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12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Microbiome and resistome successions in pig carcasses and fresh pork meat throughout slaughtering, processing and shelf-life.

BACKGROUND: Slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants represent potential hotspots for the spread and transfer of spoilage and pathogenic, including antimicrobial resistant, bacteria to meat and meat products. Here, we characterise the progression of the microbiome and resistome of two pork cuts (loin and sirloin) at different stages of processing, from the slaughter line to the end of shelf-life. To this end, we analysed samples from facility surfaces, carcasses, and meat cuts using whole metagenome sequencing. RESULTS: The taxonomic and antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) profiles of carcasses and meat cuts were significantly influenced by the point of sampling and the processing room. The facility surfaces were found to be the main source of some abundant genera, such as Anoxybacillus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Brochothrix, in carcasses and meat cuts. A total of 1,291 metagenome-assembled genomes were reconstructed, corresponding to the most prevalent species identified in the taxonomic analysis at the read level. A reduction in bacterial and ARGs richness and diversity was observed for carcasses and meat cuts along the production chain, which suggests that processing procedures are effective in reducing bacterial and ARGs loads. Nonetheless, an increase in the ARGs load was observed at two sampling points: the carcass after evisceration and the sirloin at the end of its shelf-life (in this case linked to the increase of a single gene, tet(L)). The ARGs most frequently detected were those associated with resistance to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and lincosamides. Acinetobacter (in processing environments and carcass/meat samples) and Staphylococcus (in carcasses and meat) were identified as the main genera associated with the ARGs found. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results provide the most detailed metagenomics-based perspective on the microbial successions of pig carcasses and fresh meat cuts during slaughtering, processing, and commercialisation. The observations made suggest that selection pressures imposed by processing steps and contact with facility surfaces contribute to shaping the microbiome and resistome of the two pork products throughout their production line and shelf-life. Video Abstract.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Intestinal content accelerates muscle protein degradation in red shrimp (Solenocera crassicornis) during refrigeration: Insights from metagenomics and metabolomics.

This study systematically explored the effects of intestinal components on muscle quality deterioration and protein degradation of red shrimp during refrigerated storage. The results demonstrated that refrigeration induced continuous quality degradation and muscle protein breakdown in red shrimp, whereas eliminating intestinal tissues effectively retarded muscle spoilage and protein degradation, and optimized muscle texture. The intestinal microorganisms could secrete extracellular proteases to promote muscle protein degradation were primarily Vibrio, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Photobacterium, and Shewanella. These microorganisms promote protein degradation by secreting zinc proteases, serine proteases, and aspartyl proteases. This study elucidates the molecular mechanisms of intestinal microbial metabolism influences the muscle protein degradation of red shrimp during refrigeration. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for precise regulation of intestinal-targeted microorganisms, thereby maintaining optimal quality of shrimps during refrigeration.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Alginate-based edible coating incorporating green tea extract for preserving postharvest quality and safety of white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a sodium alginate based edible coating incorporated with green tea extract (GTE) (Camellia sinensis) on the postharvest quality attributes and antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes in white mushrooms during refrigerated storage. The phenolic profile of GTE was characterized, and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against L. monocytogenes (1.6 mg/mL) was determined. Sodium alginate coatings, with (ALG-GTE) or without GTE (ALG) at MIC (1.6 mg/mL), were characterized (functional groups, solubility in water, moisture, thickness, water contact angle and color) for their chemical and physical properties. The effects of ALG-GTE coatings on quality parameters (firmness, weight loss, color, pH, sugars and organic acids), enzymatic activity [polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) and pectin methylesterase (PME)], antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes (5 log CFU/g), and surface characteristics (3D optical profilometry) were assessed in white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) during refrigerated storage (8 days, 4 ± 1 °C, 90-95% RH). The ALG-GTE coatings preserved sugar composition, particularly rhamnose, reduced organic acids accumulation and delayed weight and firmness loss, reduced color changes, and decreased PME activity in coated white mushrooms. L. monocytogenes counts decreased by 1.4 log CFU/g after 1 day, and no viable cells were detected after 2 days (< 1.5 log CFU/g) in ALG-GTE coated white mushrooms. In addition, ALG-GTE coated white mushrooms exhibited smoother surfaces than uncoated samples. These findings highlight the potential of ALG-GTE coatings as a sustainable alternative capable of improving the microbiological safety and delaying the postharvest changes in fresh mushrooms.

Agaricus↗

PubMed2026

Genome-wide identification of neuropeptides from Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and elucidating the essential roles of adipokinetic hormone in lipid mobilisation and food intake.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a major pest of cruciferous crops and has developed high levels of resistance to many widely used insecticides. Neuropeptides are involved in regulating essential insect biological processes, which could be considered potential target genes for pest control. In this study, a total of 45 neuropeptide precursor genes were identified in the genome of P. xylostella, including two adipokinetic hormone genes (PxAKH1 and PxAKH2). The qPCR analysis showed that PxAKH genes were highly expressed in third- and fourth-instar larvae and exhibited high expression levels in the fat body, head, and gut of P. xylostella larvae. Additionally, short-term starvation stimulated food consumption in P. xylostella, which was consistent with the significant induction of PxAKH1 within 6 h. Subsequently, RNA interference (RNAi) was utilised to investigate the functions of PxAKH1 in P. xylostella, and the injection of dsPxAKH1 significantly suppressed target gene expression, achieving a maximum silencing efficiency of 73.03%. Notably, knockdown of PxAKH1 increased triacylglycerol levels from 23.67 ± 0.56 mg/g in the dsGFP control to 25.84 ± 0.64 mg/g and enhanced lipid storage, while markedly reducing food intake from 221.33 ± 9.10 mm2 to 123.33 ± 18.80 mm2 in P. xylostella larvae. In summary, these findings demonstrate that PxAKH1 plays a critical role in regulating lipid mobilisation and food intake in P. xylostella, indicating its potential as an RNAi-based target for pest control.

RNA interference↗

PubMed2026

Self-healing materials for food packaging: Design principles, activation mechanisms and implications for food safety.

Self-healing materials (SHMs), originally developed to restore mechanical integrity, have recently attracted growing interest in food packaging. By autonomously repairing physical damage, SHMs help preserve packaging integrity, barrier performance, food safety, and shelf-life during storage and transportation. This review summarizes recent advances in the design principles, activation mechanisms, material systems and food packaging applications of SHMs. Key healing strategies, including microencapsulation, dynamic covalent bond exchange, reversible non-covalent interactions and responsiveness to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, and humidity, are discussed. Representative material systems, including biopolymer-based films, hydrogels, nanocomposites, and stimuli-responsive polymers are evaluated with respect to their relevance to packaging animal-derived foods, fruits, and vegetables. Performance evaluation methods, sustainability implications, and food-contact safety concerns are addressed. Despite promising healing efficiency and mechanical resilience, challenges remain regarding production cost, food-grade safety, migration risks, trigger compatibility and stability under fluctuating environmental conditions. Future research should focus on scalable manufacturing, standardized evaluation protocols, repeated damage-healing safety assessment, regulatory compliance, and integration with intelligent packaging technologies.

Food Packaging↗

PubMed2026

Probiotic-derived extracellular vesicles as food-based nanocarriers: Mechanisms, functional applications, and future perspectives in food systems.

Probiotic-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) are a promising type of postbiotic nanoparticle derived by fermentation of probiotics, and have gained growing interest as a potential application in food science and nutrition. These are lipid bilayer vesicles of nanoscale, which are naturally released by probiotic cells and contain a wide variety of bioactive molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites. Moreover, PDEVs are highly stable, biocompatible, and can be easily engineered to have surfaces with high functionality, which makes them good candidates in functional engineering. In contrast to traditional live probiotics, PDEVs overcome the difficulties of preserving microbial viability during processing and storage, thus providing superior safety, stability, and predictable biological performance. This is a systematic review of the various functions of PDEVs in food systems. We conclude on the processes through which PDEVs control intestinal barrier integrity, alter gut microbiota composition, and alter host immune responses, and their potential to enhance gut health when added to functional foods. In addition to their health-promoting effects, PDEVs have shown significant potential as natural antimicrobial agents to preserve food and as effective nanocarriers of hydrophobic bioactive compounds, including fucoxanthin, to improve their stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery. Moreover, PDEVs can be used as new regulators of microbial fermentation. However, it should be noted that a lot of the evidence that is available is still preliminary and the effectiveness of these applications in real food-processing and storage conditions has not been fully proven. Although they have potential, there are a number of challenges that still hinder the widespread use of PDEVs in the food industry. These involve the creation of scalable and cost-effective production processes, batch-to-batch consistency, vesicle stability in a variety of food matrices, and regulatory and safety considerations. Other emerging engineering approaches, such as surface functionalization and cargo loading, are also discussed in this review and could further increase the specificity, functionality, and application versatility of PDEVs in food systems. Moving forward, the incorporation of PDEVs into the next generation functional foods, novel food preservation methods, and customized nutrition plans should be prioritized in future studies. Further developments in these fields can make PDEVs useful platforms at the interface of food microbiology, nanotechnology, and human health.

Probiotics↗

PubMed2026

Identification of genes promoting fitness of a plant-associated Salmonella Choleraesuis strain on alfalfa sprouts during cold storage.

Consumption of sprouted seeds, such as alfalfa sprouts, has increased in recent years due to their nutritional value and antioxidant content. However, these products have repeatedly been implicated in outbreaks of foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella enterica. Although host-adapted Salmonella serovars are less frequently associated with foodborne illness, infections caused by these serovars often result in invasive and severe outcomes, highlighting the importance of understanding their persistence in food production systems. Moreover, the variability among Salmonella serovars requires characterization beyond the most prevalent types to support the development of precision food safety strategies effective across the diversity of serovars capable of contaminating fresh produce. Here, a plant-internalized Salmonella Choleraesuis strain was used as a model to investigate persistence mechanisms on alfalfa sprouts. A bar-coded transposon mutant library comprising approximately 33,000 unique insertions was generated, along with a collection of individual insertion mutants. These resources were used to identify genetic determinants contributing to strain fitness on sprouts under abusive cold storage (8°C) simulating commercial shelf-life environments. Genome-wide analyses identified negative selection for mutants with insertions in eda, fabF, lpp1_2, pnp, stpA, SCHChr_03621, and two intergenic regions. Competition assays confirmed fitness defects associated with eda, encoding a key enzyme of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway; mnmG, encoding a tRNA modification enzyme involved in translational fidelity; and fabF, involved in fatty acid biogenesis. These findings provide a genome-wide perspective on mechanisms enabling persistence on sprouts of a plant-associated, host-adapted Salmonella strain during cold storage and inform risk assessment and intervention design within precision food safety frameworks.IMPORTANCEFood safety strategies are frequently based on knowledge derived from well-studied, epidemiologically relevant Salmonella serovars, yet many less frequent types still pose a risk to consumers and may contaminate fresh produce. Different Salmonella serovars may vary in the relative contribution of persistence mechanisms. Recognizing these differences is essential for improving precision food safety efforts, particularly for foods such as sprouts that are repeatedly linked to outbreaks. This study highlights that less-studied serovars can rely on both shared survival strategies and unique traits that might otherwise not be captured by current control approaches. By demonstrating that strain diversity influences persistence on fresh produce, this work supports the development of precision food safety strategies that address a broader spectrum of Salmonella, thereby improving risk assessment and helping to better protect public health.

food safety↗

PubMed2025

Integrated agronomy of pea (Pisum sativum L.): a review on cultivation, harvesting, and storage for sustainable agriculture.

Peas (Pisum sativum L.) are a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, yet their potential is limited by fragmented agronomic practices. This review provides an integrated synthesis of advancements across cultivation, mechanized harvesting, and post-harvest storage. Key findings reveal that optimal growth conditions and nanotechnology interventions can significantly enhance abiotic stress tolerance. Mechanized harvesting innovations reduce yield losses by up to 40%, but smallholder adoption and terrain compatibility remain critical challenges. Effective post-harvest strategies, including low-temperature storage and hermetic bags, are crucial for preserving quality. Despite progress, systemic barriers persist. Future research must prioritize interdisciplinary solutions-combining genomics, precision engineering, and farmer training-to unlock the full potential of peas as a keystone crop for sustainable food systems.

climate resilience↗

PubMed2025

Balancing nutrient remobilization and photosynthesis: proteomic insights into the dual role of lupin cotyledons after germination.

Efficient nutrient mobilization from seed storage tissues is essential for seedling establishment, particularly in legumes such as Lupinus albus (white lupin), which thrive in nutrient-poor soils. This study investigates the role of cotyledons in nitrogen (N) and mineral remobilization after germination during their transition from storage organs to photosynthetically active tissues, including the metabolic challenges posed by the coexistence of these two functions in epigeal germination. We cultivated white lupin seedlings under nitrogen-deficient conditions, analyzing cotyledon composition and function over 28 days. Our results indicate that 60% of cotyledon-stored proteins are degraded within the first 8 days, with free amino acids transiently accumulating before being redistributed to support growth. The progressive depletion of cotyledon reserves was accompanied by structural and metabolic changes, including an increase in photosynthetic proteins. However, cotyledon photosynthetic capacity remained lower than that of true leaves, suggesting a transient role in energy metabolism. The loss of cotyledons before day 12 significantly impaired seedling development, emphasizing their critical contribution to nitrogen, phosphate, and micronutrient supply during early growth. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed dynamic shifts in nutrient transport, amino acid metabolism, and stress response pathways following cotyledon removal. These findings underscore the significance of cotyledon nutrient remobilization in legume adaptation to low-fertility soils and highlight potential targets for breeding strategies aimed at improving nutrient use efficiency. By optimizing cotyledon nutrient composition and function, future breeding efforts could enhance seedling vigor, reduce fertilizer dependency, and improve the nutritional value of lupin-based foods.

Lupinus↗

PubMed2026

Machine learning-assisted Mn-N-C nanozyme colorimetric sensor array for trace-level detection of biogenic amines in meat.

Accurate detection of biogenic amines (BAs) in meat remains challenging due to their high structural similarity and co-occurrence. Herein, an Mn-N-C nanozyme was synthesized via a metal-organic framework confined pyrolysis strategy, possessing excellent oxidase (OXD)- and peroxidase (POD)-like activities. The dual enzyme-like activity showed Km values of 0.1584 mM (OXD) and 0.1498 mM (POD), respectively, in detection system. Leveraging these properties, a colorimetric sensor array was constructed, enabling the detection of four representative BAs within a concentration range of 2-10 ppm with 100% classification accuracy. In addition, a concentration independent recognition model based on an artificial neural network was developed to address signal nonlinearity interference in meat. The integrated system achieved accurate trace-level identification of BAs in perishable fish, pork, and chicken, demonstrating its applicability for early-stage BAs monitoring and quality deterioration warning during storage and transportation.

Biogenic Amines↗

PubMed2026

Isolation, identification, and genomic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus phage vB_SauL_202595 and its bacteriostatic application in dairy products.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen associated with bovine mastitis and dairy product contamination, posing economic and public health risks through the food chain. In this study, a temperate phage, vB_SauL_202595, was isolated from a dairy farm environmental sample using S. aureus SHZ-0127 as the host, and its biological characteristics, genomic features, and antibacterial activity in dairy matrices were evaluated. vB_SauL_202595 lysed 18 of 66 tested S. aureus strains, with a lysis susceptibility rate of 27.3%, including 5 highly susceptible strains, indicating a relatively limited host range. The optimal multiplicity of infection was 0.01, the latent period was approximately 30 min, and the burst size was approximately 316 PFU/cell. The phage remained stable at 4°C-37°C and pH 6-10. Genome analysis showed that vB_SauL_202595 belongs to the class Caudoviricetes, has a genome of 44,503 bp with 33.59% GC content, and encodes 63 predicted proteins. No typical antibiotic resistance genes or major virulence factors were detected; however, integrase and repressor genes were identified, supporting its temperate nature. vB_SauL_202595 inhibited S. aureus SHZ-0127 growth, reduced mature biofilm biomass, and decreased viable bacterial counts in milk and yogurt, with reductions of 1.23 and 1.42 log10 CFU/mL under representative conditions, respectively. From a One Health perspective, these findings provide foundational evidence for reducing S. aureus contamination and related antimicrobial resistance risks along the dairy chain. Overall, vB_SauL_202595 represents a candidate phage resource for dairy-associated S. aureus biocontrol research, but its limited host range and lysogeny-related genes require further safety assessment before food-related applications.IMPORTANCEStaphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen associated with bovine mastitis and a common contaminant in dairy products, causing economic losses and public health risks through the food chain. Although phage-based biocontrol has emerged as a promising strategy for controlling S. aureus contamination in dairy products, systematic evidence regarding phage activity in actual dairy matrices remains limited. In this study, we isolated and characterized a dairy farm environment-derived temperate phage, vB_SauL_202595, and evaluated its biological characteristics, genomic features, host range, stability, biofilm removal ability, and antibacterial performance in milk and yogurt. These findings provide foundational experimental evidence for phage-based dairy biocontrol against S. aureus. However, due to its limited host range and lysogeny-related genomic features, vB_SauL_202595 should be considered a candidate phage resource for further study. Broader validation, including phage-cocktail testing, long-term storage assays, product quality assessment, and regulatory safety evaluation, is needed before practical application.

Staphylococcus aureus↗

PubMed2026

A black soybean yoghurt fermented with a reusable probiotic cellulose gel: beneficial effects and metabolic characteristics.

The demand for plant-based yoghurts is continuously increasing. However, achieving stable physicochemical properties and acceptable flavor of the plant-based yoghurts remains challenging. In our previous work, we encapsulated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) LCC-605 biofilm into bacterial cellulose (BC), obtaining a LP605@BC gel. LP605@BC gel exhibited excellent harsh-environment resistance abilities and storage stability, and is very suitable as a starter culture. In this work, we used LP605@BC as a starter culture to prepare the fermented plant-based yoghurt (e.g., black soybean yoghurt, BSY-LP605@BC). After fermentation, the inverted nonflowing yoghurt was formed due to the strong interaction between protein and exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by LCC-605 during fermentation. In addition, the water holding capacity (67.2%) of BSY-LP605@BC was also greatly improved. The viable bacterial counts in BSY-LP605@BC reached 11.2 log CFU/mL after 21 days of storage. BSY-LP605@BC showed increased antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering abilities, and hypoglycemic potential compared with the unfermented black soybean milk. Interestingly, LP605@BC could be reused at least 5 times, demonstrating excellent sustainability. Significant metabolomic differences between BSY-LP605@BC and the black soybean milk were observed via untargeted metabolomic analysis, further proving the beneficial effects of BSY-LP605@BC. Overall, our work developed an effective reusable starter culture for preparing the plant-based yoghurt in a sustainable manner, providing a new design direction and form of starter culture.

Yogurt↗