Research Publications (Food Safety)

Sour rot, caused by Geotrichum citriaurantii (G. citri-aurantii.), is one of the most serious grapevine secondary infection diseases in China. We have determined that pterostilbene, the most important phytoalexin, effectively inhibits the activity of G. citri‐aurantii. To study the synthesis mechanism of pterostilbene against G. citri‐aurantii in grape, we initially detected the content of pterostilbene present in grapes infected by G. citri‐aurantii with the use of UHPLC‐QQQ‐MS2.

We evaluated the characteristic odor substances in Asian carp meat, which are prevalent in the Great Lakes, to provide a foundation for resource utilization and removing its fishy smell. Three Mono Trap RCC18 adsorbents were used to extract samples. Volatile components were analyzed by gas phase‐olfaction‐mass spectrometry. The main odor‐active substances were identified by aroma extraction dilution analysis. The overall odor profile was analyzed by electronic nose.

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) are rich in omega fatty acids. The aim was to evaluate the effect of chia intake on acute dyslipidemia, on acute steatohepatitis, and on mixed damage in non‐obese rats. Chia seeds intake for 4 weeks partially or totally prevented steatohepatitis, and reduced dyslipidemia in groups. The hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of chia may be correlated to its high content of α‐linolenic acid (omega‐3), fiber, protein, and phenolic compounds.

Purple rice extract (PRE) retarded the testosterone‐induced rat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and suppressed the growth of human prostate cancer (LNCaP). These effects might cause by the reduction of androgen receptor (AR) activation. Therefore, the genes responsible for AR‐DHT complex were down‐regulated such as prostate specific antigen (PSA).

The oligosaccharide Hep‐2 from cultured mycelium of Hericium erinaceus was isolated by the method of water extraction, alcohol precipitation, and column chromatography. Hep‐2 consists of galactose, and glucose with 1,080 Da molecular weight and it is an oligosaccharide mixture of 2–7 sugars by LC‐MSn and includes three types of sugar residues with no branches by methylation methods. Hep‐2 possess good antioxidant activity in vivo.

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli O157 is an important reason for largest food borne inflectional outbreaks. E. coli O157 invades into the food chain through contaminated irrigation water and soil causing infectious diseases to humans. In our previous study, we have evaluated the persistence of E. coli O157 through plate count methods. However, conventional cultural procedures are less sensitive to discriminate the pathogenic strain and are time consuming.

A novel and porous solid phase microextraction fiber was prepared by quick and simple galvanic displacement reaction and applied to the determination of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sunflower oil. The parameters affecting the porosity and thickness of the fiber, and parameters affecting the extraction efficiency including the extraction time, temperature and ionic strength were investigated and optimized.

The biomonitoring of hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine, as a direct way to access multiple exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, has raised great concerns due to their increasing hazardous health effects on humans. Solid‐phase extraction is an effective and useful technique to preconcentrate trace analytes from biological samples.

Ion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry is an established technique for determination of ionic analytes, however, sophisticated buffer removal equipment is required to eliminate inorganic compounds from the eluate before introduction into the ion source of mass spectrometer. A standard high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry setup using an ion exchange column (Metrosep® A Supp 5) is proposed as an alternative approach.

The control of enantiomeric purity and determination of individual enantiomeric drug molecules remains the subject of importance for clinical, analytical, and regulatory purposes and to facilitate an accurate evaluation of the risks posed by them to human health. A large number of pharmaceuticals are marketed and administered as racemates. Etodolac is among such nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Overall literature reports on its enantioseparation are scanty.

The present paper deals with the multivariate optimization of an extraction‐purification strategy for the determination of phytoestrogens (daidzein, genistein, coumestrol, formononetin, and biochanin A) in soy‐based meat substitutes by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. For a reliable quantitation of these new concerning compounds in such a complex matrix, recovery and matrix effect must be carefully evaluated.

A systematic Quality by Design approach was employed for developing an isocratic reversed‐phase liquid chromatographictechniquefor the estimation of ropinirole hydrochloride in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations. LiChrospher RP 18‐5 Endcapped column (25 cm × 4.6 mm i.d.) at ambient temperature (25±2°C) was used for the chromatographic separation of the drug.

The harmful health effects caused by phthalic acid esters have been supported from the increasing scientific evidence, developing the efficient methodologies to monitor the levels of phthalic acid esters in various foods become especially important from the aspects of human exposure assessment and their migration mechanistic understanding.

We herein presented a mesoporous cellular foam solid‐phase microextraction coating that showed highly sensitive recognition for weakly polarity polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples. The mesoporous cellular foam coater fiber was for the first time prepared by a simple sol‐gel method.

Steroid hormones as endocrine disrupting compounds can interfere with the functioning of hormonal systems of organisms and thus affect the health and reproduction of humans and wildlife. Unfortunately, these types of harmful endocrine disrupting compounds have been found in a variety of environmental samples at very low concentrations. Therefore, a simple, fast, and efficient method for enrichment of water samples is needed.

Xiaojin Capsule, a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat mammary cancer, thyroid nodules, and hyperplasia of the mammary glands. However, its systematic chemical information remained unclear, which hindered the interpretation of the pharmacology and the mechanism of action of this drug.

ABSTRACT The ripened seeds of Strychnos nux‐vomica L. have been extensively used as herbal medicines in Asian countries. Dihydroindole‐type alkaloids are not only the active constituents but also the toxicants in Strychnos. However, the simultaneous determination of these alkaloids in both crude and processed Semen Strychni is still lacking.

Low potency corticosteroid betamethasone valerate and vitamin‐A tazarotene are used in combination for effective treatment of psoriasis. There is no robust HPLC analytical technique available for simultaneous estimation of betamethasone valerate and tazarotene in conventional and nanocarriers based formulations. The simple, accurate, robust isocratic HPLC method was developed for simultaneous estimation of betamethasone valerate and tazarotene in topical pharmaceutical formulations.

This research deals with development of a stability‐indicating HPLC method for simultaneous determination of amprolium hydrochloride and ethopabate. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive stability‐indicating method has been reported for analysis of this mixture. Separation was achieved using Kromasil cyano column with gradient elution of the mobile phase composed of sodium hexane sulfonate solution and methanol. Quantification was based on measuring peak areas at 266 nm.

Driven by the significant need for characterization of the chemical speciation of arsenic in food, this work developed a method for rapid determination of four common arsenic species, namely, arsenite, arsenate, monomethyl arsenic acid, and dimethyl arsenic acid, in vegetables using microwave‐assisted extraction, followed by detection with high‐performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry.

The aim of this work was to develop an efficient method for the selective extraction and analysis of fenoxycarb, a carbamate pesticide, in mussel samples using a molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction device. The optimization of molecularly imprinted polymer synthesis was performed using the experimental design under the response surface methodology approach.

Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was prepared from nano‐molybdenum disulfide by simple firing in muffle furnace. Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was used as the extraction coating on the stainless steel wire. Four wires were filled in a polyetheretherketone tube to get an extraction tube. The tube was connected to the six‐port valve of a high performance liquid chromatograph, and the online analysis system was constructed.

Alarelin, a gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue, is widely used in China for the treatment of endometriosis and uterine leiomyoma. In order to investigate its pharmacokinetic behavior and support the preclinical application of new formulations, we have developed a novel and highly selective bioanalytical method to determine alarelin in rat plasma based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with triple stage fragmentation.

A high‐throughput method based on ultrasonic‐assisted extraction, 96‐well plate thin‐film microextraction was established to determinate 18 antibiotics in animal feed. In this method, the extraction was implemented by ultrasonic‐assisted extraction for 30 min with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid‐McIlvaine buffer (pH 5) containing 6% sodium chloride w/v, purified by thin‐film microextraction and combined with 96‐well plate system to improve the efficiency.

A high‐fat diet induces gut microbiome dysbiosis, including mucus‐foraging bacteria diminishing (e.g. Akkermansia muciniphila) and pathobionts enrichment (e.g. Enterobacteriaceae). This is in parallel with an expansion of firmly adherent mucus layer in the colon. A gradient of bacterial distribution in the gut is identified with a few bacteria residing in the firmly adherent mucus layer.