Critical control point-based assessment and intervention of ochratoxin A risk in Angelicae Gigantis Radix production.

Improperly practiced postharvest procedures can pose mycotoxin-related risks during medicinal herb production. As a health food material with pharmacological activities, Angelicae Gigantis Radix (AGR) has been extensively used in oriental medicine or functional foods. Compared with the official protocol, conventional practices were investigated for provisional critical control points (CCPs) in terms of ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination. Conventional practices include field-drying, which was associated with increased fungal exposure. Compared with conventional methods, the washing process in the official protocol was not advantageous for reducing OTA contamination in final products. Instead, drying was examined to assess the fungal growth risk during AGR production. To reduce the energy cost, product overload and shortened drying time could lead to failure in controlling fungal overgrowth and subsequent OTA production. In particular, inner parts of the load contained a higher OTA content than outer parts close to the heat outlet of the dryer. Improper thermal drying of loads allowed the growth of ochratoxigenic species during AGR production. Collectively, non-field-drying and optimally loaded thermal drying are easy preventive actions in key CCPs that need to be well maintained to attenuate any further microbial risk. These assessments provide insights into good practice-based mycotoxin risk management in producing herbal medicinal crops and new cost-efficient appropriate interventions for small-scale farms.

Anti-obesity potential of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and licochalcone A through induction of adipocyte browning.

The main function of brown adipose tissue is to dissipate surplus caloric intake into heat energy by thermogenesis, increasing energy expenditure. Inducible brown adipocytes can develop within white adipose tissue (WAT) through a process referred to as browning. Browning of white fat represents a promising strategy for treatment of obesity and the related complications. We investigated whether Glycyrrhiza uralensis and its ingredients modulated adipogenesis through adipocyte browning using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice model. Amongst extracts and fractions of G. uralensis, methyl dichloride (MeCl2) fraction was the most effective to induce expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a fat browning marker, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Ingredients of G. uralensis such as licochalcone A (LicoA), isoliquiritigenin, and liquiritigenin induced UCP1 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. After inducing obesity in mice by 6-week HFD, MeCl2 fraction of G. uralensis or LicoA was intraperitoneally administered for additional 19 days. MeCl2 fraction or LicoA significantly reduced body weight gain and inguinal fat pad weights. Furthermore, MeCl2 fraction or LicoA improved metabolic disorders induced by HFD as the treatments decreased serum levels of glucose and cholesterol, and blocked insulin resistance. MeCl2 fraction or LicoA enhanced expression of brown fat markers such as UCP1, PRDM16, and PGC-1α and increased brown fat phenotype population in inguinal WAT of HFD-fed mice. Our results demonstrate that G. uralensis and LicoA are effective to reduce obesity and to recover metabolic homeostasis by inducing the brown fat phenotype.

Nation-Based Occurrence and Endogenous Biological Reduction of Mycotoxins in Medicinal Herbs and Spices.

Medicinal herbs have been increasingly used for therapeutic purposes against a diverse range of human diseases worldwide. Moreover, the health benefits of spices have been extensively recognized in recent studies. However, inevitable contaminants, including mycotoxins, in medicinal herbs and spices can cause serious problems for humans in spite of their health benefits. Along with the different nation-based occurrences of mycotoxins, the ultimate exposure and toxicities can be diversely influenced by the endogenous food components in different commodities of the medicinal herbs and spices. The phytochemicals in these food stuffs can influence mold growth, mycotoxin production and biological action of the mycotoxins in exposed crops, as well as in animal and human bodies. The present review focuses on the occurrence of mycotoxins in medicinal herbs and spices and the biological interaction between mold, mycotoxin and herbal components. These networks will provide insights into the methods of mycotoxin reduction and toxicological risk assessment of mycotoxin-contaminated medicinal food components in the environment and biological organisms.

Complete genome sequence of a tentative new caulimovirus from the medicinal plant Atractylodes macrocephala.

A total of nine contigs related to caulimovirus-like sequences were detected using high-throughput paired-end RNA sequencing. An attempt to find the plant sample infected with this type of virus identified the medicinal plant Atractylodes macrocephala Koidzumi showing mild mottle symptoms. Subsequently, the complete DNA genome sequence of the Atractylodes virus was determined. The 8,105-nt genome of the virus was composed of six open reading frames and displayed the highest nucleotide sequence identity (70%) with soybean Putnam virus. Based upon the symptoms observed on the source plant, we propose to refer to this new member of the genus Caulimovirus as atractylodes mild mottle virus.

Postharvest strategies for deoxynivalenol and zearalenone reduction in stored adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) grains.

Improperly practiced postharvest procedures can pose mycotoxin-related risks in the production of medicinal herbs. As a health food with pharmacological supplements, cereal-based adlay has been broadly used in oriental medical practice. Compared with the standard production protocol, three provisional critical control points (CCPs) in the conventional procedure were identified and assessed for mycotoxin contamination in the adlay from small farms in Korea. Although various mycotoxins were present, the prevalence of deoxynivalenol (DON) or zearalenone (ZEN) was relatively high in the adlay. In terms of drying conditions, field drying in the conventional pathway was associated with more exposure to DON than heated-air drying. Moreover, the DON or ZEN levels in chaff were higher than the levels in the inner grain, suggesting that the hulling process as another CCP would reduce the DON or ZEN exposure. In particular, the DON or ZEN levels in adlay stored for protracted periods without dehulling were very high, but a lower storage temperature of 12°C was not effective at significantly reducing these mycotoxins. In this case, the inner grain was more contaminated with DON or ZEN than the chaff after protracted storage because surface fungi, which produce mycotoxins, can penetrate deep into grain with time. Heated-air drying and nonprotracted storage limited DON contamination in adlay. More importantly, an early dehulling process should be adopted as an easy preventive action to reduce the risk of exposure to DON or ZEN in adlay postharvest. This is monitored as a central CCP for safer production of adlay from local farms.

Two novel Talaromyces species isolated from medicinal crops in Korea.

Two novel biverticillate Talaromyces species, T. angelicus and T. cnidii, were collected from the medicinal crops Angelica gigas and Cnidium officinale, respectively, in Korea. Phylogenetic analyses with the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the ß-tubulin gene as well as morphological analyses revealed that the two species differ from any known Talaromyces species. Talaromyces angelicus is related to T. flavovirens in the phylogeny of the ITS region, but the new species is grouped together with Penicillium liani and T. pinophilus in terms of its ß-tubulin phylogeny, and its growth rate on Czapek yeast autolysate differs from that of T. flavovirens. Talaromyces cnidii is phylogenetically similar to T. siamensis, but exhibits differences in the morphologies of the colony margin, metulae, and conidia.