Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları

  • MakaleYalnız künye2027
    Efficacy of blue light-assisted ClO2 for Salmonella decontamination on basil leaves: inactivation kinetics, quality preservation, and microbiota dynamics

    Lian, Yi; Liu, Songlin; Ozturk, Samet; Wei, Xinyao

    Frequent Salmonella outbreaks associated with basil leaves highlight the need for effective postharvest decontamination. Conventional microbial sanitizers often fail to inactivate pathogens while preserving product quality, creating a demand for novel decontamination technologies suitable for basil. In this study, the microbial safety of basil under typical consumption scenarios was evaluated and a blue light-assisted ClO2 (COM) decontamination process for basil leaves was developed. Mathematical models were used to describe the microbial inactivation kinetics, and a systematic comparison was conducted against traditional single-chemical sanitizers (H2O2, HClO, ClO2, and 75% ethanol) in terms of microbial safety and final product quality. Results showed that simulated cooking scenarios, including pizza baking and hot soup immersion, were insufficient to reduce the Salmonella levels below the detection limit (<10 CFU/g) under a high initial load of 9.7 log CFU/g. Compared to the single-chemical treatments, 100 mg/L COM treatment achieved significantly higher decontamination (p < 0.05) by reducing Salmonella and background microbiota by 4.8 and 3.5 log CFU/g, respectively, with treatment time of 15 min. The inactivation kinetics of Salmonella showed a non-linear inactivation kinetics, which was captured by the Weibull model with a low RMSE value (RMSE = 0.16), although the AICc value (11.37) indicated limited model parsimony. Furthermore, the COM treatment significantly reduced bacterial richness (with the Chao1 index decreasing from 316 to 71) and effectively inactivated key spoilage organisms (Pseudomonas) as well as members of the Enterobacteriaceae, Actinomycetota, and Bacillota groups. Compared with the 100 mg/L ClO2 treatment alone (1.40 mg/kg), the 100 mg/L COM treatment resulted in a ClO2 residue concentration below the detection limit, without significantly altering visual appearance, color, chlorophyll content, total phenolics, or polyphenol oxidase activity (p > 0.05). Overall, blue light-assisted ClO2 treatment effectively reduced microbial contamination and reduced ClO2 residues while preserving the physical quality of basil, representing a promising decontamination approach for the fresh produce industry.

    • SDG 2 · Açlığa Son
    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
    • SDG 12 · Sorumlu Üretim ve Tüketim
  • MakaleAçık Erişim2026
    Structure-Dependent Triglyceride Protection of Freeze-Dried Lactiplantibacillus plantarum: Storage Protection Window, Lipid Oxidation, and Stress Adaptation

    Sun, Zheneng; Zhang, Nan; Wang, Xiaomai; Wei, Xinyao; Ozturk, Samet; Liu, Shuxiang

    Lipid-rich matrices can protect probiotics by limiting direct exposure to moisture, oxygen, and gastrointestinal stressors. However, triglycerides are chemically dynamic during storage, and differences in fatty acid structure and oxidation susceptibility may determine whether they exert protective or detrimental effects. In this study, tricaprylin, triolein, and trilinolein were evaluated as post-drying lipid storage matrices for freeze-dried Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 124 during storage at 25 °C, and 37 °C was used to accelerate lipid oxidation. Survival during storage, fatty acid chain retention, oxidation-derived products, stress tolerance, qualitative confocal imaging of membrane-integrity patterns, and transcriptomic responses were analyzed. After 30 d at 25 °C, log reductions were 0.30, 0.24, and 0.24 log10 units in the tricaprylin, triolein, and trilinolein groups, respectively, compared with 0.60 log10 units in the oil-free control, defining a common protective window. Tricaprylin showed the highest fatty acid chain retention, whereas trilinolein exhibited the greatest loss and strongest oxidative change. GC–MS detected no representative oxidation-derived products in tricaprylin, while unsaturated triglycerides generated dimethyl azelate and methyl 9-oxononanoate. Cells recovered from the protective window showed improved acid and bile tolerance, with survival increasing from 30.48% to 53.43–55.65% and from 14.85% to 22.49–27.79%, respectively. Confocal imaging further showed better-preserved membrane-integrity patterns in the triglyceride-treated groups after acid exposure. Transcriptomics indicated enhanced transport, redox, DNA-related, and cell-envelope responses, accompanied by reduced translation and growth-associated metabolism. Within the experimental conditions tested, these results suggest that triglyceride-associated attenuation of viability loss varies among triglyceride systems and across storage stages, while excessive oxidation of unsaturated triglycerides may weaken probiotic stability.

    • SDG 2 · Açlığa Son
    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
  • Derleme MakaleYalnız künye2026
    Emerging thermal and non-thermal technologies addressing Salmonella contamination in low-moisture spices and herbs

    Lian, Yi; Verma, Tushar; Chen, Long; Sun, Shengqian; Ozturk, Samet; Subbiah, Jeyamkondan; Liu, Shuxiang; Wei, Xinyao

    Spices and herbs are vital flavoring agents in food. However, they are particularly vulnerable to microbial contamination primarily due to their open production environments and low water activity, which enhances microbial resistance to conventional pasteurization. In addition, traditional decontamination methods often struggle to balance microbial safety and product quality. This review aims to deliver valuable insights into innovative technologies designed for improving microbial safety and overall quality of spices and herbs while fostering advancements in the industry. This review comprehensively summarizes the principles, applications, and influencing factors of emerging thermal technologies (e.g., radio frequency heating, superheated steam, and vacuum steam) and non-thermal technologies (e.g., ethylene oxide, chlorine dioxide, cold plasma, and ionizing irradiation). Furthermore, it critically discusses the current limitations of these technologies and proposes strategies for future advancements. Novel decontamination technologies show promise in improving microbial safety and preserving the quality of spice and herb products. In particular, radio frequency and chlorine dioxide technologies emerge as promising options for spice decontamination due to their better ability to balance microbial control efficiency and quality retention. Further research should focus on optimizing parameters through models, developing combination technologies, and promoting pilot test verification to facilitate industrial application.

    • SDG 2 · Açlığa Son