Search Results (1,749)

The global food industry is undergoing a major shift driven by increasing consumer demand for clean-label and naturally preserved foods. Fresh pasta is highly vulnerable to fungal damage because of its high water activity (a_w > 0.85), typically ranging between 0.92 and 0.97, moderate to near-neutral pH (around 5.0–7.0), and nutrient-rich composition, all of which create favorable conditions for fungal growth during refrigeration, mainly by genera such as Penicillium and Aspergillus. Fungal contamination results in significant economic losses due to reduced product quality and poses potential health risks associated with mycotoxin production. Although conventional chemical preservatives are relatively effective in preventing spoilage, their use conflicts with clean-label trends and faces growing regulatory and consumer scrutiny. In this context, antifungal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have emerged as a promising natural alternative for biopreservation. Several LAB strains, particularly those isolated from cereal-based environments (e.g., Lactobacillus plantarum and L. amylovorus), produce a broad spectrum of antifungal metabolites, including organic acids, phenylalanine-derived acids, cyclic dipeptides, and volatile compounds. These metabolites act synergistically to inhibit fungal growth through multiple mechanisms, such as cytoplasmic acidification, energy depletion, and membrane disruption. However, the application of LAB in fresh pasta production requires overcoming several challenges, including the scale-up from laboratory to industrial processes, the maintenance of metabolic activity within the complex pasta matrix, and the preservation of desirable sensory attributes. Furthermore, regulatory approval (GRAS/QPS status), economic feasibility, and effective consumer communication are crucial for successful commercial implementation. This review analyzes studies published over the past decade on fresh pasta spoilage and the antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), highlighting the progressive refinement of LAB-based biopreservation strategies. The literature demonstrates a transition from early descriptive studies to recent research focused on strain-specific mechanisms and technological integration. Overall, LAB-mediated biopreservation emerges as a sustainable, clean-label approach for extending the shelf life and safety of fresh pasta, with future developments relying on targeted strain selection and synergistic preservation strategies. Full article

Multispectral infrared detection plays a crucial role in advanced applications spanning environmental monitoring, military surveillance, and biomedical diagnostics, offering superior target identification accuracy compared to single-band imaging techniques. In this work, we synthesized four distinct bands of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs)—specifically, a cut-off of 1.3 µm with PbS CQDs and 1.8 µm, 2.6 µm, and 3.5 µm with HgTe CQDs—and employed them to construct planar multiband infrared photodetectors. The device exhibited a clear photoresponse at room temperature from 0.8 µm to 3.5 µm, with responsivity of 5.39 A/W and specific detectivity of 2.01 × 10¹¹ Jones at 1.8 µm. This materials–device co-design strategy integrates wavelength-selective CQD synthesis with planar pixel-level patterning, providing a versatile pathway for developing low-cost, solution-processed, multiband infrared photodetectors. Full article

Although fermented seasonings play a pivotal role in improving food quality, the high sodium content of many traditional products poses considerable public health concerns, including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This study established a low-salt fermentation strategy for Mumashan chili by regulating water activity (a_w) under NaCl concentrations ranging from 4 to 12% (w/w). The a_w-regulated system effectively maintained a_w within ± 0.03 at both 25 and 40 °C, thereby sustaining stable microbial activity despite the reduced salt concentration. Compared with the control group 15% NaCl, the 4% NaCl treatments exhibited significantly higher total acidity (130–200 g/kg vs. 24–58 g/kg) and a faster consumption rate of reducing sugars, with MH12 achieving an 80% rate of reducing sugars by day 21. Sensory evaluation revealed a higher overall quality score for the low-salt chili mash (MH12, 7.7/10), which was associated with a balanced aroma profile and enhanced color stability (ΔE < 5). However, the elevated relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens (Klebsiella app., ~10%) highlights the necessity of strict raw material hygiene. Overall, these results validate the feasibility of a_w regulation for low-salt fermentation, elucidate the associations between microbial communities and flavor development, and provide a basis for future industrial applications. Full article

Most animal welfare (AW) assessment protocols have been developed for intensive production systems and European cattle, raising concerns about their applicability in the tropics. To compare the results obtained by using the welfare quality (WQ) assessment for fattening cattle in the dry tropics, relevant modifications were implemented in 20 cattle production units (PUs) during the dry (DS) and rainy (RS) seasons. Regarding the principle of good feeding, only during the RS, between 20% and 25% of the farms maintained their animals in the acceptable and good categories, compared to the DS, where all PUs were classified as unacceptable (p < 0.04). Under the “Appropriate Behavior” principle, only 15% and 60% of the PUs maintained their animals at good and acceptable levels, respectively, in the RS, but not in the DS (p < 0.001). Conversely, during the DS, better scores were obtained for the measures and criteria in the Good housing group, with 45%, 50%, and 5% of PU classified as acceptable, good, and excellent, respectively, while for the RS, only 15%, 30%, and 5% reached these levels (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, under the “Good Health” principle, better animal health scores were observed during the RS, with 20%, 30%, and 50% of farms classified as acceptable, good, and excellent, compared to the DS, where only 70% and 10% of farms maintained their animals at good and excellent levels (p < 0.01). It is concluded that better animal welfare (AW) indicators were recorded during the RS, and the adjustments we applied to the conventional WQ protocol comprised a modification for the criterion that included the prolonged absence of thirst as well as adding six new indicators (measures) to the principles of housing, health, and behavior, which are considered essential for evaluating AW in cattle that are managed under extensive conditions by season. Full article

The conventional method for detecting protein content in egg albumen is the Kjeldahl method, but this method cannot be applied in practical production due to cost limitations. Therefore, we developed albumen density (AD), which had certain potential application value in low-cost and efficient evaluation of albumen protein content. We calculated the heritability of AD in White Leghorn (WL) chickens and its correlation with average albumen protein quantity (AAP), total albumen protein quantity (TAP), albumen weight (AW), albumen volume (AV), egg weight (EW), albumen height (AH), haugh unit (HU), and yolk color (YC). It is worth noting that albumen protein content was measured in a small subset of samples. The average value of AD in eggs was 0.97 and its heritability was less than 0.1. The average value of AAP in eggs was 10.1%, and the average value of TAP in eggs was 2.95 g. There were significant positive correlations between AAP, TAP, AW, AV, AD, and EW, and there were strong positive genetic and phenotypic correlations between EW, AW, AV, and AD. The results of this study indicated that AD might have potential value as a supplementary tool for albumen protein trait selection in breeding. Full article

Meteorological data from automatic weather stations (AWS) in tea plantations is critical for agricultural management, but is often compromised by sensor errors and physical implausibilities that traditional quality control (QC) methods fail to detect. This study proposes a novel, meteorologically informed QC framework that mines association rules from long-term ERA5 reanalysis data (2012–2023) using the Apriori algorithm to establish a knowledge base of normal multivariate atmospheric patterns. A comprehensive feature engineering process generated temporal, physical, and statistical features, which were discretized using meteorological thresholds. The mined rules were filtered, prioritized, and integrated with hard physical constraints. The system employs a fuzzy logic mechanism for violation assessment and a weighted anomaly scoring system for classification. When validated on a synthetic dataset with injected anomalies, the method significantly outperformed traditional QC techniques, achieving an F1-score of 0.878 and demonstrating a superior ability to identify complex physical inconsistencies. Application to an independent historical dataset from a Zhenjiang tea plantation (2008–2016) successfully identified 14.6% anomalous records, confirming the temporal transferability and robustness of the approach. This framework provides an accurate, interpretable, and scalable solution for enhancing the quality of meteorological data, with direct implications for improving the reliability of frost prediction and pest management in precision agriculture. Full article

The objective was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of avocado waste (AW) in the diet of rabbits on lipid composition, color, and lipid and protein oxidative stability in the meat of growing rabbits. For this purpose, 80 male rabbits (New Zealand × California) with an average initial weight of 945 ± 47 g were fed for 28 days, being randomly distributed to one of the four experimental treatments (T) (T1: 0%, T2: 4.32%, T3: 8.39%, and T4: 12.25% of waste avocado inclusion, respectively). A decrease (p < 0.05) in the amount of saturated fatty acids was observed in the meat of rabbits fed 8.39% and 12.25% AW, a lower (p < 0.05) concentration of malondialdehyde (mg MDA/kg) in the meat of rabbits fed the AW, and a lower (p < 0.05) concentration of dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) in the treatments with 4.32 and 8.39% AW. The results suggest that the addition of AW in rabbit diets increases the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and protects the meat from the products of lipid and protein oxidation, decreasing discoloration and delaying oxidation, generating a final product with a longer shelf life. Full article

The 6xxx series aluminum alloys are preferred in many industrial applications because they can achieve relatively high strength levels through heat treatment. It is known that, as in the case of the EN AW 6056 alloy, the addition of small amounts of copper to materials in this series can further enhance their mechanical properties. In the current study, the effect of artificial aging conditions on the mechanical properties of EN AW 6056 aluminum alloy has been investigated. The ratio of Mg to Si and Cu content of the alloy were 0.939 and 0.92, respectively. The aging process was conducted at temperatures of 170, 180, and 190 °C, with corresponding aging durations of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 h. The maximum hardness was obtained in samples aged at 170 °C for 12 h, corresponding to the transition to over-aging condition. In contrast, the highest tensile strength was achieved in samples aged at 190 °C for 4 h, representing the peak-aged condition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed distinct microstructural characteristics for the peak-aged and transition to over-aging conditions. In the peak-aged state, needle-shaped β″ precipitates, lath-like Q′ phases, and L phases with narrow rectangular cross-sections were observed. In contrast, lath-like L precipitates were absent in the transition to over-aging condition. Full article

This study was focused on the assessment of fungal occurrence, mycotoxin dynamics, aflatoxin carry-over, and associated biochemical responses in dairy cattle. Moisture emerged as the dominant factor for fungal communities, promoting the co-proliferation of fungal genera adapted to high water activity conditions (a_w > 0.90) and antagonism against xerotolerant and xerophilic species. Aspergillus spp. dominated dry substrates (a_w < 0.75), Fusarium spp. showed strong positive associations with high-moisture matrices (a_w > 0.90), and Penicillium spp. exhibited intermediate, substrate-dependent behavior. Mycotoxin levels fluctuated non-linearly, independently of fungal counts: ochratoxin A (OTA) concentrations in corn silage increased from approximately 12 μg/kg at the onset of the ensiling period to >240 μg/kg at silo opening, indicating dynamic mycotoxin accumulation during storage, while zearalenone (ZEA) oscillated from 40 to 170 µg/kg. Despite the variation in total aflatoxins (AFLA-T) across feed matrices, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk remained low (0.0020–0.0093 μg/kg), confirming limited carry-over. Serum biochemical parameters—alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (BIL-T), total protein (PROT-T)—remained within physiological limits, yet multivariate analyses revealed metabolic modulation linked to aflatoxin exposure. AFM1 explained >7% of the variance in serum biochemical profiles according to PERMANOVA (p = 0.002), showed significant MANOVA effect (Pillai = 0.198), and displayed a significant canonical association (p < 10⁻¹³). Linear discriminant analysis further separated Normal vs. Borderline hepatic profiles, indicating subclinical physiological adaptation to chronic low-dose exposure. Full article

Due to their unique properties resulting from the combination of metals with different properties, bimetallic sheets are desirable in the energy, petrochemical, and shipbuilding industries. In this article, explosively welded EN AW-1050/Cu-ETP (Al/Cu) plates were used as the test material. One of the greatest advantages of Al/Cu bimetallic plates is their high deformability, which allows for easy plastic forming. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of severe plastic deformation on the microstructure and microhardness of explosively welded EN AW-1050/Cu-ETP plates. Bimetallic samples were processed using the Twist Channel Angular Pressing (TCAP) process. This process consisted of varying the number of passes and the sample orientation relative to the helical exit channel of the TCAP die. For comparative purposes, a microstructural analysis and the microhardness testing of the as-welded samples were also carried out. Microstructural analysis of TCAP-processed samples showed that the sample deformed along route Bc exhibited the most deformed weld interface profile. No cracking or delamination was observed in the Al/Cu interfacial transition layer of TCAP-processed samples. The number of passes and orientation of the bimetallic material relative to the die exit channel affected the final microhardness in the individual layers of explosively welded EN AW-1050/Cu-ETP bimetallic plate. Full article

A vertical Ni/β-Ga₂O₃ Schottky barrier diode was fabricated on an unintentionally doped bulk (−201)-oriented β-Ga₂O₃ single crystal and investigated with a focus on the underlying photoresponse mechanisms. The device exhibits well-defined rectifying behavior, characterized by a Schottky barrier height of 1.63 eV, an ideality factor of 1.39, and a high rectification ratio of ~9.7 × 10⁶ arb. un. at an applied bias of ±2 V. The structures demonstrate pronounced sensitivity to deep-ultraviolet radiation (λ ≤ 280 nm), with maximum responsivity observed at 255 nm, consistent with the wide bandgap of β-Ga₂O₃. Under 254 nm illumination at a power density of 620 μW/cm², the device operates in a self-powered mode, generating an open-circuit voltage of 50 mV and a short-circuit current of 47 pA, confirming efficient separation of photogenerated carriers by the built-in electric field of the Schottky junction. The responsivity and detectivity of the structures increase from 0.18 to 3.87 A/W and from 9.8 × 10⁸ to 4.3 × 10¹¹ Hz^0.5cmW⁻¹, respectively, as the reverse bias rises from 0 to −45 V. The detectors exhibit high-speed performance, with rise and decay times not exceeding 29 ms and 59 ms, respectively, at an applied voltage of 10 V. The studied structures demonstrate internal gain, with the external quantum efficiency reaching 1.8 × 10³%. Full article

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a major crop in the Caucasus region, but its safety is often threatened by Aspergillus flavus colonization and aflatoxin (AF) contamination. Although AFs are strictly regulated in the EU, the influence of post-harvest practices on fungal persistence and AF accumulation remains poorly defined. A three-year study was conducted to evaluate the effects of drying protocols, storage temperature, and conservation practices on fungal growth and AF occurrence in hazelnuts from three producing regions of Azerbaijan. Freshly harvested nuts were subjected to two drying regimes: good drying (sun-exposed, mixed, protected from rewetting) and bad drying (shaded, piled, rewetted). After drying, samples were stored at cold (8–10 °C) or room temperature (18–22 °C). Fungal prevalence was determined by CFU counts with morphological and qPCR identification of Aspergillus section Flavi. AFs were quantified by HPLC, and water activity (a_w) was monitored during storage. Drying emerged as the decisive factor: bad drying consistently resulted in markedly higher fungal loads for A. section Flavi, with mean counts up to 1.5 × 10² CFU/g, compared with 2.1 × 10¹ CFU/g under good drying, representing a 7-fold increase. In contrast, storage temperature and shell condition had negligible effects when nuts were properly dried. Aflatoxins were consistently below the 5 µg/kg EU limit for AFB₁ in traced and well-dried samples, whereas market samples occasionally exhibited AFB₁ concentrations >450 µg/kg. These findings highlight drying efficiency as the key determinant of fungal persistence and AF risk in hazelnut post-harvest management. Full article

Drought events intensified by climate change severely compromise the physiological stability and productivity of Coffea arabica, particularly in rainfed systems, underscoring the need to identify cultivars with greater functional resilience. This study evaluated the physiological, nutritional and biochemical responses of seedlings from ten cultivars subjected to adequate irrigation (AW), severe water deficit (SWD) and rehydration (RI). Water potential, gas exchange, oxidative stress markers, stomatal traits and foliar macro- and micronutrients were quantified. Most cultivars exhibited pronounced reductions in the pre-dawn leaf water potential (Ψ_pd), photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (g_s) and transpiration (E), together with increases in oxidative stress indicators under SWD. In contrast, Obatá amarillo, Castillo, and Arará maintained greater hydraulic stability, more efficient stomatal regulation, higher water-use efficiency, and lower oxidative stress, accompanied by a more effective post-stress recovery after RI. Regarding nutrient dynamics, Geisha, Castillo, and Arará showed higher K⁺ accumulation, while Catimor bolo presented elevated Ca²⁺, P, and Fe²⁺ contents, elements associated with metabolic reactivation and structural recovery after stress. Geisha and Marsellesa displayed an adaptive, recovery-driven resilience strategy following drought stress. Overall, the findings identify Obatá amarillo, Castillo, and Arará as the most drought-tolerant cultivars, highlighting their potential relevance for breeding programs aimed at improving drought resilience in coffee. Full article

Additive manufacturing (AM) of aluminium by solid-state routes offers a promising pathway to overcome the limitations of fusion-based processes, such as porosity and hot cracking. This study investigates the potential of wire-based friction stir additive manufacturing (W-FSAM) as an innovative solid-state process. A test specimen made of EN AW-1050 was fabricated and characterised using mechanical testing as well as optical and electron microscopy. Microstructural characterisation revealed a fully consolidated, pore-free build with fine equiaxed grains and partial dynamic recrystallisation (DRX). The average grain size decreased from 13.4 µm near the substrate to 9.7 µm at the top, reflecting the variation in cumulative thermal exposure along the build height. A homogeneous hardness distribution (21.2 HV) and smooth interlayer interfaces were observed. Tensile tests in the travel direction yielded an ultimate tensile strength of approximately 85 MPa and an elongation exceeding 60%, while high-cycle fatigue tests demonstrated a fatigue strength of about 30 MPa at $2\times {10}^6$ cycles ($R=0.1$) with ductile fracture features. The results confirm that W-FSAM enables the production of fine-grained, defect-free CP-Al structures whose mechanical properties, in terms of strength and ductility, exceed those of the reference material. Thus, W-FSAM represents a promising solid-state additive manufacturing route for the production of high-performance CP-Al components. Full article

Data exfiltration poses a major cybersecurity challenge because it involves the unauthorized transfer of sensitive information. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are vital security controls in identifying such attacks; however, their effectiveness in cloud computing environments remains limited, particularly against covert channels such as Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and Domain Name System (DNS) tunneling. This study compares two widely used IDSs, Snort and Suricata, in a controlled cloud computing environment. The assessment focuses on their ability to detect data exfiltration techniques implemented via ICMP and DNS tunneling, using DNSCat2 and Iodine. We evaluate detection performance using standard classification metrics, including Recall, Precision, Accuracy, and F1-Score. Our experiments were conducted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances, where IDS instances monitored simulated exfiltration traffic generated by DNSCat2, Iodine, and Metasploit. Network traffic was mirrored via AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Traffic Mirroring, with the ELK Stack integrated for centralized logging and visual analysis. The findings indicate that Suricata outperformed Snort in detecting DNS-based exfiltration, underscoring the advantages of multi-threaded architectures for managing high-volume cloud traffic. For DNS tunneling, Suricata achieved 100% detection (recall) for both DNSCat2 and Iodine, whereas Snort achieved 85.7% and 66.7%, respectively. Neither IDS detected ICMP tunneling using Metasploit, with both recording 0% recall. It is worth noting that both IDSs failed to detect ICMP tunneling under default configurations, highlighting the limitations of signature-based detection in isolation. These results emphasize the need to combine signature-based and behavior-based analytics, supported by centralized logging frameworks, to strengthen cloud-based intrusion detection and enhance forensic visibility. Full article