NH4HCO3 is known to promote acrylamide formation in sweet bakery products. This effect was investigated with respect to sugar fragmentation and formation of acrylamide from asparagine and sugar fragments in model systems under mild conditions. The presence of NH4HCO3 led to increases in acrylamide and alpha-dicarbonyls from glucose and fructose, respectively. As compared to glucose or fructose, sugar fragments such as glyoxal, hydroxyethanal, and glyceraldehyde formed much higher amounts of acrylamide in reaction with asparagine. The enhancing effect of NH4HCO3 is explained by (1) the action of NH3 as base in the retro-aldol reactions leading to sugar fragments, (2) facilitated retro-aldol-type reactions of imines in their protonated forms leading to sugar fragments, and (3) oxidation of the enaminols whereby glyoxal and other reactive sugar fragments are formed. These alpha-dicarbonyl and alpha-hydroxy carbonyl compounds may play a key role in acrylamide formation, especially under mild conditions.

Enterobacter sakazakii is considered an opportunistic foodborne pathogen that is characterized by formation of yellow-pigmented colonies. Because of the lack of basic knowledge about Enterobacter sakazakii genetics, the BAC approach and the heterologous expression of the pigment in Escherichia coli were used to elucidate the molecular structure of the genes responsible for pigment production in Enterobacter sakazakii strain ES5. Sequencing and annotation of a 33.025 bp fragment revealed seven ORFs that could be assigned to the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. The gene cluster had the organization crtE-idi-XYIBZ, with the crtE-idi-XYIB genes putatively transcribed as an operon and the crtZ gene transcribed in the opposite orientation. The carotenogenic nature of the pigment of Enterobacter sakazakii wt was ascertained by in situ analysis using visible microspectroscopy and resonance Raman microspectroscopy.

Cellulose was identified and characterized as an extracellular matrix component present in the biofilm of an Enterobacter sakazakii clinical isolate grown in nutrient-deficient (M9) medium. Using a bacterial artificial cloning approach in Escherichia coli and subsequent screening of transformants for fluorescence on calcofluor plates, nine genes organized in two operons were identified as putatively responsible for the biosynthesis of cellulose. In addition to the genes already described for cellulose production, two more genes were identified, putatively transcribed together with the genes from the first operon. Putative cellulose in E. sakazakii ES5 biofilm grown on glass coverslips was visualized by calcofluor staining and confocal fluorescence laser scanning microscopy. For the first time, the presence of cellulose in biofilms produced by E. sakazakii was confirmed by methylation analysis.

The behavior of the prominent aroma compound 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione under photooxidative conditions was investigated in a model experiment. The four well-known aroma compounds 2,3-butanedione, 2,3-octanedione, acetic acid, and caproic acid were identified. The main oxidation product was 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione, an aroma compound with the odor description of rubbery, earthy, and plastic-like (GC-O). Its structure has been tentatively assigned based on mass (GC-MS) and vapor phase infrared spectra (GC-IR). The formal formation pathways are discussed for these compounds, and other origins described in the literature are presented.