Reduced-Calorie Apricot-Based Lacto-Fermented Beverages: Evaluation of Probiotic Content, Physicochemical, and Sensory Properties.

Optimizing the formulation is essential to enhance probiotic viability, sensory quality, and shelf-life stability, thereby supporting the development of a consumer-acceptable and commercially viable non-dairy functional beverage. This study focused on optimizing the fermentation process of apricot-based beverages using three probiotic strains: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum XL963 (LP), Limosilactobacillus fermentum W8 (LF), and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus ML104 (LPN). Fermentation conditions were optimized by varying sugar content (9-15%) and fermentation temperatures (20°C, 28.

Differentiation of black tea according to country of origin using the μ-CTE/TD/GC-MS method combined with decision tree-optimizable neural network analysis.

Background: Accurate discrimination of the country of origin of teas is critical to determine their actual commercial value, to meet consumer preferences, and to ensure compliance with labeling regulations. Therefore, in this study, we developed a new approach to accurately discriminate the country of origin of teas in the Turkish market.

Results: A thermal desorption/gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (TD/GC-MS) method combined with optimizable neural networks (ONN) was developed to analyze the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of tea samples subjected to infusion or grinding pretreatments.

Microplastic Release from Single-Use Plastic Beverage Cups.

Microplastics (MPs) have attracted considerable attention as one of the most remarkable food and drink pollutants in recent years. Disposable cups, which are widely used as single-use containers, have been suspected as the primary sources of MPs found in cold and hot beverages. In this study, the effect of different exposure times (0, 5, 10 and 20 min) and temperatures (4 °C, 50 °C and 80 °C) on MP release from the single-use cups made of four different materials [polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) coated paper cups and expanded polystyrene (EPS)] into the water was investigated.

Effects of Autochthonous Yeast Cultures on Some Quality Characteristics of Traditional Turkish Fermented Sausage "Sucuk".

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of yeast cultures ( and ) isolated from traditionally dry fermented Turkish sucuks, on some physicochemical and microbiological properties of the product. Eight different batches of the sucuks were produced by the inoculation of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures (, and ) in different combinations. The sucuks were ripened for 12 days and analyzed at 1, 6, and 12 days of ripening.

Using a hybrid technology to produce traditional sourdough Gelveri bread: infrared cooking assisted with traditional method.

Traditional foods are known as special products that do not have a specific production technology and are transferred traditionally from generation to generation. The most important feature that distinguishes Gelveri bread from the other bread is the use of sourdough technique and cooking in stone kilns. It is one of the traditional foods produced in Turkey for hundreds of years.

Developmental Concerns, Parental Perceptions and Missed Opportunities from Different Levels of Health Centers in a Middle-Income Country.

Objective: To evaluate the concerns the parents have with the development of their children and related conditions and investigate how often these concerns are addressed at all levels of the healthcare system. Determining parental perceptions of these issues and highlighting missed opportunities is valuable for improving healthcare services.

Methods: A total of 451 parents attending a medical appointment for their children in outpatient clinics at tertiary, secondary and primary health centers were administered a questionnaire comprised of 45 questions pertaining to their concerns regarding the development of their children and related conditions, including sociodemographic characteristics, practices supporting child development, information resources and personal opinions, such as whether they had sufficient information.

Effects of different flour blends with varying protein content and quality on dough and crust properties of "etliekmek", a pizza-like traditional food of Turkey.

Etliekmek, which somewhat resembles pizza in terms of crust and toppings, is a widely consumed traditional food in Turkey. It consists of a sheeted dough topped with a mixture of minced meat and some vegetables. In this study, the effects on dough processing and crust properties of etliekmek of five flour blends with varying protein content and quality were investigated.

Development of LLDPE based active nanocomposite films with nanoclays impregnated with volatile compounds.

In this study, a novel procedure was performed for grafting of nanoclays (montmorillonite (MMT) and halloysite (HNT)) with essential oil constituents (thymol (THY), eugenol (EUG) and carvacrol (CRV)) using Tween 80 as surfactant and then the nanoclay particles were incorporated into LLDPE pellets (5 wt%) to produce active nanocomposite films using a twin screw extruder. The resulting nanocomposite films were analyzed for antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity as well as thickness, mechanical, color, barrier, thermal properties and surface morphology and molecular composition. Release of the active compounds from the films at the refrigerated and room temperature conditions were also tested.

Assessment of Multi Fragment Melting Analysis System (MFMAS) for the Identification of Food-Borne Yeasts.

Multi Fragment Melting Analysis System (MFMAS) is a novel approach that was developed for the species-level identification of microorganisms. It is a software-assisted system that performs concurrent melting analysis of 8 different DNA fragments to obtain a fingerprint of each strain analyzed. The identification is performed according to the comparison of these fingerprints with the fingerprints of known yeast species recorded in a database to obtain the best possible match.

Targeting the pains of food insecurity and malnutrition among internally displaced persons with nutrient synergy and analgesics in organ meat.

Living with pain is one of the distressing effects of food insecurity and malnutrition among millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide. Vulnerability to emotional pain, metabolic imbalance, chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases by IDPs are associated with stressed livelihood and restricted access to balanced diets in their camps. Tackling the complexity of issues related to internal displacement is challenging as 45% are globally trapped in protracted conditions.

Erratum to: Application of high-resolution melting analysis for differentiation of spoilage yeasts.

In the article by Erdem et al. published in Journal of Microbiology 2016; 54, 618-625, the figure 1 should be corrected as below.

Utilization of fermented soybeans paste as flavoring lamination for Turkish dry-cured meat.

The effects of utilizing fermented soybeans paste (miso) as an alternative flavor-coating material for eliminating unpleasant odor of sulphuric and sotolone compounds from cemen in commercial pastirma were investigated. Results showed that miso-pastirma (MP) and commercial pastirma (CP) had higher L* values in comparison with the fresh meat. While no pathogen was detected in all the meat samples, statistically significant stearic acid was increased (P<0.

Application of high-resolution melting analysis for differentiation of spoilage yeasts.

A new method based on high resolution melting (HRM) analysis was developed for the differentiation and classification of the yeast species that cause food spoilage. A total 134 strains belonging to 21 different yeast species were examined to evaluate the discriminative power of HRM analysis. Two different highly variable DNA regions on the 26 rRNA gene were targeted to produce the HRM profiles of each strain.

Steady shear rheological characteristics of model system meat emulsions: Power law and exponential type models to describe effect of corn oil concentration.

The effect of oil concentration (57.50, 58.75, 60.

Diversity and probiotic potentials of lactic acid bacteria isolated from gilaburu, a traditional Turkish fermented European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus L.) fruit drink.

The aim of the present study was to characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from traditional fermented gilaburu fruit juice and their probiotic potential. The LAB counts of the fermented gilaburu fruit juice were in the range of 3.92-8.

Effect of yoghurt or yoghurt serum on microbial quality of cig kofte.

Cig kofte, raw meatball is a traditionally produced meat product in Turkey and some other Middle East countries. It is prepared from mixtures of finely minced raw beef, bulgur, onions, various spices and tap water. Cig kofte is an uncooked product and popularly consumed with lettuce and lemon juice.

Application of different molecular techniques for characterization of catalase-positive cocci isolated from sucuk.

This study was carried out for the characterization and discrimination of the indigenous Gram positive, catalase-positive cocci (GCC) population in sucuk, a traditional Turkish dry-fermented sausage. Sucuk samples, produced by the traditional method without starter culture were collected from 8 local producers in Kayseri/Turkey and a total of 116 GCC isolates were identified by using different molecular techniques. Two different molecular fingerprinting methods; namely, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) and repetitive extragenic palindrome-PCR (rep-PCR), were used for the clustering of isolates and identification at species level was carried out by full length sequencing of 16S rDNA.

A novel method to differentiate bovine and porcine gelatins in food products: nanoUPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS(E) based data independent acquisition technique to detect marker peptides in gelatin.

We presented a novel nanoUPLC-MS(E) workflow method that has potential to identify origin of gelatin in some dairy products; yoghurt, cheese and ice cream. In this study, the method was performed in two steps. In the first step, gelatin was extracted from these products before the MS-sample preparation.

Effect of grape pomace extracts obtained from different grape varieties on microbial quality of beef patty.

Unlabelled: Grape pomace extracts were obtained from 5 different grape varieties grown in Turkey. The extracts were concentrated to obtain crude extracts; and incorporated into beef patties at 0% (Control), 1%, 2%, 5%, and 10% concentrations to test their antimicrobial effects in different storage periods (first, 12, 24, and 48 h). The numbers of microorganism were generally decreased by the extract concentration during the storage period.

Detection of chicken and turkey meat in meat mixtures by using real-time PCR assays.

In this study, TaqMan-based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques were developed for the detection of chicken and turkey meat in raw and heat-treated meat mixtures. Primers and TaqMan probe sets were designed to amplify 86 bp and 136 bp fragments for the chicken and turkey species, respectively, on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene. In the results, it was possible to detect each species at the level of 0.

RP-HPLC-DAD analysis of phenolic compounds in pomace extracts from five grape cultivars: Evaluation of their antioxidant, antiradical and antifungal activities in orange and apple juices.

Phenolic compounds, related to antioxidative and antifungal properties of ethanolic extracts from five commercial grape cultivars (three red and two white) grown in Turkey were determined. A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) procedure was developed, and a total 18 different phenolic compounds were identified. Total phenolic contents of the extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau method.

Efficacy of various plant hydrosols as natural food sanitizers in reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium on fresh cut carrots and apples.

In the present study, inhibitory effects of the hydrosols of thyme, black cumin, sage, rosemary and bay leaf were investigated against Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated to apple and carrots (at the ratio of 5.81 and 5.81 log cfu/g for S.

Determination and improvement of microbial safety of wheat sprouts with chemical sanitizers.

In this study, total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), total coliform (TC), yeasts and moulds (YM), and Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus counts of wheat seeds and sprouts germinated for 9 days under different relative humidity (RH) (90% and 95%) and temperatures (18 °C, 20 °C, and 22 °C) were determined. The disinfection capabilities of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) (100, 200, and 400 ppm) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) (3% and 6%) on wheat seeds/sprouts were also investigated. It has been found that native TAMB, TC, YM, and E.

Sensitivity of three pathogenic bacteria to Turkish cemen paste and its ingredients.

Pastirma is a dry cured meat product which is pasted with cemen. This paste is prepared from ground fenugreek, garlic and red hot pepper (RHPP). In this study, the cemen mix/paste and all its ingredients were tested for their inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica.

The effects of nitrite on the survival of Clostridium sporogenes and the autoxidation properties of the Kavurma.

Kavurma is a traditional cooked (fried) meat product manufactured to preserve meat. Some bacterial genera, e.g.