2nd International Conference on Food Chemistry & Nutrition July 24-26, 2017 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Bernhard Wager has her expertise in the field of analytical chemistry in the field of pharmaceuticals, food additives and food analysis. He has developed several analytical methods in the analytical field of LC-MS/MS to support food analysis and clinical studies studies in biological matrices studying the impact of administer food and food additives. His experience in research, teaching has focused at the FH JOANNEUM – University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria.

Today’s consumers demand foods and beverages that are safe, quality, and nutritious. Food analysis is of great importance when it comes to ensuring the quality of modern food demands. Multiple-heart cutting (MHC) 2D-LC_MS/MS is an alternative technique overcoming disadvantages of 1D-LC analysis, by not resolving isomers and similar substances of phytochemicals, vitamins, amino acids. Even though the potential of MHC-2D-LC enhances significantly separation performances and analyte identification strategies, several details are to consider, achieving reliable results. MS analysis after non-volatile buffers or reagents in the first LC-dimension is not a straightforward procedure, mostly due to the incompatibility of common buffers used in LC-UV analysis, with the electrospray ionization process. Analytical column setup in the first and second LC-dimension, buffer removal strategies and method development are of crucial importance when it comes to LC-MS/MS detection in the third analytical dimension. Mass spectrometry detection is a powerful tool to gain structural information, resolving co-eluting analytes, but isomers cannot resolve even by using HRMS instruments. Therefore, a 2nd chromatographic dimension gives the possibility to separate and the detect those phytochemical or amino acid isomers in one analytical run. This approach allows a fast and reliable gain of information about the ingredients in foods and beverages.

Dr Cynthia Sun obtained her Ph.D in 1999 jointly from the Chemistry Department and School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her PhD research was about the bioactivity of hydrolysed milkfat catalysed by lipases. Cynthia’s interests in the discovery of functionalities in natural products after modification by enzymes continued after joining Callaghan Innovation. As a senior research scientist, her recent research topics cover enzyme/protein purification, biotransformation of glycoconjugates, post-harvest modification of natural products, and bioactive compound identification and extraction, all sharing a common goal - to develop novel and value-add ingredients from natural resources.

Groper roe and salmon roe were hydrolysed by three commercial proteases: Alcalase, Protex 6L and Neutrase, respectively, under their optimum pHs and working temperatures for 90 min. The hydrolysates were produced with varied degrees of hydrolysis (10-40%), then investigated for their physical and functional properties, including emulsion stability, solubility, antioxidant activity and anti-hypertensive effect. The hydrolysates from groper roe and salmon roe were firstly compared based on their water solubility and emulsifying capacity: the groper roe hydrolysates were much more hydrophilic than that from salmon roe; the water solubility of the latter is 75% lower than the former. Protex and Neutrase hydrolysates from groper roe demonstrated full emulsion stability (100%) while the Alcalase hydrolysate from groper roe and all three hydrolysates from salmon roehad 55-65%. The physical properties of the hydrolysates were also characterised via scanning electron microscope (SEM), circular dichroism (CD), and dynamic light scattering (Zetasizer) for structure imaging, protein secondary structure, particle sizes and electrostatic forces between molecules, and the changes of these properties under increasing temperature. The Neutrase hydrolysate from groper roe displayed a distinctive fibrillar structure (long, linear and networked, rod-like shapes at 200-700 nm width). This fibrillar structure could explain the hydrolysate’s gelling ability when heated up to 85°C. In contrast, all the other hydrolysates were small, round, individual particles in 35-250 µm diameter, without network connections, and none of these hydrolysates demonstrated the gelling property with increasing temperature up to 90°C. All hydrolysates from groper roe demonstrated antioxidant activities measured by DPPH assay at 5 mg/ml and above. The Alcalase hydrolysates displayed increasing DPPH scavenging activity with increasing degree of hydrolysis, while the other two hydrolysates did not show this trend. The Salmon roe hydrolysates didn’t show convincing scavenging activity in any of the concentrations tested (0.1 -10 mg/ml). Anti-hypertensive properties were measured via the angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition assay. All hydrolysates from both groper and salmon roe demonstrated ACE inhibition at the concentration of 1mg/ml. Thisinhibition appeared in the hydrolysate samples undergone 15 min hydrolysis reaction (5-15% DH) and had only slight increase in samples undergone a 90min hydrolysis (10-40% DH). At 1mg/ml, Neutrase hydrolysate from groper roe has 100% inhibition, followed by Alcalase hydrolysate (89%) and Protex hydrolysate (55%). In salmon roe, both Protex and Neutrase hydrolysates demonstrated near 50% inhibition at 1mg/ml, while the Alcalase hydrolysate only had 18%. In summary, the groper roe hydrolysates demonstrated better bioactivities and interesting physical properties in comparison to the salmon roe counterparts. As a low-value and abundant raw material from the fish industry, groper roe has the potential to be utilised (after enzymatic hydrolysis) as a food-grade functional ingredient in formulation applications.

Masahiro Matsumiya is full time professor at Lab. of Marine Product Utilization, Department of Marine Science and Resources, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University.

Chitin is an amino polysaccharide containing N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) units connected with β-1,4 linkages. It is a renewable biological resource that is abundantly present over the natural world and is found in the exoskeletons of arthropods, cell walls of fungi, and the epidermis of nematodes. The majority of naturally occurring chitin exists in the rigid, α-crystalline structure that is insoluble in common solvents, thus rendering it difficult for use. However, degradation products of chitin exhibit various bioactivities, which have been attributed to the length and solubility of a polymer; these include the promotion of bifidobacteria proliferation and immunostimulatory effect in chitooligosaccharides ((GlcNAc)n) and improvement of skin quality and alleviate osteoarthritis in GlcNAc. End- and exo-type chitinolytic enzymes, chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) and ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase (Hex, EC 3.2.1.52), are necessary for enzymatic production of GlcNAc. We investigated enzyme properties of chitinase and Hex from the liver of Japanese common squid Todarodes pacificus and enzymatic production of GlcNAc by using the crude enzyme prepared from the liver. Two chitinase isozymes were purified from the liver by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatographies with Chitopearl Basic BL-03, CM-Toyopearl 650S, and Bio-Gel HTP. A Hex was purified from the liver by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatographies with Butyl-Toyopearl 650S and Toyopearl HW-55SS. Crude chitinolytic enzyme was prepared from the liver by ammonium sulfate fractionation (0-65%). GlcNAc was prepared by incubation at 37C with colloidal chitin suspension and the crude enzyme solution. The purified chitinase isozymes were basic chitinases with molecular masses of 38 and 42 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of both chitinases were different each other. Both chitinases hydrolyzed GlcNAcn (n=4,5, and 6) and released GlcNAcn (n=2,3, and 4). The molecular mass of the purified Hex was estimated to be 120 kDa by gel filtration and 54 kDa by SDS-PAGE in non-reducing condition. The Hex released GlcNAc from the non-reducing end side of GlcNAcn. The ratio for the activities of chitinase and Hex of the crude chitinolytic enzyme was 1:19. The crude enzyme, corresponding to 2 g of liver weight, produced 26.8 mg of reducing sugar from 50 mg of colloidal chitin during 5 days of incubation at 37C. The main product of the produced reducing sugar, analyzed by HPLC, was GlcNAc. These results suggest that the squid liver could be a source of chitinolytic enzyme for the enzymatic production of GlcNAc.

Li Yan, female, associate professor at School of Food and Chemical Engineering Beijing Technology and Business University. Mainly engaged in dairy processing technology research. In charge of one project founded by National Science Foundation（31401517）. She participated in some projects include “Eleventh five-year”, "Twelfth five-year" science and technology support plan and the projects of National Science Foundation.

The gel properties of nanofiltered milk protein concentrate (NF-MPC) and evaporated milk protein concentrate (EP-MPC) was compared at different temperatures. The NF-MPC and EP-MPC samples were gelled at 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45°C with glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) respectively. The rheological properties (storage modulus and loss tangent), firmness, the degree of whey separation, and the microstructure of EP-MPC and NF-MPC gels were determined. With increasing gelation temperature from 25 to 45 °C, gelation time was significantly shortened and the pH of gelation point was slowly increased. The differences in gel properties between NF-MPC and EP-MPC were significant. EP-MPC formed strong gel networks as well as had the much higher storage modulus (G’) and firmness (except for the 25 °C sample) and lower degree of whey separation than gels formed by NF-MPC. The nearly identical maximum in loss tangent (tan δ) and similar microstructure were observed in both NF-MPC and EP-MPC gels at the same gelation temperatures. In summary, our results clearly demonstrated that EP-MPC has superior gel properties compared with NF-MPC, but it needs further study on the NF-MPC gel properties with the preheat treatment or calcium addition in practical application.

She is now the professor of Dept. Food science and nutrition in Pusan National University. She has made reserach achievements, focusing on the lipid lowering and anti-atherogenic effects of functional foods, and kimchi in particular. She has published more than 50 papers for kimchi in reputed journals. Moreover, her excellence in research has been recognized by the Academic Society, by which she was awarded ‘The Greatest Achievement in Research in 2015.’

High cholesterol diet (HCD) is known to cause hepatic steatosis. Apoptosis is a major cell death pathway hepatocyte which occurs in a wide variety of liver diseases. Kimchi, a Korean traditional fermented vegetable, demonstrated to have antioxidative, anti-atherogenic, and anti-cancer properties. This study investigated whether kimchi methanol extracts (KME) affects lipid metabolism and apoptosis in the liver of HCD-fed mice. Animals fed HCD for 8 weeks with oral administration of KME (200 mg/kg bw/day) or distilled water as a vehicle (n = 10 for each group). Compared with the control group, the kimchi group decreased the hepatic protein expression for fatty acid synthesis (SREBP-1, ACCα, FAS) and cholesterol synthesis (SREBP-2, HMGCR), whereas increased that for fatty acid oxidation (PPAR-α, CPT1, ACOX1) and cholesterol export (CYP7A1) (all for P<0.05). Additionally, hepatic protein expression for proapoptotic factors (Bax, p-JNK, caspase-3, -9) was decreased, while that for anti-apoptotix factors (Bcl2, cIAP) was elevated in the kimchi group (all for P<0.05). Furthermore, histological analysis (oil red O, H&E, TUNEL staining) in the liver tissue showed that hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and apoptosis in the kimchi group were less severe. In conclusion, HCD-induced liver damage can be alleviated by kimchi administration via improving lipid metabolism and suppressing apoptosis.

Miriam Ehrnhoefer-Ressler is a lecturer and researcher at the FH JOANNEUM, University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria, where she is conducting different R&D projects in the field of nutritional programming and lipidomics. There she is also concerned with extractables & leachables studies together with chemical-analytical method development for identification and quantification of known and unknown substances in complex sample matrices by means of GC-MS/MS. She was awarded a three year DocfForte-scholarship for conducting her PhD studies at an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Vienna investigating the structure related immune-modulatory potential of herbs and spices. During her master thesis, she was involved in a public health project aiming to improve the dietary habits as well as the food environment of pregnant and breastfeeding women and children.

Statement of the Problem: Bisphenol A or phthalates, compounds used as plasticizers in the production process, have been identified as endocrine disrupting chemicals suspected of influencing the immune system on its regulatory and functional levels. Risk assessment of migrating packaging components in processed foods entails significant analytical challenges due to broad diversity and complexity of samples together with low concentrations of target compounds. Apart from the analytical requirements associated with identification and quantification of these compounds, sample preparation techniques have to be optimized with respect to macronutrient composition to obtain reproducibility and reliability of the analytical method (1,2,3,4,5,6). Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Following a defined approach, a broad range of different packaging materials was subjected to harsh extraction procedures in order to establish an internal reference database of target compounds. A sensitive and selective multi reaction monitoring (MRM) method was set up using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Different sample preparation techniques were established considering solvation effects, pH stability and matrix removal. Detected migration compounds were applied to E. coli LPS stimulated THP-1 macrophages to evaluate the impact on pro-inflammatory marker production. Findings: Confirmed target compounds were present at concentration up to 10 ppm. Higher amounts were mainly derived from cross contamination confirmed via analyses of blanks. Sensitivity and selectivity of the analytical setup were largely affected by the fat content. Accordingly, efforts in sample preparation and careful MRM selection were required to achieve a method detection limit of 5 ppb. Incubation of the cells with high concentrations of phthalic acid esters and their degradation products was demonstrated to affect the cellular production of IL-6, IL 8, Tnf- and IL-1. Conclusion & Significance: Due to the low amount present in food stuffs, further studies are intended to investigate if chronic exposure to low levels of migrating compounds attenuates the immunological response.

Aera Jang is working as an associate professor of Kangwon National University in Korea. She was a visiting researcher at Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, UK. She has completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. at Seoul National University and worked as a research scientist from 2007 to 2012 at National Institute of Animal Science, RDA in Korea. She has published more than 60 papers in reputed journals and received academic awards from Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources (KoSFA) and has been serving as editor of KoSFA.

The anti-inflammatory effects of boiled pork meat (BPM) and water extracts of pork meat (WPM) on splenocyte proliferation, and T cell cytokine regulation in BALB/c mice was evaluated. The proliferation of splenocytes in high concentration WPM groups was significantly higher than the control stimulated by LPS and Con A. In the white blood cells, WPM groups had significantly higher counts of lymphocytes and lower counts of neutrophils than the control (p<0.05). The Th1 (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) cytokine levels in high-concentration WPM groups were higher than those in the control. In addition, TNF-α/IL-10 and IL-2/IL-4 secretions of splenocytes in the high concentration WPM group with LPS or Con A treatment was significantly lower than the control (p<0.05). Therefore, this study suggested that WPM had anti-inflammatory effects, which may suggest that pork meat can enhance the immune system.

Ai-dong Sun is a doctoral tutor holding a significant chair at Beijing Forestry University and who, until recently, has played a leading role in the natural products and functional foods. She mainly engaged in non-thermal processing technology, physical and chemical properties and aroma ingredients of products. Her research has contributed to promoting pulsed electric field (PEF) technology wildly used in the sterilization process of fruit and vegetable juice. She has verified the PEF technology can effectively kill microorganisms in blueberry juice, and does not affect the color, flavor and nutrients of blueberry juice.

Blueberry juice is a healthy and nutritious food that has become increasingly popular worldwide. However, little is known about the microbial groups of this juice that can cause its deterioration. This study aimed to identify the main spoilage microorganisms in blueberry juice and determine whether a microchip pulsed electric field (MPEF) can effectively inactivate them. We performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, as well as 16S rDNA, 18S rDNA, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and 26S rDNA gene sequence analyses, to identify spoilage microorganisms. In addtion, the effect of MPEF on inactivating the microorganisms were evaluated in a continuous flow system. Nine strains belong to eight genera, including Pantoea, Burkholderia, Pichia, Meyerozyma, Cryptococcus, Aureobasidium, Cladosporium, and Penicillium were identified as spoilage microorganisms, and Cryptococcus, Meyerozyma, and Pichia were specific spoilage organisms (SSO) owing to their rising trend and huge number. MPEF exhibited excellent inactivation effects on Cryptococcus, Meyerozyma, and Pichia of 5.93, 6.08, and 5.86 log10 reductions, respectively, at 450 V. This research provides theoretical basis for the application of MPEF in improving the quality of blueberry juice.

Gi Dong Han has his expertise in research and development for improving bioactivities of natural materials using fermentation techniques. He developed various bioactive substances from agricultural by-product using fermentation techniques. Recently he has been interested in tannin degradation or decomposition using microbes derived from nature.

The whitening effect and its molecular mechanisms on melanogenesis of fermented persimmon extracts (FPS) were investigated using various cell models. The major active ingredients in the fermented persimmon extracts were also identified with fractioning the fermented sample with various solvents. FPS dose dependently and significantly reduced forskolin-stimulated tyrosinase activity and melanin contents without cytotoxicity in human melanoma cell. FPS significantly inhibited pigmentation in 3D human epidermal model. In molecular mechanisms study on melanogenesis, FPS effectively downregulated TRP-1 and TRP-2 expression through inhibiting phosphorylation of melanogenic markers such as Raf-1, ERK and CREB which are key transcription factor for tyrosinase expression in pigmentation, which indicating that FPS interrupted melanogenesis via inhibition of an upstream pathway involved in ET plus SCF-induced CREB activation and MITF upregulation both in human melanoma and human melanocytes. These results indicated whitening effect of fermented persimmon extracts were confirmed to be an inhibitory effect on the over expression of tyrosinase instead of direct inhibition against tyrosinase without side effects which causes vitiligo. The FPS was fractionated using different solvents and had total 8 fractions. Fraction 4 and 7 among the fractions showed significant tyrosinase inhibition activity, further studies are needed to understand what the correct active molecule is. This is the first report suggesting that fermented persimmon extract have remarkable whitening effect through down-regulating melanogenesis induced by exterior stimulation such as UV in melanocytes.

Jeong Sook Noh has completed her PhD from Pusan National University and PostDoc from University of Massachusettes, University of Toyama, and Pusan National University. She had worked at Center for Anti-Aging Industry as a researcher. She is now the professor of Dept. Food Science & Nutrition in Tongmyong University. She published a lot of reserach achievements for health benefits of diverse functional foods and biocompound

Collagen has been utilized in several industry such as foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals. Almost collagen studies have mainly focused on improving skin function, but researches for other functional properties of collagen is lacking. This study investigated the effects of different kinds of collagen hydrolysate (CH) derived from skate skin in obese animal model. Three kinds of CH used in this study were as follow: (1) low molecular weight CH (Low group) and (2) high molecular weight CH (High group) isolated via ultrafiltration of CH, and (3) skate CH (CH group), an un-ultrafiltrated sample. For 8 weeks, three kinds of CH (200 mg/kg bw/day) or water (Control group) was orally administered to db/db mice, which were compared with vehicle (Normal group, m/m mice) (n=10 each group). Compared to the control group, final body weight and adiopose tissue weights were significantly lower in CH-fed groups (p<0.05) while other organ weights were not significantly diffrent. Plasma lipid concentration (TG, TC, LDL-C, free fatty acid) were elevated in db/db mice, compared with m/m mice. However, those values decreased by CH treatment whereas HDL-C level increased (p<0.05 for all). Compared with the control group, CH treatment significantly increased adiponectin level and decreased leptin levels (p<0.05). Additionally, aminotransferase activities and oxidative stress levels (ROS and peroxinitrite) were reduced in all type of CH-fed groups. Our results indicated that CH derived from skate skin effectively suppressed the develeopment of obesity by decreasing of body and adipose tissue weight and regulating lipid and adipokines levels.

Eun Yeong Sim has her expertise in diversifying usage of crop resources. There are many crop such as rice, wheat, soybean etc for research. For past several years, she focused on the High-amylose rice called Dodamssal released in Korea. Its Resistant starch(38%) is good for health of the people who have to control their blood glucose or weight. Wheat is famous for staple food in many countries. But in Korea, Its usage is restricted for mostly noodle under natural weather conditions. She has studied Korean traditional fermented alcohol, called Makgeolli made by wheat for recent years. she evaluated physicochemical characteristics according to the different milling degree(100, 85 and 70%). From last year, she analyzed texture, toyo glossiness, pasting viscosity of various kind of rice for selecting as processed rice. She is planning to develop food especially for elderly or infant using by excellent crop resources, which balance their necessary nutrition. The results of her study will suggest that it’s possible to expand the processing usability of top quality crop cultivated in Korea.

The need for research Makgeolli is the oldest Korean traditional wine with 6–7% alcohol made from rice(mostly), wheat or barley. Unlike there alcoholic beverages, Makgeolli is highly nutritious and functional because of proteins, sugars, vitamins, bioactive compounds, and various organic acids they contains. Makgeolli is brewed by conventional methods by using nuruk or koji. A fungi starter known as nuruk, which saccharifies the rice(wheat, barley) starch during fermentation are added in Makgeolli-making process. Nuruk is starter culture, made from wheat or grits moistened to make cake-shaped products through pressure and natural fermentation, allowing the growth of various microorganisms such as fungi, yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Since Makgeolli is made through a rough filtration of fermented mash and contains turbid ingredients with much more microbes than wine or beer. Makgeolli consist of water, yeast, wheat, barley and rice that have been fermented for about 2 weeks after distillation on day 2. Makgeolli especially made by rice rather than wheat are mostly studied until now. In this study, we investigated the different characteristics of Wheat-makgeolli according to the different milling degree of each wheat varieties. Moreover, we confirmed Anti-obesity effects of makgeolli in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Contents of Research In order to investigate the effects of different milling degrees on the quality of wheat-Makgeolli(WM), Korean traditional alcohol drink, physicochemical and physiological characteristics of WM were evaluated. Samples of WM brewed from 100, 85 and 70% milling recovery rates of three Korean wheat cultivars were analyzed for ethanol, pH, coloring degree, total acids, soluble solid, free sugars, organic acids, and adipocytes. As the milling recovery rate in wheat decreased, sugar contents increased and pH decreased. The WM made from wheat exhibited 0.63-0.84% in acidity, 10.2-12.5 Brix in sugar, and 14-16% in alcohol contents. Free sugar contents of the WM significantly changed with fermentation, with glucose and mannitol showing the highest percentage in WM, at 1.60-5.67 g/L and 3.70-5.29 g/L, respectively. WM contained excess lactic acid, which is produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Anti-obesity effects of makgeolli were investigated in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Compared to the negative control, makgeolli inhibited the differentiation of preadipocyte as quantified by Oil red O dye. In particular, 100 μg/mL makgeolli reduced 20 to 40% of differentiation. The in-vitro results demonstrated that Makgeolli inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes through down-regulation of adipogenic gene expression. Findings of this study suggest that makgeolli has inhibitory activities against adipogenesis

Zhilin Gan is a young faculty of Dept. of Food Science and Engineering in Beijing Forestry University. He got his Ph.D degree in China Agricultural University and he was ever a visiting scholar in Iowa State University, USA (2014.10-2015.11). He has his expertise in processing of agricultural and forestry products. Recently, he mainly focused on essential oil (EO) of spices like cumin and ginger. He has built the method to extract, purify and separate essential oil by using supercritical carbon dioxide, molecular distillation and high speed countercurrent chromatography. Also he did works on bioactive compounds from EO for functional properties

Statement of the Problem: Cuminum cyminum L.，commonly known as cumin，belongs to the Apiacea family. It is a very important spice as a flavouring agent in cooking and widely cultivated in India, China, Pakistan Argentina, Tran and Turkey. According to present studies, cumin’s distinctive flavor and intense aroma are due to its essential oil content. The chemical composition of cumin essential oil (CEO) is very complicated. In our study, CEO was obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide and molecular distillation. p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al is one major constituent of CEO, a new compound without standard and prepared by high speed countercurrent chromatography (with purity above 96%). Previous studies provide substantial evidences that CEO is effective inhibitors of microorganisms. However, the antibacterial activity of p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al has not been reported. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ability against bacteria for p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al, which may be considered as potent agent in food preservation. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) concentrations were used to qualitatively measure the antibacterial effect of p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al. Then the mechanism was described by determination of cell-membrane conductivity and micromorphology analysis. Findings: Based on the results of disc diffusion diameter, MIC and MBC, p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al was effective to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri. The results also indicated that membrane permeability of cells was changed and destroyed after treatment by p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al. The micrographs of the cell illustrated aberrant morphology such as shrinkage, partial distortion, depletion of cytoplasm. Conclusion & Significance: p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al has potential to be preservative applied in food industry.

Suphat Phongthai is a Ph.D student in Food Technology Program, Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand. His current research projects focus on the isolation of rice bran protein using emerging techniques such as ultrasonic- and microwave-assisted extraction in comparison with conventional extraction method. Additionally, he is interested in the production, purification and determination of activities of bioactive peptides, and the application of rice bran protein in gluten-free products.

Rice bran, a by-product of rice milling process, has been annually produced more than 800 thousand metric tons. Rice bran contains high quality protein with high amounts of essential amino acids, especially aromatic amino acids that act as strong antioxidants. Normally, macroproteins are generally inactive within the sequence of the original structure. Enzymatic hydrolysis is an effective method to expose and release bioactive peptides without affecting nutritional value. Mostly, the activities of the non-purified rice bran protein hydrolysates were reported and the characterization of antioxidant peptides is also still limited. For better understanding of antioxidant activities of rice bran protein hydrolysate, the peptides contributing to those activities should be examined. Thus, the aims of this study were to stimulate the antioxidant properties of rice bran protein using digestive enzymes and characterize peptides possessing antioxidant activities using membrane filtration and chromatography techniques including anion-exchange chromatography (IEC), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and reverse phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC). The derived protein hydrolysate was filtered through 5 kDa-membrane and permeate was collected for further fractionation. Three fractions of peptides were obtained after separating on DEAE SepharoseTM Fast Flow column. The fraction number 2 was pooled and then further purified by SEC, since it has the highest ABTS•+ radical scavenging and metal chelating activities of 121.29±3.66 µmoL Trolox/ gram sample and 167.20±7.99 µmoL EDTA/ gram sample, respectively (p<0.05). The fraction number 1 derived from SEC exhibited strongest activities on scavenge ABTS•+ radical and chelate metal ion (122.86±3.00 µmoL Trolox/ gram sample and 247.70±1.51 µmoL EDTA/ gram sample). Afterwards, the four fractions (F1-H, F2-H, F3-H, and F4-H) were successfully fractionated on RP-HPLC column. The F4-H was investigated to be the most active fraction on scavenging DPPH• & ABTS•+ radicals and reducing ferric to ferrous. Meanwhile, the F1-H showed the highest metal chelating activity. The results suggested that the hydrophobic amino acids may serve as the major primary antioxidants, whereas the polar amino acids can be accounted as the secondary antioxidants. In addition, it can be concluded that the potent antioxidant peptides from rice bran might also be generated during the gastrointestinal digestion in the human body.

Yunna Wang has her expertise in “agricultural products processing” and “dairy science”. In recent years, with "whipping cream" and its raw materials "milk protein concentrate" "anhydrous milk fat" as the basic research objects, she carries out a more systematic research work on the gel properties of milk protein concentrates, the crystallization behavior of milk fat, the whipping properties and the stability of whipping cream. She has already published “Review: Study on the preparation technology and influence factors of whipping cream”, “Review: researches of the application development of whipping cream at home and abroad” (China 's core journals), “Stability and physical properties of recombined dairy cream: Effects of soybean lecithin”, and also participated in academic conferences in related fields both at home and abroad.

Milk protein concentrates (MPCs) are highly nutritional and functional products used as newly developed functional ingredients in food industries. The aim of present study is to compare the glucono-δ-lactone(GDL) induced gelation properties of nanofiltered MPC (NF- MPC) and evaporated MPC (EP- MPC) with different preheat treatments (85°C, 30 min; 92°C,5 min) and Ca2+ concentration (5-40 mmol L-1). The results showed that preheat treatment facilitated gelation. The gel properties, such as elastic modulus (G’), loss tangent (tan δ), and hardness of both NF- MPC and EP- MPC were increased and whey separation decreased. The gel structure had a fine-stranded network with more flexible strands compared with the same properties of unheated MPC. But it was difficult to see differences between the two preheat treatment conditions and two kinds of MPC gels. Effects of the Ca2+ concentration on both MPC gels were complex. Hardness, G’ value and whey separation degree decreased and the gel network structure became unclear, thicker strands and clusters of aggregated particles were formed with the increase of Ca2+ concentration. No significant differences were observed between EP-MPC and NF-MPC in terms of gel network structure and tan δ. However, EP- MPC showed higher hardness, G’ value and lower whey separation degree with the same Ca2+ supplements compared to those of NF-MPC. This result suggested that the application of NF-MPC in food gel properties is no worse than that of EP-MPC. In the case of calcium supplementation, EP-MPC is slightly better than NF-MPC.

She is a assiatnt professor at the Cellular & Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. Nowadays, there are tendency to use natural products as alternative therapeutic agents. Anti-tumor effects of crocin as main of saffron carotenoids have been studied in several cancers but its molecular mechanisms of action are not fully understood. In this study we investigate anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of crocin combined with cisplatin on cervical cancer cells. To this aim cell viability and apoptosis assays were monitored by MTT and Hoechst 33258 staining, respectively. The mRNA levels of cell cycle (CyclinD1, P21 and P53) and apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-2) related genes were measured by qRT-PCR. Also we assayed the expression of a microRNA (miR-365) as an upstream regulator of apoptotic genes. Our results showed that crocin in combination with cisplatin significantly (P<0.05) inhibited proliferation of cancer cells, induced apoptosis in cells at a dose- and time-dependent manner and decreased the effective dose of cisplatin. Furthermore, in treated cells Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the mRNA level of P53 and P21 markedly increased (P<0.05), whereas expression of CyclinD1 and miR-365 decreased (P<0.05). Hence, it is suggested that crocin combined with cisplatin could potentially use as an effective chemotherapeutic strategy.

Efficacy of Lysine or glycine-derived Maillard reaction products to inhibit growth of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium

In recent years, consumer trends to purchase minimally processed food products have occurred due to the increasing awareness of health concerns regarding use of chemical additives. However, food safety issues associated with foodborne diseases due to incomplete processing procedures continue to exist, especially in ready-to-eat foods. As natural synthesized compounds, the Maillard reaction products (MRPs) have been studied for potential antimicrobial activity, and represent an alternative way to satisfy consumer’s demand for natural preservatives without compromising the safety quality of food products. The present study was aiming to look at the antimicrobial effect of water-soluble MRPs against S.Typhimurium, S.Enteritidis and S.Thompson, where MRPs were prepared by heating glucose and lysine or glucose and glycine at a 1:1 ration for 60, 40 and 20 minutes, respectively at 180oC . The effect of MRPs on survival of S.Typhimurium, S.Enteritidis as well as S.Thompson were evaluated by spread-plating bacteria suspension on BHI (Brain Heart Infusion) agar. Four parameters, included maximum growth rate, lag phase value, initial cell density and final cell density were accessed based on Baranyi model. Results shown time of heating at 180oC were related to production of melanoidins. Production of melanoidins increased by 644.25% and 1299.11% for 40 and 60 minutes, respectively, relative to 20 minutes. Significant differences in lag phase extension was related to degree of MRP production, as well as the type of amino acid used for S.Typhimurium and S.Thompson. Regarding S.Enteritidis, significant differences in lag phase extension was related to amino acid type (p<0.05), while the heating time at 180oC (20, 40 or 60 minutes) did not make differences in terms of lag phase extension. No significant changes in maximum proliferation rate were seen with MRPs relative to control. We conclude that MRPs generated from glucose-lysine system or glucose-glycine system present potential antimicrobial capacity by extending lag phase of S.Typhimurium, S.Enteritidis as well as S.Thompson. There is less certainty if these products will inhibit overall growth of different Salmonella strains.

Jung-Soo Kim has his expertise in evaluation and improving added-value of donkey by-product and its function. He’s got Bachelor’s degree from Kangwon National University in 2016, Korea. Now, He is taking his Master’s degree at Department of Animal Products and Food Science in Kangwon National University, Korea. He has license for ‘Engineer Food Processing’. He is financially supported by Brain Korea 21 Plus Project from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development in Korea.

Free radical and oxidative modification of proteins, lipids, DNA and cellular molecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause age-related degenerative conditions and a wide range of common diseases. In recent years, considerable studies have been directed towards evaluating gelatin peptides that can prevent against UV-induced oxidative stress for skin health. The objective of this study was to evaluate physiological activity of gelatin peptide derived from donkey skin. The gelatin extraction process was carried out by using autoclave at high temperature and pressure (121℃, 1.5kgf/cm2). The enzymatic hydrolysis of gelatin extracts were then performed using 3 different proteases (Foodpro alkaline protease, Pancreatin and Protease P) at 45℃, pH 7.0 for 3h, 6h under the same condition. The each donkey gelatine hydrolysates (DGH) were passed through a 3 kDa molecular weight cut-off membrane, to separate low molecular weight peptide (LDGH, less than 3 kDa) from them. The antioxidation, collagenase and elastase inhibitory activity of LDGH were performed. LDGHs of treatments showed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity, ORAC and FRAP value than their original DGH (p<0.05). Especially, LDGH of F3, P3 showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging of 11.86, 11.86 µM TE/g, ABTS radical scavenging activity of 50.56, 51.59 µM TE/g and FRAP value of 3.14, 2.96 µM TE/g respectively, among LDGH of treatment (p<0.05). And LDGH of P3 indicated the highest ORAC value of 307.26 µM TE/g (p<0.05). Moreover, LDGH of F3, P3 inhibited collagenase activity of 45.31%, 54.09% and down-regulated elastase activity of 23.68%, 18.76%, respectively. In conclusion, LDGH derived from donkey skin could easily react and eliminate with free radicals and inhibited collagenase, elastase activity. Overall, LDGH has the potential to be agent for skin health.

Seokwon Kang is currently senior student in college of Animal Life Science at Kangwon National University. His major is animal origin food science. He is one of the member of the lab of food and bio-metabolic regulation at College of Animal Life Science. He is interested in the evaluation of bioactivity of various animal origin food

In recent years, many studies have addressed the anti-oxidative effect and reduction activity of inflammatory factors of foods. Oxidative stress is associated with a disturbance in the pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant balance in favour of the pro-oxidant. Oxidative stress results in direct or indirect damage of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. Nitric oxide (NO) formed by inducible NOS (iNOS) in macrophages and other cells plays multiple roles in the inflammatory response. NO is oxidized to nitrites or nitrates. These are usually generated with large amounts of superoxide anion (O2-). These two can form peroxynitrite (ONOO-) which mediates the cytotoxic effects of NO. In Korea, about 80% of the goat population are predominantly black. Black goats are consumed in the form of meat or boiled extract for folk medicine. However, there are few studies about health improving effect and functionality of Black goat extracts (BGE). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the anti-oxidation and nitric oxide inhibition effect of BGE. In this study, BGE were obtained from Cheonriwon farming association. For anti-oxidative activity evaluation, 2,2-diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activity, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were determined. To evaluate reduction of inflammatory factors, concentration of NO was measured with a Griess Reagent System (Promega, Madison, WI). DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and FRAP activity of BGE at 1mg/ml was 68.73, 146.44, and 123.12 μM Trolox equivalent (μM TE), respectively. ORAC of BGE at 0.2mg/ml was 54.22 μM TE. Concentration of NO in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 cell was not affected by the BGE concentrations of 30, 50, and 100 μg/ml, compared to LPS only treated cell. However, concentration of NO was significantly decreased with BGE at 200 and 500 μg/ml. These findings suggest that the BGE could be used as a potential bioactive compound (anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation) in food industry.

Yang Li has her expertise in “dairy microorganism” and “dairy science”, publishing “Effects of different inoculating and freeze-drying conditions on the fatty acid profile of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp Bulgaricus （in Chinese）” in 2011. Recently, her research interests focus on dairy flavor chemistry, enzyme modified milkfat and cream aroma enhancement. She has already analyzed key aroma compounds in different milkfat products (sweet cream, sour cream, butter and enzyme modified butter) by aroma activity values and GC-O. The results show that δ-decalactone is one of the most important active aroma compounds in milkfat products.

Various techniques have been applied to evaluate key aroma compounds in butter. This study aimed to compare the performance of two extraction techniques, static headspace (solid-phase microextraction, SPME) and simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE), in evaluating key aroma compounds in butter. The volatile compounds in butter of different brands were identified by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) after extraction via the two extraction methods. The results showed 41 kinds of volatile compounds were detected using the SDE method, which was much more than using SPME method (31 kinds). Specifically, SDE method extracted more methyl ketones. Nine kinds of methyl ketones were identified in two brands of butter (2-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 2-heptanone, 2-octanone, 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone, 2-dodecanone, 2-tridecanone, 2-pentadecanone) using SDE method; only two of the methyl ketones were identified by SPME (2-nonanone and 2-undecanone). However, SPME demonstrated its advantage on extracting short chain fatty acids and lactones, especially more δ-decalactone. Considering the discrepant performances, a combined application of the two methods is necessary for more precisely profiling the key aroma compounds in butter.

Jialu Cao is a PhD student in China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Her PhD project is Bacterial Diversity and Lactic Acid Bacteria in Home-made Paocai. In her study, she applied single molecular real time (SMRT) sequencing technology to analysis the bacterial community of paocai (traditional fermented vegetables in southwest area of China) for the first time. This approach provides accurate taxonomic classification at species level.

Salt concentration is crucial to paocai saline taste and microflora, which have marked effects on paocai quality and flavour. This paper discusses the bacterial community of aged, home-made paocai brine with different salt concentration using single-molecular, real-time (SMRT) sequencing. Thirty-seven samples were divided into low (< 8%, LS) and high (> 8%, HS) salt concentration groups based on the common salt concentration. Our results revealed significant differences in bacterial compositions between LS and HS groups. Most samples from the LS group had higher relative abundance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species such as Lactobacillus (Lb.) acetotolerans, Pediococcus ethanolidurans, Lb. buchneri, and Lb. versmoldensis, whereas those from the HS group housed more Ochrobactrum (O.) lupini, Lb. brevis, a few opportunistic pathogens (Enterobacter (E.) cloacae, Serratia (Ser.) marcescens and Klebsiella (Kle.) pneumoniae) and some other low-abundance bacteria. Salt concentration was also positively correlated to Lb. brevis, Lb. namurensis, O. lupini, Ser. marcescens and Kle. pneumoniae, but negatively linked to Lb. acetotolerans and Lb. buchneri. The variations in bacterial community structure between LS and HS groups were also confirmed by multivariate statistical analyses. These results indicated that high salt concentration (> 8%) did not decrease but even favored the survival or growth of certain undesired bacteria and inhibited some LAB in the aged, home-made paocai brine.

Dr Mohammed M.H. Al-awadhi is working as an Assistant Proffessor at the Sana'a University, Yemen.His research interest includes Activated carbon, Clay, Nanostructured materials, Fabrication, Control of Shape and Size, Modification, Characterization and Application. Synthesis of some heterocyclic compounds derived from furan of biological importance.

Dr Mohammed M.H. Al-Awadhi is working as an Assistant Professor at the Sanaa University, Yemen

This work was aimed at studying effect of the floral origin on the dietary elements content of honey. For this purpose, the samples of honey were collected from mono-floral and multi-floral in three periods to assess the levels of the twelve dietary elements by ICP-AES. The results of this work over three years showed that there is noticeable change in the content of dietary elements in the honey of different floral source. The Sidr honey (Ziziphus spina-christi) is rich in nutritional elements (Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Na) compared to other kinds of honey. Whereas, the amount of Zinc in Sal honey (Euphorbia cactus) high than honey of other floral. Calcium and Magnesium levels in Sidr and Salam honey were much higher than Maraiy, Sumer (Acacia tortalis), and Sal (Euphorbia cactus). Phosphor level in polyfloral honey (Maraiy) were higher than unifloral honey (Sidr, Salam, Sumar, Sal). The concentrations of heavy metals in mono-floral and multi-floral honey were sufficiently low as to pose no risk to human health

T. Nakamura has expertise in wheat genetics and genomics. He has used this expertise to develop and evaluate several economically useful and genetically informative wheat types with modified starch characteristics, including Waxy (amylose-free) Wheat and Sweet Wheat.

A stronger focus on consumer wants, taking into account such things as product texture and flavor, is becoming more important in developing new varieties of crops, according to a recent article in World-Grain.com (Creating wheat varieties for specific food items, 2016). Furthermore, the trend towards clean labeling for specific food end products is relentless, and includes both fewer and more easily recognizable ingredients. Here we describe the development and characterization of a wheat line with a novel type of starch that naturally imparts a longer shelf life to baked goods. Material from this wheat line was compared with a closely related (near-isogenic) line in terms of starch content, amylopectin chain length distribution, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, amylose content and bread-making quality. The starch from this line shows a small but significant decrease in amylose content, as well as an altered amylopectin chain length distribution. Notably, bread made from flour of this line shows a lower increase in firmness or staling several days after baking, without the use of additives.

Yoon-Jung, Kang has her expertise in research on potentially hazardous nutrients and passion in improving the health and nutrition. She is working in National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation for ten-years.

Statement of the Problem: Prevalence of obesity in childhood is increasing worldwide and it has become a global public health problem. Also, there were a few papers on a relation between beverage intakes and childhood obesity. But, there is a lack of studies on an association between beverage consumption and obesity for Korean children. So, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of beverages intake and the prevalence of obesity in Korean children. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: We used data from 1,500 participants (784 men and 716 women) aged 6-11 years, from the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). In these cross-sectional surveys, information on beverage intake was assessed by one day 24-hour recall method. We classified beverages into five types, including tea, coffee, fruit and vegetable, soda, and others. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) of the association between consumption of beverage and obesity (with a body mass index over 25). Findings: The average amount of daily beverage consumption per person from 2013 to 2015 was increased 97.0g in 2013, 103.2g in 2014 and 120.3g in 2015 for all subjects. Among beverage types contributing to total sugar intake were shown in the following order; soda(55.7g) > fruit and vegetable(26.8g) > others(19.9g) > tea(3.4g)> coffee(0.7g). The adjusted OR for obesity associated with excess of median beverages consumption was 1.91 (95% CI: 1.12-3.27) for the total study population. There were no significant relation to risk of obesity in men and women, but beverages consumption over median tend to increase risk of obesity. Conclusion & Significance: Our findings suggest an independent relationship between beverage intake and as increased risk of obesity in Korean aged 6-11 years, implying the necessity of future research on low- beverage consumption intervention in relation to obesity.

Ha Sumin is working at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea

Acute alcohol intake causes multiple organ damages such as severe acute gastrointestinal, liver and cardiovascular diseases. In present study, the gastro protective effects of sigumjang meju (fermented barley bran) water extract (SME) on experimental model of ethanol (EtOH)-induced gastric ulcer in mice. The gastro protective activity of SME was evaluated by gross/histopathological inspection, pro-inflammatory cytokine, and EtOH absorption from stomach. SME pretreatment is characterized to less gastrointestinal bleeding and reduced EtOH absorption into the bloodstream via gastro mucosal barrier. Furthermore, the SME effectively reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory mediator of TNF induced by EtOH. These results indicate that SME prevents gastric mucosal damage induced by acute EtOH administration in mice through the protective effects of SME for anti-inflammatory activities and less absorption of EtOH from stomach.

Geutae Kim is working at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea

Changes in physicochemical and textural properties of pork loin marinated with sigumjang (Korean traditional fermented barley bran) were investigated during storage for 14 days. Sigumjang-marinated pork loin (SMPL) showed lower lightness and redness but higher yellowness due to the color of sigumjang. The pH level of SMPL slightly increased with time and was equilibrated to pH 5.5 of sigumjang on day 14. Amino type nitrogen content of SMPL linearly increased with marination time. The MFI of SMPL was reduced during the marination period, which can be explained by the lower extractability and higher pH of SMPL compared to non-marinated normal pork loin. Free amino acids of SMPL related to sweet and particularly umami tastes such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid were more abundant compared to free amino acids related to bitter taste. In the sensory evaluation, longer marination for 14 days improved values of flavor, taste, texture, juiciness, and overall acceptability of pork loin. Especially, chewiness of SMPL was highly favored and gave excellent palatable texture to SMPL, thereby contributing to high taste assessment. Taken together, our results suggest that sigumjang marination could improve the quality of pork loin by granting umami taste and palatable texture. These results also provide useful information for using sigumjang as an ingredient for developing new meat products.

Sujitha Elkaduwa is currently serving at the Government Analysts Department, at the capacity of Senior Assistant Government Analyst. She is attached to Food Division., which handles analysis of food samples all over the island forwarded by public health inspectors under ministry of health care and nutrition, and reporting of the analysis results to the relevant authorities, such as Courts of law, Food Control Administration Unit, and other interested authorized parties. Provide consultation service whenever applicable.

Back ground: Iodine is an essential micro nutrient required for normal Thyroid function. Sub optimal intake of iodine causes inadequate thyroid hormone production, which leads to a spectrum of adverse outcomes collectively termed as iodine deficiency disorders. (IDD)Universal Salt Iodization (USI) is recognized as the most promising sustainable and cost effective solution to address iodine deficiency at country level. A country is said to have achieved USI when at least 90 % of the households consumed adequately iodized salt. Objective: To investigate the sufficiency of adequately iodized salt going to households considering three important key factors. Methodology: 1423 randomly selected salt samples from the samples received by the Government Analysts Department of Sri Lanka from public health inspectors, all over the island from year 2005-2017(March) were subjected to analysis in order to check the conformity to Food (Iodization of Salt) Regulations 2005. The samples were analyzed for moisture content, iodine content and for granular size wherever applicable. The samples were analyzed according to standard methods laid down for edible common salt in SLS(Sri Lanka Standards) 79& 80 Results: There is a satisfactory tendency towards decreasing poor quality adequately iodized common salt going to households. It also reveals that attention is needed in monitoring the process of achieving USI to prevent IDD. Conclusion: For a successful elimination of preventable iodine deficiency disorders, a multideciplinary team effort is required.

She is working as a research scholar at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Iran

Cancer metastasis is the cause of 90% of all deaths from cancer. Various types of cancer have different malignancy potency, among them breast cancer is the second most malignant cancer in women. Therefore, agents that inhibit metastasis provide a major advantage in treating cancers. Crocin is a major carotenoid present in Saffron (the red dried stigma of Crocus sativus L), which exhibits anti-tumor and apoptotic effects against primary tumors. The present study has been designed to investigate the anti-metastatic effects of crocin on the metastatic triple negative breast cancer cell line. The 4T1 cells (closely resemble metastatic, triple negative breast cancer in humans) with different concentrations of crocin (0-4 mmol/l) were incubated for various times (24, 48 and 72h). Cell viability was assessed by MTT. Scratch assay and transwell chamber assay were performed to investigate the effects of crocin on cellular migration and mobility of cells respectively. The relative attachment of the 4T1 cell to immobilized ECM was evaluated by Cell-matrix adhesion assay. Then, the mRNA levels of major genes in metastasis (matrix metalloproteinas 2, vascular endothelial growth factor 1, e-cadherin and vimentin) were measured by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. It was found that Crocin inhibited the growth of 4T1 cells in time- and dose-dependent manners (the IC50 values were 3.6, 2.7 and 2.5 mmol/L, respectively, at 24, 48 and 72 h). The migration of 4T1 cells was significantly inhibited by crocin even at a very low concentration of crocin (2 mmol/L). Crocin reduced cell mobility even in concentrations lower than IC50. It also decreased the adhesion of 4T1 cells in concentrations of 2.5 mmol/L and 2.7 mmol/L by 82.22% and 61.66% of control respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. Crocin unregulated the expression of e-cadherin, the suppressed gene in metastasis, and down-regulated the level of activated genes MMP-2, VEGFa and vimentin. These results indicate that crocin, as a therapeutic herbal product, has antimetastatic potentials in addition to its proven anti primary-tumor effects, so it may be useful for controlling malignant metastatic breast cancer.