报告题目1：Understanding the New U.S. Regulations to Assure the Safety of Imported Foods Under the “ Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)”

报  告 人：Luis Antonio Mejia博士

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

 

报告题目2：Phytochemical composition and nutraceutical properties of flavonoids from fruits and vegetables: Role in prevention of chronic diseases

报  告 人：Elvira De Mejia博士

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

 

报告时间：12月16日上午9:30-11:30

报告地点：闵行校区生物药学楼2#116

联  系 人：张晓君 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

上海交通大学生命科学技术学院

微生物代谢国家重点实验室

上海市微生物学会

 

Luis Antonio Mejia’s Resume

Adjunct Professor of the Department of Food Sciences and Human Nutrition and independent consultant to food/feed industry. Formerly Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs of Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM), Senior Director of Global Nutrition at Kellogg Co., Chairman of Department of Nutrition, Research Center for Food and Development (CIAD) in Mexico and Scientist of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) in Guatemala. Active member of the American Society of Nutrition and The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) as well as editorial board member of several scientific journals. He holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of California, Davis CA and a B.A. and M.A. in Biological Sciences from California State University, Sacramento, CA.

 

Speech 1 Abstract

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that annually in the United States approximately 48 million individuals are impacted by food-borne disease due to the consumption of unsafe food. This leads to 128,000 hospitalizations and 300 deaths. In order to make food safer, the U.S. government issued in 2011 a new law known as “The Food safety Modernization Act (FSMA)” whose specific regulations are currently being developed and implemented. That includes new requirements for food imports from foreign countries into the U.S. This is relevant because about 20% of foods available in the U.S. market come from foreign countries, like China. Common causes for rejection of imported foods includes: microbial contamination, illegal levels of aflatoxins, use of unapproved food additives or pesticides or their presence above allowed levels and content of heavy metals as mercury and lead. A key regulation under FSMA is the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Under the FSVP, it is expected that food manufactured in foreign countries complies with exactly the same regulations as those manufactured in U.S. soil and provides the same level of public health protection as foods produced domestically. Compliance with these new regulations will be challenging for foreign food manufacturers. The objectives of this presentation will be: a) Provide an update on the development and implementation of the new U.S.’s import rules; and b) Gain a better understanding on how foreign food operations (such as those in China), would need to adapt their plants and production procedures to comply with the new U.S.’s import requirements.

 

Elvira de Mejia’s Resume

Dr. Elvira de Mejia is a Professor, Assistant Dean for Research and University Scholar at the University of Illinois and she has published over 170 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 25 chapters in books in the areas of Food Science and Human Nutrition. The long-range goal of her research program is to enhance the health of individuals by the identification and evaluation of the benefits of bioactive compounds in plant foods.  Her research is focused on plant food components with health benefits; analysis, chemical and biological characterization and their mechanism of action. She is currently working on the molecular mechanisms of bioactive food components, mainly proteins, peptides and flavonoids from legumes, cereals, herbs and fruits and their effect on prevention of chronic diseases.

 

Speech 2 Abstract

Phenolic compounds in fruits and vegetables have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibits nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), which incorrect regulation is linked to cancer, inflammation, viral infection, and improper immune development. The objective was to examine the effect of phenolic compounds in fruits and vegetables on GSK-3β/NF-κB signaling pathway using in vitro and in vivo models. Flavonoids, specifically luteolin, apigenin and quercetin, were able to optimally bind within the catalytic site of GSK-3β and inhibit its activity. The inhibitory effects of flavonoids on GSK-3β enzymatic activity and on BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells proliferation significantly correlated (r = 0.87) suggesting that flavonoids inhibited pancreatic cancer through inhibition of GSK-3β. Apigenin and luteolin enhanced, in vitro, the anti-cancer activity of chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine and oxaliplatin on BxPC-3 cells, and it was due to inhibition of GSK-3β/NF-κB pathway. Lut + Gem significantly lowered (p = 0.048) pancreatic tumor mass compared to control, when intraperitoneally-administered in an orthotopic mouse model. Lut, Gem, and Lut + Gem significantly reduced proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression (25%, 37% and 37%, respectively). Lut + Gem led to a significant reduction in the expressions of K- Ras (46%, p=0.0006), GSK-3β (34%, p=0.014), p(Tyr216)GSK-3β (16%, p=0.033), p(Ser311)NF-κB p65 (27%, p=0.036) and bcl-2/bax ratio (68%, p=0.006), while significantly increasing the expressions of cytochrome c (44%, p=0.035) and caspase 3 (417%, p=0.003). Lut plus Gem promoted apoptotic cell death in pancreatic tumor cells in vivo through inhibition of the K-Ras/GSK-3β/NF-κB pathway, leading to a reduction in bcl-2/bax ratio, release of cytochrome c and activation of caspase 3. Results demonstrated the potential of fruit and vegetable flavonoids to inhibit GSK-3β and protect against chronic diseases, providing the foundation for future studies in this area.