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Changes in quality of fruits and vegetables during processing and storage might impact on the nutritional and economical value of food products. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of blanching on the content of vitamin C and ellagic acid (EA) as the main bioactive compounds present in Kakadu plum (KP) fruits (Terminalia ferdinandiana) during storage at 40oC to mimic typical temperature when wild harvested. Changes in the profile of fatty acids, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, as a biomarker for lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant properties of KP fruits were evaluated. The results revealed that vitamin C decreased between 25 and 52% over the storage period. Statistically significant differences in the concentration of vitamin C were associated with temperature (p ) and blanching (p ), whereas no significant differences in EA during storage were observed. DPPH radical scavenging capacity and total phenolic content of both blanched and control samples decreased by 80% and 35%, respectively, at the end of the storage period compared to day 0. In addition, the change in DPPH activity is significantly correlated (Pearson R2 = 0.829, p ˂ 0.01) with the breakdown of ellagitannins. Furthermore, KP fruit demonstrated excellent antioxidative properties by reducing MDA production. It was concluded that blanching causes significant vitamin C loss whereas neither blanching nor long-term storage at elevated temperature affect the EA content. The results also indicate that the antioxidant compounds present in the KP fruits provided considerable protection against fatty acid oxidation during storage.

The growing world population accompanied by urbanisation and improved economies has resulted in an increased demand for diets rich in animal proteins. The rearing of livestock by existing practices is also becoming increasingly difficult due to changing environmental conditions. The use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) grown on organic side streams (bioproducts) as feed for animals presents a sustainable alternative to conventional feed ingredients. The nutritional and compositional profile of BSFL reared on organic side streams and their potential to be used as animal feed has been extensively explored. However, little information is available on the chemical safety of BSFL reared on organic side streams. This review addresses the chemical safety hazards of BSFL reared on substrates spiked with different chemical contaminants, including heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. BSFL were observed to excrete mycotoxins and were able to reduce the concentration of pesticides and pharmaceutical compounds in the substrate. Certain heavy metals were found to be accumulated in BSFL when grown on spiked substrate. Initial studies have also indicated that the growth parameters and composition of BSFL are not altered by the presence of microplastics and organic pollutants in the substrate. Information about these feed-safety issues will assist in developing regulatory frameworks and appropriate processing methods to mitigate these hazards, thereby providing a framework of risks for the commercialisation of BSFL destined for animal feed.

GO, CuO-rGO and ZnO-rGO were tested for their ability to remove textile dyes (R-6G, MG) and antibiotics (AMOX, TC) as wastewater depollution materials. Although GO was most effective for the cationic dyes, CuO-rGO efficiently removed anionic antibiotics.

Cruciferous vegetables and oilseeds are rich in glucosinolates that can transform into isothiocyanates upon enzymic hydrolysis during post-harvest handling, food preparation and/or digestion. Vegetables contain glucosinolates that have beneficial bioactivities, while glucosinolates in oilseeds might have anti-nutritional properties. It is therefore important to monitor and assess glucosinolates and isothiocyanates content through the food value chain as well as for optimized crop production. Vibrational spectroscopy methods, such as infrared (IR) spectroscopy, are used as a nondestructive, rapid and low-cost alternative to the current and common costly, destructive, and time-consuming techniques. This systematic review discusses and evaluates the recent literature available on the use of IR spectroscopy to determine glucosinolates and isothiocyanates in vegetables and oilseeds. NIR spectroscopy was used to predict glucosinolates in broccoli, kale, rocket, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, brown mustard, rapeseed, pennycress, and a combination of Brassicaceae family seeds. Only one study reported the use of NIR spectroscopy to predict broccoli isothiocyanates. The major limitations of these studies were the absence of the critical evaluation of errors associated with the reference method used to develop the calibration models and the lack of interpretation of loadings or regression coefficients used to predict glucosinolates.

Terminalia hadleyana (subsp. carpentariae C. T. White) is native to Northern Australia where fruits of this plant have been used as a traditional food by the Australian Indigenous people. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphology, chemical composition, functional (e.g. vitamin C, phenolic content) and antimicrobial properties of T. carpentariae fruits, harvested from the wild at full maturity. Variability has been observed in both fruit morphology (size and weight) and chemical composition. Proximate analysis showed that these fruits have high concentration of dietary fibre (DF) (51.2 g/100 gDW), and minerals such as K (1780 mg/100 g DW), Ca (373 mg/100 g DW) and Mg (150 mg/100 g DW). High levels of total phenolic content (TPC) (11,392 mg GAE/100 g DW) and vitamin C (11,046 mg/100 g DW) were also observed. Fruit extracts also showed inhibitory effects against the growth of foodborne microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Shewanella putrefaciens. Overall, these results contribute to provide with relevant information of the potential of T. carpentariae fruit as a functional ingredient to the Australian Indigenous communities and the emerging Australian native food industry.

This study reports changes in the concentrations of important health-related bioactive compounds (vitamin C and ellagic acid) and morphology of wild harvested Kakadu plum fruits that were collected during three harvest seasons and four maturities. The results showed that fruit weight increased, whereas fruit length and width changed slightly with the advance in maturity. Vitamin C increased up to 20 folds (from 1.2 to 21.2% dry weight [DW]) from immature to mature stage, whereas ellagic acid decreased approximately three times (from 6.5 to 2.1% DW). Similar trends were observed over the three harvest seasons studied. A positive correlation between fruit weight and vitamin C, whereas a negative correlation with ellagic acid was observed, indicating that maturity plays an important role in contributing to the variation of ellagic acid and vitamin C. Season also had an effect and showed the influences of rainfall, temperature and solar exposure on the biosynthesis of vitamin C and ellagic acid.

A hand-held near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer combined with a similarity index (SI) method was evaluated to identify meat samples sourced from exotic and traditional meat species. Fresh meat cuts of lamb (Ovis aries), emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), camel (Camelus dromedarius), and beef (Bos taurus) sourced from a commercial abattoir were used and analyzed using a hand-held NIR spectrophotometer. The NIR spectra of the commercial and exotic meat samples were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and a similarity index (SI). The overall accuracy of the LDA models was 87.8%. Generally, the results of this study indicated that SI combined with NIR spectroscopy can distinguish meat samples sourced from different animal species. In future, we can expect that methods such as SI will improve the implementation of NIR spectroscopy in the meat and food industries as this method can be rapid, handy, affordable, and easy to understand for users and customers.

The emerging botanical and native food industries have enormous potential for the development and delivery of authentic, delicious and unique foods and ingredients. The definition of provenance (e.g. authenticity, geographical origin) is of primary importance for these emerging food industries to gain access into different local and international markets. For example, the production of native food ingredients in Australia is based on the knowledge of the native flora (more than 25,0000 native species), local traditions and uses that might provide with new opportunities for the development and selection of new alternative ingredients and products. Overall, the utilization of these unique food ingredients is contributing with the development of new, attractive, delicious, healthy and nutritious foods. However, one important aspect of their utilization is the one associated with their provenance. Therefore, the definition, evaluation and understanding of provenance will provide with several economic advantages to the custodians and producers of this type of natural and plant ingredients.

Samphire (Tecticornia sp.) is an underutilised Australian indigenous edible halophyte and has been used as complementary vegetable, salads or salt substitute. The present study aimed to characterise as well as to differentiate wild harvested samphire samples from different sub-locations in the Kimberly Region of Western Australia using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Antioxidant capacity measured as total phenolic content (TPC) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, and colour attributes were determined in the harvested samples using routine reference methods. This data was used to develop mid-infrared calibration models using partial least squares regression. The present study shows the ability of mid-infrared spectroscopy to predict TPC and DPPH radical scavenging capacity in wild harvested samphire samples.

Recent research has shown the potential of portable and handheld NIR instruments to monitor and measure the composition of fruits and vegetables. Current research has also shown the possibility of using portable instruments as tools to monitor composition along the entire food value chain. The objective of this study was to evaluate two sample presentation methods (dry powder and fruit puree) to measure total soluble solids (TSS) and moisture (M) in wild harvested Kakadu plum (KP) ( Terminalia ferdinandiana, Combretaceae). Kakadu plum is an endemic plant of Australia that contains high concentrations of vitamin C, ellagic acid as well as other bioactive compounds. These properties make this plant of high economic and social importance for the Aboriginal communities of Australia. Fruit samples were wild harvested in January 2020 from locations in the Kimberley region (Western Australia, Australia) and analysed using both reference and NIR spectroscopic methods. The SECV and RPD values in cross validation were 0.65% (RPD: 2.2) and 0.22% (RPD: 4.2) to predict M and TSS in the KP dry powder samples. The SECV and RPD values obtained in cross validation for the KP fruit puree samples were 0.56% (RPD: 2.8) and 0.24% (RPD: 3.8) for M and TSS, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated the ability of NIR spectroscopy to measure M and TSS in wild harvest fruit. These findings can be also utilised by the Aboriginal communities to develop a grading/sorting system to rapidly screen and evaluate relevant chemical parameters associated with fruit quality and safety.

Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) fruit is characterised by its high levels of natural ascorbic acid compared with other domesticated plants in the world (e.g. more than 75 times that of oranges). The concentration of ascorbic acid is one of the main factors that define the price of this fruit (as fresh or dry powder) in the market. As many other specialty foods and commodities, this food is not exempt against adulteration. Adulteration can be simply performed by the addition of water (dilution), low-quality fruit and synthetic ascorbic acid and other chemical products. The ability of attenuated total reflectance mid infrared spectroscopy (ATR-MIR) was evaluated as a tool to detect the level of adulteration of Kakadu plum powder with a synthetic source of ascorbic acid. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the standard error of cross validation (SECV) obtained for the prediction of level and source of adulteration were 0.85 (3.2%), and 0.83 (0.30%) respectively. This study demonstrated that the integration of ATR-MIR spectroscopy with chemometric analysis could be a valuable method to identify the adulteration of Kakadu plum powder with synthetic sources of ascorbic acid.

Classical methods for assessing the quality of food grains are still in vogue, however, these methods are either destructive or time-consuming which demands an alternative. Spectroscopic techniques...

Whey protein systems with varying fat concentrations (WF) of 2, 4, and 6% (w/w) were treated by ultrasound at 20 kHz up to 10 min, which corresponded to energy densities ranging from 9.54 to 190.8 J mL−1, respectively. The volatile compounds produced were extracted by solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). The results showed that hydrocarbons, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and alcohols are the predominant volatiles present within WF mixtures. These volatile compounds primarily derived from lipid oxidation of milk fat or cleavage of fatty acids, while some aldehydes, ethyl acetate, and hexanol derived from both lipid oxidation of milk fat and protein degradation. The fat content had negligible effects on the production of volatile compounds. In contrast, the fatty acids showed insignificant changes within WF systems containing 2% (w/w) fat, while some significant changes were observed with 4% and 6% (w/w) fat containing WF systems. However, the sonication time significantly influenced both the production of volatiles and the changes in fatty acids irrespective of the fat concentration highlighting the influence of both chemical and physical effects generated through acoustic cavitation.

The effects of low-frequency ultrasound on the production of volatile compounds in model casein protein systems containing various fat concentrations of 2%, 4% and 6% (w/w) were investigated. Ultrasound application was performed at 20 kHz for up to 10 min which corresponded to energy densities ranging from 9.54 to 190.8 J mL. Similar volatile compounds were detected both in pure fat and mixtures of casein and fat (CF) systems. These volatiles belonged to the groups of aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols and hydrocarbons, which were the products of oxidation of lipids or protein degradation due to acoustic cavitation. The amount of fat in the casein systems had minor effects on the production of volatiles, whereas the production of volatile compounds was significantly affected by the ultrasound treatment. Short sonication times

BACKGROUND Terminalia ferdinandiana, common name Kakadu plum (KP), fruit is a valuable source of vitamin C, and its concentration can be used as a quality index of KP products, such as dried fruit powder. The present study investigated the effects of two drying methods (freeze-drying and oven-drying) and the addition of maltodextrin (0-25%) on vitamin C, Maillard products, and overall quality of KP fruit powder. RESULTS Freeze-drying was a better dehydration technique than oven-drying in retaining vitamin C, reducing the formation of non-enzymatic browning and oxidation products, and improving powder colour (P

Rapid and cost-effective diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are important measures for the control and management of gonococcal infection. Current diagnostic tools such as nucleic acid amplification tests and bacterial culture are not feasible in many resource-poor settings, and so syndromic patient management is commonplace. Alternative cost-effective diagnostic tools are therefore needed. Here, we sought to explore the utility and feasibility of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to (1) identify and differentiate NG from Neisseria commensals and (2) to differentiate fully susceptible NG from resistant NG. NIRS correctly classified NG from Neisseria commensals (Rsup2/sup= 0.89; SECV 0.164) and to a lesser capacity, susceptible NG from resistant (Rsup2/sup = 0.60; SECV 0.32). To the best our knowledge, this is the first proof of concept study in the field. Further evaluations are now warranted to enhance capacity and accuracy of this diagnostic approach.

Assessing and monitoring the growth and response of bacteria to antibiotics is of crucial importance in research laboratories, as well as in food, environment, medical, and pharmaceutical industrial applications. In this study, Escherichia coli was chosen as the model microorganism to evaluate its response (e.g., growth) to a commercial antibiotic-tetracycline. Thus, the objective of this work was to explore the ability of NIR data combined with machine learning tools (e.g., partial least squares discriminant analysis) to monitor the response and growth of Escherichia coli cultured with different concentrations of tetracycline (ranging from 0 to 50 μg/mL). This study demonstrated a novel method capable of analyzing samples of a complex matrix, while still contained in a 96-well plate. This work will pave the way as a new machine learning method to detect resistance changes in microorganisms without the laborious and, in some cases, time-consuming protocols currently in use in research and by the industry.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sample presentation (tissue type) and maturity (ripe and unripe) on the classification of banana (Musa Cavendish) samples sourced from two different geographical regions and analysed using mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the standard error of cross‐validation (SECV) obtained using partial least squares discriminant analysis were 0.83 (0.33), 0.75 (0.25) and 0.94 (0.19) for the prediction of maturity, geographical origin and tissue type, respectively. No effect of either of type of tissue (e.g. pulp or peel) or maturity was observed. The results of this study demonstrated that MIR spectroscopy might be used to classify the origin of the banana samples at different degrees of ripeness. However, one of the limitations of this study is on the number of samples analysed and further validation must be recommended using samples from other sources, regions and harvest seasons.

Recent media reports claimed that a large proportion of honey sold in Australian supermarkets was adulterated, although no specific details of the nature of the adulteration were made public. To investigate the basis of these claims, the current study was conducted with samples of Australian honey obtained from supermarkets or direct from beekeepers/small-scale producers. Without evidence to the contrary, it was assumed that the beekeeper honey would be unadulterated. Analysis of these samples using the official AOAC method (998.12) found that a proportion of both supermarket and beekeeper honeys had apparent C4 sugar contents greater than 7% and this proportion was similar to the failure rates reported by popular media. The AOAC test measures the difference in carbon isotopic composition between the honey (mostly sugar) and protein precipitated from the honey and relies on the assumption that nectar (the source of sugar) comes from the same plant species as pollen (the source of protein). Initial results found that most Australian honey failed the AOAC test because the protein was depleted in 13C with respect to the sugar although the sugar was in the normal range (δ13C more negative than – 24‰). A series of experiments investigated the nature of the precipitate obtained from Australian honey and found the weight of precipitate was greater than the amount of protein measured in the honey and the precipitate contained non-protein material. Based on these findings, a modification to the AOAC method is proposed whereby samples, after addition of sodium tungstate and acid, are left unheated for 48 h for a floc to form. This procedure produced a precipitate that was mostly comprised of protein. It is also recommended that the acceptance criteria for Australian honey are increased from 1 to 2‰ difference between the carbon isotopic composition of the honey and the precipitate. Using the modified method and acceptance criteria, the failure rate for Australian honey was no more than 8%, compared to 37% using the official method.

The effect of two drying methods (oven and freeze drying) and the addition of maltodextrin to Kakadu plum puree samples (KP) (Terminalia ferdianandiana) were evaluated using mid (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Dry powder samples were obtained using the oven and freeze-drying methods and seven levels of maltodextrin. Training (n = 32) and validation (n = 28) sets were developed for the prediction of moisture (M %), water activity (aw %), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and vitamin C (VITC mg/100 g DM) based on NIR and MIR spectroscopy. Results from this study demonstrated the ability of spectroscopy combined with partial least squares (PLS) regression to monitor these parameters during drying. The standard error in cross validation (SECV) and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) values obtained were of 0.71% (RPD = 4.1) and 0.47% (RPD = 6.1) for M, 0.06% (RPD = 4.4) and 0.02% (RPD = 8.2) for aw, 0.73 (RPD = 3.3) and 0.72 (RPD = 3.3) for HMF, 465.7 mg 100 g DM (RPD = 3.0) and 289.3 mg 100 g DM (RPD = 4.8) for VITC, using MIR and NIR, respectively. The results from this study showed that MIR and NIR spectroscopies are capable of both measuring and monitoring the effect of drying and the addition of maltodextrin as a carrier to KP puree samples.

The use of various aspects of food processing, including the direct inclusion of nano-additives, are rapidly increasing in the field of nanotechnology to enhance the desired qualities in food production, use and storage. The important role of the human gut microbiota is well understood, including its influence on many physiological functions and its alterations, which play an essential role in various human diseases. Research exploring the effect of engineered and naturally occurring nanoparticles (NPs) in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans on commensal and pathogenic microorganisms is lacking and scarce. Studies should focus on the complex human gut microbiome when investigating the influence of NPs within a human body. Various materials, such as titanium dioxide, silver, silicon dioxide, iron dioxide and zinc oxide, show great potential in affecting the microbiota and causing clinical disorders including colitis, obesity, and immunological dysfunction. This review reports the influence of such nano- food additives towards the gut microbiota (GM), as well as methods to track and monitor the NPs in vivo using techniques such as electron microscopy after interaction with NPs and in vitro gut models currently used to examine the influence of NPs with GM, as well as their limitations.

This work investigated the effect of leaf development (maturity) on morphology, antimicrobial activity, total phenolic (TPC) and ascorbic acid content in leaves of Terminalia ferdinandiana, an endemic plant of Australia. The results of this study indicated that total ascorbic acid was in the range of 23.0 to 35.5 mg/100 g dry weight (DW), showing an increase with advance of maturity. TPC in water and methanolic extracts were in the range of 237.3 - 598.6 and 210.3 - 319.6 mg Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/ g DW, respectively. Leaf extracts exhibited pronounced inhibitory activity towards Staphylococcus aureus where total ascorbic acid and TPC were positively correlated with the observed antimicrobial activity. These results indicated that leaves extracts might be used as an alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents, with a great potential for application as an environmentally friendly sanitizer in the hospitality and healthcare industries.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using either mid (MIR) or near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to predict the vitamin C content in Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Combretaceae) powder samples. Vitamin C is the main and quality determining bioactive compound in Kakadu plum (KP). KP powder samples were analysed by UPLC-PDA and scanned using both MIR and NIR spectroscopy. The coefficient of determination (R ) and the standard error in cross validation (SECV) for vitamin C were 0.93 and 1811 mg 100 g dry weight (DW) and 0.91 and 1839 mg 100 g DW using MIR and NIR spectroscopy, respectively. The coefficient of correlation and the standard error of prediction (SEP) obtained using the independent set (n=5) were 0.65 (SEP: 2367 mg 100 g DW) and 0.73 (SEP: 4773 mg 100 g DW) using MIR and NIR spectroscopy, respectively. The results obtained in this study clearly showed that it is possible to calibrate IR spectroscopic instruments for the measurement of vitamin C in KP plum powder samples. MIR spectroscopy showed the most promising results; however, FT-NIR spectroscopy also produced models capable of good quantification of this important bioactive compound and vitamin. These findings are promising in terms of using high-throughput IR spectroscopy as a routine technology to determine vitamin C in plant-based foods and derived products. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Knowledge about the inherent complexity of the composition, nutrition, and physiology of different plant tissues and parts is required as this will allow for the discovery of new or improved properties (e.g. new bioactive compounds with health-benefitting activities, antimicrobial substances to reduce food spoilage activity). This paper reports the use, analysis and interpretation of the mid-infrared spectra of different plant parts (fruits and leaves) from an Australian native tropical plant, Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell [Combretaceae]. The use of infrared spectroscopy together with chemometric techniques will allow to obtain different levels of information about the chemical composition of leaf and fruit samples associated with maturity. Freeze-dried powder and puree of Terminalia ferdinandiana is commercially available as a functional food ingredient, whereas leaves or any other tissues are not considered as functional ingredients. The use of mid-infrared spectroscopy can provide an initial screening tool for the discovery and development of new ingredients and products. This technology can be an easy to use, cost-effective and high throughout method to ensure quality and authenticity of food products throughout the value chain. The incorporation of these techniques might be considered the base of bio spectroscopy analysis as proxies to study tropical species with distinctive bioactive properties and nutritional value such as Terminalia ferdinandiana.

The recent rise of antibiotic resistance amongst Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) populations has made treating Staph-based infections a global medical challenge. Therapies that specifically target the peptidoglycan layer of S. aureus have emerged as new treatment avenues, towards which bacteria are less likely to develop resistance. While the majority of antibacterial polymers/oligomers have the ability to disrupt bacterial membranes, the design parameters for the enhanced disruption of peptidoglycan outer layer of Gram-positive bacteria remain unclear. Here, the design of oligomeric structures with favorable conformational characteristics for improved disruption of the peptidoglycan outer layer of Gram-positive bacteria is reported. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to inform the structure design and composition of cationic oligomers displaying collapsed and expanded conformations. The most promising diblock and triblock cationic oligomers were synthesized by photo-induced atom transfer radical polymerization (photo ATRP). Following synthesis, the diblock and triblock oligomers displayed average antibacterial activity of ~99% and ~98% for S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), respectively, at the highest concentrations tested. Importantly, triblock oligomers with extended conformations showed significantly higher disruption of the peptidoglycan outer layer of S. aureus compared to diblock oligomers with more collapsed conformation, as evidenced by a number of characterization techniques including scanning electron, confocal and atomic force microscopy. This work provides new insight into the structure/property relationship of antibacterial materials and advances the design of functional materials for combating the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.

The effect of photosensitization mediated by curcumin on fungal growth, physicochemical properties and nutritional composition in Australian grown “Albion” strawberries was evaluated. Curcumin solution (1200, 1000 and 800 μM) was sprayed on the strawberry surface, followed by illumination using blue light (420 nm) for 10 min at a dosage of 42 J/cm2 and stored at 4 ± 2 °C for 12 days. The fruit photosensitized with 1000-μM curcumin (10 min, followed by storage at 4 ± 2 °C) lasted up to 12 days with a fungal infection rate of 52%, whereas untreated control fruit developed 100% fungal infection and lasted for 8 days only under the same conditions. This treatment did not have an effect on colour, pH, moisture content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content and anthocyanins, whereas total soluble solids (9%) and total sugar (22%) were increased (p

Banana (Musa cavendish) is one of the most popular fruits globally and is an important foodstuff in many regions, attributed to its high nutritional value. Contrast to its high consumption volume, relatively little research has been conducted on banana lipidome. In this study, two classic lipid extraction methods, Folch and Bligh-Dyer, were compared for studying the banana lipidome in both the peel and pulp by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Lipidomic profiles were also investigated to understand the changes of lipid molecules during three ripening stages (unripe, ripe, and overripe), and differences in lipids from different origins were also compared. This study suggested that although both Folch and Bligh-Dyer methods allow lipidome investigation, the latter demonstrated advantage in rendering higher extraction efficiency for the majority of lipid molecules in banana samples, particularly in the pulp. In peel, there were differences in the trends of each lipid classes at various stages of maturity, while the majority of lipid classes in pulp reached the highest levels with reduced desaturation at ripe stage, consistent with previous studies. Moreover, the lipidomic profiles of bananas in different habitats differed significantly according to partial least-squares discriminant analysis. This study for the first time provided comprehensive atlas of lipidomic changes of Musa cavendish during maturity and in different origins. These findings will facilitate better understanding of biochemical changes in banana and offer new tools for food chemical analyses in the understanding of mechanisms underlying lipid metabolism.

The monitoring and quantification of the illegal harvest of protected animal products is very vital for the conservation and protection of endangered species. Most of the methods and techniques used in the trade of these products are recognised to be incredibly time consuming and labour intensive requiring significant analyst expertise. In this study, we have demonstrated the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy combined with either principal component analysis or partial least square discriminant analysis regression as a rapid and non-invasive tool to classify horn and ivory samples stored in the Australian Museum, Sydney. This study has also demonstrated the attractiveness of the near-infrared technique as a screening tool that could revolutionise the tracking and identification of contraband materials produced from horn and ivory biomaterials.