Mercian Corp.

Regulation of transcription by RNA polymerases is fundamental for adaptation to a changing environment and for cellular differentiation, across all kingdoms of life. The gene tyrR in Escherichia coli is a particularly useful model because it is involved in both activation and repression of a large number of operons by a range of mechanisms, and it interacts with all three aromatic amino acids and probably other effectors.

Distillation remnants of Shochu, a traditional Japanese liquorare fed to livestock, but their effects on livestock health have not been investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of these remnants on pig stress and pork quality (N = 6/group). The remnants reduced plasma cortisol (17.94 ± 0.92 [control] and 10.59 ± 1.28 [sample]) and increased salivary IgA (6.06 ± 2.21 [control] and 21.60 ± 5.37 [sample]). Blind sensory assessments showed that, in remnant-fed pork, sirloin tenderness (3.18 ± 0.19 [control] and 4.27 ± 0.38 [sample]) and the juiciness, umami, and fat tastiness of fillets were improved. Oleic acid percentages were higher (35.23 ± 0.65 [control] and 37.87 ± 0.60 [sample]) in remnant-fed pork, contributing to a favorable sensory evaluation. Two-group comparisons were analyzed by student's t test. p < 0.05. This study promotes the reutilization of remnants to reduce livestock stress and improve meat quality.

3-Sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3SH) is an important contributor to the fruity notes of wine. 3SH exists as odorless precursors in grape and its release from the precursors is generally mediated by yeast during alcoholic fermentation. Here, the impact of lactic acid bacteria on 3SH production was investigated. Among the species tested, only Lactobacillus plantarum released 3SH from S-3-(hexan-1-ol)-l-cysteine (3SH-S-cys) and S-3-(hexan-1-ol)-l-cysteinylglycine (3SH-S-cysgly) in the whole-cell biotransformation assay. The conversion yields of 3SH from 3SH-S-cysgly by L. plantarum were always higher than those from 3SH-S-cys, suggesting that the direct cleavage of 3SH-S-cysgly to yield 3SH predominantly occurred. L. plantarum biotransformed the 3SH precursors, including 3SH-S-glut, to release 3SH in fermented grape juice. The results indicate that L. plantarum induces the release of 3SH from the 3SH precursors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing the impact of L. plantarum on thiol precursor biotransformation.