Biofilms can persist in food industry environments leading to repeated cross-contamination, thus threatening human health. Slightly acid electrolyzed water (SAEW) and ultrasound have emerged as environmentally-friendly antimicrobial agents. However, their bactericidal efficacy is not high when used alone. In the present study, the effect of ultrasound combined with SAEW on removing Listeria monocytogenes biofilms from a glass surface was evaluated. Listeria monocytogenes biofilms were treated by immersion in sterilized deionized water (control treatment), immersion in sterilized deionized water combined with ultrasound (US treatment), immersion in SAEW (SAEW treatment), immersion in SAEW combined with ultrasound treatment (SAEW + US treatment), immersion in SAEW followed by immersion in sterilized deionized water combined with ultrasound (SAEW - US treatment), and immersion in sterilized deionized water combined with ultrasound followed by immersion in SAEW (US - SAEW treatment). The results showed that treating biofilms by US - SAEW treatment led to the lowest number of Listeria monocytogenes, the lowest amount of biofilm remaining on the glass slide were visualized by crystal violet staining and scanning electron microscope, and a minimal content of extracellular polymeric substances. Overall, the highest biofilm removal efficacy was observed for the US - SAEW treatment.

Background: Phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs) are obtained from a wide range of sources and show strong biological and pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial and neuroprotective effects. However, intestinal malabsorption and the low bioavailability of PhGs seriously affect their application. Delivery systems are an effective method to improve the bioavailability of active substances. Scope and approach: In this article, the biological activities of and delivery systems for PhGs are introduced. The application statuses of delivery systems for echinacoside, acteoside and salidroside are reviewed. Finally, the problems of the lack of uniform standards for delivery systems and the poor targeted delivery accuracy of PhGs in the current research are proposed and suggestions for future research are put forward based on those problems. Key findings and conclusions: Although there are still some problems in the delivery system of phenylethanoside, such as inconsistent standards and inaccurate delivery, phenylethanoside itself has been proven to have a variety of physiological activities. Therefore, the action mechanism and application of phenylethanoside and its delivery system should be studied further.

Probiotics, as beneficial microorganisms, are critical to host health. However, their viability is often compromised during processing, storage, and gastrointestinal transit, significantly compromises their colonization efficacy and therapeutic potential. Polysaccharides have emerged as pivotal materials for probiotic encapsulation due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and unique functional properties. This review systematically examines traditional polysaccharide-based encapsulation technologies, such as embedding and coating techniques, highlighting limitations of single-polysaccharide systems, including excessive porosity, inadequate mechanical strength, suboptimal encapsulation efficiency, and poor targeted release precision. In contrast to previous research focused on single polysaccharides, this review focuses on composite polysaccharide encapsulation systems, particularly polysaccharide-polysaccharide hybrids and polysaccharide-protein complexes, which effectively address the limitations of single-polysaccharide systems in probiotic encapsulation while significantly enhancing encapsulation performance. Furthermore, it investigates the advantages of prebiotic incorporation in promoting probiotic proliferation and suppressing pathogenic microorganisms, providing novel optimization strategies for delivery systems. These findings establish critical theoretical and technical foundations for translating these advancements into functional foods and oral pharmaceutical formulations.