Kefir is a fermented beverage that deserves special attention, since it has probiotic activity and unique sensory, nutritional, and therapeutic properties. Given that both kefir and soymilk are beneficial to human health, this study aimed to assess the physicochemical characteristics and acceptability of soymilk Kefir-based functional beverages (SKB) properly inoculated with lactobacilli strain after 16h of incubation at 37 °C. It was monitored lactobacilli cell viability, yeasts count, pH, titratable acidity, lipids, proteins, ash, total solid, carbohydrates, caloric values and acceptability of the products. Additionally was conducted a shelf-life study of SKB added of peach-flavor. The lactobacilli cell count ranged from 7.0 to 8.0 Log₁₀ CFUmL^-1 and pH values from 4.5 to 4.6. SKB samples with higher soymilk kefir percent presented higher lactobacilli cell count and lower lipid, ash, total solid, carbohydrate and caloric value. Results showed similar preferential rates for the SKB up to 30% of added soymilk kefir. The functional peach-flavored beverage presented appropriate pH value (4.3) and high viable cells count (7.0 Log₁₀ CFUmL^-1) up to the 28^th day of cold storage, showed high acceptability (94.5%) and positive purchase intention (83.4%) among consumers.

Manganese (Mn) and aluminum (Al) toxicities are serious edaphic limitations to crop production in acidic soils. Excess Mn can be countered using a stress-adapted soil microbiota that establish symbiotic relationships with native plants. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with Lolium rigidum L. develop extraradical mycelia (ERM) that quickly colonize wheat and lead to greater shoot growth by promoting stress-evading mechanisms that are not yet completely explained. In the present study, wheat growth was assessed after 3 weeks on disturbed and undisturbed (intact ERM) acidic soil where the native non-mycotrophic Silene gallica L. or strongly mycotrophic L. rigidum were previously developed. The physiological and biochemical mechanisms responsible for increased growth were analyzed by assessing wheat leaf chlorophyll content, photosystem II quantum yield and performance index, enzymatic activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and contents and subcellular localization of Mn, Mg, Si and K. The soil from native plants had a beneficial effect on shoot weight and chlorophyll levels. The highest benefits were obtained for wheat grown in soil with intact ERM associated with L. rigidum. In this condition, where earlier mycorrhization was favored, the Mn content decreased, alongside the content of Si, while the Mg/Mn ratio increased. Mn was redirected to the apoplast, while Si was redirected to the symplast. The activity of APX, GPX and SOD increased, probably due to increased metabolic growth (higher shoot weight and chlorophyll content). Understanding the mechanisms induced by native AMF responsible for increasing wheat performance can contribute to the establishment of sustainable approaches for crop production in acidic soils with Mn toxicity. The use of native plant AMF developers can improve the sustainable use of natural resources in the scope of greener agricultural practices.

In the current agronomic context, the adoption of alternative forms of soil management is essential to increase crop yield. Agricultural sustainability requires practices that generate positive impacts and promote an increase in microbiome diversity as a tool to overcome adverse environmental conditions. An important ally is the indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that can improve plant growth and provide protection against abiotic stress such as metal toxicity. In a greenhouse experiment, this work studied the effect of wheat growth on several parameters of biological activity and functional microbiome in relation to wheat antecedent plant mycotrophy and soil disturbance under Mn stress. When the wheat was planted after highly mycotrophic plants and the soil was not previously disturbed, the results showed a 60% increase in wheat arbuscular colonization and a 2.5-fold increase in dry weight along with higher values of photosynthetic parameters and dehydrogenase activity. Conversely, soil disturbance before wheat planting increased the β-glucosidase activity and the count of manganese oxidizers, irrespectively of antecedent plant, and decreased drastically the wheat dry weight, the AMF colonization and the chlorophyll content compared to the undisturbed treatment. These findings suggest that not only the wheat growth but also the soil functional microbiome associated is affected by the antecedent type of plant and previous soil disturbance imposed. In addition, the improvement in wheat dry weight despite Mn toxicity may rely on shifts in biological activity associated to a well-established and intact ERM early developed in the soil.

The isolation of Escherichia coli from food is a major concern. Pathogenic strains of these bacteria cause diseases which range from diarrhea to hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Therefore the virulence genes in E. coli isolates from the mussel ( Mytella guyanensis) commercialized in Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil were investigated. Samples were purchased from four vendors: two from supermarkets and two from fair outlets. They were conditioned into isothermal boxes with reusable ice and transported to the laboratory for analysis. E. coli strains were isolated in eosin methylene blue agar, preserved in brain-heart infusion medium with 15% glycerol and stored at -20 °C, after microbiological analysis. Virulence genes in the isolated strains were identified by specific primers, with Polymerase Chain Reaction. Twenty-four isolates were obtained, with a prevalence of elt gene, typical from enterotoxigenic infection, in 75% of the isolates. The stx and bfpA genes, prevalent in enterohemorragic and enteropathogenic E. coli, respectively, were not detected. The occurrence of elt virulence-related gene in the E. coli isolates of Mytella guyanensis reveals urgent improvement in food processing, including good handling practices, adequate storage and cooking before consumption, to ensure consumer’s health.

In cropping systems, the choices adopted for the tillage system used and plants cultivated can strongly influence the soil microbial population and its functional profile. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are an important component of soil microbiome and their mutualistic symbiosis with the majority of higher plants grant the latter a wide range of benefits. The extraradical mycelium developed by these fungi expands the volume of soil influenced and harbours a diversity of microbes establishing a distinct environment of complementary interactions. We assessed how growing plants with different levels of mycotrophy modifies the biological activity profile in the soil under Mn toxicity and whether this is modified by soil disturbance. Following mycotrophic plants, soil contained a more active microbiome than after the non‐mycotrophic plants, as expressed by higher values of soil basal respiration or dehydrogenase activity. Additionally, the count of phosphorus solubilizes and activity of phosphatase were greater after mycotrophic plants. Even among mycotrophic plants, different profiles of biological activity can be distinguished after growing a legume or grass. ERM disruption by soil disturbance decreased most of the parameters studied and for phosphatase activity and P solubilizers in a more significant way. These results indicate that even under Mn toxicity, the microbiome associated with AMF symbiosis following mycotrophic plants growth presented a higher biological activity and had a differential biological response towards the stress imposed by soil disturbance, when compared with the microbiome associated with non‐mycotrophic roots.

Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is one of the primary sources of animal protein for the Brazilian population. Thus, the safety of this food is highly relevant. This study was based on the evidence of severe contamination of these animals by metals such as lead in Santo Amaro, Bahia. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate associations between lead levels in blood of chicken exposed to a contaminated area with the occurrence of chromosomal alterations, evidencing genotoxic effects. Serum lead analysis was performed by GF-AAS after dilution with a matrix modifier solution (Triton X-100 0.2% v/v and HNO3 0.1% v/v), while chromosomal damage was evaluated using the comet assay. The results showed genotoxic effects (positive comet assay) only for the specimen sample with higher serum lead concentrations (33.9 µg dL^-1), suggesting the occurrence of toxic effects at this level of exposure. This work evaluated a relationship between the reduction of serum lead levels in chicken and increased distance from the primary polluting source - a lead processing plant (COBRAC). It also showed that lead is bioavailable in this territory, contaminating chicken and causing genotoxic effects in these animals, further expanding the concern with the local biota and the health of the residents of Santo Amaro.