faezeh shirkhan

Lactobacillus plantarum is a type of gram-positive lactic acid bacteria. This bacterium is considered a safe probiotic and, many applications and benefits including prolonging food shelf-life, enhancing antioxidant activity, improving food flavor characteristics and antimicrobial activities in the food industry, and application as a potential starter for dairy products have been attributed to it. Various studies have also emphasized its health-giving properties. As a result, the features and wide application of this bacterium, as well as the safety of L. plantarum and its strains, have made it a popular probiotic in the food and medical industries. Thus, in the present study keywords including L. plantarum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum along with application, benefits, food, health, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-depression were searched in databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Sience direct and Google Scholar with no time restriction. Then, important features, benefits, and uses of L. plantarum were categorized and discussed. The ability of L. plantarum on the food such as prolonging food shelf-life, enhancing antioxidant activity, improving food flavor characteristics and antimicrobial activities in the food industry, and as a potential starter for dairy products is effective. In addition, several studies have emphasized of L. plantarum health-giving properties.

Fermented foods are popular for their beneficial effects on human health. Fermented food products can be generally classified into five groups, including meat products, grain products, dairy products, vegetable products, bread, and fermented drinks. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lb. plantarum) is one of the safest probiotic strains. Lb. plantarum is mostly isolated from dairy products as well as fermented and non-fermented products and the mucous and digestive system of humans and animals. In addition to its many uses and benefits in the industrial and clinical field, this bacterium can be used by people of different ages and with any health status because this bacterium is one of the main members of the gastrointestinal microflora. Investigations showed that Lb. plantarum has many strains, and probably in any region, certain strains of it are more abundant in the native products of that region, which may cause differences in the microbiota of people and then differences in health and behavioral characteristics. Therefore, studying the native species and strains of bacteria and changing or regulating the microbiota of people with appropriate probiotics can overcome health and behavioral problems. The result of this study can be concluded that Iran has a high potential for identifying different types of probiotics, including Lb. plantarum, due to the variety of food and dairy products.

Today, the use of Lactobacill strains and their metabolites is the new strategies in control of diabetes and oxidative stress. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidant properties of metabolites obtained from of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus culture media. The samples were evaluated including cell free supernatant (CFS), cell free extracts (CFE), cell free supernatant of fermented milk (CFS-FM) and bioactive peptides separated from ultrafiltration (3,5,10 kDa). The ability of bacteria in proteolysis of protein of  fermented milk (FM) was evaluated by O-phthaldialdehyde method compared with non-fermented milk (NFM). The antidiabetic activity was measured based on inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by inhibition of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS). The results showed that the sample of CFS-FM inhibited α-amylase (25%) and α-glucosidase (26.6%) enzymes. Among the peptide fractions, fraction  of >10 kDa with higher protein content (13.816 mg (had the highest inhibition of α-amylase (80.64%) and α-glucosidase enzyme (54%) (p<0.05). The inhibitory efficiency ratio (IER) showed that the 3-5 kDa fraction had more inhibitory than other peptide fractions (p<0.05). Also, the CFS and CFE inhibited α-glucosidase enzyme by 50% and 25%, respectively. In case of antioxidant properties, it was observed that the free radicals scavenging of CFS-FM increased compared with NFM (p<0.05). Also, the peptide fractions of 3-5 kDa (80.85%) and >10 kDa (43.63%) had the highest DPPH and ABTS free radicals scavenging. The antioxidant capacity of trolox equivalent from peptide fractions (µmTE/mg protein) showed that the <3 kDa fraction had the highest antioxidant activity (p<0.05). The ability to free radicals scavenging in CFS and CFE was observed. Results indicate the importance of  Lactobacillus delbrueckii as a starter culture and its functional role.

Nowadays, Polysaccharides are used to improve the nutritional and physicochemical properties of dairy products. The identification of natural compounds such as polysaccharides with antidiabetic and antioxidant properties has become important due to the relationship between diabetes and oxidative stress. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the influence of pectin on the antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditional Iranian dairy products. Pectin (1%) was added to the samples following milk fermentation by Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus para-casei strains, and antidiabetic activity was assessed by considering the inhibitory effects on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The antioxidant activity was determined by evaluating inhibition of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and hydroxyl radicals. Samples included pectin solution (0.5-3.5 mg/ml and 0.5-10 mg/ml for evaluation of anti-diabetic and antioxidant activity, respectively), whey of fermented and non-fermented milk with (1%) and without pectin. The results indicated the role of  pectin on  inhibition of  α-glucosidase enzyme activity (IC50=2.38 mg/ml), as well as scavenging the DPPH (44.57%), ABTS (28.7%), and Hydroxyl (38.85%) radicals (P<0.05) a concentration of 10 mg/ml. Pectin added to the whey of non-fermented milk sample boosted antioxidant properties and the maximum rate of free radical scavenging activity (35%) was obtained for DPPH radicals. Furthermore, adding pectin to the whey of milk fermented with Lactobacillus helveticus strain improved the activity of the product on inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme (29%), scavenging of DPPH (41.26 %), ABTS (2.5%), and hydroxyl radicals (7.64%) (P<0.05). The results indicated the potential of pectin to be used in the formulation of beneficial food products due to its ability to improve the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of fermented milk products.

The inclination to manufacture beneficial dairy products has increased in recent years, as consumers pay more attention to food products with adequate sensory qualities and health benefits.

The current study looked first at the anti-diabetic efficacy of milk fermented by Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Lactobacillus helveticus strains isolated from traditional yogurt as well as co-culture of two-strain based on the inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes for the production of functional fermented milk. Then, added 1% inulin as an appropriate and applied prebiotic to fermented milk resulting from the combination of two strains and evaluated physicochemical, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, proteolysis rate, and population of bacteria during 19 days at 4°C.

The results indicated that milk fermented with two-strain bacterial intercropping had stronger inhibitory activity on alpha-amylase (45%) and alpha-glucosidase (35%) than single strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Lactobacillus helveticus (p<0.05). The addition of inulin increased the inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase (20%) and alpha-glucosidase (33%) at the end of fermentation, respectively. During storage at 4°C, the composition two bacterial strains and inuline significantly increased the population of bacteria, acidity and viscosity and significantly reduced the pH and proteolysis rate of fermented milk. However, there was a decrease in antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.

The results revealed that both bacterial strains in combination with inulin have the capacity to produce functional food.

Spices may be contaminated during various stages of harvesting, drying, or transporting. Different methods are used to reduce the microbial level of spices, which has problems such as flavor changes. The purpose of this study was to introduce optimized conditions for UVradiation on the reduction of microbial load of some high-consumption spices. Six types of spices, including turmeric, ginger, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, and sumac, were sampled from the Tehran market. Tests were carried out based on reference standards. Infected spices were then exposed to ultraviolet cabinets at 254 nm in thicknesses of 1, 5, 10 mm and 15, 10, and 5 minutes. A microbial test was performed on irradiated samples. According to the results, It was revealed that the time factor on the total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria of turmeric, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, and also on the coliform count of turmeric and red pepper, as well as on the mould count of turmeric, red pepper, and black pepper had a quite significant effect (P<0.01). It was observed that the thickness effect was quite significant on the total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total coliform, and count of mould. It significantly impacted the total count (p<0.01). The results of this study show that irradiation with UV radiation in the optimized condition can reduce the microbial content of spices to an acceptable level.

Nut's seeds can be a source of contamination with various types of microorganisms and so some of them are important for public health.  Therefore, with regard to household consumption of those type of seeds and their application in food industries, and also due to the fact that some of them are imported from other countries so they may have the possibility of microbial contamination from the source, therefore the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of UV irradiation in reducing the microbial load of some consumed seed nuts. Six types of beans including sunflower seeds, watermelon, pumpkin, walnut, pistachio, and hazelnut were randomly sampled in bulk from Tehran retail market. Testimonials were tested by methods in the Iranian national standard and food and drug organization standards. Subsequently, infected seeds were irradiated in 1, 2 and 3 layers of thickness and time at 5, 10 and 15 minutes in a UV cabinet with a wavelength of 254 nm and subjected to appropriate microbial tests. According to the results, the irradiation time and thickness were significantly affected by the total microbial count of pistachio, walnut and hazelnut (p<0.01). Also,  it has a significant effect on the coliform count  of pistachio, walnut, hazelnut seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower and watermelon, and the mould count of pistachio, walnuts and hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and a watermelon (p<0.01). It had less significant effect on the number of molds in pumpkin seeds (0.01<p).

Genetically modified crops are produced using modern biotechnology to create or increase desirable traits such as increased efficiency or resistance to unfavorable factors. In recent years, Almost 200 million hectares of world crop acreage planted with GM crops including maize, so it is possible that GM maize has been imported to Iran especially as animal feed. Therefore, 25 samples of imported maize used for animal feed were tested to detect probable GM maize. The DNA of samples was extracted by CTAB method and its quality and quantity were evaluated by electrophoresis and spectroscopic methods and their amplifiability confirmed by PCR using the internal maize genomic gene of Zein based on INSO 10763. Detection of GM varieties was performed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on INSO 9617 using primers CaMV 35S, NOS terminator, npt II marker gene generally existed in GMOs. According to PCR results with primers specific for sequences common in GM organisms, in 3 samples out of 25 samples a 195 bp band related to CaMV 35S promoter and in 3 feed samples out of 25 samples a 118 bp band related to NOS terminator were observed, 2 of them showed both sequences. The band related to nptII marker gene was observed in none of samples. These results can lead to the probability of existing of GM ingredients in samples. In order to identify that the observed electrophoretic bands are belonged to the GM organisms, some confirmation tests are needed.

Introduction and Non-alcoholic beer is a product that is made of mixing malt or malt extract, water, hops, carbon dioxide, and permitted additives with or without sweetener. In this regard, the present study aimed to compare and evaluate major carbohydrates in classic and flavored non-alcoholic beers using high-performance liquid chromatography and refractive index detection. In this study, 45 non-alcoholic beer samples, including 15 simple classic, 15 lemon flavored, and 15 apple flavored samples were randomly collected and examined in a post-market surveillance program in Tehran in 2016. The mean scores of the concentration of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose were reported as 216.43, 116.28, 0.0, and 104.47 mg/100 ml in the classic group and 266.46, 348.97, 0.0, and 116.02 mg/100 ml in the flavored group, respectively. The mean scores of the total concentration of carbohydrates in all of the five investigated brands were 145.5 and 243.84 mg/100 ml for the classic and flavored groups, respectively. This result showed a lower concentration of simple carbohydrates in classic non-alcoholic beers, compared to that of the flavored ones. The results of statistical analyses revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of maltose concentration, as a major rbohydrate, in the classic and flavored malt products (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the mean scores of glucose concentration between the two groups (P<0.05). Therefore, the control of simple carbohydrate profile in non-alcoholic beers regarding the nutritional value and health effects, as well as engineering, quality control, and adulteration can be crucial.

Background and Heavy metals cause major environmental pollution. They accumulate in soil, plants and crops through irrigation with polluted effluents or wastewaters. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the concentration of lead and cadmium in soil and irrigation water and their accumulation in pith, flesh, and the skin of kiwifruit.
A sample of one hundred kiwifruit, 15 soil and 25 irrigation water samples were randomly collected from the center, north, south, east, and west of a big kiwifruit garden located in north of Iran. Total concentrations of lead and cadmium were determined in all samples with furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Statistical analysis was performed applying ANOVA test in SPSS V10.1.
The concentrations of lead in soil and flesh of kiwifruit were 33.74 and 2.93 and the concentrations of cadmium were 2.04 and 0.0026 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of lead and cadmium in irrigating water were 0.0044 and 0.0016 mg/L, respectively. There was a significant relation between the mean concentrations of heavy metals in the soil and that of the kiwifruit flesh. In areas with higher rate of lead and cadmium contamination the kiwifruits were found to be significantly more contaminated (P Heavy metal contamination in soil and the cross relation between irrigation water and soil, calls for appropriate monitoring of such a valuable fruit and routine environmental controls are highly necessary.