Boon-Kiat Lee, Pei Xu, Uma-Mageswary Mageswaran, Woo-Sik Jeong, Engku Ismail Engku-Husna, Kadir Muhammad-Nashriq, Svetoslav Dimitrov Todorov, Guoxia Liu, Yong-Ha Park, Siti Nurma Hanim Hadie, and Min-Tze Liong. Prev Nutr Food Sci 2023;28:293-301. https://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2023.28.3.293

Journal of Animal Science and Technology (JAST) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal publishing original research, review articles and notes in all fields of animal science. Topics covered by the journal include: genetics and breeding, physiology, nutrition of monogastric animals, nutrition of ruminants, animal products (milk, meat, eggs and their by-products) and their processing, grasslands and roughages, livestock environment, animal biotechnology, animal behavior and welfare.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the main causes of cervical cancer in women, while there are currently no treatment nor intervention to reduce the concentration of cervical HPV. We thus aimed to investigate the effects of a probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Probio87 (orally administered at 9 log CFU/day) or placebo for 12-weeks, on reducing the abundance of vaginal HPV in HPV-positive women. A parallel, randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was performed where women were randomised to either the probiotic (n = 44, mean age 41.70 ± 1.06 years) or placebo (n = 45, mean age 41.13 ± 1.20 years). After 12 weeks, the probiotic group showed reduced vaginal HPV abundance ( ) and Nugent scores ( ) as compared to the placebo. VAS and VuAS questionnaires showed that the probiotic group had improved vulvar dryness ( ), soreness ( ), social interactions, daily activities ( ), and sexual activity ( ) compared to the placebo group. Blood gene expressions showed that the placebo group had higher upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, ; IFN-γ, ) and T-cell markers (CD44, ; CXCR5, ; CD4, ) compared to the placebo group, indicating increased inflammation. Neurotrophic factors BDNF and CREB were upregulated in the placebo group ( ), with higher IDO ( ) and TDO ( ) expressions compared to the probiotic group, suggesting increased kynurenine pathway activity and stress. Overall, probiotic supplementation appeared to reduce the abundance of vaginal HPV, possibly by lowering inflammation and enhancing immunity while mitigating the negative impacts of HPV infection on quality of life in HPV-positive women. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05316064).

With the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese sausages both domestically and internationally, the flavor characteristics of sausages have become an important topic in food science research. However, comparative studies on the flavor differences between different types of traditional Chinese sausages are still limited. This study aimed to systematically compare the flavor profiles of three representative types of traditional Chinese sausages (Cantonese, Five-Spice, and Mala sausages), with 20 samples randomly selected from one batch of 100 sausages per type produced in December 2024, using a combination of headspace gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), amino acid analysis, electronic sensory analysis, and sensory evaluation techniques. Sensory evaluation revealed that Mala sausage exhibited a strong and numbing flavor. Cantonese sausage was characterized by sweet and alcoholic notes, while Five-Spice sausage displayed a more subtle and gentle flavor profile. A total of 39 volatile compounds were identified, with 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-butanone, and butanal being the most abundant across all samples. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) further pinpointed (+)-limonene, (Z)-ocimene, α-terpinene, β-myrcene, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, 2-pentanol, 2-octanone, and 1-hexanal as the key differential compounds responsible for the distinct flavor characteristics of each sausage type. Additionally, the free amino acid content in Mala sausage was significantly higher than that in the others, with glutamic acid and proline playing pivotal roles in shaping the taste profiles. These findings provide valuable theoretical and technical insights for the identification and control of flavor in sausage production, offering a scientific basis for guiding consumer preferences in sausages’ selection.