Food allergen detection by mass spectrometry: the role of systems biology.

Food allergy prevalence is rising worldwide, motivating the development of assays that can sensitively and reliably detect trace amounts of allergens in manufactured food. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a promising alternative to commonly employed antibody-based assays owing to its ability to quantify multiple proteins in complex matrices with high sensitivity. In this review, we discuss […]

Dietary dried plum increases bone mass, suppresses proinflammatory cytokines and promotes attainment of peak bone mass in male mice.

Nutrition is an important determinant of bone health and attainment of peak bone mass. Diets containing dried plum (DP) have been shown to increase bone volume and strength. These effects may be linked to the immune system and DP-specific polyphenols. To better understand these relationships, we studied DP in skeletally mature (6-month-old) and growing (1- and 2-month-old) C57Bl/6 […]

A systematic review on the health effects of plums (Prunus domestica and Prunus salicina).

In recent times, plums have been described as foods with health-promoting properties. Research on the health effects of plum continue to show promising results on its antiinflammatory, antioxidant and memory-improving characteristics. The increased interest in plum research has been attributed to its high phenolic content, mostly the anthocyanins, which are known to be natural antioxidants. […]

Reduction of Bacterial Pathogens and Potential Surrogates on the Surface of Almonds Using High-Intensity 405-Nanometer Light.

The disinfecting properties of high-intensity monochromatic blue light (MBL) were investigated against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella , and nonpathogenic bacteria inoculated onto the surface of almonds. MBL was generated from an array of narrow-band 405-nm light-emitting diodes. Almonds were inoculated with higher or lower levels (8 or 5 CFU/g) of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 and […]

Survival Kinetics of Salmonella enterica and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli on a Plastic Surface at Low Relative Humidity and on Low–Water Activity Foods.

We investigated the survival kinetics of Salmonella enterica and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli under various water activity (aw) conditions to elucidate the net effect of aw on pathogen survival kinetics and to pursue the development of a predictive model of pathogen survival as a function of aw. Four serotypes of S. enterica (Stanley, Typhimurium, Chester, and […]

Almond “Appetizer” Effect on Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) Results.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which glucose intolerance can be acutely improved with dietary modification is unclear. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of ingesting a low-calorie almond preload ("appetizer") 30 minutes before oral glucose tolerance testing in glucose-intolerant individuals without diabetes. METHODS: Twenty adults with prediabetes or isolated 1-hour glucose ≥160 […]

The Walnuts and Healthy Aging study (WAHA): Protocol for a Nutritional Intervention Trial with Walnuts on Brain Aging.

Introduction: An unwanted consequence of population aging is the growing number of elderly at risk of neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia and macular degeneration. As nutritional and behavioral changes can delay disease progression, we designed the Walnuts and Healthy Aging (WAHA) study, a two-center, randomized, 2-year clinical trial conducted in free-living, cognitively healthy elderly men and […]