoxicity and Heat Shock Protein (Hsp) Expression of Cells Derived from Human Eye.

Human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) and human lens epithelial (SRA01/04) cells derived from the human eye were exposed to 60 gigahertz (GHz) millimeter-wavelength radiation for 24 h. There was no statistically significant increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency in cells exposed to 60 GHz millimeter-wavelength radiation at 1 mW/cm² compared with sham-exposed controls and incubator controls. The MN frequency of cells treated with bleomycin for 1 h provided positive controls. The comet assay, used to detect DNA strand breaks, and heat shock protein (Hsp) expression also showed no statistically significant effects of exposure. These results indicate that exposure to millimeter-wavelength radiation has no effect on genotoxicity in human eye cells.

Growth Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by D-tryptophan as an incompatible solute.

Under osmotic stress, bacterial cells uptake compatible solutes such as glycine-betaine to maintain homeostasis. It is unknown whether incompatible solutes exist that are similar in structure to compatible solutes but have adverse physiological effects on bacterial physiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate solute incompatibility of various amino acids against bacterial growth. Bacterial growth was evaluated by changes in optical density at 595 nm in peptone-yeast-glucose (PYG) broth. Twenty-three amino acids with L and/or D isomers were examined for the effect of bacterial growth inhibition. Among the various amino acids examined, D-tryptophan (∼ 40 mM) in PYG broth supplemented with 0 to 4% (wt/vol) salt inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 at 25 °C. D-Tryptophan (30 to 40 mM) completely inhibited the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in the presence of >3% salt, but the growth of L. monocytogenes was not completely inhibited under the same conditions. Low concentrations of salt (0 to 2% NaCl) with D-tryptophan did not significantly inhibit the growth of all bacteria except L. monocytogenes, which was relatively inhibited at 0% NaCl. The effect of D-tryptophan differed depending on the bacterial species, illustrating the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. These results indicate that the uptake of D-tryptophan as a compatible solute during osmotic stress may inhibit bacterial growth. The antibacterial effect of D-tryptophan found in this study suggests that D-tryptophan could be used as a novel preservative for controlling bacterial growth in foods.

Comparison of desiccation tolerance among Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Cronobacter sakazakii in powdered infant formula.

Bacterial pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Cronobacter sakazakii have demonstrated long-term survival in/on dry or low-water activity (aw) foods. However, there have been few comparative studies on the desiccation tolerance among these bacterial pathogens separately in a same food matrix. In the present study, the survival kinetics of the four bacterial pathogens separately inoculated onto powdered infant formula as a model low-aw food was compared during storage at 5, 22, and 35°C. No significant differences in the survival kinetics between E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were observed. Salmonella showed significantly higher desiccation tolerance than these pathogens, and C. sakazakii demonstrated significantly higher desiccation tolerance than all other three bacteria studied. Thus, the desiccation tolerance was represented as C. sakazakii > Salmonella > E. coli O157:H7 = L. monocytogenes. The survival kinetics of each bacterium was mathematically analyzed, and the observed kinetics was successfully described using the Weibull model. To evaluate the variability of the inactivation kinetics of the tested bacterial pathogens, the Monte Carlo simulation was performed using assumed probability distribution of the estimated fitted parameters. The simulation results showed that the storage temperature significantly influenced survival of each bacterium under the dry environment, where the bacterial inactivation became faster with increasing storage temperature. Furthermore, the fitted rate and shape parameters of the Weibull model were successfully modelled as a function of temperature. The numerical simulation of the bacterial inactivation was realized using the functions of the parameters under arbitrary fluctuating temperature conditions.

Tomato FRUITFULL homologs regulate fruit ripening via ethylene biosynthesis.

Certain MADS-box transcription factors play central roles in regulating fruit ripening. RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), a tomato MADS-domain protein, acts as a global regulator of ripening, affecting the climacteric rise of ethylene, pigmentation changes, and fruit softening. Previously, we showed that two MADS-domain proteins, the FRUITFULL homologs FUL1 and FUL2, form complexes with RIN. Here, we characterized the FUL1/FUL2 loss-of-function phenotype in co-suppressed plants. The transgenic plants produced ripening-defective fruits accumulating little or no lycopene. Unlike a previous study on FUL1/FUL2 suppressed tomatoes, our transgenic fruits showed very low levels of ethylene production, and this was associated with suppression of the genes for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase, a rate-limiting enzyme in ethylene synthesis. FUL1/FUL2 suppression also caused the fruit to soften in a manner independent of ripening, possibly due to reduced cuticle thickness in the peel of the suppressed tomatoes.

Evaluation of the life cycle of bioethanol produced from rice straws.

This study evaluated the life cycle of bioethanol produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw. Net energy consumption, CO(2) emission and production costs were estimated to determine whether environmentally preferable and economically viable bioethanol can be produced from rice straws. Two varieties of rice straw (Koshihikari and Leafstar), three energy scenarios (F-E-RH: Fuel-Electricity-Residues used for Heat; F-E-RE: Fuel-Electricity-Residues used to generate Electricity; F-RE: Fuel-Residues used to generate Electricity) and three types of primary energy (heavy oil; LNG: liquefied natural gas; agri-residues) were considered. The net energy consumption, CO(2) emission and production costs were estimated to be 10.0-17.6MJ/L, -0.5 to 1.6kg/L and 84.9-144.3¥/L (1 US$≈100¥), respectively, depending on the feedstock and scenarios of this study. A shift in energy scenarios or in the type of primary energy (heavy oil to LNG or agri-residues) not only reduces emissions and production costs of bioethanol from rice straw, but may also reduce the fluctuation in production cost over time and risk on investment, which would encourage more investment in this sector.

Life cycle of meats: an opportunity to abate the greenhouse gas emission from meat industry in Japan.

The food industry is one of the world's largest industrial sectors, hence a large contributor of greenhouse gases (GHG) which cause global warming. This study evaluates the life cycle of various types of meat to determine if the GHG emission from the meat industry in Japan could be reduced if the population makes different dietary choices. It was confirmed that the GHG emission of beef was greater than that of pork or chicken. The GHG emission from meat in general also depends on the per capita caloric intake (if meat supplies the recommended animal protein or contributes to it at the present rate). In a healthy and balanced diet (9.2 MJ i.e., 2200 kcal in total, where either mixed meat or chicken or pork or beef contributes 2.2%), the GHG emission is estimated to be 0.28 or 0.17 or 0.15 or 0.77 kg CO2 eq/person/day, respectively. A change in consumption patterns (from beef to chicken or pork) and the adoption of a healthy and balanced diet would help to abate about 2.5-54.0 million tons (CO2 eq) produced by the meat industry each year in Japan.

Processing conditions, rice properties, health and environment.

Rice is the staple food for nearly two-thirds of the world's population. Food components and environmental load of rice depends on the rice form that is resulted by different processing conditions. Brown rice (BR), germinated brown rice (GBR) and partially-milled rice (PMR) contains more health beneficial food components compared to the well milled rice (WMR). Although the arsenic concentration in cooked rice depends on the cooking methods, parboiled rice (PBR) seems to be relatively prone to arsenic contamination compared to that of untreated rice, if contaminated water is used for parboiling and cooking. A change in consumption patterns from PBR to untreated rice (non-parboiled), and WMR to PMR or BR may conserve about 43-54 million tons of rice and reduce the risk from arsenic contamination in the arsenic prone area. This study also reveals that a change in rice consumption patterns not only supply more food components but also reduces environmental loads. A switch in production and consumption patterns would improve food security where food grains are scarce, and provide more health beneficial food components, may prevent some diseases and ease the burden on the Earth. However, motivation and awareness of the environment and health, and even a nominal incentive may require for a method switching which may help in building a sustainable society.

Distinct distribution of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and ergosterol in Fusarium-infected Japanese soft red winter wheat milling fractions.

The occurrence of mycotoxins in small grain cereals and their retention in final products are serious concerns for food safety. Previously, we investigated the fate of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol in a Japanese soft red winter wheat cultivar during milling and we found that deoxynivalenol and/or nivalenol was readily distributed among flours for human consumption. In the present study, we analyzed the ergosterol concentrations in the milling fractions as an index of fungal biomass to elucidate the relationship between deoxynivalenol/nivalenol accumulation and fungal invasion into the grain, after the in-house validation of an analytical method for quantifying ergosterol in the resulting milling fractions (patent flour, low-grade flour, bran, and shorts). Using three samples with different levels of deoxynivalenol and/or nivalenol contamination, the contents of deoxynivalenol/nivalenol and ergosterol in the resulting milling fractions were evaluated. The concentration of ergosterol was always lowest in patent flour and highest in bran or shorts, indicating that most of the fungi is retained in the outer layers of grain (bran and shorts) even in highly contaminated grain. On the other hand, the concentrations of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol were similar in the low-grade and patent flours and only slightly lower than in the medium-level and high-level contaminated grains. Moreover, the percentage distribution of ergosterol was higher in bran than in other fractions in all cases, which differed from that of deoxynivalenol/nivalenol. This result indicates the diffusion of deoxynivalenol/nivalenol inside the grain that is independent of fungal invasion.

Biosurfactants for microbubble preparation and application.

Biosurfactants can be classified by their chemical composition and their origin. This review briefly describes various classes of biosurfactants based on their origin and introduces a few of the most widely used biosurfactants. The current status and future trends in biosurfactant production are discussed, with an emphasis on those derived from plants. Following a brief introduction of the properties of microbubbles, recent progress in the application of microbubble technology to molecular imaging, wastewater treatment, and aerobic fermentation are presented. Several studies on the preparation, characterization and applications of biosurfactant-based microbubbles are reviewed.

Characterization of a soybean oil-based biosurfactant and evaluation of its ability to form microbubbles.

This paper characterizes the physico-chemical properties of the soybean oil-based polymeric surfactant, Palozengs R-004 (hereafter referred to as R-004). The surface activity of R-004 is comparable to the reported activities of biosurfactants produced by microorganisms and higher than some of the conventional synthetic surfactants. The surface tension of Milli-Q water was reduced to a minimum value of roughly 30mN/m at a concentration of about 0.07wt.%. R-004 exhibited a unique aggregation behavior: small aggregates (pre-micelles) were formed at very low concentrations. Zeta-potential measurements showed that the micelles of R-004 are negatively charged due to the presence of carboxylic groups. The ability of R-004 to form and stabilize microbubbles was evaluated and was found to be greatly affected by filtration while remaining independent of R-004 concentration over the concentration range studied (0.05-0.5wt.%). These results suggest that a very low level of surfactant can be used to produce microbubbles without affecting their properties. Our results suggest the possibility of using soybean oil-based surfactants to food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications.

Effects of surfactant and electrolyte concentrations on bubble formation and stabilization.

As interest in the application of microbubbles grows, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the factors affecting their formation and properties in order to effectively generate microbubbles. This paper investigates the effect of surfactant concentration and electrolyte addition on the size distribution and stability of microbubbles. The anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as the surfactant. Minimum bubble diameter and maximum stability were achieved at surfactant concentrations above the CMC. The effect of the electrolyte addition was studied by adding sodium chloride (NaCl) at an SDS concentration below the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Addition of NaCl decreased bubble size and improved bubble preparation to a certain extent. The addition of salt at low concentrations did not affect the surface tension; however, the surface tension was reduced as salt concentration was increased and reached a constant value for NaCl concentrations above 0.25%. The presence of NaCl resulted in a significant decrease in zeta-potential, implying a reduction in the surface charge of SDS micelles. This result suggests that the presence of NaCl may improve the generation and stability of bubbles by enhancing the structures of the adsorption monolayer and interfacial film.

Ethylene biosynthesis regulation in tomato fruit from the F1 hybrid of the ripening inhibitor (rin) mutant.

We have previously shown a significant decrease in the ethylene production in tomato fruit from the RIN/rin genotype. In this present study, we evaluated the amount of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and the gene expression and enzymatic activities of ACC synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO) to find which type of regulation influenced this low ethylene production. The results suggest that the decreased ethylene production was due to transcriptional regulation of the ACS and ACO genes by the heterozygous effect of the rin gene.

Fruit antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, total phenol, quercetin, and carotene of Irwin mango fruits stored at low temperature after high electric field pretreatment.

Greenhouse-grown tree ripe (TR) and mature green (MG) mangoes (cv. Irwin) were exposed to high electric field treatment before 20 and 30 days of storage at 5 degrees C. MG fruits were allowed to ripen at room temperature after low-temperature storage. Fruit physical quality attributes, ascorbic acid, carotene, quercetin, total phenols, and antioxidant capacity were estimated before and after the storage period. Antioxidant capacity of fruit juice was estimated using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Fruit firmness decreased significantly during storage. Titratable acidity decreased 20 days after storage. Total soluble solids did not change during storage. Antioxidant capacity of fruits remained unchanged up to 20 days of storage period and decreased thereafter. Total phenol and carotenes increased during storage. Antioxidant capacity of fruits was significantly correlated only to ascorbic acids. Peel color and carotenes were higher in TR fruits, whereas titratable acidity and firmness were higher in MG fruits. There was no significant difference in other parameters between the stages of picking. Electric field pretreatment affected the respiration and antioxidant capacity of TR fruits and did not have any significant affect on other parameters. TR mangoes of cv. Irwin are more suitable for low-temperature storage and can be successfully stored for up to 20 days at 5 degrees C without any significant losses in functional properties and quality attributes.