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Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Analytical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2024) | Viewed by 9687

Special Issue Editors

College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: food science; environmental analysis; food safety; spectroscopy; chemometrics

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Guest Editor
Intelligent Equipment Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: spectral analysis; hyper spectral imaging; food safety; nondestructive detection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The analysis of ingredients and harmful substances in the food and environment has always been a difficult problem worth studying. The advantages of spectroscopy and chromatographic technology in the field of separation and detection determine its leading position in food and environmental analyses. The development of spectroscopy and chromatography technology promoted people's understanding of food nutrition, safety, and other aspects, and also deepened people's awareness of environmental pollution and protection. Spectroscopy and chromatographic technologies are widely used to solve complex problems and challenges in society, such as food safety and environmental protection in the development of the food industry.

The Special Issue “Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis” aims to summarize the state-of-the-art methods of the research, technology, and novel applications of spectroscopy and chromatography technology in the field of food and environmental analysis and welcomes the submission of previously unpublished manuscripts and original work on all the above-mentioned aspects.

Dr. Fei Shen
Dr. Shuxiang Fan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • spectroscopy
  • chromatography
  • food analysis
  • environmental analysis
  • mass spectrometry
  • environmental pollutant

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3014 KiB  
Article
Implementation of a Novel Method for Processing Proteins from Acetic Acid Bacteria via Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry
by Juan J. Román-Camacho, Juan C. Mauricio, Irene Sánchez-León, Inés M. Santos-Dueñas, Carlos A. Fuentes-Almagro, Francisco Amil-Ruiz, Teresa García-Martínez and Isidoro García-García
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2548; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112548 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 1201
Abstract
Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and other members of the complex microbiotas, whose activity is essential for vinegar production, display biodiversity and richness that is difficult to study in depth due to their highly selective culture conditions. In recent years, liquid chromatography coupled with [...] Read more.
Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and other members of the complex microbiotas, whose activity is essential for vinegar production, display biodiversity and richness that is difficult to study in depth due to their highly selective culture conditions. In recent years, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has emerged as a powerful tool for rapidly identifying thousands of proteins present in microbial communities, offering broader precision and coverage. In this work, a novel method based on LC–MS/MS was established and developed from previous studies. This methodology was tested in three studies, enabling the characterization of three submerged acetification profiles using innovative raw materials (synthetic alcohol medium, fine wine, and craft beer) while working in a semicontinuous mode. The biodiversity of existing microorganisms was clarified, and both the predominant taxa (Komagataeibacter, Acetobacter, Gluconacetobacter, and Gluconobacter) and others never detected in these media (Asaia and Bombella, among others) were identified. The key functions and adaptive metabolic strategies were determined using comparative studies, mainly those related to cellular material biosynthesis, energy-associated pathways, and cellular detoxification processes. This study provides the groundwork for a highly reliable and reproducible method for the characterization of microbial profiles in the vinegar industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis)
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14 pages, 1017 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influence of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Strains on Changes in the Hexachlorobenzene Content in Fermented Mare Milk during Refrigerated Storage
by Agata Witczak, Anna Mituniewicz-Małek and Izabela Dmytrów
Molecules 2024, 29(2), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29020528 - 21 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1416
Abstract
(1) Background: Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a persistent organic pollutant that is possibly carcinogenic to humans. It is still found in the environment, humans and animals, and in foods, including milk and dairy products; (2) Methods: The influence of the probiotic cultures Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a persistent organic pollutant that is possibly carcinogenic to humans. It is still found in the environment, humans and animals, and in foods, including milk and dairy products; (2) Methods: The influence of the probiotic cultures Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LCR and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum LP on the possibility of effecting the biodegradation of HCB in dairy products fermented from mare milk was investigated, taking into account the product storage time (maximum 21 days). HCB content was determined using the GC/MS method; (3) Results: A strong negative Pearson correlation (p < 0.05) was found between HCB concentration and the refrigeration storage time of the fermented beverages. The highest HCB reduction was observed in milk fermented with both Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LCR and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum LP (78.77%), while the lowest was noted when only Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum LP was used (73.79%); (4) Conclusions: This pilot study confirmed that probiotics commonly used to give products health-promoting properties can also contribute to reducing the content of undesirable substances, and the bacterial cultures used might provide an alternative method for reducing HCB residues in fermented drinks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis)
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13 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
Impact of Lactation Stage on the Metabolite Composition of Bovine Milk
by Claire Connolly, Xiaofei Yin and Lorraine Brennan
Molecules 2023, 28(18), 6608; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28186608 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2075
Abstract
Bovine milk is a nutrient-dense food and a major component of the human diet. Therefore, understanding the factors that impact its composition is of great importance. Applications of metabolomics provide in-depth analysis of the metabolite composition of milk. The objective of this research [...] Read more.
Bovine milk is a nutrient-dense food and a major component of the human diet. Therefore, understanding the factors that impact its composition is of great importance. Applications of metabolomics provide in-depth analysis of the metabolite composition of milk. The objective of this research was to examine the impact of lactation stage on bovine milk metabolite levels. Metabolomic analysis of bovine milk powder samples across lactation (N = 18) was performed using nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Forty-one metabolites were identified and quantified in the 1H-NMR spectra. Statistical analysis revealed that 17 metabolites were significantly different across lactation stages (FDR < 0.05), of which the majority had higher levels in early lactation. In total, 491 metabolites were measured using LC-MS/MS, of which 269 had significantly different levels across lactation (FDR < 0.05). Compound classes significantly affected by lactation stage included phosphatidylcholines (59%) and triglycerides (64%), of which 100% of phosphatidylcholines and 61% of triglycerides increased from early lactation onwards. Our study demonstrates significant differences in metabolites across the stages of lactation, with early-lactation milk having a distinct metabolomic profile. More research is warranted to further explore these compositional differences to inform animal feeding practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis)
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12 pages, 3506 KiB  
Article
Fast Detection of Heavy Metal Content in Fritillaria thunbergii by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy with PSO-BP and SSA-BP Analysis
by Xinmeng Luo, Rongqin Chen, Muhammad Hilal Kabir, Fei Liu, Zhengyu Tao, Lijuan Liu and Wenwen Kong
Molecules 2023, 28(8), 3360; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28083360 - 11 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1929
Abstract
Fast detection of heavy metals is important to ensure the quality and safety of herbal medicines. In this study, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to detect the heavy metal content (Cd, Cu, and Pb) in Fritillaria thunbergii. Quantitative prediction models were [...] Read more.
Fast detection of heavy metals is important to ensure the quality and safety of herbal medicines. In this study, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to detect the heavy metal content (Cd, Cu, and Pb) in Fritillaria thunbergii. Quantitative prediction models were established using a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and sparrow search algorithm (SSA), called PSO-BP and SSA-BP, respectively. The results revealed that the BPNN models optimized by PSO and SSA had better accuracy than the BPNN model without optimization. The performance evaluation metrics of the PSO-BP and SSA-BP models were similar. However, the SSA-BP model had two advantages: it was faster and had higher prediction accuracy at low concentrations. For the three heavy metals Cd, Cu and Pb, the prediction correlation coefficient (Rp2) values for the SSA-BP model were 0.972, 0.991 and 0.956; the prediction root mean square error (RMSEP) values were 5.553, 7.810 and 12.906 mg/kg; and the prediction relative percent deviation (RPD) values were 6.04, 10.34 and 4.94, respectively. Therefore, LIBS could be considered a constructive tool for the quantification of Cd, Cu and Pb contents in Fritillaria thunbergii. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis)
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14 pages, 2845 KiB  
Article
Agarose Film-Based Liquid–Solid Conversion for Heavy Metal Detection of Water Samples by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
by Zhengkai You, Xiaolong Li, Jing Huang, Rongqin Chen, Jiyu Peng, Wenwen Kong and Fei Liu
Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2777; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062777 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2115
Abstract
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) shows promising applications in the analysis of environmental heavy metals. However, direct analysis in water by LIBS faces the problems of droplet splashing and laser energy decay. In this study, a novel liquid–solid conversion method based on agarose films [...] Read more.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) shows promising applications in the analysis of environmental heavy metals. However, direct analysis in water by LIBS faces the problems of droplet splashing and laser energy decay. In this study, a novel liquid–solid conversion method based on agarose films is proposed to provide an easy-to-operate and sensitive detection of heavy metals. First, the water samples were converted into semi-solid hydrogels with the aid of agarose and then dried into agarose films to make the signal intensities stronger. The calibration curves of Cd, Pb and Cr were constructed. The proposed method was validated by standard heavy metal solutions and real water samples. The results showed that the values of R2 were 0.990, 0.989 and 0.975, and the values of the LOD were 0.011, 0.122 and 0.118 mg L−1 for Cd (I) 228.80, Pb (I) 405.78 and Cr (I) 427.48 nm, respectively. The RMSEs of validation were 0.068 (Cd), 0.107 (Pb) and 0.112 mg·L−1 (Cr), and the recovery values were in the range of 91.2–107.9%. The agarose film-based liquid–solid conversion method achieved the desired ease of operation and sensitivity of LIBS in heavy-metal detection, thereby, showing good application prospects in heavy metal monitoring of water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy and Chromatography in Food and Environmental Analysis)
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