Shoot Injury Increases the Level of Persistence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Sofia and Listeria innocua on Cos Lettuce and of Salmonella enterica Serovar Sofia on Chive.

Minor shoot injury significantly (P < 0.05) increased the level at which Salmonella enterica serovar Sofia persisted on cos lettuce in the greenhouse. Initial mean counts of the Salmonella on the injured and uninjured cos lettuce were on the order of 6 log CFU/g. After 3 days, the mean count decreased to 4.8 log CFU/g on the injured plants compared with the significantly (P < 0.05) smaller count of 3.4 log CFU/g on the uninjured plants. By the end of the 3-week experiment, the count from the injured plants was 2.9 log CFU/g compared with a count of below the level of detection from the uninjured plants. A similar pattern of bacterial persistence was observed on injured versus uninjured plants by using Listeria innocua on cos lettuce and S. enterica serovar Sofia on chive. The findings reaffirm earlier results with Escherichia coli and increase the impetus to avoid shoot injury during the production of cos lettuce and chive, if bacteria of food safety concern are present.

Antibody isotype profiles in serum and circulating antibody-secreting cells following mucosal and peripheral immunisations of sheep.

The isotype-specific antibody responses of sheep immunised with keyhole limpet hemocyanin by a peripheral route (intramuscular (i.m.) injection) were compared to those induced by immunisation via different mucosal routes: (1) intra-nasal spray; (2) rectal deposition with cholera toxin; (3) injection into the mucosa of the small intestine or rectum. Antigen-specific IgG1 antibodies were induced in the i.m., intra-intestinal and intra-rectal injection groups and in a proportion of the cholera toxin immunised sheep, but not in the intra-nasal immunisation group. IgA was the only antibody isotype detected in serum collected from the intra-nasal immunisation group. No significant differences in serum IgA levels were detected in any of the mucosal immunisation groups as compared to the i.m. injection group. In contrast, analysis of the in vitro antibody profiles secreted by circulating antibody-secreting cells (ASC) revealed significantly higher IgA responses in the supernatants from all mucosal immunisation groups. This suggests that the measurement of antibodies secreted by circulating ASCs may be a better correlate of local mucosal responses in ruminants, as has been previously demonstrated in human studies. In addition to IgG1 and IgA responses, immunisation by direct injection of antigen formulations into the intestinal and rectal mucosa were the only groups to induce consistently high IgG2 antibodies in serum and ASC cultures.

The effect of sulfur fertilizer on glucoraphanin levels in broccoli (B. oleracea L. var. italica) at different growth stages.

Three sulfur (S) treatements were imposed by applying gypsum to three broccoli cultivars (Claudia, Marathon, and TB-234) known to differ in glucoraphanin content of mature seeds. The S treatments were control (very low added S), low S (23 kg S ha(-)(1)), and high S (92 kg S ha(-)(1)). The gypsum applications during the early vegetative phase of the three broccoli cultivars increased S uptake and the glucoraphanin content in each plant organ. There were significant genotypic differences for the content of both S and glucoraphanin in all plant organs at different growth stages with gypsum applications. A large increase in S and glucoraphanin content was found in the green heads of broccoli and mature seeds. S present in glucoraphanin accounted for only 4-10% of total S content in broccoli heads. However, S present in glucoraphanin in mature seeds accounted for 40-46% of the total S in the seeds of moderate and high glucoraphanin cultivars (Marathon and TB-234). The partitioning of S into glucoraphanin also increased with gypsum applications. Differences in S uptake, S distribution between organs, and partitioning of S into glucoraphanin largely explained the differences in glucoraphanin content in the green heads and mature seeds for the three broccoli cultivars and three S treatments.

The effect of post-harvest and packaging treatments on glucoraphanin concentration in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica).

The effects of post-harvest and packaging treatments on glucoraphanin (4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate), the glucosinolate precursor of anticancer isothiocyanate sulforaphane [4-methylsulfinylbutyl isothiocyanate], were examined in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) during storage times. The results showed that at 20 degrees C, 55% loss of glucoraphanin concentration occurred in broccoli stored in open boxes during the first 3 days of the treatment and 56% loss was found in broccoli stored in plastic bags by day 7. Under both air and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, glucoraphanin concentration appeared to fluctuate slightly during 25 days of storage and the concentrations under CA was significantly higher than those stored under air treatment. In modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) treatments, glucoraphanin concentration in air control packaging decreased significantly whereas there were no significant changes in glucoraphanin concentration in MAP with no holes at 4 degrees C and two microholes at 20 degrees C for up to 10 days. Decreases in glucoraphanin concentration occurred when the broccoli heads deteriorated. In the present study, the best method for preserving glucoraphanin concentration in broccoli heads after harvest was storage of broccoli in MAP and refrigeration at 4 degrees C. This condition maintained the glucoraphanin concentration for at least 10 days and also maintained the visual quality of the broccoli heads.

Antioxidant and antiproliferation effects of extractable and nonextractable polyphenols isolated from apple waste using different extraction methods.

Fruits and vegetables waste byproducts could be utilized as a good source of cheap antioxidants for improving human health and reducing the risks of some chronic diseases. Results from examining industrial apple waste revealed that the total polyphenolic content in nonextractable polyphenols (NEPPs) reached 539.84 ± 8.90 mg as gallic acid equivalents/1 g of dry wt. in comparison to 77.26 ± 11.53 mg dry wt. of extractable polyphenols (EPPs). The antioxidant activities of NEPPs reported as percentage reduction in 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2'.2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt were 89.76 ± 0.93% and 99.78 ± 0.38%, respectively. In addition, the antiproliferation study on human HeLa, HepG2, and HT-29 cancer cells showed that NEPPs at the concentration of 1 mg/mL had significant inhibitory effects against all tested cancer cells (46.2% to 95%), where EPP showed lower effect (3.9% to 22.2%). These results clearly indicated that NEPPs from industrial apple waste could be a good source of natural antioxidants with significant antiproliferation efficacy against human cancer cells.

Persistence of Escherichia coli on injured vegetable plants.

Minor shoot injury to glasshouse celery, Cos lettuce and chive plants significantly increased the persistence of applied Escherichia coli (P<0.05). After 1 week, mean counts of about 5 log(10) CFU/g decreased to fewer than 0.5 log(10) CFU/g on the uninjured plants, compared to 4 log(10) CFU/g or more on injured plants. By the end of the 3-week long experiments, counts from the uninjured plants were 0.21 log(10) CFU/g or fewer, but 2.8, 2.3 and 5.1 log(10) CFU/g on injured Cos lettuce, celery and chive plants, respectively. A field experiment using Cos lettuce also showed that shoot injury increased E. coli persistence. Counts from the injured plants on days 1, 3, and 7 were, 4.2, 4.1 and 3.3 log(10) CFU/g, respectively, whereas the uninjured plants returned significantly (P<0.05) lower counts on those days, and were 2.8, 2.0 and 1.2 log(10) CFU/g, respectively. These findings reveal that increased E. coli persistence on injured tissue is common to different vegetables and can occur in the glasshouse and the field. The implications of this study on vegetable production practices are presented.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment models for consumption of raw vegetables irrigated with reclaimed water.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment models for estimating the annual risk of enteric virus infection associated with consuming raw vegetables that have been overhead irrigated with nondisinfected secondary treated reclaimed water were constructed. We ran models for several different scenarios of crop type, viral concentration in effluent, and time since last irrigation event. The mean annual risk of infection was always less for cucumber than for broccoli, cabbage, or lettuce. Across the various crops, effluent qualities, and viral decay rates considered, the annual risk of infection ranged from 10(-3) to 10(-1) when reclaimed-water irrigation ceased 1 day before harvest and from 10(-9) to 10(-3) when it ceased 2 weeks before harvest. Two previously published decay coefficients were used to describe the die-off of viruses in the environment. For all combinations of crop type and effluent quality, application of the more aggressive decay coefficient led to annual risks of infection that satisfied the commonly propounded benchmark of < or =10(-4), i.e., one infection or less per 10,000 people per year, providing that 14 days had elapsed since irrigation with reclaimed water. Conversely, this benchmark was not attained for any combination of crop and water quality when this withholding period was 1 day. The lower decay rate conferred markedly less protection, with broccoli and cucumber being the only crops satisfying the 10(-4) standard for all water qualities after a 14-day withholding period. Sensitivity analyses on the models revealed that in nearly all cases, variation in the amount of produce consumed had the most significant effect on the total uncertainty surrounding the estimate of annual infection risk. The models presented cover what would generally be considered to be worst-case scenarios: overhead irrigation and consumption of vegetables raw. Practices such as subsurface, furrow, or drip irrigation and postharvest washing/disinfection and food preparation could substantially lower risks and need to be considered in future models, particularly for developed nations where these extra risk reduction measures are more common.

Cuisine: Hangzhou foods and their role in community health and nutrition.

Regional diets and associated cuisines and their contribution to overall regional nutrition are increasingly being scrutinized by scientists for their relationships to human health. The Hangzhou region in China has lower mortality rates associated with cardiovascular disease, lower incidences of diabetes mellitus and better blood pressure in the local population and the links between these lower rates of disease and the traditional regional cuisine are a source of interest. Zhejiang is located on the East Coast of China. The Northern part is well known for the extensive network of channels that produce a vast array of aquatic foods. The South West region and its extensive foothills are known for the production of rare and expensive venison and many types of fungi. The region is also known for the production of over ten different types of edible bamboos. The cuisine also involves many different types of green vegetables that accompany every meal. The best way to describe Hangzhou cuisine is the wide use of southern ingredients cooked in the typical northern manner. This combination leads to a unique taste combining the dainty and the smooth, the crisp and the tender, the simple and the elegant, the small and the exquisite. Overall the cuisine is known for it's low saturated fat and high PUFA, particularly long-chain omega-3 PUFA and fibre. There is extensive use of plant based foods high in complex phytochemicals and trace elements. This combination leads to a balanced nutrition that contributes to the community health in Hangzhou.