Nutritional Composition of White-Spotted Flower Chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis) Larvae Produced from Commercial Insect Farms in Korea.

This study was conducted to compare the nutritional composition of white-spotted flower chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis) larvae produced from five commercial insect farms in Korea. The feeding sources of larvae were different as follows: Farm A, fermented oak sawdust; Farm B, fermented oak and scrub sawdust; Farm C, commercial feed; Farm D, private fermented feed; and Farm E, byproduct from mushroom compost. Drying yield significantly varied by insect farm, ranging from 14.12% to 27.28%. However, there was only small difference (5.14-7.38 g/100 g) in moisture content of dried larvae powder (p<0.001). The larvae produced from Farm A, B, and D presented higher protein content and lower lipid content compared to those from Farm C and E (p<0.05). No significant differences in total and essential amino acid contents were found, regardless of the insect farms. Phosphoserine, taurine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, well-known physiological useful compounds, were detected in form of free amino acids. The major fatty acids in the P. brevitarsis larvae were oleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, and linoleic acid. The larvae from Farm A, B, and E exhibited higher oleic acid content than those from Farm B and C (p<0.05). Moreover, the larvae from Farm A presented the lowest saturated fatty acid (SFA)/unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) ratio. Although the underlying mechanisms of the nutritional composition differences are not yet clearly understood, this study suggests that the Farm A production system, using only oak feed, could be potentially beneficial in increasing the protein content and decreasing SFA/UFA ratio in P. brevitarsis larvae.

Functional Chemical Components in Protaetia brevitarsis Larvae: Impact of Supplementary Feeds.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of various supplementary feeds on the chemical composition and production of bioactive substances in Protaetia brevitarsis larvae. The primary feed-oak-fermented sawdust-was supplemented with a variety of substances, including aloe, apple, banana, sweet persimmon (S. persimmon) and sweet pumpkin (S. pumpkin). Crude protein and fat content were the highest in the control and S. pumpkin group, respectively. Supplementary feeds increased the content of unsaturated fatty acids, except in the group receiving S. pumpkin, in which oleic acid was the most abundant (58.2%-64.5%). Free essential amino acids in larvae receiving supplementary aloe were higher compared with the control group except for Lys and His. Polyphenol and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant activities of ABTS and DPPH were higher in all treated groups compared with the control group. Although supplementary feeds led to a decreased crude protein content in the treated larvae when compared with the control group, these treatments generally improved the levels of unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidative activity. Therefore, we suggest that among the supplementary foods tested, aloe is a better resource for P. brevitarsis based on crude protein content, free amino acids and other bioactive compounds such as unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants.

Identification of Association between Supply of Pork and Production of Meat Products in Korea by Canonical Correlation Analysis.

To identify correlation between fresh meat and processed meat products, we performed canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to predict the relationship between pork supply and meat product production in Korea. Results of CCA showed a canonical correlation of 0.8576 in the first canonical pair (p<0.01). The production of meat products showed the highest correlation with pork import but the lowest correlation with the production of domestic pork. Although Korean consumer preferred meat products produced by fresh domestic pork, inexpensively imported pork with high share in meat products was supplied in the market. Therefore, securing domestically produced raw meat is important for expanding consumption of domestic meat products. Results of this study suggest that meat processor and pig producer can achieve the 6th industrialization by combining the production of raw pork materials, meat processing, and sales service.

Anti-Salmonella Activity Modulation of Mastoparan V1-A Wasp Venom Toxin-Using Protease Inhibitors, and Its Efficient Production via an Escherichia coli Secretion System.

A previous study highlighted that mastoparan V1 (MP-V1), a mastoparan from the venom of the social wasp Vespula vulgaris, is a potent antimicrobial peptide against Salmonella infection, which causes enteric diseases. However, there exist some limits for its practical application due to the loss of its activity in an increased bacterial density and the difficulty of its efficient production. In this study, we first modulated successfully the antimicrobial activity of synthetic MP-V1 against an increased Salmonella population using protease inhibitors, and developed an Escherichia coli secretion system efficiently producing active MP-V1. The protease inhibitors used, except pepstatin A, significantly increased the antimicrobial activity of the synthetic MP-V1 at minimum inhibitory concentrations (determined against 106 cfu/mL of population) against an increased population (108 cfu/mL) of three different Salmonella serotypes, Gallinarum, Typhimurium and Enteritidis. Meanwhile, the E. coli strain harboring OmpA SS::MP-V1 was identified to successfully secrete active MP-V1 into cell-free supernatant, whose antimicrobial activity disappeared in the increased population (108 cfu/mL) of Salmonella Typhimurium recovered by adding a protease inhibitor cocktail. Therefore, it has been concluded that our challenge using the E. coli secretion system with the protease inhibitors is an attractive strategy for practical application of peptide toxins, such as MP-V1.

DNA methylation patterns and gene expression associated with litter size in Berkshire pig placenta.

Increasing litter size is of great interest to the pig industry. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, resulting in livestock phenotypes such as disease resistance, milk production, and reproduction. We classified Berkshire pigs into two groups according to litter size and estimated breeding value: smaller (SLG) and larger (LLG) litter size groups. Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression were analyzed using placenta genomic DNA and RNA to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with litter size. The methylation levels of CpG dinucleotides in different genomic regions were noticeably different between the groups, while global methylation pattern was similar, and excluding intergenic regions they were found the most frequently in gene body regions. Next, we analyzed RNA-Seq data to identify DEGs between the SLG and LLG groups. A total of 1591 DEGs were identified: 567 were downregulated and 1024 were upregulated in LLG compared to SLG. To identify genes that simultaneously exhibited changes in DNA methylation and mRNA expression, we integrated and analyzed the data from bisulfite-Seq and RNA-Seq. Nine DEGs positioned in DMRs were found. The expression of only three of these genes (PRKG2, CLCA4, and PCK1) was verified by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, we observed the same methylation patterns in blood samples as in the placental tissues by PCR-based methylation analysis. Together, these results provide useful data regarding potential epigenetic markers for selecting hyperprolific sows.

Associations of the Polymorphisms in DHRS4, SERPING1, and APOR Genes with Postmortem pH in Berkshire Pigs.

Postmortem pH is a main factor influencing the meat quality in pigs. This study investigated the association of postmortem pH with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fourth member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family (DHRS4), the first member of serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G (complement inhibitor) (SERPING1), and the apolipoprotein R precursor (APOR) genes in Berkshire pigs. The study included 437 pigs, and genotyping was conducted using the GoldenGate Assay (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). DHRS4, SERPING1, and APOR polymorphisms were significantly associated with pH45 or pH24 (p < 0.05). SERPING1 was also statistically significantly associated with water holding capacity (p < 0.05), which is closely associated with postmortem pH. These results suggest that SNPs in the DHRS4, SERPING1, and APOR genes have potential for use as genetic markers for the meat quality in pigs.

Pork Quality Traits According to Postmortem pH and Temperature in Berkshire.

This study was performed to investigate the role of pH and temperature postmortem, and to demonstrate the importance of these factors in determining meat quality. Postmortem pH 45min (pH at 45 min postmortem or initial pH) via analysis of Pearson's correlation showed high positive correlation with pH change pH c24 (pH change from pH 45min to pH 24h postmortem). However, postmortem pH after 24 h (pH 24h or ultimate pH) had a high negative correlation with pH change, pH c24 , CIE L*, and protein content. Initial temperature postmortem (T 1h ) was positively associated with a change in temperature from 45 min to 24 h postmortem (T c24 ) and cooking loss, but negatively correlated with water holding capacity. Temperature at 24 h postmortem (T 24h ) was negatively associated with T c24 . Collectively, these results indicate that higher initial pH was associated with higher pH c24 , T 1h , and T c24 . However, higher initial pH was associated with a reduction in carcass weight, backfat thickness, CIE a* and b*, water holding capacity, collagen and fat content, drip loss, and cooking loss as well as decreased shear force. In contrast, CIE a* and b*, drip loss, cooking loss, and shear force in higher ultimate pH was showed by a similar pattern to higher initial pH, whereas pH c24 , carcass weight, backfat thickness, water holding capacity, fat content, moisture content, protein content, T 1h , T 24h , and T c24 were exhibited by completely differential patterns (p<0.05). Therefore, we suggest that initial pH, ultimate pH, and temperatures postmortem are important factors in determining the meat quality of pork.

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Litter Size in Berkshire Pig Placenta.

Improvement in litter size has become of great interest in the pig industry because fecundity is directly related to sow reproductive life. Improved reproduction has thus been achieved by elucidating the molecular functions of genes associated with fecundity. In the present study, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) via transcriptomic analysis using RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) in Berkshire pig placentas from larger (LLG, mean litter size >12) and smaller (SLG, mean litter size < 6.5) litter size groups. In total 588 DEGs were identified (p < 0.05, > 1.5-fold change), of which 98 were upregulated, while 490 were downregulated in the LLG compared with the SLG. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment was also performed. We concluded that 129 of the 588 DEGs were closely related to litter size according to reproduction related genes selected based on previous reports, as 110 genes were downregulated and 19 upregulated in the LLG compared with the SLG. RT-qPCR utilizing specific primers targeting the early growth response 2 (EGR2), pheromaxein c subunit (PHEROC) and endothelial lipase (LIPG) genes showed high accordance with RNA-Seq results. Furthermore, we investigated the upstream regulators of these three genes in the placenta. We found that WNT9B, a Wnt signaling pathway molecule, and IL-6, known inducers of EGR2 and LIPG, respectively, were significantly increased in LLG compared with SLG. We believe that the induction of IL-6 and LIPG may play an important role in increasing nutrition supply through the placenta from the sow to the piglet during gestation. These results provide novel molecular insights into pig reproduction.

Cambial meristematic cells: a platform for the production of plant natural products.

Plant cell culture constitutes a sustainable, controllable and environmentally friendly tool to produce natural products for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and industrial biotechnology industries. However, there are significant obstacles to the commercial synthesis of high value chemicals from plant culture including low yields, performance instability, slow plant cell growth, industrial scale-up and downstream processing. Cambial meristematic cells constitute a platform to ameliorate many of these potential problems enabling the commercial production of high value chemicals.

Effect of packaging method and storage time on physicochemical characteristics of dry-cured pork neck products at 10°c.

Dry-cured pork neck samples were stored at 10°C for 90 days under vacuum packaging (VP) or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP; 25% CO2+75% N2) conditions. The pH, moisture, water activity, total aerobic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae counts of dry-cured pork neck products with MAP were significantly lower than those with VP (p<0.05) after 90 days of storage. However, CIE b* and 2-thiobarbituric acid reacted substance (TBARS) values of the pork product with MAP were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those with VP. Total aerobic bacterial counts and Enterobacteriaceae counts of samples with MAP were lower than those with VP after 30 days of storage. Sensory results indicated that aroma, flavor and tenderness scores of the samples with both VP and MAP decreased during storage and the scores after >60 days of storage were lower than those at Day 1. In conclusion, despite presenting higher lipid oxidation, the samples stored in packages containing 25% CO2 for 90 days at 10°C have lower bacterial counts than vacuum-packed samples. Therefore, further studies should be performed on the packaging of dry-cured meat at adjusted concentrations of CO2.

In vitro anti-osteoporosis properties of diverse Korean Drynariae rhizoma phenolic extracts.

Drynariae rhizoma has been used to prevent bone loss that occurs with increasing age. However, the chemical compounds in extracts that act on bone metabolism in herbal medicine are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate and compare the extraction efficacy of polyphenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and in vitro anti-osteoporosis properties of water extract (DR-DW) and ethanol extract (DR-EtOH) from D. rhizoma. Total phenolics and flavonoids were better extracted with 70% EtOH, and this extraction method also resulted in higher antioxidant activity and in vitro anti-osteoporosis properties in these extracts. In particular, the contents of phloroglucinol, protocatechuic acid ethyl ester, 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-benzoic acid, 3-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)-benzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, trans-ferulic acid, (-)-epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin dehydrate, luteolin and emodin in DR-EtOH were higher than those in DR-DW. These results indicated that DR-EtOH could be a good source of natural herbs with anti-osteoporosis properties.

The Influence of Spices on the Volatile Compounds of Cooked Beef Patty.

The aim of this study is to examine the influences of spices on the amounts and compositions of volatile compounds released from cooked beef patty. Beef patty with 0.5% of spice (nutmeg, onion, garlic, or ginger powder, w/w) was cooked by electronic pan until they reached an internal temperature of 75℃. A total of 46 volatile compounds (6 alcohols, 6 aldehydes, 5 hydrocarbons, 6 ketones, 9 sulfur compounds, and 14 terpenes) from cooked beef patties were detected by using purgeand- trap GC/MS. The addition of nutmeg, onion, or ginger powder significantly reduced the production of the volatile compounds via lipid oxidation in cooked beef patty when compared to those from the control. Also, the addition of nutmeg and garlic powder to beef patty generated a lot of trepans or sulfur volatile compounds, respectively. From these results, the major proportion by chemical classes such as alcohols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, ketones, sulfur compounds, and terpenes was different depending on the spice variations. The results indicate that addition of spices to the beef patty meaningfully changes the volatile compounds released from within. Therefore, it can be concluded that spices can interact with meat aroma significantly, and thus, the character of each spice should be considered before adding to the beef patty.

Alteration of Porcine Serum Albumin Levels in Pork Meat by Marination in Kiwi or Pineapple Juice and Subsequent Pan Broiling.

This study was conducted to evaluate the changes in porcine serum albumin (PSA), a major allergen, which occur when raw pork ham is marinated with kiwi or pineapple juice, and/or when the ham is pan broiled at 300℃ for 4 min after marination. In this study, raw pork ham was soaked for 4 h or 8 h in marinades containing commercial marinating sauce only, commercial marinating sauce and 7% kiwi juice, or commercial marinating sauce and 7% pineapple juice. When the meat was marinated and then pan-broiled, pork ham meat protein was significantly denatured and hydrolyzed, and the level of PSA in the meat was significantly reduced. The PSA contents of pork broiled without marination, pork that had been marinated in commercial marinating sauce alone, pork that had been marinated in commercial marinating sauce with kiwi juice, and pork that had been marinated in commercial marinating sauce with pineapple juice, were 95.4, 43.3, 14.3, and 5.4 ng/mL, respectively (p<0.05). Marinating with pineapple juice was more effective than marinating with kiwi juice; and marination for 8 h was more effective than marinating for 4 h. These results indicate that the level of PSA in pork ham is effectively reduced, when the meat is first marinated in sauces that contain kiwi or pineapple extracts for 8 h, rather than 4 h, and then cooked. Further study is needed to determine whether marinated pork meat reduces allergenicity in vivo, as well.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ethanol extract from the stem and leaf of Impatiens balsamina L. (Balsaminaceae) at different harvest times.

The aim of this study was to investigate the total phenolic content, total flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract from stems (S) and leaves (L) of Impatiens balsamina L. (Balsaminaceae), which were harvested in Korea on March 10, 2011 (S1 and L1), May 14, 2011 (S2 and L2), and July 5, 2011 (S3 and L3), respectively. Our results revealed that the total phenolic (79.55-103.94 mg CE/g extract) and flavonoid (57.43-104.28 mg QE/g extract) contents of leaf extract were higher (p < 0.01) than those of stem extract. Leaf extracts (L1, L2, and L3) exhibited stronger (p < 0.01) free radical scavenging activity (66.06, 63.71, and 72.19%, respectively) than that of the positive control. In terms of antimicrobial activity, leaf extracts showed higher inhibitory effects against microorganisms than those of stem extracts (S1, S2, and S3). Among the leaf extracts at different harvest times, L3 showed the greatest antimicrobial activity against both Gram negative and Gram positive strains. From these results, the leaf extract from I. balsamina L. might be a valuable bioactive resource, and would seem to be applicable as a natural antioxidant in food preservation.

Enhanced antioxidant and protective activities on retinal ganglion cells of carotenoids-overexpressing transgenic carrot.

Carotenoids are considered to act as antioxidants and protect humans from serious disorders such as skin degeneration and ageing, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and age-related diseases of the eye. In this study, these chemopreventive activities of a carotenoids-overexpressing transgenic carrot were evaluated. The results of DPPH, hydroxyl, and superoxide radical scavenging tests demonstrate that the acetone extract obtained from the taproots of the carrot plants exhibits significant antioxidant activity. A higher activity was detected in the transgenic carrot extract compared with the wild-type extract. A chemopreventive activity test for degenerative diseases of the eye revealed that pretreatment with the carrot extract reduced cell death in a retinal ganglion cell line, RGC-5 cells exposed to 1-buthionine- (R,S)-sulfoximine and L-glutamic acid.

Irradiation and additive combinations on the pathogen reduction and quality of poultry meat.

Reduction of foodborne illnesses and deaths by improving the safety of poultry products is one of the priority areas in the United States, and developing and implementing effective food processing technologies can be very effective to accomplish that goal. Irradiation is an effective processing technology for eliminating pathogens in poultry meat. Addition of antimicrobial agents during processing can be another approach to control pathogens in poultry products. However, the adoption of irradiation technology by the meat industry is limited because of quality and health concerns about irradiated meat products. Irradiation produces a characteristic aroma as well as alters meat flavor and color that significantly affect consumer acceptance. The generation of a pink color in cooked poultry and off-odor in poultry by irradiation is a critical issue because consumers associate the presence of a pink color in cooked poultry breast meat as contaminated or undercooked, and off-odor in raw meat and off-flavor in cooked meat with undesirable chemical reactions. As a result, the meat industry has difficulties in using irradiation to achieve its food safety benefits. Antimicrobials such as sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, and potassium benzoate are extensively used to extend the shelf-life and ensure the safety of meat products. However, the use of these antimicrobial agents alone cannot guarantee the safety of poultry products. It is known that some of the herbs, spices, and antimicrobials commonly used in meat processing can have synergistic effects with irradiation in controlling pathogens in meat. Also, the addition of spices or herbs in irradiated meat improves the quality of irradiated poultry by reducing lipid oxidation and production of off-odor volatiles or masking off-flavor. Therefore, combinations of irradiation with these additives can accomplish better pathogen reduction in meat products than using them alone even at lower levels of antimicrobials/herbs and irradiation doses. Effects of irradiation and additive combinations on the pathogen reduction and quality of poultry meat will be discussed in detail.

RNA-Seq approach for genetic improvement of meat quality in pig and evolutionary insight into the substrate specificity of animal carbonyl reductases.

Changes in meat quality traits are strongly associated with alterations in postmortem metabolism which depend on genetic variations, especially nonsynonymous single nucleotide variations (nsSNVs) having critical effects on protein structure and function. To selectively identify metabolism-related nsSNVs, next-generation transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) was carried out using RNAs from porcine liver, which contains a diverse range of metabolic enzymes. The multiplex SNV genotyping analysis showed that various metabolism-related genes had different nsSNV alleles. Moreover, many nsSNVs were significantly associated with multiple meat quality traits. Particularly, ch7:g.22112616A>G SNV was identified to create a single amino acid change (Thr/Ala) at the 145th residue of H1.3-like protein, very close to the putative 147th threonine phosphorylation site, suggesting that the nsSNV may affect multiple meat quality traits by affecting the epigenetic regulation of postmortem metabolism-related gene expression. Besides, one nonsynonymous variation, probably generated by gene duplication, led to a stop signal in porcine testicular carbonyl reductase (PTCR), resulting in a C-terminal (E281-A288) deletion. Molecular docking and energy minimization calculations indicated that the binding affinity of wild-type PTCR to 5α-DHT, a C(21)-steroid, was superior to that of C-terminal-deleted PTCR or human carbonyl reductase, which was very consistent with experimental data, reported previously. Furthermore, P284 was identified as an important residue mediating the specific interaction between PTCR and 5α-DHT, and phylogenetic analysis showed that P284 is an evolutionarily conserved residue among animal carbonyl reductases, which suggests that the C-terminal tails of these reductases may have evolved under evolutionary pressure to increase the substrate specificity for C(21)-steroids and facilitate metabolic adaptation. Altogether, our RNA-Seq revealed that selective nsSNVs were associated with meat quality traits that could be useful for successful marker-assisted selection in pigs and also represents a useful resource to enhance understanding of protein folding, substrate specificity, and the evolution of enzymes such as carbonyl reductase.

The effects of replacement of antibiotics with by-products of oriental medicinal plants on growth performance and meat qualities in fattening pigs.

The effect of by-products of oriental medicinal plants (OMP; T1) containing 0.03% herb extracts (T2) or 0.1% aminolevulinic acid (T3) on the production performance of swine during the finishing period and on its meat quality were investigated. No significant differences were found in the weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion rate among the tested groups (P > 0.05). But the treated group showed higher (P < 0.05) moisture and ash and lower protein than the control group. The T3 group showed a lower meat cholesterol content (38.42 mg/100 g) compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). The vitamin E content of the muscle in the treated groups was higher compared to the control group. No antibiotic content was detected in all treated and control samples. The values of the volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) of the treated groups were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than the control group. The treated groups had significantly better (P < 0.05) sensory-test scores for color, flavor, off-flavor and total acceptability compared to the control group.

Effect of dietary supplementation of the combination of gallic and linoleic Acid in thigh meat of broilers.

This study was performed to investigate the combined effect of dietary supplementation of gallic and linoleic acid (GL) on the antioxidative effect and quality of thigh meat from broilers. Broilers received 3 dietary treatments: i) commercial finisher diet (control), ii) 0.5% GL (gallic:linoleic acid = 1 M:1 M), and iii) 1.0% GL during the 22 to 36 d. The pH value of broiler thigh meat was increased by GL supplementation. Water holding capacity of the thigh meat was enhanced by the 1.0% dietary GL supplementation. Antioxidative effect (total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS(+) reducing activity, reducing power, and TBARS value) in the thigh from the broilers improved significantly with 1.0% GL. Linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acids were higher in the broilers fed both levels of dietary GL. However, volatile basic nitrogen content and microbiological quality was not shown to be different between control and treated group. Results indicate that 1.0% dietary supplementation of GL can improve the antioxidant activity of broiler thigh meat and may enhance the meat quality.

Radical scavenging-linked antioxidant activities of commonly used herbs and spices in Korea.

Herbs and spices not only variety and racy flavour to Korean foods, they also are the richest source for antioxidant power. The present study evaluates the radical scavenging-linked antioxidant activities of hot water extracts from commonly used herbs and spices in Korea. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and superoxide anion scavenging activities of bay extract were 39.5% and 22.1%, respectively. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was in order of dill (50.0%) > bay (31.3%) > garlic (27.9%) > white pepper and black pepper (15.1-15.3%) > onion (10.1%) extracts. Bay extract had the highest total phenolic content (17.86 µg CE/g). High correlation coefficients were found between the total phenol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity (R = 0.9162). These results indicate that herbs and spices had high antioxidant activity that is partly due to the phenolic compounds and provide basic data for further development of processed food products.