The biopreservation of foods using bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated directly from foods is an innovative approach. The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify bacteriocinogenic LAB from various cheeses and yogurts and evaluate their antimicrobial effects on selected spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in vitro as well as on a food commodity.LAB were isolated using MRS and M17 media. The agar diffusion bioassay was used to screen for bacteriocin or bacteriocin-like substances (BLS) producing LAB using Lactobacillus sakei and Listeria innocua as indicator organisms. Out of 138 LAB isolates, 28 were found to inhibit these bacteria and were identified as strains of Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus sakei subsp. sakei using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Eight isolates were tested for antimicrobial activity at 5°C and 20°C against L. innocua, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Erwinia carotovora, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides using the agar diffusion bioassay, and also against Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia frucitcola using the microdilution plate method. The effect of selected LAB strains on L. innocua inoculated onto fresh-cut onions was also investigated.Twenty percent of our isolates produced BLS inhibiting the growth of L. innocua and/or Lact. sakei. Organic acids and/or H2O2 produced by LAB and not the BLS had strong antimicrobial effects on all microorganisms tested with the exception of E. coli. Ent. faecium, Strep. thermophilus and Lact. casei effectively inhibited the growth of natural microflora and L. innocua inoculated onto fresh-cut onions. Bacteriocinogenic LAB present in cheeses and yogurts may have potential to be used as biopreservatives in foods.

There has been continued interest in bacteriocins research from an applied perspective as bacteriocins have potential to be used as natural preservative. Four bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains of Lactobacillus curvatus (Arla-10), Enterococcus faecium (JFR-1), Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (JFR-5) and Streptococcus thermophilus (TSB-8) were previously isolated and identified in our lab. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal growth conditions for both LAB growth and bacteriocins production. In this study, various growth conditions including culture media (MRS and BHI), initial pH of culture media (4.5, 5.5, 6.2, 7.4 and 8.5), and incubation temperatures (20, 37 and 44 °C) were investigated for LAB growth measured as optical density (OD), bacteriocin activity determined as arbitrary unit and viability of LAB expressed as log CFU ml−1. Growth curves of the bacteriocinogenic LAB were generated using a Bioscreen C. Our results indicated that Arla-10, JFR-1, and JFR-5 strains grew well on both MRS and BHI media at growth temperature tested whereas TSB-8 strain, unable to grow at 20 °C. LAB growth was significantly affected by the initial pH of culture media (p < 0.001) and the optimal pH was found ranging from 6.2 to 8.5. Bacteriocin activity was significantly different in MRS versus BHI (p < 0.001), and the optimal condition for LAB to produce bacteriocins was determined in MRS broth, pH 6.2 at 37 °C. This study provides useful information on potential application of bacteriocinogenic LAB in food fermentation processes.

The apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is an economically and culturally important crop grown worldwide. Growers of this long-lived perennial must produce fruit of adequate quality while also combatting abiotic and biotic stress. Traditional apple breeding can take up to 20 yr from initial cross to commercial release, but genomics-assisted breeding can help accelerate this process. To advance genomics-assisted breeding in apple, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic prediction in a collection of 172 apple accessions by linking over 55,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with 10 phenotypes collected over 2 yr. Genomewide association studies revealed several known loci for skin color, harvest date and firmness at harvest. Several significant GWAS associations were detected for resistance to a major fungal pathogen, apple scab (Venturia ineaqualis [Cke.] Wint.), but we demonstrate that these hits likely represent a single ancestral source. Using genomic prediction, we show that most phenotypes are sufficiently predictable using genome-wide SNPs to be candidates for genomic selection. Finally, we detect a signal for firmness retention after storage on chromosome 10 and show that it may not stem from variation in PG1, a gene repeatedly identified in bi-parental mapping studies and widely believed to underlie a major QTL for firmness on chromosome 10. We provide evidence that this major QTL is more likely due to variation in a neighboring ethylene response factor (ERF) gene. The present study showcases the superior mapping resolution of GWAS compared to bi-parental linkage mapping by identifying a novel candidate gene underlying a well-studied, major QTL involved in apple firmness.

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), a relatively new sampling technique, was examined as a means to investigate volatile compounds produced by tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) fruit. SPME had sufficient sorptive capacity to permit detection of aroma compounds having a variety of functional groups. The advantages of using SPME were its simplicity, absence of solvent, and speed. Fiber cleaning, sample collection, and desorption required ∼6 min. The total analysis time was ∼10 min per sample when SPME was combined with rapid gas chromatographic (GC) separation and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). The major volatile compounds detected from tomato and strawberry and their relative abundance were comparable with published results from purge-and-trap/GC/FID analyses. One of the primary flavor impact compounds in strawberry, 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy-3(2H)-furanone was detected by using SPME/GC/TOFMS. SPME appears to be suitable for rapid and quantitative analysis of volatile aroma compounds in tomato and strawberry fruit. Keywords: Lycopersicon esculentum; Fragaria × ananassa; headspace; aroma; chromatography; time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Postweaning gain performance and individual feed intake on 271 Hereford and 263 Angus bulls were recorded during three 168-d test periods from 1984 to 1986. Each breed was composed of two lines and within each breed bulls were fed either a high-energy (HD) or a medium-energy (MD) diet. Energy intake was partitioned into energy for maintenance and growth based on predicted individual animal requirements. Estimates of heritability were obtained using Restricted Maximum Likelihood with an individual animal model including fixed effects of year, diet, and covariates of initial weight and backfat change by breed and with line effects for overall data. Bulls fed the HD grew faster and had higher metabolizable energy intake per day (MEI), residual feed consumption (RFC), and gross and net feed efficiency (FE and NFE) (P < .001) than those fed the MD. Estimates of heritability for Hereford and Angus bulls, respectively, were .46 and .16 for 200-d weaning weight (WWT), .16 and .43 for average daily gain (ADG), .19 and .31 for intake per day (MEI), .43 and .45 for yearling weight (YWT), .07 and .23 for RFC, .08 and .35 for FE, and .14 and .28 for NFE. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between MEI and ADG, MEI and YWT, ADG and YWT, ADG and FE, YWT and FE, and FE and NFE were moderately to highly positive for both breeds. Negative genetic and phenotypic correlations between NFE and ADG show partial correlations of FE with ADG after accounting for energy requirement for maintenance. Residual feed consumption was negatively associated with YWT, FE, and NFE, indicating a possible genetic improvement.