The influence of covalent cross-linking by microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the sequential in vitro pepsin and trypsin digestion process and the digestibility of soy protein isolate (SPI), was investigated by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and nitrogen release analyses. Various subunits of b-conglycinin and acidic subunits of glycinin were cross-linked by MTGase to form high molecular weight (MW) biopolymers, while basic subunits of glycinin were unaffected. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the cross-linking mainly affected in vitro pepsin digestion pattern of various subunits of b-conglycinin, while the trypsin digestion pattern of native SPI was nearly unaffected. Nitrogen release analysis showed that the in vitro pepsin or/and trypsin digestibility of native SPI (at the end of pepsin or trypsin ingestion) was significantly decreased (P＞0.01) by the MTGase treatment (for more than 2 h). The cross-linking by MTGase also significantly decreased the in vitro digestibility of preheated SPI. These results suggest that the cross-linking by means of transglutaminase may negatively affect the nutritional properties of food proteins.

Twenty-three strains of Salmonella spp. isolated from healthy humans in Guangdong, China, were examined for their susceptibility to ten common antibiotics and the presence of antibiotic resistance integrons. All the strains were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 4 strains were positive for the intI1 gene. Polymerase chain reaction using in-F and in-B primers showed the existence of amplicons of 1,009 bp in two, 1,664 bp in one, and 1,009 bp and 1,664 bp in one of the intI1-positive isolates, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that the 1,009-bp amplicon harbored gene cassette aadA2, conferring resistance to spectinomycin, and the 1,664-bp amplicon harbored genes aadA5 and dfr17, conferring resistance to spectinomycin, streptomycin and trimethoprim. Meanwhile the experiments of plasmid conjugation and Southern hybridization with intI1 as the DNA probe indicated that all the integrons found in these strains were chromosomal. Because the strains carrying class 1 integrons were isolated from healthy humans, it suggests the need for all-round surveillance of the antibiotic resistance of pathogens.

Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) has been shown to effectively induce soymilk with a certain level of solid content to form filled tofu. The gel formation of this kind of tofu and the influence of reaction parameters on the properties of formed tofu were investigated by dynamic oscillatory and/or large-strain rheological measurements. The gelation process and the development of the mechanical moduli (especially the storage modulus, G0) of this kind of tofu were highly dependent upon the incubation temperature. Textural property analysis (TPA) results showed that many TPA parameters of this kind of tofu, including gel hardness, gumminess, springiness and cohesiveness, were also affected by the applied enzyme amount, the pH of soymilk and the presence of NaCl, especially for gel hardness. In addition, the additional heating and cooling treatment could significantly improve the gel strength of tofu, induced by MTGase at lower temperatures (e.g. 25 and 37 1C). These results suggested that a new kind of tofu with good quality could be produced using the enzymatic cross-linking technique, by the combination with the thermal treatment.

The eVects of covalent cross-linking of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the thermal properties of soy protein isolates (SPI), including the thermal denaturation and glass transition were investigated by conventional and modulated diverential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The MTGase treatment signiWcantly increased the thermal denaturation temperatures (including the on-set temperature of denaturation, Tm and the peak temperature of denaturation, Td) of glycinin and-conglycinin components of SPI (P60.05), and the thermal pretreatment of SPI further increased the extent of this improvement. The MTGase treatment also improved the ability of SPI to resist the urea-induced denaturation. Modulated DSC analysis showed that there were two glass transition temperatures (Tg) in the reversible heat Xow signals of native SPI (about 5% moisture content), approximately corresponding to 45 and 180

Colon-targeting drug delivery systems (CDDSs) are employed to improve the bioavailability of protein and peptide drugs through the oral route. So it is important to prepare the drug carriers for oral CDDS. In this study, the Enzyme-Resistant starch (RS) was studied for use as a vehicle in oral colon-targeting drug delivery. The characteristics of RS powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction, polarizing microscopy, DSC and SEM, and their film were examined by enzymatic digestion test. The results showed that RS could be a promising film-former for pharmaceutical coatings, having good stability to enzymatic digestion. Furthermore, a novel peroral formulation using RS coating and bovine serum albumin as a model drug was studied for colon-specific drug delivery in vitro. Drug release studies have shown that RS coating could delivery the drug to the colon and the release rate in simulated colonic fluids was dependent on the biodegradation of RS and its coatings. It is indicated that the RS coated tablet is a potential system for oral CDDS.