Seeds from Cucurbitaceae plants (squashes, pumpkins, melons, etc.) have been used both as protein-rich food ingredients and nutraceutical agents by many indigenous cultures for millennia. However, relatively little is known about the bioactive components (e.g., peptides) of the Cucurbitaceae seed proteins (CSP) and their specific effects on human health. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of latest research on bioactive and functional properties of CSP isolates and hydrolysates. Enzymatic hydrolysis can introduce a series of changes to the CSP structure and improve its bioactive and functional properties, including the enhanced protein solubility over a wide range of pH values. Small-sized peptides in CSP hydrolysates seem to enhance their bioactive properties but adversely affect their functional properties. Therefore, medium degrees of hydrolysis seem to benefit the overall improvement of bioactive and functional properties of CSP hydrolysates. Among the reported bioactive properties of CSP isolates and hydrolysates, their antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antihyperglycaemic activities stand out. Therefore, they could potentially substitute synthetic antioxidants and drugs which might have adverse secondary effects on human health. CSP isolates and hydrolysates could also be implemented as functional food ingredients, thanks to their favorable amino acid composition and good emulsifying and foaming properties.

Artificial vision systems (AVS) have become very important in precision agriculture applied to produce high-quality and low-cost foods with high functional characteristics generated through environmental care practices. This article reported the design and implementation of a new fuzzy classification architecture based on the RGB color model with descriptors. Three inputs were used that are associated with the average value of the color components of four views of the tomato; the number of triangular membership functions associated with the components R and B were three and four for the case of component G. The amount of tomato samples used in training were forty and twenty for testing; the training was done using the Matlab© ANFISEDIT. The tomato samples were divided into six categories according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). This study focused on optimizing the descriptors of the color space to achieve high precision in the prediction results of the final classification task with an error of 536,995×10^-6. The Computer Vision System (CVS) is integrated by an image isolation system with lighting; the image capture system uses a Raspberry Pi 3 and Camera Module Raspberry Pi 2 at a fixed distance and a black background. In the implementation of the CVS, three different color description methods for tomato classification were analyzed and their respective diffuse systems were also designed, two of them using the descriptors described in the literature.

Guzmán-Rodríguez JJ, et al. J Vet Sci. 2019 Oct;21:e77. https://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2020.21.e77

Entomophagy, the practice of consuming insects, is a global tradition. In Mexico, one of the most notable and widely consumed insects is the larva of Aegiale hesperiaris. This insect feeds on the leaves of various Agave species with high polysaccharide content, suggesting their potential role as prebiotics for the intestinal microbiota, particularly lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB are recognized for their use as probiotics in foods due to their health-promoting capabilities. In this study, LAB from the intestinal microbiota of A. hesperiaris larvae were isolated and characterized, utilizing 16S rRNA gene identification. The analysis revealed three bacterial species from the Lactobacillaceae family, indicating a close symbiotic relationship with the insect. This suggests a significant impact on carbohydrate and protein metabolism, vitamin synthesis, and amino acid production, contributing to the high nutritional value of this edible insect. The study provides insights into the bacteria within the digestive tract of A. hesperiaris larvae and their role in enhancing the nutritional value of this edible insect. Additionally, it establishes a foundation for future research on the ecological roles and potential biotechnological benefits of these bacteria in the food industry and the development of therapies for various conditions and diseases.

El objetivo fue analizar la relación entre el perfil de resistencia a antibióticos y la formación de biofilm de aislados de S. aureus provenientes de mastitis bovina. Se analizaron 30 aislados de S. aureus procedentes de casos de mastitis subclínica en granjas lecheras en sistemas de producción semi-intensivo y de traspatio ubicadas en los estados de Guanajuato y Michoacán, México. Se realizó un antibiograma por el método de difusión en disco Kirbi Bauer. La formación de biofilm se determinó por el método de tinción con cristal violeta. Para la evaluación de genes de resistencia a antibióticos y de formación de biofilm se obtuvo ADN genómico de una colonia para la identificación de los genes: blaZ, mecA, tetK, tetM, gyrA y gyrB, y icaA e icaD. Los resultados mostraron que el 100 % de los aislados fueron resistentes a penicilina y dicloxacilina, seguidos por cefotaxima (86.6 %), ampicilina y cefalotina (83.3 %) y ceftazidima (80.0 %), mientras que se observó un 36.6 % de resistencia a oxacilina. Se identificó que todos los aislados de S. aureus presentaron la capacidad de formar biofilm con un rango del 20 a 98 %. Se observó además que los aislados con una multirresistencia elevada presentaron una mayor formación de biofilm; estableciéndose una correlación positiva significativa. En conclusión, los aislados de S. aureus provenientes de mastitis bovina presentaron elevados niveles de resistencia a antibióticos; así como una importante capacidad formadora de biofilm, demostrando la existencia de una correlación positiva entre estos dos factores.