Biology subjects

Tao, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Tao, D..

17 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Profiling of Aggregated Amyloid β42-induced Proteomic Alterations in KOLF2.1J Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Neurons

Amyloid[beta]; (A[beta];) plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer[prime]s disease (AD). A human cellular neuronal model that recaptures A[beta];-induced pathology is critical for advancing AD research. However, comprehensive proteomic profiling of A[beta];-induced cellular model remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the proteomic changes in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons (iNs) exposed to synthetic A[beta]; (1-42) peptides (A[beta];42A) to improve our understanding of the cellular responses of A[beta]; aggregates and to establish a human-related platform for AD research. A[beta];42A formed extracellular aggregates around neuronal soma and neurites, impaired neurite outgrowth, and induced the expression of multiple AD-associated genes, such as APOE, BACE1, ADAM10. To define the molecular landscape of A[beta];-induced neuronal dysfunction, we performed proteomic analyses of whole-cell lysates as well as soma- and neurite-enriched fractions. Proteomic profiling revealed extensive gene alterations in pathways associated with synaptic function, neuronal maintenance, and AD pathogenesis, such as the upregulation of APOE. Importantly, the A[beta];42A-iNs system recapitulated molecular signatures observed in AD brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. Representative protein changes, including APOE upregulation and its colocalization with A[beta]; aggregates, were further validated in postmortem human AD brain tissue. Together, these findings manifest that the A[beta];42A-iNs system reproduces multiple cellular and molecular features of AD and exhibits strongly consensus with clinical observations. It provides a valuable platform for investigating A[beta];-driven neurodegeneration and for the discovery of therapeutic targets for AD.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

A cross-modal generative model for incomplete and degradedprostate MRI with multicentre clinical validation

Missing or degraded sequences can limit prostate multiparametric MRI. We developed MSCNet, a sequence-conditioned cross-modal generative framework for reconstructing unavailable contrasts and restoring degraded acquisitions. Across ten completion tasks, task-specific MSCNet achieved mean structural similarity of 0.818 versus 0.798 for the strongest task-matched comparators; matched-capacity analyses showed larger differences in lesion fidelity and boundary preservation. In a blinded 1,000-case reader study, overall image quality met the prespecified non-inferiority criterion for DWI, ADC and T2W completion, but not T1W. In a separate 200-case diagnostic assessment, AUCs for clinically significant cancer were 0.860 with acquired images, 0.841 with MSCNet and 0.797 with baseline-generated images. A locked 186-case three-hospital cohort supported multicentre transportability. These retrospective results support quality-controlled cross-modal reconstruction as an adjunct to acquired prostate MRI.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Foxp4+ Mandibular Skeletal Stem Cells Orchestrate Bone/Tooth Development and Regeneration

The identity of stem/progenitor cells that drive mandible/tooth development and regeneration remains poorly understood. Here, we show that cranial neural crest-derived Foxp4+ mesenchymal cells condense to form Meckels cartilage, and simultaneously promote mandible development and tooth germ formation. In postnatal mandibles, Foxp4+ cells localize in the endosteum, periosteum and dental pulp, which undergo osteogenesis and odontogenesis under steady state, as well as chondrogenesis during fracture repair. Importantly, transplantation of embryonic or adult Foxp4+CD200+CD105- mandibular skeletal stem cells (mdSSCs) generate ectopic bone and tooth. In contrast, genetic ablation of Foxp4+ cells severely impairs mandible/tooth development and delays fracture healing. Mechanistically, we find that primary cilia critically regulate mdSSC maintenance and differentiation into bone and tooth. FOXP4+PDPN+CADM1+ mdSSCs also exist in adult human mandible, which generate ectopic bone and intact tooth upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice. Taken together, we identify Foxp4+ mdSSCs with potential therapeutic applications in regenerating mandibular bone and tooth.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

FoxO transcription factors couple the urea cycle and gluconeogenesis by controlling Ass1

Amino acid catabolism during fasting requires coordinated nitrogen disposal and glucose production, but the transcriptional logic linking the urea cycle to gluconeogenesis remains unclear. Forkhead box O (FoxO) transcription factors are key regulators of fasting metabolism, yet their role in controlling urea cycle genes has not been fully defined. Here we identify FoxOs as direct regulators of hepatic argininosuccinate synthase 1 (Ass1). Because FoxOs often act through Kruppel-like factor 15 (Klf15) in amino acid metabolism, we tested whether Ass1 regulation requires Klf15. Acute hepatic FoxO1/3a knockdown in fasted mice selectively reduced Ass1 expression, lowered blood glucose, and shifted urea-cycle amino acids, with arginine decreased and ornithine increased, even in Klf15-deficient livers. Silencing Ass1 phenocopied these metabolic effects, indicating that Ass1 mediates a key FoxO-dependent branch of fasting adaptation. Mechanistically, we mapped a functional FoxO-binding element within an upstream Ass1 enhancer: FoxO1/3a activated the enhancer in reporter assays, EMSA confirmed binding, and in vivo luciferase imaging and liver ChIP demonstrated fasting-inducible enhancer activity and FoxO occupancy. Collectively, these findings establish a FoxO-Ass1 axis that couples ureagenesis to gluconeogenesis and supports metabolic flexibility during fasting. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=158 SRC="FIGDIR/small/695746v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (23K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@94ff36org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ff4f3forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@abd0e5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f8d9b_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2025

On-demand insulin manufacturing using cell-free systems with an "on-column" conversion approach

Recent studies project that the prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase significantly and lead to escalating demand on the insulin supply chain. Despite being the first recombinant therapeutic approved by the FDA, insulin remains challenging to access for many around the globe. Here we report on advancements in manufacturing insulin using cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems to rapidly produce mature desB30-insulin in less than a day. This is a major advance towards decentralizing insulin manufacturing and bringing production closer to the point-of-care, thereby improving diabetic patient accessibility. To this end, a purified cell-free extract, PUREfrex(R) 2.1, was utilized to synthesize a tagged proinsulin construct that can be captured and converted into mature insulin using an on-column affinity chromatography process. Notably, two chaperones, peptidyl prolyl isomerase (FkpA), and seven kilodalton protein (Skp) were observed to play a critical role during cell-free expression of proinsulin. The proinsulin was then immobilized on a Ni-NTA column where the purification and conversion of cell-free products were performed sequentially to yield desB30-insulin. Following further optimization, this method serves as a time and resource-efficient production process as compared to current methods. When applied simultaneously, the cell-free expression and on-column conversion methods reported here can be adopted to enable rapid on-demand insulin manufacturing in order to improve the accessibility of insulin and prevent future shortages.

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Expanding the CRISPR toolbox by engineering Cas12a orthologs of metagenomic discovery

Cas12a (Cpf1) is a CRISPR-associated nuclease with broad utility in genome editing and molecular diagnostic applications. However, the widespread adoption of CRISPR-Cas12a nucleases and their variants has been hindered by the requirement for a specific protospacer adjacent motif (PAM), relatively low CRISPR RNA (crRNA) activity and the inability to multiplex nucleic acid detection alone. To overcome these limitations, we employed a comprehensive framework combined with AlphaFold2 to de novo mine 1,261 previously unexploited Cas12a orthologs from the global microbiome. Following experimental analysis, we identified the most promising 21 Cas12a nuclease orthologs and designated them "Genie scissor 12" (Gs12). Our analysis uncovered two exceptional variants among these newly identified orthologs: Gs12-10, a first natural PAM-less Cas12a ortholog, which can recognize 52 distinct PAM types, representing a significant 1.8-fold expansion in recognition range compared to the relative LbCas12a PAM; and Gs12-7MAX, an engineered variant of Gs12-7 that exhibited 1.27-fold higher editing efficiency than enAsCas12a-HF. Furthermore, we harnessed Gs12-1, Gs12-4, Gs12-9, and Gs12-18, along with their corresponding engineered crRNAs, to develop a powerful four-channel multiplexed CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection system. The discovery of diverse functions in Cas12a offers a deeper understanding of the CRISPR/Cas12a family. Also, it holds great promise for expanding its applications and uncovering the untapped potential of other CRISPR/Cas systems. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=189 SRC="FIGDIR/small/615316v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (57K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bee75forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1480f61org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1e9cbc9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4211b2_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Pleistocene glaciation advances the younger temporal dimension of species diversification in a major biodiversity hotspot

O_LIThe expansive Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains (HM) and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) form a biodiversity hotspot imperiled by global change. The species diversity, resulting from myriad factors led to plant diversification from 10 million years ago till now. However, despite understanding speciation timing better, a lack of in-depth population-level studies and a dearth of organismal sampling among closely related species and populations leaves an incomplete view of diversification trends and biotic influences. C_LIO_LIWe delve into the complex factors influencing diversification through genomic and eco-morphological analysis within the Stellera chamaejasme L. complex, known for its significant floral diversity. C_LIO_LIOur results uncover four cryptic species, indicating a more recent and younger diversification period ([~]2.67-0.9 Mya), driven by Pleistocene glaciation and a complex set of interacting biotic factors. These factors prompted allopatric speciation and advocated cyclical warming-cooling episodes along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients throughout the Pleistocene. C_LIO_LIThe study emphasizes the existence of cryptic species within these mountains, broadening our understanding of species diversification to more recent than previously recognized. This novel perspective may reshape evolutionary paradigms in plant science. Additionally, it also brings to light concerns over future warmings possible impacts on alpine species distribution and speciation, underlining the urgency for increased conservation efforts. C_LI

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

An approach to rapid distributed manufacturing of broad spectrum anti-viral griffithsin using cell-free systems to mitigate pandemics

This study describes the cell-free biomanufacturing of a broad-spectrum antiviral protein, griffithsin (GRFT) such that it can be produced with consistent purity and potency in less than 24 hours. We demonstrate GRFT production using two independent cell-free systems, one plant and one microbial. Griffithsin purity and quality were verified using standard regulatory metrics. Efficacy was demonstrated in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 and was nearly identical to that of GRFT expressed in vivo. The proposed production process is efficient and can be readily scaled up and deployed anywhere in the world where a viral pathogen might emerge. The current emergence of viral variants has resulted in frequent updating of existing vaccines and loss of efficacy for front-line monoclonal antibody therapies. Proteins such as GRFT with its efficacious and broad virus neutralizing capability provide a compelling pandemic mitigation strategy to promptly suppress viral emergence at the source of an outbreak.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

In vivo quantitative high-throughput screening for drug discovery and comparative toxicology

Quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) evaluates the pharmacology of drug and investigational agent libraries for potential therapeutic uses, toxicological risk assessment, and increasingly for academic chemical tool discovery. Phenotypic HTS assays aim to interrogate molecular pathways and networks, often relying on cell culture systems, historically with less emphasis on multicellular organisms. C. elegans has served as a powerful eukaryotic model organism for human biology and disease by virtue of genetic conservation and experimental tractability. Here we describe a paradigm to enable C. elegans in qHTS using 384-well microtiter plate laser scanning cytometry. GFP-expressing organisms are used to reveal phenotype-modifying structure-activity relationships to guide subsequent life stages and proteomic analysis. E. coli bacterial ghosts, a non-replicating nutrient source, allow compound exposures over 7-days spanning two life cycles to mitigate complications from bacterial overgrowth. We demonstrate the method with a library composed of anti-infective agents, or molecules of general toxicological concern. Each was tested in 7-point titration to assess the feasibility of nematode-based in vivo qHTS, and examples of follow-up strategies were provided to study organism-based chemotype selectivity and subsequent network perturbations having a physiological impact. We anticipate a broader application of this qHTS-coupled proteomics approach will enable the analysis of C. elegans orthologous transgenic phenotypes of human pathologies to facilitate drug and probe profiling from high-impact chemical libraries for a range of therapeutic indications and study of potential toxicological signatures. Graphic Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=159 SRC="FIGDIR/small/505462v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7ef320org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8bc35corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1c6f446org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@cf56f1_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2021

Rapid visual CRISPR assay: a naked-eye colorimetric detection method for nucleic acids based on CRISPR/Cas12a and convolutional neural network

Rapid diagnosis based on naked-eye colorimetric detection remains challenging, but it could build new capacities for molecular point-of-care testing (POCT). In this study, we evaluated the performance of 16 types of single-stranded DNA-fluorophore-quencher (ssDNA-FQ) reporters for use with CRISPR/Cas12a based visual colorimetric assays. Among them, 9 ssDNA-FQ reporters were found to be suitable for direct visual colorimetric detection, with especially very strong performance using ROX-labeled reporters. We optimized the reaction concentrations of these ssDNA-FQ reporters for naked-eye read-out of assay results (no transducing component required for visualization). Subsequently, we developed a convolutional neural network algorithm standardize and to automate the analytical colorimetric assessment of images and integrated this into the MagicEye mobile phone software. A field-deployable assay platform named RApid VIsual CRISPR (RAVI-CRISPR) based on a ROX-labeled reporter with isothermal amplification and CRISPR/Cas12a targeting was established. We deployed RAVI-CRISPR in a single tube towards an instrument-less colorimetric POCT format that requires only a portable rechargeable hand warmer for incubation. The RAVI-CRISPR was successfully used for the single-copy detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and African swine fever virus (ASFV). Our study demonstrates this novel RAVI-CRISPR system for distinguishing different pathogenic nucleic acid targets with high specificity and sensitivity as the simplest-to-date platform for rapid pen-side testing.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2021

DAB2IP inhibits p53 ubiquitin-mediated degradation by competitively binding to GRP75 and suppresses tumor malignancy in colon cancer

Increasing evidence has shown that DAB2IP acts as a tumor suppressor and plays an inhibition role in many tumors. However, the underlying mechanism is still uncertain. Our study shows that DAB2IP is positively associated with a better prognosis in colon cancer patients with wild-type TP53 expression. In vitro assay shows that DAB2IP elicits potent tumor-suppressive effects on inhibiting cell invasiveness, colony formation and promoting cell apoptosis in wild-type TP53 colon cancer cell lines. Subsequently, DAB2IP is demonstrated to up-regulate the stability of wild-type TP53 by inhibiting its degradation in a ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent manner. Using mass spectrometry profiling, we unveil that DAB2IP and p53 could both interact with the ubiquitin ligase-related protein, GRP75. Mechanistically, DAB2IP could competitively bind with GRP75, thus reducing GRP75-mediated p53 ubiquitination and degradation. Finally, animal experiments also reveal that DAB2IP inhibits the tumor progression in vivo. In conclusion, our study presents a novel function of DAB2IP in GRP75-driven wild-type p53 degradation, which provides a new insight in DAB2IP-induced tumor suppression and provides a novel molecular aspect of the p53 pathway.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

YAP1 induces invadopodia formation by transcriptionally activating TIAM1 through its enhancer in breast cancer

Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), a central component of the Hippo pathway, plays an important role in tumor metastasis; however, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we reported that YAP1 could induce invadopodia formation and promote tumor metastasis in breast cancer cells. We identified that TIAM1, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, is a target of YAP1-TEAD4 complex. YAP1 promotes TEAD4 binding to the enhancer region of TIAM1, which activates TIAM1 expression and subsequently increases RAC1 activity. These findings reveal the functional role of Hippo signaling in invadopodia, and provide potential molecular targets for preventing tumor metastasis in breast cancer. SignificanceThrough regulating the enhancer region of TIAM1, YAP1 induces invadopodia formation and promotes tumor metastasis in breast cancer.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Unpaired Data Empowers Association Tests

To achieve a holistic view of the underlying mechanisms of human diseases, the biomedical research community is moving toward harvesting retrospective data available in Electronic Healthcare Records (EHRs). The first step for causal understanding is to perform association tests between types of potentially high-dimensional biomedical data, such as genetic, blood biomarkers, and imaging data. To obtain a reasonable power, current methods require a substantial sample size of individuals with both data modalities. This prevents researchers from using much larger EHR samples that include individuals with at least one data type, limits the power of the association test, and may result in higher false discovery rate. We present a new method called the Semi-paired Association Test (SAT) that makes use of both paired and unpaired data. In contrast to classical approaches, incorporating unpaired data allows SAT to produce better control of false discovery and, under some conditions, improve the association test power. We study the properties of SAT theoretically and empirically, through simulations and application to real studies in the context of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Our method identifies an association between the high-dimensional characterization of Computed Tomography (CT) chest images and blood biomarkers as well as the expression of dozens of genes involved in the immune system.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2019

A Versatile Polypharmacology Platform Promotes Cytoprotection and Viability of Human Pluripotent and Differentiated Cells

Clinical translation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) requires advanced strategies that ensure safe and robust long-term growth and functional differentiation. Pluripotent cells are capable of extensive self-renewal, yet remain highly sensitive to environmental perturbations in vitro, posing challenges to their therapeutic use. Here, we deployed innovative high-throughput screening strategies to identify a small molecule cocktail that dramatically improves viability of hPSCs and their differentiated progeny. We discovered that the combination of Chroman 1, Emricasan, Polyamines, and Trans-ISRIB (CEPT) enhanced cell survival of genetically stable hPSCs by simultaneously blocking several stress mechanisms that otherwise compromise cell structure and function. In proof-of-principle experiments we then demonstrated the strong improvements that CEPT provided for several key applications in stem cell research, including routine cell passaging, cryopreservation of pluripotent and differentiated cells, embryoid body and organoid formation, single-cell cloning, genome editing, and new iPSC line generation. Thus, CEPT represents a unique polypharmacology strategy for comprehensive cytoprotection, providing a new rationale for efficient and safe utilization of hPSCs. Conferring cell fitness by multi-target drug combinations may become a common approach in cryobiology, drug development, and regenerative medicine.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Both Determinants of Allosteric and Active Sites Responsible for Catalytic Activity of Delta 12 Fatty Acid Desaturase by Domain Swapping

Cheese lacks essential fatty acids (EFAs). Delta 12 fatty acid desaturase (FADS12) is a critical enzyme required for EFA biosynthesis in fermentation of the predominant strains of cheese. Previously, we identified the FADS12 gene and characterized its function for the first time in Geotrichum candidum, a dominant strain used to manufacture soft cheese with white rind. In this study, we analyzed the molecular mechanism of FADS12 function by swapping domains from Mortierella alpina and G. candidum that had, respectively, high and low oleic acid conversion rates. The results revealed three regions that are essential to this process, including regions from the end of the second transmembrane domain to the beginning of the third transmembrane domain, from the end of the third transmembrane domain to the beginning of the fourth transmembrane domain, and from the 30-amino acid from the end of the sixth transmembrane domain to the C-terminal end region. Based on our domain swapping analyses, nine pairs of amino acids including H112, S118, H156, Q161, K301, R306, E307, A309 and S323 in MaFADS12 (K123, A129, N167, M172, T302, D307, I308, E310 and D324 in GcFADS12) were identified as having a significantly effect on FADS12 catalytic efficiency, and linoleic acid and its analogues (12,13-cyclopropenoid fatty acid) were found to inhibit the catalytic activity of FADS12 and related recombinant enzymes. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of FADS12 inhibition was analyzed. The results revealed two allosteric domains, including one domain from the N-terminal region to the beginning of the first transmembrane domain and another from the 31st amino acid from the end of the sixth transmembrane domain to the C terminus. Y4 and F398 amino acid residues from MaFADS12 and eight pairs of amino acids including G56, L60, L344, G10, Q13, S24, K326 and L344 in MaFADS12 (while Y66, F70, F345, F20, Y23, Y34, F327 and F345 in GcFADS12) played a pivotal role in FADS12 inhibition. Finally, we found that both allosteric and active sites were responsible for the catalytic activity of FADS12 at various temperatures, pH, and times. This study offers a solid theoretical basis to develop preconditioning methods to increase the rate at which GcFADS12 converts oleic and linoleic acids to produce higher levels of EFAs in cheese.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Autoencoder-based cluster ensembles for single-cell RNA-seq data analysis

BackgroundSingle-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a transformative technology, allowing global transcriptomes of individual cells to be profiled with high accuracy. An essential task in scRNA-seq data analysis is the identification of cell types from complex samples or tissues profiled in an experiment. To this end, clustering has become a key computational technique for grouping cells based on their transcriptome profiles, enabling subsequent cell type identification from each cluster of cells. Due to the high feature-dimensionality of the transcriptome (i.e. the large number of measured genes in each cell) and because only a small fraction of genes are cell type-specific and therefore informative for generating cell type-specific clusters, clustering directly on the original feature/gene dimension may lead to uninformative clusters and hinder correct cell type identification.\n\nResultsHere, we propose an autoencoder-based cluster ensemble framework in which we first take random subspace projections from the data, then compress each random projection to a low-dimensional space using an autoencoder artificial neural network, and finally apply ensemble clustering across all encoded datasets for generating clusters of cells. We employ four evaluation metrics to benchmark clustering performance and our experiments demonstrate that the proposed autoencoder-based cluster ensemble can lead to substantially improved cell type-specific clusters when applied with both the standard k-means clustering algorithm and a state-of-the-art kernel-based clustering algorithm (SIMLR) designed specifically for scRNA-seq data. Compared to directly using these clustering algorithms on the original datasets, the performance improvement in some cases is up to 100%, depending on the evaluation metrics used.\n\nConclusionsOur results suggest that the proposed framework can facilitate more accurate cell type identification as well as other downstream analyses. The code for creating the proposed autoencoder-based cluster ensemble framework is freely available from https://github.com/gedcom/autoencoder_cluster_ensemble

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2018

Comparison of Generally Recognized as Safe Organic Acids for Disinfecting Fresh-cut Lettuce

In this study, we aimed to determine the organic acids (acetic, lactic, citric, malic, propionic, succinic, and tartaric acids; 1% and 0.5%, w/w or v/v) that were most effective for fresh-cut lettuce disinfection based on analysis of quality (i.e., color, electrolyte leakage, and sensory quality) and microbial examination. The results showed that these acids did not negatively affect the color quality (i.e., L*, a*, b*, whiteness index, and sensory color). Additionally, 0.5% lactic acid led to the lowest electrolyte leakage (0.83%), which was not significantly different (p > 0.05) from that of distilled water (0.46%). Lactic acid (1%) did not affect the sensory quality and led to the highest microbial reduction (1.45 log reduction in aerobic plate counts [APCs]; 2.31 log reduction in molds and yeasts [M&Y]) and was therefore recommended as the primary choice for lettuce disinfection. Malic acid (0.5%), with a 1.07% electrolyte leakage rate, 0.73 log reduction in APCs, and 1.40 log reduction in M&Y, was better than the other six acids (0.5%) and was recommended as a pH regulator and a potential synergistic agent for oxidizing sanitizers. Acetic acid (1%) negatively affected the sensory quality and led to the highest electrolyte leakage (2.90%). Microbial analysis showed that propionic acid (0.5% and 1%) was ineffective for disinfection of lettuce (p > 0.05); thus, acetic and propionic acids were not recommended. Our results provide insights into the choice of sanitizers and formula design in food safety.\n\nIMPORTANCESince chlorine is forbidden in several countries, generally recognized as safe organic acids are used in minimal processing industries and in household sanitizers. The disinfection efficacy of organic acids has been studied when used alone or with oxidizing sanitizers. However, since different antibacterial mechanisms, contact time, fresh produce, and concentration have been reported, the acids most effective for single fresh produce disinfection, especially that of lettuce, an important salad vegetable, are not known. Moreover, in developing countries, because of imperfections in field management, cold chain transportation, and minimal processing industry development, the demand for low-cost household sanitizers is greater than that for minimally processed fresh produce. In this work, microbial load in lettuce was determined after disinfecting with seven GRAS organic acids. The changes in quality were also determined. These results provide insights into the choice of minimal processing sanitizers and a formula design for household sanitizers.

microbiology↗