A naphthimide fluorescent probe for the detection of selenols in selenium-enriched Tan sheep

Fast and sensitive detection of nitroxynil using a chalcone-based supramolecular fluorescent sensor

Nitroxynil as a veterinary drug has been widely used for treatment of parasitic worms in food-producing sheep and cattle. However, the residual nitroxynil in edible animal products can lead to severe adverse effects on human health. Thus, development of an effective analytical tool for nitroxynil is of great significance. In the present study, we designed and synthesized a novel albumin-based fluorescent sensor, which was capable of detecting nitroxynil with the fast response (<10 s), high sensitivity (limit of detection ∼8.7 ppb), high selectivity, and excellent anti-interference property. The sensing mechanism was clarified by using the molecular docking technique and mass spectra. Moreover, this sensor showed the detection accuracy comparable to standard HPLC method, and meanwhile exhibited much shorter response time and higher sensitivity. All the results demonstrated that this novel fluorescent senor could serve as a practical analytical tool for determination of nitroxynil in real food samples.

Non-genetic factors affecting the meat quality and flavor of Inner Mongolian lambs: A review

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ranks first among the five major pastoral areas in terms of lamb breeding of China. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has a vast territory, with many famous grasslands and thousands of forage plants and multiple local high-quality lamb breeds. After hundreds of years of artificial breeding and improvement, Mongolian sheep have developed many varieties. Different diets, feeding and treatment methods have effects on the production performance, lipid deposition and flavor composition of mutton sheep. Therefore, understanding the relationship among Inner Mongolian lamb, meat quality, and flavor will improve the production of high-quality mutton. The regulation of meat quality and flavor will have a profound impact on the deep processing and income-generating capabilities of mutton. Non-genetic factors affect the quality and flavor of mutton, which are more intuitive than genetic factors. In this review, we cover the contributions made by scientists to explore and improve the quality and flavor of Inner Mongolia lambs through non-genetic means, compare the differences between grazing and drylot-feeding in detail, and summarize some feed additives. We hope that based on our review, we can provide some inspiration to improve the meat quality of Mongolian sheep.

Rational construction of a new water soluble turn-on colorimetric and NIR fluorescent sensor for high selective Sec detection in Se-enriched foods and biosystems

As a naturally occurring amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec) plays a key role in a variety of cellular functions and Se-enriched foods. In this work, a robust water soluble fluorescence turn-on near-infrared (NIR) sensor NIR-Sec was constructed for Sec detection over biothiols in Se-enriched foods. Specifically, NIR-Sec contains a readily prepared water soluble NIR dicyanoisophorone fluorophore and a well-known response-site 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl moiety with strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect to quench the fluorescence intensity of NIR fluorophore. Upon addition of Sec, the NIR dicyanoisophorone fluorophore was released and a bright red emission at 663 nm was observed. Moreover, NIR-Sec toward Sec exhibited rapid response time (∼1 min), a large stoke shift (183 nm), and high selectivity and sensitivity (LOD: 52 nM). Impressively, NIR-Sec was successfully employed to detect and image Sec in Se-enriched foods and shrimp, indicating NIR-Sec could provide a robust tool for investigating the role of Sec in complex real-food samples.