Background : Edible flowers, Tropaeolum majus has been used as a disinfectant and an antibiotic, and for wound healing, but the anti-obesity effects of this plant have not been reported previously Objective : We investigated the anti-adipogenic effects of T. majus ethanol extract (TME) on 3T3-L1 cells. Design : 3T3-L1 cells were differentiated in the presence of different concentrations of TME. Lipid accumulation levels were determined using Oil-Red O staining and a triglyceride content assay. Changes in the expression of proteins related to adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells were determined by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. Results : The highest inhibition of lipid accumulation was observed at a TME concentration of 300 µg/mL. Additionally, TME concentrations ranging from 20 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL led to a decrease in the expression of adipocyte differentiation regulators, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT element binding protein α, and sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1. This decrease was shown to be concentration-dependent. Discussion : Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that TME inhibits lipid accumulation and reduces the expression PPARG, CEBPA, and SREBF1, which regulate adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. Conclusions : TME may be a potential novel therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Fresh food products can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in various agricultural environments. Potting soil is sterilized by heat sterilization and then reused. This study evaluated the effects of three sterilization methods (non-sterilized, pasteurized, and sterilized) on the survival of pathogenic bacteria in potting soil during storage for 60 days at 5, 15, 25, and 35 °C. The reduction in Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus in potting soil was higher at higher temperatures (25 and 35 °C) than at lower temperatures (5 and 15 °C). The population of pathogenic bacteria in pasteurized and sterilized potting soil was reduced below the detectable levels within 30 days at 35 °C. In contrast, the population of Bacillus cereus did not change in potting soil during storage for 60 days at all temperatures. These results indicate that sterilization and storage temperature of potting soil are critical factors influencing the survival of pathogenic bacteria.

Due to their high nutritional value and functional content, barley sprouts are commonly ground into powder for human use. This study investigated the effect of drying methods, viz., hot-air drying (HAD), freeze-drying (FD), and infrared drying (IRD), and storage conditions for the removal of Escherichia coli quality parameters of barley sprouts. Herein, the barley sprouts were subjected to HAD, FD, and IRD and stored at different temperatures, such as −20, 4, and 25°C, for six months. The changes in the colony count of E. coli and food quality indicators, viz., Hunter color, chlorophyll, and saponarin, were measured once a month. The HAD and FD were found to reduce E. coli from 7 log CFU/g to 4 log CFU/g, whereas IRD eliminated them (limit of detection ⟨ 1 log CFU/g). In the case of HAD, the E. coli counts and the quality of dried leaves did not change significantly (p>0.05) for six months under all storage conditions. Freeze-dried leaves stored at 25 and 4°C showed a decrease in E. coli counts from 4.5 to 1.2-1.5 log CFU/g after six months (p⟨0.05), and no significant change in quality during their storage was observed (p⟩0.05). In the case of infrared-dried samples, E. coli was not detected even after six months under all storage conditions, storing at −20°C was the best condition for the chlorophyll content and Hunter color (p⟨0.05). On the other hand, the content of saponarin was constant regardless of the drying method and storage.

This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activities of buckwheat Soksungjang and commercial Doenjang. We analyzed moisture, total sugar, color, salinity, amino type nitrogen, amino acids, and antioxidant activities. Buckwheat Soksungjang had lower salinity content (7.44±0.10%) than commercial Doenjang (8.82-9.81%). The quercetin content of buckwheat Soksungjang was 0.78±0.01 mg% while commercial Doenjang’s was 0.29-1.16 mg%. The DPPH and content of the total polyphenol of buckwheat Soksungjang (DPPH radical scavenging activity 62.21±0.45% and total polyphenol content 447.51±14.61 mg%) and commercial Doenjang (DPPH radical scavenging activities: 44.07-68.50%; total polyphenol contents: 328.26-407.51 mg%) were both significant.

This study aimed to establish appropriate conditions for the washing and storage of radish microgreens by evaluating the effect of a sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) wash on the growth of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Sodium hypochlorite (50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/L) was added to wash water and radish microgreens were treated for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 min. Treatment with NaOCl (150 mg/L, 5 min) significantly reduced (2.3 log CFU/g) the populations of both bacteria (p10°C. To validate this hypothesis, we inoculated microgreen extract with the pathogens and incubated it under the above mentioned conditions. The growth of pathogens in the microgreens extracts corresponded to that observed after NaOCl treatment. The results of this study suggest that NaOCl treatment (150 mg/L, 5 min) and subsequent storage at temperatures <5°C can effectively reduce the growth and survival of E. coli and L. monocytogenes on radish microgreesns.