Evaluating the flavor and divergent bacterial communities in corn-based zha-chili

Zha-chili is a naturally fermented traditional food from central southern China.Corn-based zha-chili is one of the most popular varieties with a special flavor.To investigate its distinct microbiome,corn-based zha-chili samples were collected and investigated using both high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent method.Subsequently,E-nose and E-tongue sensors were used to evaluate the overall sensory profile.We found that the bacterial communities present in zha-chili samples from the two regions were significantly different(P<0.05).Companilactobacillus,Lactiplantibacillus,and Corynebacterium were found to be the dominant genera common to samples from both regions.Among these,lactic acid bacteria were the most dominant.Biomarker genera were Ligilactobacillus,Lactobacillus,and Levilactobacillus(Huaihua)and Pantoea,Lactiplantibacillus,and Weissella(Songtao).Using culture-dependent methods,the most dominant genus Companilactobacillus was found to comprise Companilactobacillus alimentarius and Companilactobacillus futsaii.The sensory profile was also characterized.This indicated that zha-chili from the two regions could be discriminated by sourness and aftertaste-B(E-taste),and W1C,W3C,W5C,W1S,W2S,W5S,and W2W(E-nose).Correlation analysis suggested that the dominant genera might not affect the aroma quality of corn-based zha-chili,whereas they were related to taste quality.Levilactobacillus and Ligilactobacillus were positively correlated with the characteristic taste indices and negatively correlated with the off-flavor indices.Another dominant genus,Kocuria was positively correlated with umami and richness(P<0.05).Our results could provide a basis for supporting zha-chili production and help the isolation of appropriate lactic acid bacteria from corn-based zha-chili.

Development of Ecological Absorbent Core Sanitary Pads in Combination of Kenaf and Chitosan Fibers

The menstrual cycle is always considered as a big nightmare by many women. This research aims to make this process smooth and safe by developing natural sanitary pads which are used to absorb and retain menstrual blood from the body. Some existing sanitary pads contain 90% plastics made of non-woven polypropylene/polyethylene sheets, super absorbent polymers, and polyethylene back sheets that will take up to 600 - 800 years to decompose. So, biodegradable sanitary pads using natural fibers are the best alternative to eliminate the pads which contain non-biodegradable materials. In this research, nonwoven bamboo will be used as the top layer, nonwoven cotton will be used as the second layer, the absorbent core is to be made by the combination of kenaf and chitosan fibers as the third layer, cotton as the fourth layer, and cornstarch-based bioplastic sheets as the bottom layer. These biodegradable natural materials will change the menstrual process into a healthy one as well as create a robust ecological community.

Impacts of climate change on hydrology,water quality and crop productivity in the Ohio-Tennessee River Basin

Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture is the main source of nitrogen and phosphorus in the stream systems of the Corn Belt region in the Midwestern US.The eastern part of this region is comprised of the Ohio-Tennessee River Basin(OTRB),which is considered a key contributing area for water pollution and the Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.A point of crucial importance in this basin is therefore how intensive corn-based cropping systems for food and fuel production can be sustainable and coexist with a healthy water environment,not only under existing climate but also under climate change conditions in the future.To address this issue,a OTRB integrated modeling system has been built with a greatly refined 12-digit subbasin structure based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)water quality model,which is capable of estimating landscape and in-stream water and pollutant yields in response to a wide array of alternative cropping and/or management strategies and climatic conditions.The effects of three agricultural management scenarios on crop production and pollutant loads exported from the crop land of the OTRB to streams and rivers were evaluated:(1)expansion of continuous corn across the entire basin,(2)adoption of no-till on all corn and soybean fields in the region,(3)implementation of a winter cover crop within the baseline rotations.The effects of each management scenario were evaluated both for current climate and projected mid-century(2046-2065)climates from seven global circulation models(GCMs).In both present and future climates each management scenario resulted in reduced erosion and nutrient loadings to surface water bodies compared to the baseline agricultural management,with cover crops causing the highest water pollution reduction.Corn and soybean yields in the region were negligibly influenced from the agricultural management scenarios.On the other hand,both water quality and crop yield numbers under climate change deviated considerably for all seven GCMs compared to the baseline climate.Future climates from all GCMs led to decreased corn and soybean yields by up to 20%on a mean annual basis,while water quality alterations were either positive or negative depending on the GCM.The study highlights the loss of productivity in the eastern Corn Belt under climate change,the need to consider a range of GCMs when assessing impacts of climate change,and the value of SWAT as a tool to analyze the effects of climate change on parameters of interest at the basin scale.