DNA barcoding for specific and sensitive detection of Cuminum cyminum adulteration in Bunium persicum

Analysis of fungal diversity in the gut feces of wild takin (Budorcas taxicolor)

Introduction

The composition of the intestinal microbiome correlates significantly with an animal's health status. Hence, this indicator is highly important and sensitive for protecting endangered animals. However, data regarding the fungal diversity of the wild Budorcas taxicolor (takin) gut remain scarce. Therefore, this study analyzes the fungal diversity, community structure, and pathogen composition in the feces of wild B. taxicolor.

Methods

To ensure comprehensive data analyses, we collected 82 fecal samples from five geographical sites. Amplicon sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA was used to assess fecal core microbiota and potential pathogens to determine whether the microflora composition is related to geographical location or diet. We further validated the ITS rRNA sequencing results via amplicon metagenomic sequencing and culturing of fecal fungi.

Results and discussion

The fungal diversity in the feces of wild Budorcas taxicolor primarily comprised three phyla (99.69%): Ascomycota (82.19%), Fungi_unclassified (10.37%), and Basidiomycota (7.13%). At the genus level, the predominant fungi included Thelebolus (30.93%), Functional_unclassified (15.35%), and Ascomycota_unclassified (10.37%). Within these genera, certain strains exhibit pathogenic properties, such as Thelebolus, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon, Candida, Zopfiella, and Podospora. Collectively, this study offers valuable information for evaluating the health status of B. taxicolor and formulating protective strategies.

The gut metabolite indole-3-propionic acid activates ERK1 to restore social function and hippocampal inhibitory synaptic transmission in a 16p11.2 microdeletion mouse model

BACKGROUND

Microdeletion of the human chromosomal region 16p11.2 (16p11.2+ / - ) is a prevalent genetic factor associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. However its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear, and effective treatments for 16p11.2+ / -  syndrome are lacking. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota and its metabolites are inextricably linked to host behavior through the gut-brain axis and are therefore implicated in ASD development. Despite this, the functional roles of microbial metabolites in the context of 16p11.2+ / -  are yet to be elucidated. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic potential of indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a gut microbiota metabolite, in addressing behavioral and neural deficits associated with 16p11.2+ / - , as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS

Mice with the 16p11.2+ / -  showed dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and a significant decrease in IPA levels in feces and blood circulation. Further, these mice exhibited significant social and cognitive memory impairments, along with hyperactivation of hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons and reduced inhibitory synaptic transmission in this region. However, oral administration of IPA effectively mitigated the histological and electrophysiological alterations, thereby ameliorating the social and cognitive deficits of the mice. Remarkably, IPA treatment significantly increased the phosphorylation level of ERK1, a protein encoded by the Mapk3 gene in the 16p11.2 region, without affecting the transcription and translation of the Mapk3 gene.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reveals that 16p11.2+ / -  leads to a decline in gut metabolite IPA levels; however, IPA supplementation notably reverses the behavioral and neural phenotypes of 16p11.2+ / -  mice. These findings provide new insights into the critical role of gut microbial metabolites in ASD pathogenesis and present a promising treatment strategy for social and cognitive memory deficit disorders, such as 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome. Video Abstract.

A combined approach of DNA metabarcoding collectively enhances the detection efficiency of medicinal plants in single and polyherbal formulations

Introduction

Empirical research has refined traditional herbal medicinal systems. The traditional market is expanding globally, but inadequate regulatory guidelines, taxonomic knowledge, and resources are causing herbal product adulteration. With the widespread adoption of barcoding and next-generation sequencing, metabarcoding is emerging as a potential tool for detecting labeled and unlabeled plant species in herbal products.

Methods

This study validated newly designed rbcL and ITS2 metabarcode primers for metabarcoding using in-house mock controls of medicinal plant gDNA pools and biomass pools. The applicability of the multi-barcode sequencing approach was evaluated on 17 single drugs and 15 polyherbal formulations procured from the Indian market.

Results

The rbcL metabarcode demonstrated 86.7% and 71.7% detection efficiencies in gDNA plant pools and biomass mock controls, respectively, while the ITS2 metabarcode demonstrated 82.2% and 69.4%. In the gDNA plant pool and biomass pool mock controls, the cumulative detection efficiency increased by 100% and 90%, respectively. A 79% cumulative detection efficiency of both metabarcodes was observed in single drugs, while 76.3% was observed in polyherbal formulations. An average fidelity of 83.6% was observed for targeted plant species present within mock controls and in herbal formulations.

Discussion

In the present study, we achieved increasing cumulative detection efficiency by combining the high universality of the rbcL locus with the high-resolution power of the ITS2 locus in medicinal plants, which shows applicability of multilocus strategies in metabarcoding as a potential tool for the Pharmacovigilance of labeled and unlabeled plant species in herbal formulations.

Analysis of microbial diversity in the feces of Arborophila rufipectus

Introduction

Intestinal microbiota composition plays a crucial role in modulating the health of the host. This evaluation indicator is very sensitive and profoundly impacts the protection of endangered species. Currently, information on the gut microbiota of wild birds remains scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the gut microbial community structure and potentially, the pathogen composition of wild Arborophila rufipectus.

Methods

To guarantee comprehensive data analysis, we collected fecal samples from wild A. rufipectus and Lophura nycthemera in their habitats for two quarters. The 16S rRNA gene was then sequenced using high-throughput sequencing technology to examine the intestinal core microbiota, microbial diversity, and potential pathogens with the aim of determining if the composition of the intestinal microflora varies seasonally.

Results and Discussion

The gut microbiota of A. rufipectus and L. nycthemera primarily comprised four phyla: Proteobacteria (45.98%), Firmicutes (35.65%), Bacteroidetes (11.77%), and Actinobacteria (3.48%), which accounted for 96.88% of the total microbial composition in all samples. At the genus level, core microorganisms were found, including Shigella (10.38%), Clostridium (6.16%), Pseudomonas (3.03%), and Rickettsiella (1.99%). In these genera, certain microbial species have been shown to be pathogenic. This study provides important indicators for analyzing the health status of A. rufipectus and formulating protective measures.

Guominkang formula alleviate inflammation in eosinophilic asthma by regulating immune balance of Th1/2 and Treg/Th17 cells

The number of patients with allergic asthma is rising yearly, and hormonal drugs, such as dexamethasone, have unique advantages and certain limitations. In the treatment of allergic diseases especially allergic asthma, increasing the percentage or the function of immunosuppressive cells, such as Treg cells, may achieve a good effect. On the basis of good clinical results, we found that Guominkang (GMK) especially high-concentration GMK can achieve a similar effect with dexamethasone in controlling the symptoms of allergic asthma and inhibiting inflammation of allergic asthma. In our study, GMK can inhibit the recruitment of inflammatory cells, decrease mucus production, and reduce airway resistance. Besides, GMK can reconstruct the cellular immune balance of Th1/2 and Treg/Th17 cells. Metabolome results show that DL-glutamine, L-pyroglutamic acid, prostaglandin b1, prostaglandin e2, and 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid are the metabolic biomarkers and are associated with Th1/2 and Treg/Th17 cell balance. GMK can also change the gut microbiota in the allergic asthma mouse model. The genus_Muriculum, genus_(Clostridium) GCA900066575, genus_klebsiella, genus_Desulfovibrio, genus_Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, family_Chitinophagaceae, family_Nocardioidaceae, and genus_Corynebacterium are gut microbiota biomarkers treated by GMK. Among these biomarkers, genus_Muriculum is the gut microbiota biomarker associated with Th1/2 and Treg/Th17 cell balance. Interestingly, we first found that DL-glutamine, L-pyroglutamic acid, prostaglandin b1, prostaglandin e2, and 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid are all associated with genus_Muriculum. GMK will be a new strategy for the treatment of eosinophilic asthma, and biomarkers will also be a new research direction.

Polyphenolics, antioxidant characterization and DNA barcoding of Kala zeera [Bunium persicum (Boiss.) Fedtsch] through multiple barcode analysis to unravel best barcode combination

BACKGROUND

Kala zeera [Bunium persicum (Boiss.) Fedtsch] is one of the important spice crops of North Western Himalayas with lot of medicinal and culinary values. In spite of having great importance, this crop is under the threat of extinction due to loss of habitat and lack of awareness. The limited availability of the seeds has ultimately increased the economic value of this spice. The upmarket of Kala zeera leads to its adulteration with other black seeds and cumin seeds. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate polyphenolics and antioxidant properties of Kala zeera genotypes collected from North Western Himalayas and to develop DNA barcodes that can ensure their purity and can also guide in conservation of selected Kala zeera germplasm lines.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Various locations of North Western Himalayas were explored for collecting 31 diverse germplasm lines of Kala zeera. The collected germplasm was maintained at our experimental stations during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. These genotypes were evaluated for different seed traits and the methanolic extract from Kala zeera seeds was examined for total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activities by DPPH and FRAP. The results revealed significant variation in seed traits, polyphenolic content and antioxidant properties. 100 seed weight ranged from 0.05 to 0.35 g, TPC ranged from 7.5 to 22.56 mg/g, TFC ranged from 0.58 to 4.15 mg/g, antioxidant properties DPPH ranged from 168 to 624.4 μg/ml and FRAP ranged from 0.72 to 6.91 mg/g. Further, three different barcodes (ITS, rbcL and psbA-trnH) were used to reveal the authenticity of selected Kala zeera. MEGA 5 software was used for clustering and the barcodes did clustering based on geographical distribution of Kala zeera germplasm.

CONCLUSION

Based on molecular barcoding, best barcode combination was identified that may discriminate the Kala zeera germplasm vis-a-vis can authenticate their purity. Moreover, the identified DNA barcodes will have significant role in studying the evolutionary biology of Bunium species and will be important for designing a strategy to conserve the selected Kala zeera germplasm lines. The identified genotypes with high phenolic content and antioxidant activity can further be utilized in Kala zeera breeding programmes.

Taxonomic delimitation and molecular identification of clusters within the species Zanthoxylumnitidum (Rutaceae) in China

Zanthoxylumnitidum, known as Liang-Mian-Zhen in China, is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant used to treat traumatic injury, rheumatism, paralysis, toothache, stomach ache, and venomous snake bites. Two varieties of the species have been described and three morphological types have been reported within the original variety. However, taxonomic delimitation and molecular markers for distinguishing these varieties and types within this species remain unknown. Since different populations exhibit varying chemical compositions, easy identification of intraspecific taxa is crucial. We collected 420 individuals from 38 natural populations, 3 samples of standard medicinal material, and 17 folk-medicine samples to perform classification and identification within Zanthoxylumnitidum. Four distinct genetic clusters (A, B, C, and D) were highly supported by the nuclear barcode. Two distinct chloroplast clusters (A1 and A2) were further detected within A, and three others had one-to-one correspondence with the remaining nuclear clusters. Molecular identification showed that the 17 folk samples comprised A1, A2, B, and D, while the 3 standard samples belonged to A2. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and rbcL gene are proposed as barcodes for rapid and accurate identification of the different Liang-Mian-Zhen lineages in China. This study highlights the importance of accurate taxonomic delimitation in combination with rapid and accurate molecular identification of medicinal plants.

Preventive Effects of Anthocyanins from Lyciumruthenicum Murray in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice Are Related to the Regulation of Intestinal Microbiota and Inhibition of Pancreatic Lipase Activity

Lyciumruthenicum Murray (L. ruthenicum) has been used both as traditional Chinese medicine and food. Recent studies indicated that anthocyanins are the most abundant bioactive compounds in the L. ruthenicum fruits. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects and the mechanism of the anthocycanins from the fruit of L. ruthenicum (ACN) in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. In total, 24 male C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups: control group (fed a normal diet), high-fat diet group (fed a high-fat diet, HFD), and HFD +ACN group (fed a high-fat diet and drinking distilled water that contained 0.8% crude extract of ACN). The results showed that ACN could significantly reduce the body weight, inhibit lipid accumulation in liver and white adipose tissue, and lower the serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to that of mice fed a high-fat diet. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of bacterial DNA demonstrated that ACN prevent obesity by enhancing the diversity of cecal bacterial communities, lowering the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidota ratio, increasing the genera Akkermansia, and decreasing the genera Faecalibaculum. We also studied the inhibitory effect of ACN on pancreatic lipase. The results showed that ACN has a high affinity for pancreatic lipase and inhibits the activity of pancreatic lipase, with IC50 values of 1.80 (main compound anthocyanin) and 3.03 mg/mL (crude extract), in a competitive way. Furthermore, fluorescence spectroscopy studies showed that ACN can quench the intrinsic fluorescence of pancreatic lipase via a static mechanism. Taken together, these findings suggest that the anthocyanins from L. ruthenicum fruits could have preventive effects in high-fat-diet induced obese mice by regulating the intestinal microbiota and inhibiting the pancreatic lipase activity.

Counting the cost: High demand puts Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B.Fedtsch. in jeopardy

In the Himalayan region, there have been several reports of medicinal species being reported in peril in the recent decade. Keeping the sudden spurt in price and high demand of yet another highly threatened MAP Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B.Fedtsch. commonly known as ‘Kalazeera’ or black cumin of Himachal Pradesh in view, the current communication attempts to raise high conservation concern to preserve the species in the wild in the Lahaul and Pangi landscape of Himachal Pradesh. Based on intensive market surveys and individual interactions with the local populace and traders comprising 255 respondents in the landscape covering 12 villages of Pangi and five villages of Lahaul, the present study revealed that predominant factors that pose a major threat to the wild populations of the species include high market demand, increased illegal trade, destructive harvesting, relentless collection of seeds, competitive wild collection and its restricted population.

Identification of evolutionary relationships and DNA markers in the medicinally important genus Fritillaria based on chloroplast genomics

The genus Fritillaria has attracted great attention because of its medicinal and ornamental values. At least three reasons, including the accurate discrimination between various Fritillaria species, protection and sustainable development of rare Fritillaria resources as well as understanding of relationship of some perplexing species, have prompted phylogenetic analyses and development of molecular markers for Fritillaria species. Here we determined the complete chloroplast (CP) genomes for F. unibracteata, F. przewalskii, F. delavayi, and F. sinica through Illumina sequencing, followed by de novo assembly. The lengths of the genomes ranged from 151,076 in F. unibracteata to 152,043 in F. przewalskii. Those CP genomes displayed a typical quadripartite structure, all including a pair of inverted repeats (26,078 to 26,355 bp) separated by the large single-copy (81,383 to 81,804 bp) and small single-copy (17,537 to 17,569 bp) regions. Fritillaria przewalskii, F. delavayi, and F. sinica equivalently encoded 133 unique genes consisting of 38 transfer RNA genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 87 protein coding genes, whereas F. unibracteata contained 132 unique genes due to absence of the rps16 gene. Subsequently, comparative analysis of the complete CP genomes revealed that ycf1, trnL, trnF, ndhD, trnN-trnR, trnE-trnT, trnN, psbM-trnD, atpI, and rps19 to be useful molecular markers in taxonomic studies owning to their interspecies variations. Based on the comprehensive CP genome data collected from 53 species in Fritillaria and Lilium genera, a phylogenomic study was carried out with three Cardiocrinum species and five Amana species as outgroups. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that Fritillaria was a sister to Lilium, and the interspecies relationships within subgenus Fritillaria were well resolved. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis based on the CP genome was proved to be a promising method in selecting potential novel medicinal resources to substitute current medicinal species that are on the verge of extinction.

Identification of cumin and fennel from different regions based on generative adversarial networks and near infrared spectroscopy

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) are widely used seasonings and play a very important role in industries such as breeding, cosmetics, winemaking, drug discovery, and nano-synthetic materials. However, studies have shown that cumin and fennel from different regions not only differ greatly in the content of lipids, phenols and proteins but also the substances contained in their essential oils are also different. Therefore, realizing precise identification of cumin and fennel from different regions will greatly help in quality control, market fraud and production industrialization. In this experiment, cumin and fennel samples were collected from each region, a total of 480 NIR spectra were collected. We used deep learning and traditional machine learning algorithms combined with near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to identify their origin. To obtain the model with the best generalization performance and classification accuracy, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce spectral data dimensionality after Rubberband baseline correction, and then established classification models including quadratic discriminant analysis based on PCA (PCA-QDA) and multilayer perceptron based on PCA (PCA-MLP). We also directly input the spectral data after baseline correction into convolutional neural networks (CNN) and generative adversarial networks (GAN). The experimental results show that GAN is more accurate than the PCA-QDA, PCA-MLP and CNN models, and the classification accuracy reached 100%. In the cumin and fennel classification experiment in the same region, the four models achieve great classification results from three regions under the condition that all model parameters remain unchanged. The experimental results show that when the training data are limited and the dimension is high, the model obtained by GAN using competitive learning has more generalization ability and higher classification accuracy. It also provides a new method for solving the problem of limited training data in food research and medical diagnosis in the future.

DNA meta-barcoding using rbcL based mini-barcode revealed presence of unspecified plant species in Ayurvedic polyherbal formulations

INTRODUCTION

Ayurveda takes advantage of the beneficial properties of medicinal plants. High demands in combination with inadequate availability of botanicals and a lack of knowledge with respect to their precise identification lead to adulterations in herbal products. Identification becomes more difficult in complex herbal formulations. Four different polyherbal formulations have been analyzed for the present paper. The targeted plants have different pharmacological properties for various ailments.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine the rbcL gene based plant DNA mini-barcode to identify target and non-target plants in polyherbal formulations by using high-throughput next generation sequencing.

METHODS

Degenerate primers of the selected mini-barcode region have been identified from the literature. A blend of 30 authentic medicinal plant species was used to examine the species resolution capacity of the mini-barcode. DNA was isolated from herbal formulations, an amplicon library was prepared, and sequencing was performed on an IonS5 system. Data were analyzed using various bioinformatics tools.

RESULTS

Analysis of control pooled samples revealed the optimum resolving power of the DNA mini-barcode. Data analysis of the commercial samples revealed that only one herbal formulation contained all plants and matched with listed contents. In two formulations, only 10 out of 21 and 11 out of 20 plants were detected, respectively. Additionally, several non-listed plants were also detected in these formulations. Two formulations contained >20% reads assigned to non-target plants. Overall, 21.98% of the reads were assigned to non-target plants.

CONCLUSION

The present study clearly demonstrated the successful application and potential of meta-barcoding in the quality control of complex herbal matrices. The results strongly suggest that this approach can be used in pharmacovigilance of processed herbal products.

Skin Microbiota of the Captive Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca) and the Distribution of Opportunistic Skin Disease-Associated Bacteria in Different Seasons

The giant panda is one of the rarest animals in the world. Skin diseases seriously endanger the health of giant panda and are considered the second major cause of its morbidity. Skin microbiota is a complex ecosystem, and the community structure and the pathogenic potential of bacteria on giant panda skin remain largely unclear. In order to understand the skin bacterial flora of captive giant pandas, the microbiota in giant panda skin samples collected during different seasons was profiled via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In total, 522 genera from 53 bacterial phyla were detected, with Proteobacteria (40.5%), Actinobacteria (23.1%), Firmicutes (21.1%), Bacteroidetes (9.5%), Cyanobacteria (2.1%), and Thermi (1.2%) as the predominant phyla and Streptococcus (13.9%), Acinetobacter (9.2%), Staphylococcus (2.9%), Pseudomonas (5.9%), Dermacoccus (4.8%), Brachybacterium (2.9%), Escherichia (2.7%), Chryseobacterium (2.1%), Arthrobacter (1.6%), Kocuria (1.5%), Psychrobacter (1.2%), Deinococcus (1.1%), and Flavobacterium (1.1%) as the predominant genera. The results indicated that the diversity was lower in winter than in other seasons and higher in autumn than in other seasons, and the abundance in spring was significantly higher than that in other seasons. Several skin disease-associated bacteria were detected as opportunists in the skin microbiota of healthy giant pandas. In this study, the results indicated that the high diversity and abundance of the skin bacteria may have enhanced the occurrence of skin disease in autumn and spring and that skin disease-associated bacteria are the normal components of the skin microbiota.

A systematic strategy for uncovering quality marker of Asari Radix et Rhizoma on alleviating inflammation based chemometrics analysis of components

Asari Radix et Rhizoma (Asarum), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been applied in clinical generally. However, due to the lack of valid methods for Asarum quality control, inhomogenous quality and therapy issues have become severe with each passing day. In this study, we aimed to establish a comprehensive multi-system to explore the quality control markers underlying pharmaceutical effects based on chemometrics analysis on the total ingredients of Asarum. In brief, DNA barcoding technology was used to screen out the unadulterated herbs in the 15 batches Asarum collected from different origins. Then, the chemical profiles of volatile/nonvolatile components of 10 batches Asarum with definite resource were obtained by HPLC Q-TOF/MS and GC/MS. Combination with chemometrics methods, 14 characteristic ingredients and 4 qualitative and quantitative markers were figured out preliminarily. Moreover, correlation analysis between the characteristic ingredients and the cytokines integrating the virtual targets prediction of network pharmacology, 3 potential bioactive substance were ascertained. In conclusion, l-asarinin, 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol and safrole were considered as the potent candidates for quality control markers based on the comprehensive understanding for therapeutic effects and the chemical information of Asarum, which provided a novel perspective of the development for the quality control of TCM.

Using high-resolution melting to identify Calliphoridae (blowflies) species from Brazil

Forensic entomology is the study of insects and other arthropods used in the solution of crimes. Most of entomological evidences strongly depend on accurate species identification. Therefore, new methods are being developed due to difficulties in morphological identification, including molecular methods such as High-Resolution Melting. In this study, we reported a new HRM primer set to identify forensically important Calliphoridae (blowflies) from Brazil. For such purpose, Calliphoridae species of forensic importance in Brazil were listed and confirmed by specialists. Mitochondrial COI sequences of those species were downloaded from databases and aligned, and polymorphic variations were selected for distinction between species. Based on it, HRM primers were designed. Forty-three fly samples representing six species were tested in the HRM assay. All samples had the COI gene sequenced to validate the result. Identifying and differentiating the six species proposed using a combination of two amplicons was possible. The protocol was effective even for old insect specimens, collected and preserved dried for more than ten years, unlike the DNA sequencing technique that failed for those samples. The HRM technique proved to be an alternative tool to DNA sequencing, with advantage of amplifying degraded samples and being fast and cheaper than the sequencing technique.

Historical Evolution and Food Control Achievements of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Electronic Nose, and Electronic Tongue-Critical Overview

Amid today's stringent regulations and rising consumer awareness, failing to meet quality standards often results in health and financial compromises. In the lookout for solutions, the food industry has seen a surge in high-performing systems all along the production chain. By virtue of their wide-range designs, speed, and real-time data processing, the electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been at the forefront of quality control technologies. The instruments have been used to fingerprint food properties and to control food production from farm-to-fork. Coupled with advanced chemometric tools, these high-throughput yet cost-effective tools have shifted the focus away from lengthy and laborious conventional methods. This special issue paper focuses on the historical overview of the instruments and their role in food quality measurements based on defined food matrices from the Codex General Standards. The instruments have been used to detect, classify, and predict adulteration of dairy products, sweeteners, beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish products. Multiple physico-chemical and sensory parameters of these foods have also been predicted with the instruments in combination with chemometrics. Their inherent potential for speedy, affordable, and reliable measurements makes them a perfect choice for food control. The high sensitivity of the instruments can sometimes be generally challenging due to the influence of environmental conditions, but mathematical correction techniques exist to combat these challenges.