Search Results (12)

Moniliformin (MON) is a highly polar, emerging Fusarium mycotoxin with a low molecular weight. It is known to exhibit potentially harmful effects on public and animal health. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the natural occurrence of MON in various foods marketed in South Korea and to perform a risk assessment. An analytical method for MON quantification using strong anion exchange clean-up combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was validated across four different food matrices (white rice, sorghum, corn oil, and baby food), exhibiting excellent accuracy, precision, and sensitivity. A total of six food categories, 33 food commodities, and 253 food samples were included in this study. Maize, sorghum, Job’s tears, and perilla seeds were identified as the major contributors to MON contamination. Estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated for both mean and 95th percentile extreme dietary scenarios using upper and lower bound approaches. The highest EDI was observed in the 0–2-year and 3–6-year age groups, primarily for cereal grains. The margin of exposure (MOE) values for maize consumption ranged from 2544 to 7482. These results highlight the potential health concerns associated with MON, necessitating targeted risk management strategies. Full article

The fungus Ustilago maydis produces galls or tumors on corn ears called corn smut or huitlacoche. Used for human consumption in several countries for its nutritional and sensory traits, huitlacoche is considered a delicacy in Mexican cuisine and has a significant economic value. Hybrid U. maydis strains are regularly used for the large-scale production of huitlacoche; however, depending on the genetic characteristics of the parent strains, the pathogenicity and infection rate of hybrid fungi are often suboptimal due to compatibility issues between different strains. Using double-loaded organisms is common in agriculture to improve product characteristics, performance, and shelf-life. A methodology to obtain unicellular U. maydis strains with a double genetic load (n + n) capable of producing galls on corn ears without mating (hybridization) is reported herein. This methodology resulted in 206 U. maydis isolates. Screening showed that 147 corn plants (>70%) underwent infection and gall production. Of the 147 gall-producing U. maydis strains, those with the highest field performance were selected. Three strains, Um-UAEMor-78 (yielding 21.65 ton/ha), Um-UAEMor-120 (22.31 ton/ha), and Um-UAEMor-187 (22.99 ton/ha), showed higher yields than the control strain, CP-436(a1b1) × CP-437(a2b2) (17.80 ton/ha). A specific methodology to obtain unicellular U. maydis strains with a double genetic load capable of infecting baby corn ears and forming galls is described for the first time, providing a novel alternative for producing huitlacoche and helping to improve the yields and morphological traits of galls. Full article

The application of organo-mineral fertilizers (OMFs) is gaining popularity day by day because of their potential effect on crop productivity and soil fertility enhancement. Therefore, this research was conducted to observe the effect of a peat soil–urea (PSU) fertilizer on baby corn yield, quality, nitrogen (N) use efficiency, and soil quality compared with commercial urea. A completely randomized design (CRD) with four replicates was used to set up the experiment. In this trial, N was applied from three sources, viz., urea, PSU-L (low N = 15%), and PSU-H (high N = 25%) at a rate of 50, 75, and 100% of the recommended N application dose. The growth, yield, quality, and N use efficiency of baby corn were significantly impacted by the application of PSU fertilizer to the soil. Substantially higher leaf chlorophyll, cob vitamin C, and protein content were found in PSU-treated plants compared with commercial urea. The application of PSU produced about 21% higher cob and a 14% fodder yield over commercial urea. On average, the N uptake by baby corn was 22% higher in PSU-treated plants than urea-treated plants, resulting in 24 and 33% higher N use efficiency and fertilizer N use efficiency, respectively, in PSU than commercial urea. Therefore, the N application rate could be reduced by around 30% using PSU as an alternate N source compared with using commercial urea. In addition, the application of PSU to soil substantially increased the soil organic carbon (SOC) content, whereas SOC decreased in urea-treated soil. Full article

In rural Ghana, infant feeding is largely home-based or community-based yet less is known about the kinds of community-based infant foods and the ability of families to create a range of recipes for baby feeding using context-specific ingredients particularly in northern Ghana which has a high prevalence of malnutrition. In this explorative study on mothers (15–49 years; n = 46), we investigated community-based infant foods’ food group composition, enrichment, nutrient contribution, and acceptability. The identified community-based infant foods were mainly made of either corn or millet porridges in northern Ghana and had three nutrients with % RNI ≥ 70. We developed 38 recipes of enriched community-based infant foods adding underutilized foods (orange-fleshed sweet potato, pawpaw, cowpea, moringa, groundnut, Bambara beans, and soya beans) to increase the number of nutrients from three to at least five and at most nine nutrients with % RNI ≥ 70 based on the recipe combinations. The enriched community-based infant food recipes provided adequate caloric amounts and modest improvements in micronutrient content for infants (6–12 months). All recipes tested were deemed appropriate and acceptable for infants by mothers. Moringa and pawpaw emerged as the lowest-cost ingredients to add among the underutilized foods. Future research is necessary to assess the effectiveness of the new recipes at promoting linear growth and improving micronutrient status during the complementary feeding period. Full article

Considering the great potential of black soybean seed coat as a source of bioactive compounds, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of anthocyanin-rich brine from the seed coat on functional properties of pickled baby corn, as well as its sensory properties. Given that the ears of sweet corn, popping corn and semi-flint corn were used for pickling in the pre-pollination phase, the effect of genotype and its growing stage on the chemical composition of Baby corn product was also taken into consideration. The brine of black soybean with a total anthocyanins content of 11,882.9 mg CGE/kg (cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalent) and an antioxidant capacity of 399.5 mmol Trolox Eq/kg determined by QUENCHER method had a positive impact on the functional potential of baby corn products. The content of total anthocyanins in the obtained products ranged from 748.6 to 881.2 mg CGE/kg, the predominant anthocyanin was cyanidin-3-glucoside (184.6 to 247.5 μg/g), while their colour was red. Compared to the commercial sample, baby corn products pickled in the enriched solution had a 26% to 46% and 17% to 26% higher content of total free phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity, respectively. Contrarily, the control sample had higher sugar and fibre content. As established, pickled popping corn had the best sensory properties. Full article

The nutrient and biomass supply capacity of green manure (GM) and its complimentary and synergistic relationship with chemical nutrients is needed for a sustainable rice–baby corn cropping system in the eastern part of North India. A two-year field study was performed to assess the effect of GM and nitrogen management (NM) on yield attributes (YA), the yield of rice, and their residual (R) effect with the half-recommended dose of fertilizers on the succeeding baby corn crop. The combination of GM and N levels had significant effects on rice yield, which also influenced the succeeding baby corn crop. A higher number of tillers/m², panicle length (cm), number of grains/panicles, panicle weight (g), grain yield (Mg/ha), straw yield (Mg/ha), and biological yield (Mg/ha) were found with Sesbania aculeata incorporated at 45 DAS (SA), which was statistically on par with water hyacinth 5 t/ha dry weight basis (WH) during both years of the field study. Among the rates of nitrogen fertilizers, 100% RDN (50% N through FYM + 50% N through inorganic) (RDN₁₀₀) was the best treatment with a corresponding increase in all YA and yields of rice. It has been proven that integrated nitrogen management (INM), or the use of organic material along with fertilizer, is an effective way of managing nitrogen. In the present investigation, green manuring and integrated nitrogen management on rice sustainably increased the yield attributes and yield of the succeeding baby corn. These results illustrated the complementary effects of summer green manuring in conjunction with INM in maximizing the yield attributes and yields of rice, its residual effect on succeeding baby corn, and the economics of the system. Full article

Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda is a major pest of corn, rice, and sorghum among other crops usually controlled using synthetic or biological insecticides. Currently, the new invention of nanotechnology is taking root in the agricultural industry as an alternative source of pest management that is target-specific, safe, and efficient. This study sought to determine the efficacy of commercial Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) towards S. frugiperda under laboratory conditions. ZnO NPs were diluted into different concentrations (100–500 ppm), where the baby corn used to feed the S. frugiperda larvae was dipped. The development of the insect feeding on food dipped in ZnO solution was significantly (p < 0.05) affected, and the number of days that the insect took to complete its life cycle had a significant difference compared to the control. There was a significant difference in the adults’ emergence in all the concentrations of ZnO NPs compared to the control, with over 90% of the eggs successfully going through the life cycle until adult emergence. Additionally, several body malformations were observed throughout the lifecycle of the insect. Also, the fecundity of the females was greatly affected. The findings of this study suggest the possibility of exploitation of ZnO nanoparticles not only to manage S. frugiperda but to significantly reduce their population in the ecosystem through body deformations, reduced fecundity, reduced oviposition, and hatchability of eggs. It will be a valuable tool in integrated pest management regimens. Full article

Crop diversity through residue incorporation is the most important method for sustaining soil health. A field study was conducted over five consecutive years (2012–2017) to see the impact of residue incorporartions in Inceptisol of eastern India. The main plot treatments had five cropping systems (CS), namely, fallow−rice−rice (FRR), jute−rice−wheat (JRW), jute−rice−baby corn (JRBc), jute−rice−vegetable pea (JRGp), jute−rice−mustard−mungbean/green gram (JRMMu), which cinsisted of four sub-plots with varied nutrient and crop residue management (NCRM) levels, namely crops with no residue +75% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (F₁R₀), crops with the residue of the previous crops +75% RDF (F₁R₁), crops with no resiude +100% RDF (F₂R₀), and crops with residue +100% RDF (F₂R₁). The highest system productivity was obtained for JRBc (15.3 Mg·ha⁻¹), followed by JRGp (8.81 Mg·ha⁻¹) and JRMMu (7.61 Mg·ha⁻¹); however, the highest sustainability index was found with the JRGp cropping system (0.88), followed by JRMMu (0.82). Among the NCRMs, the highest productivity (8.78 Mg·ha⁻¹) and sustainability index (0.83) were recorded in F₂R₁. Five soil parameters, namely, bulk density, available K, urease activity, dehydrogenase activity, and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), were used in the minimum data-set (MDS) for the calculation of the soil quality index (SQI). The best attainment of SQI was found in the JRGp system (0.63), closely followed by the JRMMu (0.61) cropping system. Full article

Effects of non-leguminous cover crops and their times of chopping on the yield and quality of no-till baby corn (Zea mays L.) were evaluated during two kharif seasons (May-August in 2014 and 2015) under subtropical climatic conditions of Punjab, India. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four replications at Punjab Agricultural University’s Research Farm. Three cover crops (pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), fodder maize (Zea mays L.), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)) and the control (no cover crop) were in the main plots and chopping time treatments (25, 35, 45 days after planting (DAP)) in the subplots. During both kharif seasons, the yield (cob and fodder yield) and dry matter accumulation of baby corn following cover crop treatments, especially pearl millet, were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than the control, and improved with increments in chopping time from 25 to 45 DAP. The effect of cover crops on baby corn quality (i.e., protein, starch, total soluble solids, crude fiber, total solid, and sugar content) did not differ among treatments, while increasing increments in chopping time had a significant effect on the protein and sugar content of baby corn. The use of cover crops and increment in chopping time helped in enhancing topsoil quality, especially available nitrogen; yet, the effect of cover crops and their times of chopping on topsoil organic carbon, phosphorus, and potassium did not differ among treatments. During both seasons, there was no significant interaction between cover crop and time of chopping among treatments with respect to baby corn yield and quality, as well as topsoil quality parameters. Full article

Termite-induced injuries to maize and baby corn were evaluated in on-going comparison experiments on organic and conventional farming systems at two trial sites in the Central Highlands of Kenya (Chuka and Thika). The farming systems were established in 2007 at two input levels: Low input level, representing subsistence farming (Conv-Low, Org-Low) and high input level, representing commercial farming (Conv-High, Org-High). Termite-induced injuries to maize and baby corn, such as tunneling the stem or lodging the whole plant were assessed over two cropping seasons. The lodging occurred exclusively at Thika. It first became apparent in the Org-Low system, with most of lodging occurring during the vegetative stage. Baby corn grown under high input systems showed increasing lodging from the late vegetative crop stage and peaked before the final harvest. Tunneling was recorded at both sites, but was generally below 5%, with no significant differences between the farming systems. Overall, the injury patterns caused by termites appear to be a function of the plant growth stage, termite colony activities, trial site, and the types and levels of fertilizer input. Thus, the management practice used in each farming system (organic or conventional) might have greater influence on crop injuries than the type of farming system itself or the termite abundance within each system. Full article

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic to humans and deoxynivalenol causes digestive disorders, and both mycotoxins occur frequently in cereal-based foods. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and levels of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) and deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereal-based baby foods as well as to calculate the estimated daily intakes (EDI) in different stages of infancy. Sixty samples of infant cereals (wheat-, corn-, rice-, oat-, and mixed grain-based) were collected during a 2-year period and analyzed by validated methods. Aflatoxins were detected in 12 samples (20%), six of which exceeded the EU maximum level for aflatoxin B1 set at 0.10 µg/kg. Deoxynivalenol appeared in 20% of baby food samples, with one sample exceeding the EU maximum level established at 200 µg/kg. There were no significant differences between gluten-free products for babies aged 4–6 months and multi-cereal products for infants aged 7–12 months, nor between whole-grain-based and refined ingredients. However, baby food products of organic origin showed significantly higher levels of deoxynivalenol than conventional ones (p < 0.05). It is proposed for the health protection of infants and young children, a vulnerable group, to establish the lowest maximum level for the sum of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) in baby food. Full article

Human adipose tissue-derived stromal/stem cells (hASCs) are a valuable source of cells for clinical applications, especially in the field of regenerative medicine. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the interest in hASCs has greatly increased over the last decade. However, in order to use hASCs in clinically relevant numbers, in vitro expansion is required. Single-use stirred bioreactors in combination with microcarriers (MCs) have shown themselves to be suitable systems for this task. However, hASCs tend to be less robust, and thus, more shear sensitive than conventional production cell lines for therapeutic antibodies and vaccines (e.g., Chinese Hamster Ovary cells CHO, Baby Hamster Kidney cells BHK), for which these bioreactors were originally designed. Hence, the goal of this study was to investigate the influence of different shear stress levels on the growth of humane telomerase reversed transcriptase immortalized hASCs (hTERT-ASC) and aggregate formation in stirred single-use systems at the mL scale: the 125 mL (=SP100) and the 500 mL (=SP300) disposable Corning^® spinner flask. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations based on an Euler–Euler and Euler–Lagrange approach were performed to predict the hydrodynamic stresses (0.06–0.87 Pa), the residence times (0.4–7.3 s), and the circulation times (1.6–16.6 s) of the MCs in different shear zones for different impeller speeds and the suspension criteria (Ns1u, Ns1). The numerical findings were linked to experimental data from cultivations studies to develop, for the first time, an unstructured, segregated mathematical growth model for hTERT-ASCs. While the 125 mL spinner flask with 100 mL working volume (SP100) provided up to 1.68 × 10⁵ hTERT-ASC/cm² (=0.63 × 10⁶ living hTERT-ASCs/mL, EF 56) within eight days, the peak living cell density of the 500 mL spinner flask with 300 mL working volume (SP300) was 2.46 × 10⁵ hTERT-ASC/cm² (=0.88 × 10⁶ hTERT-ASCs/mL, EF 81) and was achieved on day eight. Optimal cultivation conditions were found for Ns1u < N < Ns1, which corresponded to specific power inputs of 0.3–1.1 W/m³. The established growth model delivered reliable predictions for cell growth on the MCs with an accuracy of 76–96% for both investigated spinner flask types. Full article