Fabrication of electrospun nanofibers with moisture-triggered carvacrol release in fresh produce packaging.

In this study, by incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers, a moisture-controlled system was developed in the release of carvacrol to the food package headspaces. With the use of electrospinning technology, an optimized solution (80:20 [PLA:PEG] polymer mixture incorporated with a carvacrol content of 20% [w/w polymer]) generated nanofibers with excellent encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, and controlled release of carvacrol at different humidity levels. Carvacrol was prevented from release when the fibers were kept in dry states. When placed in food packaging with high humidity levels, the nanofibers manifested high and continuous release of carvacrol into the headspace. The shelf life of strawberries determined by visual inspection was extended for 2 extra days when packaged with the optimized nanofibers and had a significantly lower yeasts and mold counts (4.28 ± 0.34 log CFU/g) compared to strawberries packaged without nanofibers (5.22 ± 0.47 log CFU/g) 3 days after applying the nanofibers (p < 0.05). PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The nanofibers with PEG content as developed in this study represent a step forward in practical application of the electrospinning technology to enhance food quality in food preservation.

Differential Survivability of Two Genetically Similar Salmonella Thompson Strains on Pre-harvest Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Leaves.

Although conventionally considered an animal pathogen, recent evidence increasingly suggests that fresh produce may act as significant transmission vehicles and alternative hosts to Salmonella. This study reports the differential survivability of two genetically similar Salmonella Thompson strains (ST 889B and ST 688C) on the adaxial surface of pre-harvest basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaves. Upon inoculation, two distinct phenomena, a dried water-print or a macroscopic lesion, were observed within 24 h. ST 889B survived better than ST 688C on healthy-looking leaves without lesions, possibly due to its higher biofilm-forming ability. Both strains survived better on the leaves with lesions than on the healthy-looking leaves (ST 688C: 4.39 ± 0.68 vs. 2.18 ± 0.29; ST 889B: 4.78 ± 0.12 vs. 2.83 ± 0.18 log CFU per sample at 6 days post-inoculation). ST 889B caused the formation of lesions at a higher frequency [70/117 leaves (59.8%)] than ST 688C [35/96 leaves (36.5%)]. Thus, we highlighted two distinct Salmonella survival strategies in the basil pathosystem and demonstrated gene expression polymorphism (variations in the expression of the same set of genes) as an indispensable strategy in the colonization of plants as hosts by the human pathogens.

Evaluation of a child food reward task and its association with maternal feeding practices.

Food reward is defined as the momentary value of a food to the individual at the time of ingestion and is characterised by two psychological processes-"liking" and "wanting". We aimed to validate an age-appropriate food reward task to quantify implicit wanting of children from the GUSTO cohort (n = 430). At age 5 years, child appetitive traits and maternal feeding practices were reported by mothers via questionnaires. At age 6, a write-for-food task based on the child's preference for food or toy rewards was undertaken in laboratory conditions. Child BMI and skinfold measurements were taken at age 7. Convergent validity of the food reward task was assessed by associating with child appetitive traits, where enjoyment of food/food responsiveness (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.15) and emotional overeating (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.48) were positively associated with high food reward in children. Criterion validity was tested by associating with child BMI, however no significant relationships were observed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with maternal feeding practices revealed that children whose mother tend to restrict unhealthy food (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.82) and girls whose mothers taught them about nutrition (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.19, 3.67) were more likely to have high food reward. No further significant associations were observed between food reward, other appetitive traits and feeding practices. Despite the lack of association with child weight status, this study demonstrated the value of the write-for-food task to assess food reward in children and presented sex-specific associations with maternal feeding practices.

Daily consumption of essence of chicken improves cognitive function: a systematically searched meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Essence of chicken (EC) is a dietary supplement with potential benefits on one's cognitive performance. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of consuming EC on cognitive function, applying extensively represented domains. Six databases were systematically searched to yield 1760 articles. These articles were independently screened to obtain 8 eligible articles with a pooled population of 794 subjects which is more than twice the population size considered in the previous meta-analyses. Largely, favorable effects on cognitive function were observed following daily EC intake, specifically in the working memory domain (standardized mean difference: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.46), one of the core components in executive function which showed statistically significant results. Furthermore, the observed results were also robust to sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses. This suggests that when consumed daily, EC may improve the mental processing aspect of cognitive function amongst the healthy population.

Isolation, Characterization, and Inactivation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia From Leafy Green Vegetables and Urban Agriculture Systems.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that, on the one hand, causes severe nosocomial infection in immunocompromised populations with a high mortality rate and, on the other hand, is present ubiquitously in the environment. This study, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, isolated and characterized S. maltophilia from leafy green vegetables produced by hydroponic farms and from a hydroponic farming facility in Singapore. Eleven S. maltophilia isolates were obtained from three types of leafy green vegetables (sweet basil, kale, and parsley) and from the nutrient solution used by a hydroponic farm. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biofilm-forming ability, and resistance to UV and quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) treatments were investigated, as was the fate of S. maltophilia in a simulated leafy green vegetable environment during a storage period of 6 days at different temperatures. The results showed that high population levels of S. maltophilia could be reached on leafy green vegetables, especially after being stored at abused temperatures (>8-log CFU/ml in basil juice after 6 days storage at 20°C) and on hydroponic farming facilities, probably due to biofilm formation (8 to 9-log CFU/well in biofilms). At 4°C, S. maltophilia was able to survive, but no growth was observed during storage in either bacteria culture media or basil juice for a period of 6 days. UV treatment, which induced substantial reductions in S. maltophilia in both single-species and dual-species biofilms mixed with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium reference strain (ATCC 14028) or self-isolated Pseudomonas fluorescens (>4-log reductions by 250 mJ/cm2 UV), is recommended for employment by hydroponic farms to treat their nutrient solutions and farming facilities so as to enhance microbial safety.

Maternal Dietary Patterns and Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Findings on the relations of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth and offspring birth size remain inconclusive. We aimed to systematically review and quantify these associations. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and CINAHL up to December 2017. Three authors independently conducted a literature search, study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. Summary effect sizes were calculated with random effects models and studies were summarized narratively if results could not be pooled. We included 36 studies and pooled results from 25 observational studies (167,507 participants). Two common dietary patterns-"healthy" and "unhealthy"-were identified. Healthy dietary patterns-characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein foods-were associated with lower risk of preterm birth (OR for top compared with bottom tertile: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.91; I2 = 32%) and a weak trend towards a lower risk of small-for-gestational-age (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.73, 1.01; I2 = 34%). Only statistically data-driven healthy dietary patterns, and not dietary index-based patterns, were associated with higher birth weight (mean difference: 67 g; 95% CI: 37, 96 g; I2 = 75%). Unhealthy dietary patterns-characterized by high intakes of refined grains, processed meat, and foods high in saturated fat or sugar-were associated with lower birth weight (mean difference: -40 g; 95% CI: -61, -20 g; I2 = 0%) and a trend towards a higher risk of preterm birth (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.39; I2 = 76%). Data from observational studies indicate that greater adherence to healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy is significantly related to lower risk of preterm birth. No consistent associations with birth weight and small- or large-for-gestational-age were observed.