This article gives information on an international ring trial of the epidermal-equivalent (EE) sensitizer potency assay.
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Active antifungal packaging is a technological solution for reducing the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables associated with phytopathogens. Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) is the principal fungus that causes post-harvest avocado fruit decay. In this study, antifungal sachets filled with oregano oil-starch capsules were prepared, and their active effects were demonstrated on Hass avocado fruits. Oregano oil (31 % of carvacrol) was encapsulated with corn starch by spray drying. Tyvek sachets (4 × 4 cm) filled with 80 (T1) and 160 mg (T2) of oregano oil-starch capsules (99.35 ± 1.86 mg g − 1) were fabricated. The antifungal effects of the sachets were tested in vitro and in vivo using a humidity chamber (90–95 % relative humidity (RH)) on fruits inoculated with anthracnose. The results showed that T1 and T2 inhibited 75.21 ± 2.81 and 100 % in vitro growth of anthracnose at 25 °C for 12 days. Furthermore, Hass avocado fruits stored in a humidity chamber at 25 °C for 6 days showed that only T2 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the area of lesion produced by artificial inoculation of Hass avocado fruits with anthracnose. On average, the lesion area in the Hass avocado fruits treated with T2 was 13.94 % smaller than that in the control fruit.
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from the article: "Cow's milk-derived whey hydrolysates are milk substitutes for cow's milk allergic infants. Safety assessment of these hydrolysates is crucial. Currently, huFcεRIα-RBL-2H3 cells, sensitized with serum IgE from cow's milk allergic patients, are used to assess in vitro residual allergenicity. However, limited availability and high inter-lot variation of sera impede the standardization of safety testing. Recently, we generated an oligoclonal pool of chimeric human (chu)IgE antibodies against bovine β-lactoglobulin (BLG) as an alternative for human serum. These antibodies demonstrated increased sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. An inter-laboratory ring trial using our new degranulation assay with different whey-based hydrolysates was performed at four independent laboratories to investigate the robustness and reproducibility. RBL-2H3 cells expressing huFcεRIα were sensitized with our oligoclonal pool of anti-BLG chuIgE antibodies. The cells were subsequently incubated with an amino-acid based formula (AAF), two extensively hydrolyzed formulas (eHF) and three partially hydrolyzed formulas (pHF) to assess the degranulation upon challenge. Results demonstrated a very strong inter-laboratory correlation and the intra- and inter-laboratory variations were acceptable. The AAF and both eHFs showed no degranulation, whereas all pHFs demonstrated degranulation. The study showed that this degranulation assay is robust and reproducible within and between laboratories. This new in vitro degranulation assay seems predictive for allergenicity outcome and might therefore be considered as a relevant substitute for animal models."
Chemical preservation is an important process that prevents foods, personal care products, woods and household products, such as paints and coatings, from undesirable change or decomposition by microbial growth. To date, many different chemical preservatives are commercially available, but they are also associated with health threats and severe negative environmental impact. The demand for novel, safe, and green chemical preservatives is growing, and this process is further accelerated by the European Green Deal. It is expected that by the year of 2050 (or even as soon as 2035), all preservatives that do not meet the ‘safe-by-design’ and ‘biodegradability’ criteria are banned from production and use. To meet these European goals, there is a large need for the development of green, circular, and bio-degradable antimicrobial compounds that can serve as alternatives for the currently available biocidals/ preservatives. Anthocyanins, derived from fruits and flowers, meet these sustainability goals. Furthermore, preliminary research at the Hanze University of Applied Science has confirmed the antimicrobial efficacy of rose and tulip anthocyanin extracts against an array of microbial species. Therefore, these molecules have the potential to serve as novel, sustainable chemical preservatives. In the current project we develop a strategy consisting of fractionation and state-of-the-art characterization methods of individual anthocyanins and subsequent in vitro screening to identify anthocyanin-molecules with potent antimicrobial efficacy for application in paints, coatings and other products. To our knowledge this is the first attempt that combines in-depth chemical characterization of individual anthocyanins in relation to their antimicrobial efficacy. Once developed, this strategy will allow us to single out anthocyanin molecules with antimicrobial properties and give us insight in structure-activity relations of individual anthocyanins. Our approach is the first step towards the development of anthocyanin molecules as novel, circular and biodegradable non-toxic plant-based preservatives.
Lupineschillen (lupine zaadhuid) zijn een reststroom van lupineverwerking. Lupineschillen vormen 25% van de totale biomassa van de lupineboon, terwijl sojaschillen slechts 5% van de totale biomassa van de sojaboon zijn. Er zijn onvoldoende rendabele toepassingen voor lupineschillen waardoor de rentabiliteit van de lupine supply chain achter blijft bij de veel competitievere soja supply chain. Lupineschillen zijn rijk aan de botanisch actieve stof lupeol waarvan recent farmaceutische en cosmetische anti-aging werkingen zijn vastgesteld, waaronder anti-tumor werking. Lupeol komt naast lupine ook in hoge concentraties voor in berkenbast. Berkenbast bevat bovendien een chemische voorloper van lupeol namelijk betuline. Recentelijk is er een chemische synthese route ontwikkeld voor lupeol op basis van betuline. Als deze synthese route kosten effectief is, dan kan deze route de ontwikkeling van nieuwe toepassingen van lupineschillen blokkeren. Het doel van deze studie is het opstellen van een circulair ontwerp voor lupeol extractie uit twee reststromen met behulp van superkritische CO2 extractie en de kosteneffectiviteit van deze circulaire ontwerpen met elkaar vergelijken voor het selecteren van het meest optimale proces voor lupeol extractie en/of synthese. Daarnaast worden effecten van verschillende lupeol extracten (lupineschil en berkenbast) met in-vitro testen vastgesteld en met elkaar vergeleken.
Glycoalkaloïden komen voor in de familie van de nachtschade, waaronder in de voor de Nederlandse landbouw belangrijke gewassen aardappelen, tomaten en aubergines. Hoewel breed onderkend is dat glycoalkaloïden, en ook de na hydrolyse gevormde steroïden, potentieel bioactieve verbindingen zijn met farmaceutische applicaties, worden deze op dit moment niet geïsoleerd. In vrijwel alle gevallen verdwijnen de glycoalkaloïden als een afvalstroom in verschillende ketens. Op dit moment is er slechts beperkt inzicht in de potentie van dit type verbindingen voor de farmaceutische markt, mede omdat de commerciële beschikbaarheid van glycoalalkoïden en steroïden hieruit vaak slecht is. Verder is het isoleren van de verbindingen in hoeveelheden van 5-25 gram uit de bovengenoemde gewassen erg tijdrovend en moet er specifieke kennis ontwikkeld worden om de verbindingen uit de gewassen te isoleren en te zuiveren. In dit projectvoorstel wordt beoogd om via een chemische route uit commercieel beschikbare uitgangsstoffen de steroïden uit de aardappel, tomaat en aubergine in redelijke hoeveelheden (5-25 gram) te synthetiseren en in een vervolgstudie te screenen op in vitro activiteit en potentie als geneesmiddel. Het einddoel van het project is om een goed inzicht te krijgen in de mogelijke valorisatie van glycoalkaloïden uit de Nederlandse landbouw richting de farmaceutische markt en hiermee de landbouw te koppelen aan de farmaceutische industrie.