Lemon essential oil nanoemulsions: Potential natural inhibitors against Escherichia coli.

Lemon essential oil (LEO) is a common natural antibacterial substance, and encapsulating LEO into nanoemulsions (NEs) can improve their stability and broaden its application. Our study aimed to investigate the bacterial inhibitory effect of LEO-NEs against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of LEO-NEs was 6.25 mg/mL, and the time-kill curve showed that E. coli were significantly killed by LEO-NEs after 5 h of treatment at 1MIC. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that LEO-NEs adversely affected the cell-membrane depolarisation, cell-membrane integrity, and efflux pump function of E. coli. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that 8MIC of LEO-NEs induced changes in the cell-membrane permeability and cell-wall integrity of E. coli. Proteomic results suggested that the mode of action LEO-NEs against E. coli was to enhance bacterial chemotaxis and significantly inhibit ribosomal assembly. They may also affect butyric acid, ascorbic acid and aldehyde metabolism, and sulphur-relay system pathways. In conclusion, LEO-NEs had potential application as a natural antibacterial agent for the control of E. coli in the food industry.

Untargeted Metabolomic Analyses and Antilipidemic Effects of Citrus Physiological Premature Fruit Drop.

Increasingly globally prevalent obesity and related metabolic disorders have underscored the demand for safe and natural therapeutic approaches, given the limitations of weight loss drugs and surgeries. This study compared the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of five different varieties of citrus physiological premature fruit drop (CPFD). Untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify variations in metabolites among different CPFDs, and their antilipidemic effects in vitro were assessed. The results showed that Citrus aurantium L. 'Daidai' physiological premature fruit drop (DDPD) and Citrus aurantium 'Changshan-huyou' physiological premature fruit drop (HYPD) exhibited higher levels of phytochemicals and stronger antioxidant activity. There were 97 differential metabolites identified in DDPD and HYPD, including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, terpenes, and lipids. Additionally, DDPD and HYPD demonstrated potential antilipidemic effects against oleic acid (OA)-induced steatosis in HepG2 hepatocytes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In conclusion, our findings reveal the outstanding antioxidant activity and antilipidemic effects of CPFD, indicating its potential use as a natural antioxidant and health supplement and promoting the high-value utilization of this resource.

Zein/pullulan complex colloidal particle-stabilized Pickering emulsions for oral delivery of polymethoxylated flavones: protection effect and in vitro digestion.

BACKGROUND: Polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) show multiple biological functions, while their high hydrophobicity leads to a low bioaccessibility and limits their wide applications. The design of a reasonable food-grade drug delivery system is an effective strategy to improve the low bioaccessibility of PMFs. In this study, sinensetin, tangeretin and nobiletin were encapsulated in Pickering emulsions stabilized by zein/pullulan complex colloidal particles (ZPPs), and the protection effect and in vitro digestion were characterized. RESULTS: Rheological analysis revealed that ZPP-Pickering emulsion loading with PMFs maintained a strong gel-like network structure. Moreover, the ability to scavenge free radicals of PMFs was improved by the emulsion delivery system. The antioxidant activity of PMFs encapsulated in Pickering emulsion was positively correlated with the oil volume fraction (φ). ZPP-Pickering emulsion loading with PMFs can effectively delay lipid oxidation, and the φ (70%) of Pickering emulsion showed the most pronounced effects, in which the lipid hydroperoxide content and malondialdehyde content decreased by 64.3% and 38.3% after 15 days of storage, compared with the bulk oil group, respectively. The bioaccessibility of the three PMFs has been increased by ZPP-Pickering emulsion simultaneously and it presented the highest values as its φ was 50%, in which the bioaccessibility of sinensetin, tangeretin and nobiletin increased by 2.5, 3.2 and 3.9 times, compared with the bulk oil group, respectively. CONCLUSION: Pickering emulsion stabilized by ZPPs is an excellent nutrient delivery system for delivering three PMFs simultaneously and imparting functional properties to bioactive delivery systems. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fabrication and characterization of Pickering emulsion gels stabilized by zein/pullulan complex colloidal particles.

BACKGROUND: Zein particles are unsuitable as stabilizers of Pickering emulsions because of their high hydrophobicity. However, few studies have reported on the use of a strong hydrophilic neutral polysaccharide to regulate its wettability. In this work, zein/pullulan complex particles (ZPPs) were formulated by an anti-solvent method to fabricate Pickering emulsions. RESULTS: The presence of pullulan increased the size, decreased the zeta, and provided excellent resistance to the gravitational separation of zein. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the shape of zein particles changed from spherical as they became aggregated ZPP nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the flocculation phenomenon of ZPPs was related to the hydrogen bond between zein and pullulan. Moreover, the hydrophobicity of zein was modified by hydrophilic pullulan to endow the ZPPs with nearly neutral wettability when the mass ratio was 15:1, allowing for the preparation of stable Pickering emulsions. In contrast to zein, the ZPPs contributed to building a compact interface layer around the droplets and smaller emulsion droplets. Under a certain ZPP concentration, the size and viscosity of emulsion increased with an increase in the oil volume fraction, indicating that the Pickering emulsions stabilized by ZPPs showed better stability against coalescence. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed that the ZPPs constructed a dense filling layer on the surface of oil droplets, thus further emphasizing that ZPPs can potentially be used in fabricating Pickering emulsion gels. CONCLUSION: Zein/pullulan complex particles are an excellent Pickering emulsion gel stabilizer that can be used in the delivery system of bioactive substances in food formulations. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characteristic Volatile Fingerprints and Odor Activity Values in Different Citrus-Tea by HS-GC-IMS and HS-SPME-GC-MS.

Citrus tea is an emerging tea drink produced from tea and the pericarp of citrus, which consumers have increasingly favored due to its potential health effects and unique flavor. This study aimed to simultaneously combine the characteristic volatile fingerprints with the odor activity values (OAVs) of different citrus teas for the first time by headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Results showed that the establishment of a citrus tea flavor fingerprint based on HS-GC-IMS data can provide an effective means for the rapid identification and traceability of different citrus varieties. Moreover, 68 volatile compounds (OAV > 1) were identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS, which reflected the contribution of aroma compounds to the characteristic flavor of samples. Amongst them, the contribution of linalool with sweet flower fragrance was the highest. Odorants such as decanal, ß-lonone, ß-ionone, ß-myrcene and D-limonene also contributed significantly to all samples. According to principal component analysis, the samples from different citrus teas were significantly separated. Visualization analysis based on Pearson correlation coefficients suggested that the correlation between key compounds was clarified. A comprehensive evaluation of the aroma of citrus tea will guide citrus tea flavor quality control and mass production.

Changes in Cuticle Components and Morphology of 'Satsuma' Mandarin (Citrus unshiu) during Ambient Storage and Their Potential Role on Penicillium digitatum Infection.

To elucidate the role of fruit cuticle in fungal infection, changes in cuticle composition and morphology of 'Satsuma' mandarin during ambient (at 25 °C) storage and their role in Penicillium digitatum infection were investigated. Results showed that the epicuticular wax yield increased from 1.11 µg cm-2 to 4.21 µg cm-2 during storage for 20 days and then decreased to 1.35 µg cm-2 as storage time prolonged to 40 days. Intracuticular wax content of fruits stored for 20 days showed a peak value that was 1.7-fold higher than that of fruits stored for 40 days. The contents of cutin monomers of fruits showed a decreased trend during storage, while their proportions in the cutin stayed stable. Acids were identified as the most abundant components in epicuticular wax independently of the storage time, followed by alkanes and terpenoids. Terpenoids were found as the predominant components in intracuticular wax during the whole storage, followed by alkanes and acids. The flattened platelets crystals of fruits at harvest changed into small granule-like wax ones after 10 days of storage then gradually distributed across the surface of the fruits as stored for 40 days. Results of in vitro tests showed that mycelial growth of Penicillium digitatum could be promoted by epicuticular wax and conidial germination could be inhibited by cutin at different storage stages. These results shed new light on the chemical basis for cuticle involvement in fungal infection.

Changes in the Volatile Components of Candied Kumquats in Different Processing Methodologies with Headspace-Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

The effects of two different processing methods on the volatile components of candied kumquats were investigated via headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS). The characteristic volatile fingerprints of fresh kumquats (FKs), vacuum sugaring osmosis combined with hot-air drying kumquats (VS-ADKs), and atmospheric pressure sugaring osmosis combined with hot-air drying kumquats (AS-ADKs) were established using 3D topographic plots. From the fingerprints, 40 signal peaks for 22 compounds were confirmed and quantified in all types of kumquats, namely, two terpenes, four esters, seven aldehydes, three ketones, and six alcohols. 3-Pentanone was identified as the major component of FKs; followed by 1-hexanol and the Z-3-hexen-1-ol dimer. The hexanal dimer, 2-hexen-1-ol, and the ethyl acetate dimer were the major markers of VS-ADKs. Benzaldehyde and furfurol were the prominent constituent parts of AS-ADKs. Compared with that in FKs, the pentanal and dimethyl ketone contents of VS-ADKs and AS-ADKs exhibited a dramatic increase (p < 0.05). By contrast, the change in ethanol dimer tended to decrease (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly showed that the samples, which were distributed in a separate space could be well-distinguished. Furthermore, the similarity of different processed kumquats and their corresponding volatile components was demonstrated via heat map clustering analysis. The results confirmed the potential of HS-GC-IMS-based approaches to evaluate processed kumquats with various volatile profiles.

Curdlan-polyphenol complexes prepared by pH-driven effectively enhanced their physicochemical stability, antioxidant and prebiotic activities.

In this study, the curdlan-polyphenol complexes were constructed by a pH-driven method. The interaction between curdlan and various hydrophobic polyphenols (curcumin, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid) was investigated. Curdlan could self-assemble into particles for loading polyphenols through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The three polyphenols were embedded in curdlan in an amorphous state. The curdlan-curcumin complex showed the lowest viscoelasticity but exhibited the highest curcumin loading ability (34.04 ± 1.73 mg/g). However, the curdlan-chlorogenic acid complex emerged the opposite trend, indicating that the loading capacity was associated with the hydrophobicity of polyphenols. The antioxidant activity of curdlan significantly increased after combining with polyphenols, which could be maintained during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion. In particular, the curdlan-quercetin complex exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and short-chain fatty acid concentration, which could influence gut microbiota composition by promoting the proliferation of Prevotella and inhibiting the growth of Escherichia_Shigella. In conclusion, the curdlan-polyphenol complexes prepared by an alcohol-free pH-driven method could effectively enhance the gastrointestinal stability of polyphenols as well as increase the antioxidant and prebiotic activities of curdlan, which could be applied as a functional ingredient to improve gut health.

Redox-sensitive self-assembling polymer micelles based on oleanolic modified hydroxyethyl starch: Synthesis, characterisation, and oleanolic release.

Our study aimed at developing polymer micelles that possess redox sensitivity and excellent controlled release properties. 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid (DTDPA, Abbreviation in synthetic polymers: SS) was introduced as ROS (Reactive oxygen species)response bond and connecting arm to couple hydroxyethyl starch (HES) with oleanolic acid (OA), resulting in the synthesis of four distinct grafting ratios of HES-SS-OA. FTIR (Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy) and 1H NMR (1H Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra) were used to verify the triumphant combination of HES-SS-OA. Polymer micelles were found to encapsulate OA in an amorphous form, as indicated by the results of XRD (X-ray diffraction) and DSC (Differential scanning calorimetry). When the OA grafting rate on HES increased from 7.72 % to 11.75 %, the particle size decreased from 297.79 nm to 201.39 nm as the polymer micelles became compact due to enhanced hydrophobicity. In addition, the zeta potential changed from -16.42 mv to -25.78 mv, the PDI (polydispersity index) decreased from 0.3649 to 0.2435, and the critical micelle concentration (CMC) decreased from 0.0955 mg/mL to 0.0123 mg/mL. Results of erythrocyte hemolysis, cytotoxicity and cellular uptake illustrated that HES-SS-OA had excellent biocompatibility and minimal cytotoxicity for AML-12 cells. Disulfide bond breakage of HES-SS-OA in the presence of H2O2 and GSH confirmed the redox sensitivity of the HES-SS-OA micelles and their excellent controlled release properties for OA. These findings suggest that HES-SS-OA can be potentially used in the future as a healthcare drug and medicine for the prevention or adjuvant treatment of inflammation.

The Aqueous Extract of Hemerocallis citrina Baroni Improves the Lactation-Promoting Effect in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells through the PI3K-AKT Signaling Pathway.

Insufficient milk supply is a widespread issue faced by women globally and associated with a higher risk of health problems in infants and mothers. Hemerocallis citrina Baron, commonly known as daylily, is a perennial edible plant often used in traditional Asian cuisine to promote lactation. However, the active compound(s) and mechanism of its lactation-promoting effect remain unclear. This study aimed to confirm the traditional use of daylily in promoting lactation and investigate its potential active components and underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results showed that the aqueous extracts of H. citrina Baroni (HAE) significantly enhanced milk production, and the serum levels of lactation-related hormones, and promoted mammary gland development in lactating rats, as well as increased the levels of milk components in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) (p < 0.05). UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS analysis revealed that hexamethylquercetin (HQ) is the representative flavonoid component in HAE, accounting for 42.66% of the total flavonoids. An integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis suggested that HQ may be the potential active flavonoid in HAE that promotes lactation, possibly supporting lactation by binding to key target proteins such as STAT5A, PIK3CA, IGF1R, TP53, CCND1, BCL2, INS, AR, and DLD. Cell experiments further demonstrated that HQ could promote cell proliferation and the synthesis of milk proteins, lactose, and milk fat in BMECs. Transcriptomic analysis combined with a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed that both HAE and HQ exert a lactation-promoting function mainly through regulating the expression of key genes in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Anti-obesity mechanism of Ganpu tea revealed by microbiome, metabolome and transcriptome analyses.

In this study, the anti-obesity mechanism of Ganpu tea (GPT) from the perspectives of microbiome, metabolome and transcriptome was investigated. GPT significantly reduced the high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced levels of inflammatory cytokines and the expansion of lipid droplets and white adipose tissue. GPT also improved HFD-induced gut microbiome imbalance by significantly reducing the proportion of Firmicutes to Bacteroidota. Metabolomic data showed that HFD-induced metabolic disorder was regulated by GPT and probably characterised by being related to 4-aminobutyraldehyde and 5-acetylamino-6-amino-3-methyluracil. Transcriptome showed that the improvement of obesity was mainly related to the IL-17 signaling pathway and the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450. Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that gut microbiota were significantly correlated with inflammatory factors, genes and metabolites. Metabolome-transcriptome analysis showed that GPT reversed obesity mainly through the carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism.Collectively, GPT may be used as a health drink to prevent or treat obesity.

Online Extraction-DPPH-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS System for Efficient Screening and Identification of Antioxidants from Citrus aurantium L. var. amara (Rutaceae): Integrating Sample Preparation and Antioxidants Profiling.

The lack of a direct connection between solid edible or medical natural products and bioactive compound profiling is a bottleneck in natural product research and quality control. Here, a novel integrated system, online extraction (OLE)-2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS, was fabricated to extract, screen, and identify antioxidants from the whole fruit of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara (CAVA, Rutaceae) simply, rapidly, and efficiently. The system consumes less sample (1.0 mg of CAVA powder) and requires a shorter analytical time (45 min for sample extraction, antioxidants screening, separation, and identification). Eight antioxidant flavonoids were screened and identified, and six available flavanones were sensitively, precisely, and accurately quantified. Two major flavanone glycosides, naringin (50.37 ± 0.43 mg/g) and neohesperidin (38.20 ± 0.27 mg/g), exhibit potent DPPH scavenging activities with IC50 values of 111.9 ± 10.06 and 178.55 ± 11.28 µg/mL. A minor flavanone aglycone, hesperitin (0.73 ± 0.06 mg/g), presents stronger DPPH scavenging activity (IC50, 39.07 ± 2.51 µg/mL). Furthermore, density functional theory calculations demonstrated their electron transport ability and chemical reactivity, which confirmed the screened results. The results indicate that the developed OLE-DPPH-HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS system provides new perspectives for analysis of antioxidants from complex natural products, which also contribute to the quality evaluation of CAVA.

Preparation, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity of Nanoemulsions Incorporating Lemon Essential Oil.

Lemon essential oil (LEO) is a kind of citrus essential oil with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities, but low water solubility and biological instability hinder its industrial application. In this study, LEO was nanoemulsified to solve these problems. The preparation procedure of lemon essential oil nanoemulsions (LEO-NEs) was optimized, and the physicochemical characterization and antioxidant activities were explored. Single-factor experiments (SFEs) and response surface methodology (RSM) were conducted for the effects on the mean droplet size of LEO-NEs. Five factors of SFE which may influence the droplet size were identified: HLB value, concentration of essential oil, concentration of surfactant, ultrasonic power, and ultrasonic time. On the basis of the SFE, the RSM approach was used to optimize the preparation procedure to obtain LEO-NEs with the smallest droplet size. LEO-NEs exhibited good antioxidant activity when the HLB value was 13, content of surfactant was 0.157 g/mL, ultrasonic time was 23.50 min, and ultrasonic power was 761.65 W. In conclusion, these results can provide a good theoretical basis for the industrial application of lemon essential oil.

Effects of Different Treatment Methods of Dried Citrus Peel (Chenpi) on Intestinal Microflora and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Healthy Mice.

Chenpi is a kind of dried citrus peel from Citrus reticulata, and it is often used as traditional Chinese medicine to treat dyspepsia and respiratory tract inflammation. In this study, to determine which way of chenpi treatment plays a better effect on the prevention of obesity in healthy mice, we conducted 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing for intestinal microbiota and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detector (GC/MSD) analysis for short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of female rats fed with either chenpi decoction or chenpi powder-based diet (n = 10 per group) for 3 weeks. Chenpi powder (CP) group significantly reduced abdominal adipose tissues, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and the serum level of total triacylglycerol (TG). At a deeper level, chenpi powder has a better tendency to increase the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes. It alters the Muribaculaceae and Muribaculum in intestinal microbiota, though it is not significant. The concentrations of acetic acid, valeric acid, and butyric acid increased slightly but not significantly in the CP group. Chenpi decoction just reduced perirenal adipose tissues, but it shows better antioxidant activity. It has little effect on intestinal microbiota. No differences were found for SCFAs in the chenpi decoction (CD) group. The results indicated that chenpi powder has a better effect in preventing obesity in mice. It can provide a basis for the development of functional products related to chenpi powder.

Safety Evaluation and Whole Genome Sequencing of Aspergillus japonicas PJ01 Reveal Its Potential to Degrade Citrus Segments in Juice Processing.

Aspergillus japonicas PJ01 (A. japonicas PJ01) is a strain isolated from the rotten branches. In previ-ous studies, it was shown that it can produce complex enzymes to degrade polysaccharide com-ponents. In this study, we evaluated the safety of its crude enzyme solution. Acute oral toxicity, subchronic toxicity, micronucleus and sperm malformation tests all validated the high biologi-cal safety for the crude enzymes. Secondly, we carried out the citrus segment degradation ex-periment of crude enzyme solution. Compared with the control group, the crude enzyme solu-tion of A. japonicas PJ01 can completely degrade the segments in 50 min, which provides the basis for enzymatic peeling during juice processing. The whole genome sequencing showed that the genome of A. japonicus PJ01 has a GC content of 51.37% with a size of 36204647 bp, and encoded 10070 genes. GO, COG, KEGG and CAZy databases were used in gene annotation analyses. Pathway enrichment showed many genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, rich in genes re-lated to pectinase, xylanase and carboxylcellulase. Therefore, the complex enzyme produced by A. japonicus PJ01 can be used in gizzard juice processing to achieve efficient enzymatic decapsu-lation.

Effects of Different Concentrations of Ganpu Tea on Fecal Microbiota and Short Chain Fatty Acids in Mice.

Ganpu tea is composed of tangerine peel and Pu-erh tea. Current research suggests that both products can interact with gut microbes and thus affect health. However, as a kind of compound health food, little information is available about the effect of Ganpu tea on intestinal microorganisms. In this study, the basic physiological parameters (body weight, white adipose tissue and serum fat), the regulation of intestinal microorganisms and content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces of healthy mice were studied. The Ganpu tea can reduce the weight gain of mice and the increase in white adipose tissue (p < 0.01). After the intake of Ganpu tea, the abundance of Bacteroidetes increased (p < 0.05), whereas that of Firmicutes decreased (p < 0.01), indicating the latent capacity of Ganpu tea in adjusting the gut microbiota. Moreover, Ganpu tea differentially affected the content of different types of SCFAs in feces. Ganpu tea at the lowest concentrations showed positive effects on the concentrations of SCFAs such as acetic acid and propionic acid, whereas the concentration of butyric acid was decreased. For branched short-chain fatty acids (BSCFAs) such as isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, etc., Ganpu tea reduced their concentrations. Our results indicated that Ganpu tea may have positive effects on preventing obesity in humans, but further research is needed before introducing such dietary therapy.

Global transcriptomic response of Listeria monocytogenes exposed to Fingered Citron (Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle) essential oil.

Listeria monocytogenes, which could cause severe disease of listeriosis, is one of the most concerned foodborne pathogens worldwide. Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle (Fingered Citron) is one of the citrus species cultivated in south China. Here, we investigated the efficacy of Fingered Citron essential oil (FCEO) against L. monocytogenes and explored the response of L. monocytogenes in the presence of FCEO using genome-wide transcriptome analysis. FCEO exhibited strong anti-listeria activity and obvious alterations of cell morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, GO analysis demonstrated many potential cell responses, including metabolic process, cellular process, single-organism process, cell part, membrane, catalytic activity, binding, and transporter activity. KEGG analysis suggests that L. monocytogenes respond and adapt by (1) increasing motility through the enhancement of flagella rotation; (2) promoting cell tumbles and re-orientating to escape from FCEO; (3) enhancing the uptake of carbohydrates from environment to gain more energy; (4) changing the uptake of several metallic cations, including iron, zinc, cobalt, and nickel. Our research contributes to the understanding of the adaptive responses of L. monocytogenes exposed to FCEO and provides novel insights for finding new targets of anti-listeria therapy.

Citrus Segment Degradation Potential, Enzyme Safety Evaluation, and Whole Genome Sequence of Aspergillus aculeatus Strain ZC-1005.

Aspergillus aculeatus ZC-1005 (ZC-1005 was used as the abbreviation of this strain) is a hemicellulase-producing strain isolated from rotten citrus rind buried in the soil. Our previous study has shown its biochemical properties including high xylanase activity, mannanase activity, and degradation reaction with citrus mesocarp. In this study, we focused more on the enzyme safety evaluation and the genome sequencing via PacBio and Illumina platforms. High biological safety of the crude enzymes of ZC-1005 has been proven by the acute oral toxicity test, sub-chronic toxicity test, micronucleus test, and sperm malformation test. The genome of ZC-1005 had a GC content of 52.53%, with a size of 35,458,484 bp, and encoded 10,147 genes. Strain ZC-1005 harbored 269 glycosyl hydrolase (GH) genes of 64 families. The fungus produces cellulose-acting (GH3, GH5, GH12, and GH1) and hemicellulose-acting enzymes (GH16, GH31, GH2, and GH92). In genome annotation, we paid more attention to the genes encoding xylanase, such as gene 01512, gene 05833, gene 05469, gene 07781, gene 08432, gene 09042, gene 08008, and gene 09694. The collaboration between complete genome information and the degradation test confirmed that ZC-1005 could degrade cellulose and xylan. Our results showed that the citrus enzymatic decapsulation technology was efficacious and safe for canned citrus product processing, which may also solve the industrial waste problem. Therefore, ZC-1005 and the crude enzyme secreted from the strain were very promising to be used in the citrus processing industry.

Hypolipidemic, Antioxidant, and Antiapoptotic Effects of Polysaccharides Extracted from Reishi Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Leysser: Fr) Karst, in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

The mechanisms underlying the effect of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) polysaccharides (GLP) on obesity are not clear. In this study, GLP were found to attenuate the oleic acid-induced cell viability loss and apoptosis dose dependently in splenic lymphocytes in vitro. The effects of GLP on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in mice fed a high-fat diet (HD) were determined. GLP administration (200 and 400 mg/kg bw) significantly lowered the body-weight increases; liver, heart, and white adipose tissues indexes; serum lipid accumulation; and serum and small intestine oxidative stress in mice fed a HD. Moreover, GLP inhibited HD-induced apoptosis by decreasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and suppressing caspase-3 activation in splenic lymphocytes. These findings indicate that GLP can exert hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects in HD-induced obese mice.

Complete genome sequence of the Streptomyces sp. strain CdTB01, a bacterium tolerant to cadmium.

Streptomyces sp. Strain CdTB01, which is tolerant to high concentrations of heavy metals, particularly cadmium, was isolated from soil contaminated with heavy metals. Two contigs with total genome size of 10.19Mb were identified in the whole genome sequencing and assembly, and numerous homologous genes known to be involved in heavy metal resistance were found in the genome.