Rapid and quantitative detection of the microbial spoilage in milk using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

Microbiological safety plays a very significant part in the quality control of milk and dairy products worldwide. Current methods used in the detection and enumeration of spoilage bacteria in pasteurized milk in the dairy industry, although accurate and sensitive, are time-consuming. FT-IR spectroscopy is a metabolic fingerprinting technique that can potentially be used to deliver results with the same accuracy and sensitivity, within minutes after minimal sample preparation. We tested this hypothesis using attenuated total reflectance (ATR), and high throughput (HT) FT-IR techniques. Three main types of pasteurized milk - whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed - were used and milk was allowed to spoil naturally by incubation at 15 degrees C. Samples for FT-IR were obtained at frequent, fixed time intervals and pH and total viable counts were also recorded. Multivariate statistical methods, including principal components-discriminant function analysis and partial least squares regression (PLSR), were then used to investigate the relationship between metabolic fingerprints and the total viable counts. FT-IR ATR data for all milks showed reasonable results for bacterial loads above 10(5) cfu ml(-1). By contrast, FT-IR HT provided more accurate results for lower viable bacterial counts down to 10(3) cfu ml(-1) for whole milk and, 4 x 10(2) cfu ml(-1) for semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. Using FT-IR with PLSR we were able to acquire a metabolic fingerprint rapidly and quantify the microbial load of milk samples accurately, with very little sample preparation. We believe that metabolic fingerprinting using FT-IR has very good potential for future use in the dairy industry as a rapid method of detection and enumeration.     

Discrimination of extracted lipophilic constituents of Angelica with multi-steps infrared macro-fingerprint method

It is the most pressing task that fast and effective analysis methods monitor the inherent qualities of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its corresponding extract products as a complicated mixture system. Owing to the unique fingerprint character and extensive applicability to test sample, infrared spectral method has been used in many research fields. In recent years, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), accompanied with the development of spectroscopic technology and combined with computer science, plays an important role in the TCM research. In this paper, we use FT-IR, second derivative infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR) step by step to analyze the lipophilic constituents in Angelica extracted by two different extract crafts. As a result, all spectra can not only supply lots of structural information of main constituents in the complicated system, but also can differentiate the tiny differences between the similar systems according to the infrared macro-fingerprint characters. This is a very quick, effective and well repetitive method for monitoring the process of the TCM.     

Study on Angelica and its different extracts by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation IR spectroscopy

In order to develop a rapid and effective analysis method for studying integrally the main constituents in the medicinal materials and their extracts, discriminating the extracts from different extraction process, comparing the categories of chemical constituents in the different extracts and monitoring the qualities of medicinal materials, we applied Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) associated with second derivative infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR) to study the main constituents in traditional Chinese medicine Angelica and its different extracts (extracted by petroleum ether, ethanol and water in turn). The findings indicated that FT-IR spectrum can provide many holistic variation rules of chemical constituents. Use of the macroscopical fingerprint characters of FT-IR and 2D-IR spectrum can not only identify the main chemical constituents in medicinal materials and their different extracts, but also compare the components differences among the similar samples. This analytical method is highly rapid, effective, visual and accurate for pharmaceutical research.     

Discriminating five Polygonatum medical materials and monitoring their chemical changes associated with traditional process by FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis

Several Polygonatum species are important medicinal materials as tonic to cure disorders in China. Because of their different medical effects, it is desired to distinguish them at species level. In addition, to ensure and control their medical quality, it is also important to monitor their chemical changes associated with traditional process. Taking the advantages of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and multivariate analysis, we developed a convenient, fast and reliable approach to discriminate and quality control these materials. Despite similar absorption patterns, each species also presented spectral differences, especially on the FT-IR fingerprint range of 1800-600 cm⁻¹. Second derivative method obviously enlarged those differences and then showed more species-specific features. These spectral differences could be used as powerful discriminating points to distinguish them. PCA results showed that each species separated clearly with their biological replicates grouped together, which indicated that the variance between species is greater than within species, therefore, these species could be distinguishable. Using this approach, the five herbal materials were discriminated successfully in their raw, processed and ethanol extracted formats. On the other hand, visual inspecting infrared spectra of samples from 1 to 9 process steps, absorbance near 1737, 1259, 817 and 780 cm^-1 increased gradually but decreased gradually at 927 cm⁻¹. Besides, spectral contour near 1050 cm⁻¹ changed sharply with process treatment. These spectral changes indicated that hydrolyzing polysaccharides into oligo- and mono-saccharides, especially glucose and fructose, are the main chemical changes associated with traditional process. This is consistent with the traditional experience that the processed materials are dark as night and sweet as malt sugar. Meanwhile, our results also indicated that their chemical constituents changed profoundly after process, which might be the chemical basis for raw and processed materials have different medical effects. Based on absorbance at 817 and 780 cm⁻¹ and the color, taste, smell of processed materials followed by energy efficacy, raw materials had to be processed more than 21 h to ensure their quality. This research shows the potential of FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis to discriminate different herbs and to monitor chemical changes with process and then control their quality. This could be very helpful to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of herbs on clinical practices.     

Alginate hydrogel-mediated crystallization of calcium carbonate

We documented a specific method for combining calcium ions and alginate molecules slowly and continuously in the mineralization system for the purpose of understanding the mediating function of alginate on the crystallization of calcium carbonate. The alginate was involved in the nucleation and the growth process of CaCO₃. The crystal size, morphology and roughness of crystal surface were significantly influenced by the type of the alginate, which could be accounted for by the length of the G blocks in alginate. A combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis showed that there were the chemical interactions between the alginate and the mineral phase. This strategic approach revealed the biologically controlled CaCO₃ mineralization within calcium alginate hydrogels via the selective nucleation and the confined crystallization of CaCO₃. The results presented here could contribute to the understanding of the mineralization process in hydrogel systems.     

Time-resolved flow-flash FT-IR difference spectroscopy: the kinetics of CO photodissociation from myoglobin revisited

Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) difference spectroscopy has been proven to be a significant tool in biospectroscopy. In particular, the step-scan technique monitors structural and electronic changes at time resolutions down to a few nanoseconds retaining the multiplex advantage of FT-IR. For the elucidation of the functional mechanisms of proteins, this technique is currently limited to repetitive systems undergoing a rapid photocycle. To overcome this obstacle, we developed a flow-flash experiment in a miniaturised flow channel which was integrated into a step-scan FT-IR spectroscopic setup. As a proof of principle, we studied the rebinding reaction of CO to myoglobin after photodissociation. The use of microfluidics reduced the sample consumption drastically such that a typical step-scan experiment takes only a few 10 ml of a millimolar sample solution, making this method particularly interesting for the investigation of biological samples that are only available in small quantities. Moreover, the flow cell provides the unique opportunity to assess the reaction mechanism of proteins that cycle slowly or react irreversibly. We infer that this novel approach will help in the elucidation of molecular reactions as complex as those of vectorial ion transfer in membrane proteins. The potential application to the oxygen splitting reaction of cytochrome c oxidase is discussed. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Comparison study of the solution phase versus solid phase place exchange reactions in the controlled functionalization of gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles offer tremendous potential in the areas of nanoelectronics, bio- and chemosensors, and catalysis. However, before these applications are realized, the surface functionality of nanoparticles must be better controlled. Our lab has recently reported a novel synthetic approach for making monofunctionalized nanoparticles through a solid phase place exchange reaction. Monofunctionalized gold nanoparticles may also be prepared through a solution phase place exchange reaction. In this study, we compared the efficiency of these two separate approaches toward controlled functionalization of gold nanoparticles by (1)H NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. We found that the solid phase place exchange approach is much more efficient at producing monofunctionalized gold nanoparticles. (1)H NMR data were used to give a semiquantitative count of substituted bifunctional ligands, and FT-IR spectra supported these findings. Furthermore, we used a diamine coupling reaction of nanoparticles to show the presence of single or multiple functional groups on the nanoparticle surface by TEM analysis.     

Analysis and discrimination of ten different sponges by multi-step infrared spectroscopy

In this study,a convenient method using multi-step infrared spectroscopy,including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),second derivative infrared spectroscopy(SD-IR) and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy(2DCOS-IR),was employed to analyze and discriminate ten marine sponges from two classes collected from the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.Each sponge had an exclusive macroscopic fingerprint.From the IR spectra,it was noted that the main ingredient of calcareous sponges was calcium carbonate,but that of demosponges was proteins.For sponges from the same genus or having highly similar chemical profile(IR spectral profile),SD-IR and 2DCOS-IR were applied to successfully reveal the tiny differences.It was demonstrated that the multi-step infrared spectroscopy was a feasible and objective approach for marine sponge identification.     

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic study of the interactions of selenium species with living bacterial cells

A study of the interactions of several selenium species with living bacterial cells was carried out by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Bacterial cells consisted of an Escherichia coli strain (K-12) cultivated in a growth medium based on glucose contaminated with selenium species. Equilibrium between the analyte in the solution and the extraction medium was established, and then the effects of selenium species upon the external membrane of the living bacterial cells were characterized by performing FT-IR spectroscopy of whole cells. The presence of the toxicants at various concentrations in the culture medium had an effect on the FT-IR spectra, and the concentration of the selenium species was determined directly in the biomass by FT-IR spectroscopy. The intensity ratios between several absorption lines, which varied as a function of the concentration of the selenium species, were used as the analytical signal.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Combined thermogravimetry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques for gas evolution analysis

The usefulness of thermogravimetry has been amply demonstrated for a wide variety of material analysis applications. In many instances, however, additional information is required for adequate characterization of the sample and its thermal decomposition behaviour. In this respect, the analysis of evolved gases, or condensed liquids, has proven a highly useful approach. Among the various physical methods used for analysis of the thermal degradation products, infrared spectroscopy has often been found very powerful, being versatile, rapid and widely accessible. In this study, we report a simple new approach in which the evolved gases and condensed liquids from the thermal decomposition of various products are recuperated in an infrared gas cell and on a PVC membrane filter, respectively. The gaseous components were analysed by transmission FT-IR, and the condensed liquid products were examined directly on the PVC membrane by FT-IR in the internal reflexion mode. The technique was used, for example, to examine the pyrolysis products (gases and liquid) of Koberit, a proposed substitute for asbestos. The method was also applied to the study of chemically derivatized asbestos materials in an attempt to unravel the surface chemical modifications.     

Metabolic fingerprinting as a tool to monitor whole-cell biotransformations

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed as a rapid high-throughput phenotypic typing technique to generate metabolic fingerprints of Escherichia coli MG1655 pDTG601A growing in fed-batch culture, during the dioxygenase-catalysed biotransformation of toluene to toluene cis-glycol. With toluene fed as a vapour, the final toluene cis-glycol concentration was 83 mM, whereas the product concentration was only 22 mM when the culture was supplied with liquid toluene. Multivariate statistical analysis employing cluster analysis was used to analyse the dynamic changes in the data. The analysis revealed distinct trends and trajectories in cluster ordination space, illustrating phenotypic changes related to differences in the growth and product formation of the cultures. In addition, partial least squares regression was used to correlate the FT-IR metabolic fingerprints with the levels of toluene cis-glycol and acetate, the latter being an indicator of metabolic stress. We propose that this high-throughput metabolic fingerprinting approach is an ideal tool to assess temporal biochemical dynamics in complex biological processes, as demonstrated by this redox biotransformation. Moreover, this approach can also give useful information on product yields and fermentation health indicators directly from the fermentation broth without the need for lengthy chromatographic analysis of the products.     

Investigation of fungal deterioration of synthetic paint binders using vibrational spectroscopic techniques

The deterioration of synthetic polymers caused by biological process is usually evaluated by visual inspection and measuring physical effects. In contrast to this approach, we have applied vibrational spectroscopies to study the biodegradation of the synthetic resins. 29 synthetic resins used as paint binding media, including acrylic, alkyd and poly(vinyl acetate) polymers, were examined for potential susceptibility to fungal degradation using the standard method ASTM G21-96(2002). In addition, the degraded resins were analysed by Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR and FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. Almost all the acrylic resins studied proved to be resistant to microbial attack, while all alkyd resins and some poly(vinyl acetates) turned out to be biodegradable. Within a few days of inoculation Aspergillus niger was the most copious fungus on the biodegraded resins. A comparison of the IR and Raman spectra of control and biodegraded resins did not show any differences, but photoacoustic spectroscopy revealed additional bands for the fungal-degraded resins, consistent with the presence of fungal-derived substances. The additional bands in the photoacoustic spectra were due to the presence of Aspergillus niger and melanin, a fungal pigment. Since IR photoacoustic spectroscopy can be also a suitable technique for the chemical characterisation of binding media, the same spectroscopic analysis can be employed to both characterise the material and obtain evidence for fungal colonization. Microbial growth on Sobral 1241ML (alkyd resin) after 28 d (growth rating 4) compared with the non-inoculated resin.     

红外反射光谱电化学中薄层电解池效应的研究

用双电位阶跃计时电流法,动电位扫描等电化学技术和红外光谱法系统测定了现场红外镜反射式电解池中的薄层厚度,电化学特性和光谱特性。结果表明,红外光谱电化学研究中的电解池存在定量的薄层电解效应。     

Catalytic Conversion of Macroalgae-derived Alginate to Useful Chemicals

Alginate, a main carbohydrate compound of macroalgae, can be hydrothermally converted to valuable organic products, such as furfural and organic acids, over various types of catalysts. In this review, alginate is evaluated as a renewable biomass feedstock for the production of the useful chemicals, based on the structural differences between alginate and conventional lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks. The influence of different catalysts and reaction conditions on the alginate depolymerization and the product distribution is discussed. Finally, future research direction for the catalytic conversion of alginate is suggested.     

Application of mid-infared spectroscopy with multivariate analysis for the discrimination of toxic plant,Gelsemium elegans

Gelsemium elegans is a commonly used herb to treat different kinds of diseases. However, the indole alkaloid present in the plant might cause serious side effects. In this research, the infrared spectroscopic identification approach including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Second derivative infrared spectra (SD-IR) and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectra (2D-IR) was used to develop a simple and rapid method to discriminate the stem, leaf and root of the Gelsemium elegans plant. This is because the stem, leaf and root contained different amount of indole alkaloid that contributed to the toxicity. Through this study, all the three parts were successfully identified and discriminated through the infrared spectroscopic identification method. The identification approach was also validated by comparing the samples of the mixture of both stem and root (SR) to the stem and root, respectively and also by comparing different plants with Gelsemium elegans plant. Besides that, all the samples of different parts of the Gelsemium elegans were analyzed with the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) pattern recognition technique to test and verify the experimental results. The SIMCA model was validated by comparing 70 standard herbs to the model. From the results, macroscopic IR fingerprint method and the classification analysis successfully discriminate not only between Gelsemium elegans samples and standard herbs but also successfully distinguished the three different parts of Gelsemium elegans plant.     

Collagen-based biomaterials for ibuprofen delivery

Drug delivery systems based on collagen sponges have increasingly become interesting materials for different medical applications. In this paper we present the obtaining, characterization and in vitro release of ibuprofen from collagen-based biomaterials in the form of sponges. The structural and morphological characteristics of these materials were investigated by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and water uptake tests. Collagenase degradation, anti-inflammatory drug release and the kinetic mechanism are also discussed. The results obtained suggest that these new systems based on collagen have good potential for sustained release of analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents such as ibuprofen and the combination of collagen and ibuprofen as a sponge is a promising therapeutic method for the treatment of dental problems.     

Surface Changes of Ochrobactrum Anthropi in Cr（Ⅵ） Treatment for 1 Hour

Bioremediation has been a considerable method for treating Cr（VI） contamination. Bacterial surface changes of Ochrobactrum anthropi during Cr biosorption was investigated in this study. We found that Cr adsorption capacity increased with the increase of initial Cr（Ⅵ） concentration. Atomic force microscope （AFM） morphologic analysis combined with surface roughness analysis indicated that the bacterial surfaces became rougher during Cr uptake process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） showed that Cr（Ⅲ） was adsorbed on the bacterial surfaces. Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） analysis showed that surface functional groups including C-O and C-N might be involved in the Cr biosorption process.     

Covalently Immobilized Battacin Lipopeptide Gels with Activity against Bacterial Biofilms

Novel antibiotic treatments are in increasing demand to tackle life-threatening infections from bacterial pathogens. In this study, we report the use of a potent battacin lipopeptide as an antimicrobial gel to inhibit planktonic and mature biofilms of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial gels were made by covalently linking the N-terminal cysteine containing lipopeptide (GZ3.163) onto the polyethylene glycol polymer matrix and initiating gelation using thiol-ene click chemistry. The gels were prepared both in methanol and in water and were characterised using rheology, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial and antibiofilm analyses revealed that the gels prepared in methanol have better antibacterial and antibiofilm activity. Additionally, a minimum peptide content of 0.5 wt% (relative to polymer content) is required to successfully inhibit the planktonic bacterial growth and disperse mature biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The antibacterial activity of these lipopeptide gels is mediated by a contact kill mechanism of action. The gels are non-haemolytic against mouse red blood cells and are non-cytotoxic against human dermal fibroblasts. Findings from this study show that battacin lipopeptide gels have the potential to be developed as novel topical antibacterial agents to combat skin infections, particularly caused by S. aureus.     

Rapid discrimination of Eurycoma longifolia extracts by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and two dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy

Eurycoma longifolia is a herbal medicinal plant of South-East Asian origin, popularly recognized as ‘Tongkat Ali’. The root extracts have been used in indigenous traditional medicines for its unique antimalarial, anti-pyretic, antiulcer, cytotoxic and aphrodisiac properties. It is an important task that fast and effective analysis methods monitor the inherent qualities of traditional herbal medicines and its corresponding extracts products as a complicated mixture system. Owing to the unique fingerprint character and extensive applicability to test sample, infrared spectral method have been used in many research fields. In this paper, we use FT-IR, second derivative infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR) step by step to analyze E. longifolia and its different extracts (extracted by hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and methanol in turn). The findings indicated that FT-IR and 2D-IR can provide many holistic variation rules of chemical constituents. The structural information of the samples indicated that E. longifolia and its extracts contain a large amount of quassinoids, since some characteristic absorption peaks of quassinoids, such as ∼1700 cm⁻¹, ∼1670 cm⁻¹, ∼1600 cm⁻¹,∼1500 cm⁻¹, and ∼1270 cm⁻¹ can be detected. This method, having its high resolution and excellent macroscopic fingerprint features, can not only supply lots of structural information of main components in the complicated system, but also can differentiate the tiny differences between the similar systems according to the macro-fringerprint characters. This method is highly rapid, effective, accurate and well repetitive for pharmaceutical research.     

Pseudomonas fluorescens enhances biomass yield and ajmalicine production in Catharanthus roseus under water deficit stress

The effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) like Pseudomonas fluorescens on growth parameters and the production of ajmalicine were investigated in Catharanthus roseus under drought stress. The plants under pot culture were subjected to 10, 15 and 20 days interval drought (DID) stress and drought stress with Pseudomonas fluorescens at 1mgl(-1) and 1mgl(-1)Pseudomonas fluorescens alone from 30 days after planting (DAP) and regular irrigation was kept as control. The plants were uprooted on 41 DAS (10 DID), 46 DAS (15 DID) and 51 DAS (20 DID). Drought stress decreased the growth parameters and increased the ajmalicine content. But the treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens enhanced the growth parameters under drought stress and partially ameliorated the drought induced growth inhibition by increasing the fresh and dry weights significantly. The ajmalicine content was again increased due to Pseudomonas fluorescens treatment to the drought stressed plants. From the results of this investigation, it can be concluded that, the seedling treatments of native PGPRs can be used as a good tool in the enhancement of biomass yield and alkaloid contents in medicinal plants, as it provides an eco-friendly approach and can be used as an agent in water deficit stress amelioration.