Identification of fungal metabolites from inside Gallus gallus domesticus eggshells by non-invasively detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Active sampling of volatile chemicals for non-invasive classification of chicken eggs by sex early in incubation

According to industry estimates, approximately 7 billion day-old male chicks are disposed of annually worldwide because they are not of use to the layer industry. A practical process to identify the sex of the egg early in incubation without penetrating the egg would improve animal welfare, reduce food waste and mitigate environmental impact. We implemented a moderate vacuum pressure system through commercial egg-handling suction cups to collect volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Three separate experiments were set up to determine optimal conditions to collect eggs VOCs to discriminate male from female embryos. Optimal extraction time (2 min), storage conditions (short period of incubation during egg storage (SPIDES) at days 8-10 of incubation), and sampling temperature (37.5°C) were determined. Our VOC-based method could correctly differentiate male from female embryos with more than 80% accuracy. These specifications are compatible with the design of specialized automation equipment capable of high-throughput, in-ovo sexing based on chemical sensor microchips.

Mapping Aspergillus niger Metabolite Biomarkers for In Situ and Early Evaluation of Table Grapes Contamination

The Aspergillus niger exometabolome was recently investigated using advanced gas chromatography in tandem with multivariate analysis, which allowed a metabolite biomarker pattern to be proposed. Microbial metabolomics patterns have gained enormous relevance, mainly due to the amount of information made available, which may be useful in countless processes. One of the great challenges in microbial metabolomics is related to applications in more complex systems of metabolomics information obtained from studies carried out in culture media, as complications may occur due to the dynamic nature of biological systems. Thus, the main objective of this research was to evaluate the applicability of the A. niger metabololite biomarkers pattern for in situ and early evaluation of table grapes contamination, used as study model. A. niger is a ubiquitous fungus responsible for food contamination, being reported as one of the main agents of the black mold disease, a serious post-harvest pathology of table grapes. This work included analysis from 1 day of growth time of pure A. niger cultures, A. niger cultures obtained from previously contaminated grapes, and finally, an in situ solid-phase microextraction (SPME) approach directly on previously contaminated table grapes. Supervised multivariate analysis was performed which revealed that after 1 day of inoculation it was possible to detect A. niger biomarkers, which can be extremely useful in making this type of method possible for the rapid detection of food contamination. The results obtained confirm the potential applicability of the pattern of A. niger biomarkers for early detection of the fungi (after 1 day of contamination), and may be further explored for access food susceptibility to fungi contamination, based on direct analysis of the food item.

Non-destructive characterization of egg odor and fertilization status by SPME/GC-MS coupled with electronic nose

BACKGROUND

Early and non-destructive identification of fertile (F) eggs is a difficult task in the process of breeding laying hens. The odors emitted from unfertilized (UF), infertile (IF), and fertile (F) eggs were characterized by solid-phase microextraction / gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS) and electronic nose (E-nose) to determine their differences by principal component, partial least squares, and canonical discriminant analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 14 volatiles were identified in unhatched shell white Leghorn eggs, such as nonanal, decanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, and 6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-one. Cedrene and decanal contributed greatly to the classification of UF and fertilized (Fd)/IF eggs; cedrene, decanal, 1-octanol and hexanal contributed greatly to the distinction between UF and IF eggs; heptanal might be the potential marker to determine F/IF eggs. P40/1, P10/2, P10/1, TA/2, T40/2 and T30/1, P30/1, P40/2, PA/2, T40/2 mostly contributed to the distinction between UF and Fd eggs and between F and IF eggs, respectively. Canonical discriminant analysis presented superior differentiating efficiency for almost all groups, and the odor differences between UF and Fd eggs were significantly larger than the differences between F and IF eggs.

CONCLUSION

Solid-phase microextraction / gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer combined with E-nose may have the potential to non-destructively distinguish UF, F, and IF eggs, which will provide a new perspective to understand the differences among them. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Screening and identification of the main metabolites of 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AαC) in liver microsomes and rat urine by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS

2-Amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AαC), which has been reported to be 40-258ng per cigarette, was regarded as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2B) and harmful composition in Hoffman list. Thus, it is of great significance to develop an effective method for the accurate identification of AαC and its metabolites. In the present study, we have investigated for the first time the in vivo and in vitro metabolites of AαC using ultra performance liquid chromatography combined with diode array detector and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). A comparative study showed that the metabolic patterns of AαC in beagle, mouse, rat and human liver microsomes were of significant difference with these in rat urine. For the metabolism of AαC in liver microsomes, nine metabolites of AαC, including five hydroxy metabolites, two quinone metabolites and two N-dimer metabolites, have been found. However, metabolism of AαC in rats is a phase II process with complex enzyme catalysis, 23 metabolites including C- and N-oxidation, O- and N-glycosylation, O- and N-sulfonation, and N-acetylation were identified in rat urine. In addition, five new N-acetyl-AαC-OH metabolites were identified for the first time, indicating a possible new pathway for the metabolism. This study significantly enriched our knowledge about the metabolism of AαC, and will be useful for a better understanding of its harmfulness and toxicity.