Characterization of Bacillus cereus in Dairy Products in China.

Bacillus cereus is a common and ubiquitous foodborne pathogen with an increasing prevalence rate in dairy products in China. High and unmet demands for such products, particularly milk, raise the risk of B. cereus associated contamination. The presence of B. cereus and its virulence factors in dairy products may cause food poisoning and other illnesses. Thus, this review first summarizes the epidemiological characteristics and analytical assays of B. cereus from dairy products in China, providing insights into the implementation of intervention strategies. In addition, the recent achievements on the cytotoxicity and mechanisms of B. cereus are also presented to shed light on the therapeutic options for B. cereus associated infections.

Preparation and characterization of an immunoaffinity column for the selective extraction of aflatoxin B1 in 13 kinds of foodstuffs.

A rapid and reliable immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up based ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in cereals, peanuts, vegetable oils and Chinese traditional food products like sufu and lobster sauce. The immunoaffinity column of AFB1 (AFB1-IAC) was prepared by coupling CNBr-activated Sepharose-4B with the anti-AFB1 monoclonal antibody. The column capacity of IAC was over 260ng/mL gel. Samples were extracted with methanol-water (60:40, v/v) and the extracts were then purified on an AFB1-IAC before UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The average recoveries of AFB1 in spiked samples at levels of 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0µg/kg ranged from 72% to 98%, with the relative standard deviations of 1.2-9.3% (n=6). The limits of qualification ranged from 0.07 to 0.23µg/kg, which were below the MRLs of AFB1 in the matrices evaluated. In this work, the developed method was suitable for the determination of trace AFB1 residues in 13 kinds of foodstuffs.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination and depletion profile of flunixin residues in tissues after single oral administration in rabbits.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the detection of flunixin residues in rabbit tissues. The samples were extracted with acidic acetonitrile, defatted with n-hexane, and then purified by HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge. Analysis was carried out on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS working with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The limits of detection (LODs) of the method were 0.3-0.8µgkg(-1) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.0-3.0µgkg(-1) in rabbit tissues, respectively. In all fortified samples at a concentration range of 1.0-300.0µgkg(-1), mean recoveries were 61.7-115.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 16%. Residue depletion of flunixin in rabbit was conducted after oral administration at a dose of 5mgkg(-1) of body weight. The average concentrations for flunixin measured 2h post-administration in kidney and intestine were significantly higher than in liver, heart and muscle. The concentrations for flunixin in all rabbit tissues were below the LOD or not detected in all tissues after 96h administration of drug. A minimum withdrawal time of 21h was indicated for residue levels in heart, liver, kidney, intestine and muscle below the maximum residue limits (MRLs).

Simultaneous determination of thirty non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug residues in swine muscle by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous determination of residues of thirty non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in swine muscle. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile and phosphoric acid. The extracts were defatted with n-hexane, and then purified by HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge. Analysis was carried out on UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS working with multiple reaction monitoring mode with polarity switching. Limits of detection were between 0.4 µg/kg and 2.0 µg/kg, and limits of quantification were between 1.0 µg/kg and 5.0 µg/kg. The recoveries of NSAIDs were between 61.7% and 125.7% at spiked levels of 1.0-500 µg/kg. The repeatability was less than 8% and the within-laboratory reproducibility was not more than 12.3%. The method was reliable, convenient and sensitive.

[Fluorescence resonance energy transfer between gentamycin and water-soluble CdTe QDs].

The water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were prepared by using mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as stabilizer in the aqueous system. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system was constructed between gentamycin (acceptor) and water-soluble CdTe QDs (donor). The maximal emission wavelength was 690 nm, and the line width of the fluorescence spectrum was very narrow (with the full width at half-maximum about 10 nm) and symmetric. The transfer of resonance energy from the CdTe QDs to gentamycin (GT) resulted in the fluorescence quenching of the QDs, corresponding to the increase in the concentration of GT. Several factors that impacted the fluorescence spectra of the FRET system, such as the excitation wavelength (305-425 nm), pH(5.0-11.0), ions (0-0.1 mmol x L(-1) PBS; 0-0.5 mmol x L(-1) NaCl), time (1-120 min), temperature (5-50 degrees C), and concentration of GT (2-80 mg x L(-1)), were investigated and refined. The linear ranges of GT concentration were 2-20 mg x L(-1), r = 0.986 7. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used for confirming the chemical construction and relative specificity, respectively. The results indicated that sulfur and oxygen atoms in MPA molecules took part in coordination with rich Cd2+ on the surface of the nanoparticles. Meanwhile the results also demonstrated that the hydrogen bond between carboxyl of mercaptopropionic acid on the surface of quantum dots and amidocyanogen of GT mainly contributes to combining CdTe with GT. The combination ratio between GT and CdTe QDs is 0.35 to 1.0 according to HPLC. GT as an enhancement has first been applied to the determination of the bovine serum albumin (BSA) labeled with CdTe QDs, and the fluorescence intensity of the labeled BSA with GT is 6 times higher than the control. The proposed method might offer an attractive potential for use in future, because it is sensitive and rapid.