Main Microbiological Pollutants of Bottled Waters and Beverages

Comparison of Thawing Treatments on Quality, Microbiota, and Organoleptic Characteristics of Chicken Meat Fillets

The current research attempted to evaluate the impact of various thawing techniques (R₀: control group, R₁: water immersion thawing, R₂: low-temperature thawing, R₃: combined thawing, water thawing then low-temperature thawing, R₄: combination thawing, low temperature thawing then water thawing, and R₅: oven thawing) on the quality, microbiota, and organoleptic characteristics of chicken meat fillets. The findings showed that moisture content varied from 74.43 to 72.33%; thawing loss peaked in R₁ at 4.66%, while it was minimum in R₅ at 2.10%. Lipid content varied from 1.09% in R₀ to 1.03% in R₅, while protein content varied from 22.06% in R₀ to 23.10% in R₁. The values of shear force, protein, and lipid oxidation increased for all treatments compared to control, ranging from 7.94 N to 9.54 N, 0.99-1.21 nm/mg protein, and 0.74-1.15 mg MDA/Kg, respectively. On the other hand, pH (5.94 in R₄) and protein solubility (238.63 mg/g in R₁) were decreased in contrast to the control group (6.08 and 298.27 mg/g). In association with different methods, R₅ and R₂ showed minimal thawing loss and the highest lipid and protein oxidation rates. However, R₃ showed reduced shear force and lipid oxidation comparatively. TPC was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in both R₂ and R₁. Sensory evaluation indicated that R₃ and R₂ showed better color and taste, while R₁ showed minimum scores for organoleptic attributes. R₀, R₃, and R₅ obtained a higher sensory score_, whereas R₁, R₂, and R₄ showed a lower score. However, R₅ exhibited better results in close association with the control group (R₀). Hence, it can be concluded that freezing and subsequent thawing decrease the quality of chicken fillets due to the time required for thawing. In the present study, the best quality of chicken fillets was retained by R₃ and R₅ due to their reduced thawing periods.

Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Differences between Mains and Bottled Water, in an Area in the Central Area of Romania

The human body is mostly made up of water. The largest proportion of the human body is water, hence the growing interest of specialists in defining the importance of water in the body and the risks of dehydration. This study determined the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of the drinking water distributed in the public network in the area of operation of Water Distribution Operator in Mureș County and samples of bottled water existing on the market in Mureş County (mineral, spring or table). The water supplied to the network can be safely consumed. This is demonstrated both by the results of the analyses of the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters related to the legislative standards and by the values of the similar parameters analyzed for the bottled water.

Investigation of the Bacterial Contamination and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Bacteria Isolated from Bottled Drinking Water

The purpose of this study was to assess the bacteriological quality in some domestic bottled waters marketed in Al Anbar Province of Iraq. In total, 120 samples were collected from 20 different domestic bottled water companies. The current study findings demonstrated that the positive total bacterial count for aerobic bacteria was 20 CFU/ml (16.6%) out of 120 samples. From 120 tested samples, coliform bacteria had a much lower count of 13 CFU/ml (10.8%). The bacteriological analysis tests of this study showed that the brand bottled water of Alhilwa had the highest mean of total bacterial count at 485 CFU/ml, followed by Alwafi and Araco, which found at mean of 283 and 196 CFU/ml, respectively. The other brands of bottled waters included Sawa and Izmir, which had given lower mean of bacterial count at 87 and 58 CFU/ml, respectively, while all other tested brands of bottled waters had zero content of total bacterial count. According to the biomedical tests and Vitek2 system employed for this study, the isolated bacterial species as contaminants in bottled waters were Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results of this study showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa was sensitive to all tested antibiotics, but the Escherichia coli was resistance to amoxicillin, azithromycin, ceftazidime, and cefixime. The Klebsiella pneumonia demonstrated sensitivity to all tested antibiotics except the cefixime. Therefore, antibiotics belonging to the types of penicillin, carbapenem, and quinolones can be considered the best medicine for treating infections caused by the bacteria diagnosed in this study. In conclusion, the findings of this study showed that some domestic bottled waters sold in markets and shops in Al Anbar Province have bacteriological contents that are within permitted ranges for Iraqi and WHO standards. IMPORTANCE Researchers analyzed how lifestyle factors affect the overall health of people with bacterial infections from the water. The article describes significance of the research because many people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water where this water is essential to life, and many die of waterborne bacterial infections. So, the purpose of the article is to draw attention to the major factors of the most dangerous bacteria transmitted through water marketed in Al Anbar Province of Iraq: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Furthermore, our specific significant contribution has been to show the most important treatments for treating infections caused by the bacteria diagnosed in this study.

Herbal medicine used for the treatment of diarrhea and cough in Kampala city, Uganda

BACKGROUND

Globally, diarrheal and respiratory diseases are among the main causes of mortality and morbidity. In Uganda, cities are facing proliferation of trade in herbal medicines (HM), including those for diarrhea and/or cough. Information on the economic, and the ethnopharmacological aspects of these HM is scarce, deterring the sector from achieving optimal capacity to support national development. We profiled the anti-diarrhea and/or anti-cough HM, and the basic economic aspects of HM trade in Kampala city, to support ethnopharmacological knowledge conservation and strategic planning.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 65 herbalists using semi-structured questionnaires. This was supplemented by an observational survey using a high-resolution digital camera. Data were collected following the guidelines for research on HM, established by Uganda National Drug Authority, and World Health organization.

RESULTS

Eighty-four plant species from 41 families were documented. Fabaceae and Myricaceae had the highest number of species (9, 10.7% each). Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck was the most commonly cited for cough, with a relative frequency of citation (RFC) of 1.00, and its relative medical importance was not significantly different from the other top 5 species except for Azadirachta indica A.Juss (RFC = 0.87). Entada abyssinica A. Rich (RFC = 0.97) was the most cited for diarrhea. Trees (34, 40.5%) were mostly used, and mainly harvested from wild habitats (55.2%) in 20 districts across Uganda. These HM were mainly sold as powders and concoctions, in markets, shops, pharmacies, and roadside or mobile stalls. The highest prices were Uganda Shillings (UGX) 48,000 ($13.15)/kg for Allium sativum L, and UGX 16,000 ($4.38)/kg for C. limon. All participants used HM trade as a sole source of basic needs; majority (60.0%) earned net monthly profit of UGX. 730,000 ($200) ≤ 1,460,000 ($400). The main hindrances to HM trade were the; disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 65, 100%), and the scarcity of medicinal plants (58, 89.2%).

CONCLUSION

There is a rich diversity of medicinal plant species traded in Kampala to treat diarrhea and cough. The HM trade significantly contributes to the livelihoods of the traders in Kampala, as well as the different actors along the HM value chain throughout the country.

Nanomedicine based approaches for combating viral infections

Millions of people die each year from viral infections across the globe. There is an urgent need to overcome the existing gap and pitfalls of the current antiviral therapy which include increased dose and dosing frequency, bioavailability challenges, non-specificity, incidences of resistance and so on. These stumbling blocks could be effectively managed by the advent of nanomedicine. Current review emphasizes over an enhanced understanding of how different lipid, polymer and elemental based nanoformulations could be potentially and precisely used to bridle the said drawbacks in antiviral therapy. The dawn of nanotechnology meeting vaccine delivery, role of RNAi therapeutics in antiviral treatment regimen, various regulatory concerns towards clinical translation of nanomedicine along with current trends and implications including unexplored research avenues for advancing the current drug delivery have been discussed in detail.