Processing the traditional Chinese medicine by fermentation has drawn widely concern. In this study, Kombucha SCOBY was utilized to ferment rose and jujube kernel to enhancing its sedative and hypnotic effect. Results showed that the content of 6‐feruloylspinosin and spinosin, as typical functional substances that exert sedative and hypnotic effects, increased by 7% in the fermentation broth compared with the infusion broth. The content of gallic acid, one of functional antioxidant phenolic substances in rose, increased 15.9% higher compared with infusion broth. In addition, jujuboside B, which has profound sedative effects but was absent in the initial medium, was detected in the final mixture fermentation broth with a concentration of 0.011 g/L. The analysis of flavors showed that the fermentation medium with jujube kernel and rose mixture had appropriate acidity and bitterness. This study provides a new approach to process Chinese medicine with better functional effects and acceptable flavor. Practical applications This study provides a theoretical basis for future investigations into the potential utilization of kombucha SCOBY to process other functional plants as substrates to enhance their medical effects.

The demand for natural lactone gamma-decalactone (GDL) has increased in the fields of food and cosmetic products. However, low productivity during bioprocessing limits its industrial production. In this study, a novel composite porous cell carrier, bacterial cellulose-alginate (BC-ALG), was used for long-term biotransformation and production of GDL. The effects of this carrier on biotransformation and related mechanisms were investigated. BC-ALG carriers showed improved mechanical strength over ALG carriers, with their internal embedded cell pattern changed to an interconnected porous structure. In five repeated-batch biotransformation experiments, the maximum concentration of GDL obtained in culture with BC-ALG carriers was 8.37 g/L, approximately 3.7 times higher than that from the medium with an ALG carrier alone. The result indicated that multiple hydrogen bonding interactions at the interface between BC and ALG contributed to the compatibility and stability of BC-ALG carriers. On the basis of the above results, the BC-ALG composite carrier can be considered ideal for immobilisation of cells for the production of GDL on an industrial scale, and has the potential to be utilised in other biological processes.

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a food-borne pathogen that causes acute gastroenteritis in people of all ages worldwide. However, no approved vaccines and antiviral drugs are available at present. Therefore, the development of accurate and rapid detection technologies is important in controlling the outbreak of HuNoVs. This paper reviewed the research progress on HuNoV detection, including immunological methods, molecular detection and biosensor technology. Immunological methods and molecular detection technologies are still widely used for HuNoV detection. Furthermore, biosensors will become an emerging developmental direction for the rapid detection of HuNoVs because of their high sensitivity, low cost, easy operation and suitability for onsite detection.

BACKGROUND: The natural gamma‐decalactone (GDL) produced by microbial fermentation is an essential lactone compound as a generally recognized as safe food additive. Effective control of the substrate ricinoleic acid (RA) concentration in the biotransformation medium is a bottleneck for the industrial manufacture of GDL. In this study, porous starch (P‐S) was utilized as a carrier of RA to control its distribution in the medium. The effect of P‐S on the biotransformation was evaluated and the mechanism was revealed.RESULTS: Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the RA layer was formed on the surface of P‐S, which increased the opportunity for interaction between microorganisms and the substrate. With P‐S‐embedded RA as a substrate, the yield of GDL increased to 3.36 g L^‐1 which was 17.5% higher than in the control. In addition, the presence of P‐S in this system had no negative effect on the viability of the microorganism.CONCLUSION: This study is a new attempt to apply P‐S as a delivery system in the biotransformation of GDL to increase its yield which indicates that the P‐S‐controlled release is a potential method of improving natural GDL production in industrial scale. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

BackgroundNatural 2-phenylethanol (2-PE) is an important flavoring that emits the aroma of roses. During biotransformation, the aroma quality of natural 2-PE is affected by its main by-products, which include butanol, isobutyric acid, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid. Thus, controlling undesirable by-product formation can reduce the effect of odor on 2-PE aroma quality.Results2-PE was produced through biotransformation using l-phenylalanine as a substrate and glucose as a carbon source. Ascorbic acid was added to the system to improve the redox reaction and suppress the generation of by-products. Principal component analysis of the aroma quality of 2-PE was performed using an electronic nose. Similarity analysis revealed that the effects of four by-products on 2-PE aroma quality may be ranked in the following order: isovaleric acid>butyric acid>isobutyric acid>butanol. The sample that exhibited the best similarity to the standard 2-PE sample (99.19%) was the sample to which ascorbic acid had been added during glucose metabolism.Conclusions2-PE produced through the addition of ascorbic acid exhibited the closest aroma similarity to the standard 2-PE sample