Ashwak Abdel-Moneim Hassan

Background: Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), particularly chlorpyrifos and phoxim, are lipophilic contaminants of environmental and food-safety concern in dairy systems. These OPPs exhibit sufficient chemical stability to persist through milk processing and storage even though neither compound is classified as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention. Moreover, these OPPs pose public health risks through neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and bioaccumulation in high-fat matrices such as buffalo milk. Objective: Thus, this study aimed to compare and evaluate ultrasonication, ultraviolet (UV)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysis, and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation to reduce chlorpyrifos and phoxim concentrations in artificially spiked buffalo milk. Methods: Residues were quantified by Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sonication (100 W, 37 kHz) was applied for up to 20 min; UV/TiO2 (254 nm; 50–200 mg TiO2/100 mL) for up to 60 min; and three LAB preparations were individually inoculated into spiked pasteurized milk and incubated for 24 h (n = 3; p < 0.05). Results: Sonication achieved removal efficiencies of up to 66.81% and 97.52% for chlorpyrifos and phoxim, respectively. UV/TiO2 (200 mg/100 mL, 60 min) achieved 57.31% removal of chlorpyrifos and 98.63% removal of phoxim; because TiO2-dark-adsorption controls were not included in this study, these values reflect combined adsorption and reactive oxygen species-mediated processes rather than photocatalysis specifically. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CICC20261 achieved the greatest LAB-mediated reduction (49.61% chlorpyrifos; 43.28% phoxim) while maintaining robust viability under pesticide exposure (7.79 ± 0.51 log CFU/mL after 24 h under chlorpyrifos; 7.40 ± 0.84 log CFU/mL under phoxim), compared with 9.23 ± 0.42 log CFU/mL in the pesticide-free control at 24 h. Conclusion: Under the specific, non-equivalent reference conditions used for each method (Section 3.3), UV/TiO2 numerically achieved the highest phoxim removal and a moderate chlorpyrifos removal, while sonication was highly effective for phoxim specifically. Together, sonication and LAB fermentation offer rapid, complementary non-thermal approaches to pesticide reduction. Claims of sustainability, eco-friendliness, or industrial applicability are not yet supported by direct measurements of milk quality, sensory attributes, or (for UV/TiO2) nanoparticle safety; thus, such claims should be regarded as provisional until such data are available. However, as currently configured, UV/TiO2 photocatalysis should be regarded as a proof-of-concept degradation method rather than an immediately deployable process, because the protocol did not include a nanoparticle recovery step (e.g., filtration, centrifugation, or catalyst immobilization) or confirmatory quantification of titanium. Residual nano-TiO2 in treated milk therefore represents an unresolved food-safety consideration that requires evaluation before industrial adoption.

Human and cow milk are recognized as rich sources of beneficial microorganisms that contribute to the development of infant gut microbiota. This study aimed to isolate, identify, and evaluate novel lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains from human and cow milk for their probiotic and technological potential. A total of fourteen LAB isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. All isolates exhibited high survival rates under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, showed resistance to lysozyme, and demonstrated cholesterol assimilation capacities ranging from 21.35% to 38.50%. Antagonistic activity assays confirmed that all isolates exhibited moderate inhibitory effects against pathogenic bacteria, indicating significant antimicrobial potential. Overall, Enterococcus faecium C1, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus C8, Enterococcus mundtii H2, and Enterococcus hirae H10 possesses desirable probiotic characteristics, including gastrointestinal resilience and pathogen inhibition. These findings highlight their potential application as novel starter or co-cultures in functional dairy products. This study provides a basis for future investigations into LAB strains as probiotic candidates for improving the safety, quality, and health benefits of functional dairy foods.

The objective of this study was to enhance the value of dairy byproducts including cheese whey through developing fermented whey beverages using novel isolated lactic acid bacterial strains from human and cow milk. Nine formulations of a fermented whey mango beverage were carried out and compared to non fermented whey supplemented with mango juice on day one or after 10 days of cold storage. Chemical and physicochemical properties, viscosity, antioxidant activity, organic acids profile, and microbiological parameters were evaluated. No significant differences ( p ≥ 0.05) were observed in the chemical composition; whereas significant differences ( p ≤ 0.05) were observed in pH. Concentration of total phenolic content was ranged from 51 to 125.02 mg GAE/g, while antioxidant activity was significantly increased in fermented whey beverages by C ₃ strain (86.7%) compared to control sample (60.52%). Organic acid metabolites especially lactic and acetic acids were present in large amounts in all the fermented whey samples. Furthermore, the fermented whey mango beverages provided a favorable environment for the growth of probiotic bacteria; the bacterial count during the storage period exceeded 7 logs CFU/ml, which was significantly higher than the minimum therapeutic dose, and did not fall below 7 until the end of the period. Sensorially, the addition of probiotic strains C ₄ , C ₈ , H ₇ and H ₉ significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) improved the final product's structural qualities, color and sensory acceptance. Overall, the mango beverage has a high potential for being a profitable novel dairy product with several nutritional and bioactive benefits.

More scientific study and methods that are compatible with the honeybee-specific probiotic bacteria are needed in modern beekeeping to increase the productivity and well-being of honeybees. The goal of the current study set out to investigate the possible effects of probiotics previously isolated from the honeybee intestinal tract and soybean patties on nurse worker bee hypopharyngeal gland (HPG) development. The experimentation was carried out in four different treatment groups in which probiotics and soybean patties were provided in different proportions, with control colonies. Results showed that there was a significant increase in HPG morphometric parameters of bees in all experimental groups. Control nurse worker fed with sugar syrup for only 2 weeks had the smallest HPG morphometric parameters. The highest HPG diameter 14.89 ± 0.097 µm and surface area 0.065 ± 0.001µm² were observed in the bees group fed with both probiotic and soya patty. Additionally, the same trend was observed in all morphometric parameters with the bees group fed with probiotic bacteria and soya patty. More royal jelly can be produced by larger HPGs than by smaller ones. Thus, the use of probiotics as a natural alternative tool boosted the development of Apis mellifera nurse workers’ HPG that will positively affect the beekeepers’ economy by providing a higher yield of royal jelly production. Overall, the study’s findings show that probiotics are a useful feed supplement for honeybees.

Background: Objective of this work was to investigate the impact of isolated honeybee-specific-lactic acid bacteria (Hbs-LAB) that isolated from worker's bee intestinal tracts on bee health as well as bee colony activity parameters. Independent assays were conducted from February to July, 2021 in apiary yard of Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. Colonies were allocated to 2 experimental groups each of 10 colonies, Control colonies were fed with sugar syrup, while the treated colonies were fed with sugar syrup supplemented with mixture of Hbs-LAB (Lactobacillus brevis-HBE2, Lactobacillus casei-HBE5, and Enterococcus Faecalis-HBE1, 3 gm bacterial belts (1:1:1) mixed with 1.5 L of sugar syrup. Results: The treated colonies recorded high significant differences in all activity parameters (worker's and drone's brood areas, amount of honey and pollen stored, and no. of combs covered with bees) than controlled colonies. In addition, total protein in workers hemolymph samples of treated colonies showed more number of protein bands and the hemolymph molecular low weight protein bands was 99.24 ± 0.3, whereas the high weight protein bands reached 183.87 ± 0.3 KDa, while for untreated colonies the hemolymph molecular low weight protein bands (KDa) were 70.99 ± 0.3 and the high weight protein bands reached 171.57 ± 0.2 KDa. Conclusions: The Hbs-LAB proved to be a natural protocol that will positively impact the beekeepers’ economy by providing a higher yield of bee products as well as improve the protein values in worker’s hemolymph which is a superior tool for colonies resistance against several diseases that attack their hives.

The present study evaluated the impact of edible coatings based on whey protein concentrate (WPC) and mango peel extract (MPE) on the shelf life, physicochemical, and microbial properties of minimally processed broccoli preserved at 5 ± 1 °C for 28 days. The variations in the physicochemical and microbial properties of the broccoli fresh-cuts were evaluated by determining the following parameter changes: weight loss, color, respiration rate, ascorbic acid content (AsA), sulforaphane content (SF), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AOA), total bacteria, fungi counts, and sensory evaluation. Broccoli fresh-cuts were treated with WPC alone or in combination with MPE (WPC/MPE) at 1% or 3%, and uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts were a control. The obtained results revealed that all the coated broccoli fresh-cuts showed lower weight loss than the uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts. The coating with WPC/MPE at 3% recorded the lowest weight loss among all treatments; however, it wasn’t significantly lower compared to WPC/MPE at 1%. The addition of MPE to WPC in coating solution at 1% and 3% resulted in a higher value of the (-a*), indicating better green color retention and decreased floret yellowing. All applied coatings significantly conserved the bioactive compounds (AsA, SF, and TPC) and AOA of broccoli fresh-cuts compared to uncoated ones. At the end of the storage period, the maximum values of the aforementioned bioactive compounds were recorded in the broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC/MPE at 3% followed by WPC/MPE at 1%, and WPC alone compared to uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts. The broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC/MPE at 3% recorded a higher score on sensory evaluation than those coated with WPC/MPE at 1%, followed by broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC alone. The WPC-based edible coating combined with MPE (WPC/MPE) at 3% showed the highest reduction in the total fungi and bacterial counts compared to all the other treatments.

The study aimed to evaluate the probiotic and safety properties of lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains isolated from the gut microbiota of honey bee Apis mellifera L., since this source remains a promising reservoir of microbial diversity. Five bacterial isolates were molecularly identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterococcus faecalis-HBE1, Lactobacillus brevis-HBE2, Enterococcus faecalis-HBE3, Enterococcus faecalis-HBE4 and Lactobacillus casei-HBE5. Gut tolerance conditions (low pH, bile salt) were evaluated. Exopolysaccharides (EPS) production, hemolytic, antioxidant activity, resistance toward antibiotics, and technological characteristics (starter activity, pH and proteolysis) were examined. The five isolates showed a high survival rate (>95%), under gastrointestinal tract conditions indicating excellent potential for application as probiotics. The isolates showed no hemolytic activities and good acidification rates in the range of pH 4.6 to 4.98 after incubation at 37ºC for 24h. The isolates exhibited promising proteolytic activity as well as DPPH radical scavenging activity in the range of 16.52%–59.39%. All the tested isolates had the capability to produce exopolysaccharides except Lactobacillus casei-HBE5. These results put forward that lactic acid bacterial strain isolated from honey bee workers can be considered as promising candidates for future applications as starter cultures and could constitute new potential probiotics for the production of functional dietary products promoting health benefits.