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Water contamination with heavy metals is increased due to environmental contaminants. Arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead are well-known toxic heavy metals for humans. Lactobacillus acidophilus is an ideal absorbent for the removal of metals from drinking water. In this study, the ability of treated and untreated L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 to remove four heavy metals, simultaneously, from multi-metallic contaminated water in 24 h was investigated. In addition, the stability of the bacteria–metal complexes was evaluated in simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions. According to the results, untreated L. acidophilus could remove 99.01% and 92.35% of mercury and lead in water, respectively (initial concentration of 700 µg.L−1; inoculum size of 2.6×1012 CFU.mL−1; pH 4; 37°C; 24 h), whereas removal of arsenic and cadmium, under the same conditions, was 91.28% and 61.91% by heat and NaOH treated cells, respectively. In the digest condition, the complexes of bacteria-metal were reversible and the bond stability of untreated bacteria–Hg complexes was stronger than other complexes. The results suggest that treated or untreated L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 cells have the potential to adsorb heavy metals in contaminated water.

The wheat flour baguette bread is one of the most important foods throughout the world. Therefore, improving the quality of this type of white bread has always been of interest. In this study, the effect of xylanase and pentosanase enzymes on the rheological properties of dough and baguette bread characteristics was investigated. Adding xylanase and/or pentosanase had led to improve rheological properties of the dough. Using 0.2 gr pentosanase in 100 g flour significantly strengthened the gluten network of the dough. Also, this treatment had the lowest extensibility and the highest resistance ratio number. The treatment containing 0.6 g xylanase and 0.1 g pentosanase in 100 g flour had a higher moisture content on the first, third, and fifth days of storage time. Regarding the color of the crust of the produced bread, it was found that the addition of both enzymes at higher levels, especially in enzyme mixtures, decreased the brightness of the bread crust. Due to the organoleptic features of breads, adding xylanase and pentosanase enzymes could improve the volume and crumb texture of the bread, but no significant difference was observed in baking uniformity, physical shape, taste, and odor of bread crumbs. In conclusion, the findings in this study indicated that the type of enzymes added and enzyme levels affected dough rheology, bread properties, and quality of the baguette bread significantly.

In recent decades, “contamination of the environment, food, and feed by different contaminants such as heavy metals and toxins is increasing due to industrial life.” Commercial milk and milk products can be contaminated with heavy metals and mycotoxins. Biosorption is a low-cost method and has good potential for decontamination. In dairy products, “various starters, especially probiotics, can be used as biosorbants, while microorganisms are able to bind to heavy metals and toxins and decrease their bioavailability and hazards in the human body.” In this article, the key role of dairy starters and probiotics in the decontamination of toxins and heavy metals, and the best probiotics for decontamination of aflatoxins and heavy metals has been reviewed. After a quick glance at introducing dairy products and the main risks in association with the intake of some hazardous materials from dairy products, the application of biological systems is mentioned. Then, the article is focused on the role of beneficial microorganisms as the last chance to decrease the risk of exposure to toxins and heavy metals in dairy products. This review can be helpful for biotechnologists and scientists who have challenges about the existence of heavy metals and toxins in milk and dairy products, and help them to find the best method to decrease the content of the usual contaminants.

Heavy metals and mycotoxins in foodstuffs are one of the major concerns of our world nowadays. Food decontamination with the help of microbial biomass is a cheap, easy, efficient and green method known as bioremoval. Probiotics are able to reduce the availability of heavy metals and toxins in food products. The purpose of this review is to summarize the probiotics and potential probiotics' interesting role in food bio-decontamination. After a brief glance at the definition of potential probiotic strains with bioremoval ability, LABs (lactic acid bacteria) are described as they are the most important groups of probiotics. After that, the role of the main probiotic and potential probiotic strains (Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, Pediococcus, Propionibacterium, Streptococcus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) for heavy metals and mycotoxins bioremoval are described. Additionally, the bioremoval mechanism and the effect of some factors in bioremoval efficiency are explained. Finally, the investigations about probiotic and contaminant stability are mentioned. It is worth mentioning that this review article can be exerted in different food and beverage industries to eliminate the heavy metals and mycotoxins in foodstuffs.

Food and feed contamination by aflatoxins represents a great challenge for human and animal health. Aflatoxins detoxification using probiotic bacteria and yeasts has been introduced as an inexpensive and promising method. This article is organized with an overview of the potential application of probiotic bacteria and yeasts to eliminate, inactivate or reduce the bioavailability of aflatoxins, especially aflatoxin B1, in vitro and in vivo. Also, a fast glance to beneficial health effects and preservative properties of probiotics followed by the mechanism of binding of aflatoxins by probiotics, influence of different probiotic pretreatments, and the stability of aflatoxin-probiotic complexes are mentioned.

The trend towards functional foods and healthy diets encourages researchers to produce new probiotic food products with improved probiotic delivery methods. Recently, edible films have been applied as carriers for probiotics, improving their survival in the foods and the gastrointestinal tract. This article is structured as follows: a description of edible films as probiotic carriers is followed by an introduction of the materials used as edible films in three main chapters (1) hydrocolloids (polysaccharides and proteins), (2) lipids and (3) composites. Then, probiotic viability in all mentioned edible films is discussed in detail and the impact of prebiotic incorporation is mentioned. Microbial, physicochemical, and sensory properties of edible film containing probiotics in food matrices are reviewed. Finally, the application of probiotic edible films in different food products is described.

Edible films, as novel degradable materials in food packaging, play an important role in removing consumers' concerns about environmental pollution and food contaminations. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–gelatin (G) edible films with the ratio 4 to 1 was selected as the optimal film based on physical, mechanical, and physicochemical findings. Then, the effects of 0, 300, 450, and 600 ppm Dianthus barbatus essential oil (DbE) on water vapor permeability, tensile strength, elongation at break, water solubility, glass transition temperature, color, oxygen permeability, and antimicrobial activities on the optimal film were investigated. CMC: G (4:1) containing 600 ppm DbE as the antibacterial–antioxidant film was the best formulae (p

The biosorption of heavy metals by microorganisms has attracted the interest of food researchers as the last approach to reduce the risk of their absorption in the human body. But the stability of yeast-metal complexes under simulated gastrointestinal conditions has not been investigated. In this study stability of complex as well as isotherm and kinetic models of biosorption have been studied. Also, the impact of some pretreatment on yeast biosorption was studied to check the possible impact of different environmental conditions in food processing. Data showed a risk of heavy metal release in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The best biosorption of metals from aqueous solutions by

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the elimination of patulin ( PAT ) by Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 from artificially contaminated apple juice and its dependence on prebiotic, citric acid and ascorbic acid content. Methods and Results: A central composite design was used for studying each of the three factors at five levels to find the optimum concentrations. The results showed that inserting 2 3% (w/v) fructooligosaccharide, 213 mg l 1 ascorbic acid and 14 g l1 citric acid to apple juice with inoculating 36 9 1011 CFU per ml, L. plantarum improved the efficiency of PAT removal to 9591% during 6 weeks cold storage. SDS-PAGE of cell surface proteins of probiotics revealed that surface layer proteins have an important role in PAT removal from apple juice. No significant difference was observed in the flavour and colour of the optimized synbiotic apple juice and in the control sample until 3 weeks of cold storage. Conclusion: Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 is capable of PAT removal from artificially contaminated synbiotic apple juice. Significance and Impact of the Study: Synbiotic apple juice artificially contaminated with PAT will be safe for consumers after the first day of probiotic inoculation; and surface layer proteins of probiotic cells are responsible for PAT removal.

The effects of water to solids ratio (WSR, 10-30 mL/g), power (180-540 W), and irradiation time (IT, 5-15 min) in microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were optimized to extract polysaccharides from melon peels (PMP). The maximum extraction yield (32.81 %) was obtained under 20.94 mL/g WSR, 414.4 W power, and 12.75 min IT. The main monosaccharide composition of purified PMP with an average molecular weight of 5.71 × 104 kDa were d-galacturonic acid, arabinose, glucose, and galactose. An ascending dose-dependent antiradical and antioxidant behavior for PMP (0-5.0 mg/mL) was found. The initial foaming capacity (38.6-110.3 %) and foaming stability (5.2-65.2 %) were significantly increased as a function of PMP concentration (1.0-5.0 %), while they reduced by increasing the mixing time (p < 0.05). The highest emulsifying activity index (44.1 m2/g) and emulsifying stability (69.3 %) at 5.0 % PMPs were determined. PMP gels with FTIR-identified functional groups can be formulated in new gluten-free functional products.

Recently, researchers have reported the presence of patulin as a mycotoxin in commercial apple products, especially apple juices. The aim of this study was to assess adsorption of patulin from artificially contaminated apple juice using two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 and Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014. Furthermore, effects of five physical and chemical pretreatments on the patulin adsorption were investigated. Results demonstrated that patulin adsorption abilities of both strains increased with NaOH pretreatment but decreased after autoclaving. The NaOH-treated L. plantarum ATCC 8014 showed the best removal rate (59.74%) after 48 h of refrigerated storage, compared with the NaOH-treated L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 (52.36%). Moreover, stability of the LAB-patulin complex was assessed in simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions and a low quantity of patulin was released into the solution. The patulin adsorption process by NaOH-treated L. plantarum ATCC 8014 followed Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that polysaccharide and protein components of the L. plantarum ATCC 8014 cell wall played key roles in patulin adsorption. The major functional groups of the cell wall that were involved in adsorbing patulin included -OH/-NH, -CH2, C=O, and C-O groups. The current results suggest that NaOH-treated L. plantarum ATCC 8014 cells include the potential to detoxify patulin-contaminated apple juices.

Food contamination such as toxins and heavy metals has been increasing in the last few decades as a result of industrialization in general and as part of food production in particular. Application of microorganisms in toxins and heavy metals bio-removal has been documented and applied as a favorable decontamination approach due to being environmentally friendly, reasonably simple, and economically feasible. Lactobacilli have been proposed and applied as a beneficial biologic sorbent for toxins and heavy metals in processes of reducing their hazardous bio-availability. The purpose of this review is to summarize the known role of Lactobacillus bacterial species in food bio-decontamination processes. After a quick glimpse of the worthy properties of lactobacilli, their cell wall structure is mentioned. Then the potential role of Lactobacillus strains for mycotoxins (aflatoxins, patulin, ochratoxin A, fumonisins, zearalenone, cyanotoxins, and trichothecenes) and heavy metals (lead, arsenic copper, mercury, cadmium, zinc, aluminum, chromium, and iron) bio-removal were described. In addition, the role of various factors in removal yield and the decontamination mechanism were explained. Finally, the lactobacilli-contaminant stability, in vivo studies, and being a friend or foe of Lactobacillus bacteria are discussed.

Phytic acid (PA) is the primary phosphorus reserve in cereals and legumes which serves the biosynthesis needs of growing tissues during germination. It is generally considered to be an anti-nutritional factor found in grains because it can bind to minerals, proteins, and starch, limiting their bioavailability. However, this same mineral binding property can also confer a number of health benefits such as reducing the risk of certain cancers, supporting heart health, and managing renal stones. In addition, the ability of PA to bind minerals allows it to be used in certain food quality applications such as stabilizing the green color of vegetables, preventing lipid peroxidation, and reducing enzymatic browning in fruits/vegetables. These beneficial properties create a potential for added-value applications in the utilization of PA in many new areas. Many possible processing techniques for the preparation of raw materials in the food industry can be used to reduce the concentration of PA in foods to mitigate its anti-nutritional effects. In turn, the recovered PA by-products could be available for novel uses. In this review, a general overview of the beneficial and anti-nutritional effects of PA will be discussed and then dephytinization methods will be explained.

Studies have reported the occurrence of the mycotoxin patulin in apple products. The aim of this study was to produce synbiotic apple juice and investigate the detoxification of patulin by Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum as probiotic strains. The impact of seven process variables on efficiency of toxin removal was investigated using Plackett-Burman design and presence of the surface-layer proteins as binding site of probiotics to patulin was confirmed during 6 weeks of cold storage.; Results: Results showed that the removal of patulin by probiotic bacteria from apple juice depends significantly (P < 0.05) on the fructooligosaccharide content (as a prebiotic), concentration of patulin and the addition of ascorbic acid. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of cell surface proteins of probiotic strains revealed that surface layer proteins have an important role in patulin removal from apple juice. In the best conditions, 91.23% of initial patulin concentration was removed from juice during 6 weeks refrigerated storage. No significant difference was observed in organoleptic properties of the synbiotic apple juice and raw sample.; Conclusion: In the best condition reported in this study, contaminated synbiotic apple juice by patulin will be safe for consumers after the first day of probiotic inoculation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Edible films, as novel degradable materials in food packaging, play an important role in removing consumers' concerns about environmental pollution and food contaminations. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–gelatin (G) edible films with the ratio 4 to 1 was selected as the optimal film based on physical, mechanical, and physicochemical findings. Then, the effects of 0, 300, 450, and 600 ppm Dianthus barbatus essential oil (DbE) on water vapor permeability, tensile strength, elongation at break, water solubility, glass transition temperature, color, oxygen permeability, and antimicrobial activities on the optimal film were investigated. CMC: G (4:1) containing 600 ppm DbE as the antibacterial–antioxidant film was the best formulae (p, Edible films, as novel degradable materials in food packaging, play an important role to removing consumers' concerns about environmental pollution and food contaminations. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–gelatin (G) edible films with the ratio 4 to 1 containing 600 ppm Dianthus barbatus essential oil as antibacterial‐antioxidant film was the best formulae (p

Liposomes vesicles consisting of one or more phospholipid bilayers are microcarriers used in numerous scientific disciplines. During the last decade, nanostructured liposomes, or nanoliposomes, have been utilized in biomedical investigations due to their unique characteristics including nanoscale size, sustained release, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The extensive literature covering the field of liposomology is an indication of increasing interests and applications in many areas, especially as carriers of active substances in nanomedicine, agriculture, food technology, and cosmetics. Nanoliposomes application as drug carriers resulted in more effective treatment of such diseases as cancers, atherosclerosis, infectious diseases and ocular disorders. In this communication we will introduce commonly used methods in liposomal preparation, identify the research and therapeutic field that utilize liposomes, and discuss the common process variables in liposome encapsulations. We will also review different screening methods and full and fractional factorial designs that impact independent variables in certain applications and the end-user response. We will review such key factors as encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, particles’ biologics, structural and physicochemical properties, and lipid composition in an effort to provide a comprehensive guide for liposomologists in different field of interest.

In this study, Flavourzyme was encapsulated in liposomes to accelerate the ripening of Iranian white cheese. Liposomal enzyme was prepared using a modified heating method. The influence of enzyme content, ripening time and curd retention in saturated brine on proteolysis indices and sensory perception was investigated using response surface methodology. The most influential factor on proteolysis indices was ripening time, while the content of liposomal enzyme and retention time were also significant (P < 0.05). The maximum proteolysis indices and highest sensory characteristic scores were achieved by applying 0.3% w/w enzyme, ripening for 30 days and 8-h curd retention in saturated brine.

Removal of toxic metals and toxins using microbial biomass has been introduced as an inexpensive, new promising method on top of conventional methods for decontamination of food, raw material and concentrated. In this article the potential application of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts as the most familiar probiotics to eliminate, inactivate or reduce bioavailability of contamination in foods and feed has been reviewed. After fast glance to beneficial health effects and preservative properties of lactic acid bacteria, the mechanisms which explain antibacterial and antifungal efficiency as well as their antifungal metabolites are mentioned. Then the article has been focused on potential application of single strain or combination of lactic acid bacteria for removal of heavy metals (copper, lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic), cyanotoxins (microcystin-LR, -RR, -LF) and mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, B2a, M1, M2, G1, G2, patulin, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1 and B2, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, deoxynivalenol, fusarenon, nivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, HT-2 and T-2 toxin, zearalenone and its derivative, etc) from aqueous solutions in vitro. Wherever possible the mechanism of decontamination and the factors influencing yield of removal are discussed. Some factors which can facilitate metal removal capacity of lactic acid bacteria including the strains, surface charge, pH, temperature, presence of other cations are introduced. The cell wall structure of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts are also introduced for further explanation of mechanism of action in complex binding of probiotic to contaminants and strength of mycotoxin- bacterium interaction.

Background: By increasing resistance of several bacterial and fungal species to many kinds of antibiotics, applications of natural base compounds e.g. honey and medicinal herbs have been more attractive. The aim of present research is evaluation of anti-bacterial and anticandida effects of three kinds of honey of Iran together with alcoholic extract of mint and zataria, as well as extract and starch of ginger on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aueoginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, as pathogens of human body. Materials and Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum additive inhibitory concentration (MAIC) were determined by the agar diffusion method by dilution method in Sabouraud agar. By inoculation of 10 μL from suspension and appearance of colorless vesicles, MIC was determined. Growth inhibition was calculated by ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U and t-student tests. All experiments were conducted three times. MIC for three variety of honey on Staphylococcus aureus (32, 30, 29% v/v), Pseudomonas aeroginosa, (70, 67, 71% v/v), Escherichia coli (40, 35, 39% v/v) and Candida albicans (45, 48, 50% v/v) are reported. While, the MAIC for the growth inhibition of honeys together with extract of mint and zataria, as well as extract and starch of ginger were reduced. Results: The results show that ginger extract has more significant impact on microorganism growth with respect to others. Pseudomonas aeroginosa was the most susceptible microorganisms to ginger extract. Growth inhibitory effect of ginger extract was more significant than ginger starch.Conclusion: Addition of herbal extract increases antibacterial and anticandida properties of honey thus letting hope for a honey benefit and would constitute an alternative way against the resistance to bacteria.

Studies have reported the occurrence of the mycotoxin patulin in apple products. The aim of this study was to produce synbiotic apple juice and investigate the detoxification of patulin by Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum as probiotic strains. The impact of seven process variables on efficiency of toxin removal was investigated using Plackett-Burman design and presence of the surface-layer proteins as binding site of probiotics to patulin was confirmed during 6 weeks of cold storage.Results showed that the removal of patulin by probiotic bacteria from apple juice depends significantly (P0.05) on the fructooligosaccharide content (as a prebiotic), concentration of patulin and the addition of ascorbic acid. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of cell surface proteins of probiotic strains revealed that surface layer proteins have an important role in patulin removal from apple juice. In the best conditions, 91.23% of initial patulin concentration was removed from juice during 6 weeks refrigerated storage. No significant difference was observed in organoleptic properties of the synbiotic apple juice and raw sample.In the best condition reported in this study, contaminated synbiotic apple juice by patulin will be safe for consumers after the first day of probiotic inoculation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Solid state fermentation was carried out to compare efficiency of acid, alkaline and urea pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for production of citric acid using Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142. Plackett–Burman statistical design was used to evaluate significance of variables. Pretreatment of bagasse by urea was known as the most influential treatment to increase citric acid production (137.6 g/kg of dry sugarcane bagasse and citric acid yield of 96% based on sugar consumed). Finally, up scaling was achieved to a 20 L solid state fermentor in which humidity was constant in gas phase and urea-treated sugarcane bagasse. The produced acid concentration and yield in fermentor was 82.38 g/kg of dry substrate and 26.45 g/kg day, respectively.