Large, renowned outbreaks associated with low-moisture foods (LMFs) bring to light some of the potential, inherent risks that accompany foods with long shelf lives if pathogen contamination occurs. Subsequently, in 2013, Beuchat et al. (2013) noted the increased concern regarding these foods, specifically noting examples of persistence and resistance of pathogens in low-water activity foods (LWAFs), prevalence of pathogens in LWAF processing environments, and sources of and preventive measures for contamination of LWAFs. For the last decade, the body of knowledge related to LMF safety has exponentially expanded. This growing field and interest in LMF safety have led researchers to delve into survival and persistence studies, revealing that some foodborne pathogens can survive in LWAFs for months to years. Research has also uncovered many complications of working with foodborne pathogens in desiccated states, such as inoculation methods and molecular mechanisms that can impact pathogen survival and persistence. Moreover, outbreaks, recalls, and developments in LMF safety research have created a cascading feedback loop of pushing the field forward, which has also led to increased attention on how industry can improve LMF safety and raise safety standards. Scientists across academia, government agencies, and industry have partnered to develop and evaluate innovate thermal and nonthermal technologies to use on LMFs, which are described in the presented review. The objective of this review was to describe aspects of the extensive progress made by researchers and industry members in LMF safety, including lessons-learned about outbreaks and recalls, expansion of knowledge base about pathogens that contaminate LMFs, and mitigation strategies currently employed or in development to reduce food safety risks associated with LMFs.
Study objectives: This study is aimed to examine the impact of dietary cannabidiol (CBD), a phytocannabinoid isolated from cannabis plants, on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis in mice. Hypothesis: Dietary CBD exerts beneficial effects against DSS-induced experimental colitis in mice colon through protecting barrier function and suppressing inflammatory response. Methodology: Eight-week-old C57BL/6J female mice were fed a standard rodent diet supplemented with or without CBD (200 milligrams per kilogram) for 5 weeks. In the 4th week of dietary treatments, mice were subjected to 2.5% DSS induction for 7 days followed by 7 days of recovery to induce colitis. The disease activity index was monitored daily during the induction and recovery periods. After recovery, mice were euthanized, and colon tissues were collected for analysis. Data CBD supplementation reduced body weight loss, gross bleeding, fecal consistency score, and disease activity index. In addition, CBD supplementation protected the colonic structure and ameliorated mucosal damage and macrophage infiltration in the colonic tissue, which is associated with activated cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways. CBD supplementation also suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Consistently, CBD feeding decreased the contents of pore-forming tight junction protein claudin-2 and myosin light chain kinase in DSS-treated mice. Summary of results Dietary CBD improves DSS-induced colitis and activates PKA and AMPK signaling pathways to suppress inflammation and enhance gut barrier function. Conclusions: Dietary CBD protects against inflammation and colitis symptoms induced by DSS, providing an alternative approach to IBD management. Funding Sources: Washington State University Dedicated Marijuana Account (DMAc) grant and Agricultural Research Center Emerging Research Issues Competitive Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)