Research Publications (Food Safety)

Microbial bioremediation of heavy metal-polluted soil is a promising technique for reducing heavy metal accumulation in crops. In a previous study, we isolated Bacillus vietnamensis strain 151–6 with a high cadmium (Cd) accumulation ability and low Cd resistance. However, the key gene responsible for the Cd absorption and bioremediation potential of this strain remains unclear. In this study, genes related to Cd absorption in B.

Pesticides have been widely used to control pests and weeds during food production or storage, but when used incorrectly, they can cause damage to human health and the environment. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate a multiresidue method for the determination of pesticides in potatoes, as well as to evaluate the concentrations in the peel and pulp of the tuber.

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) has direct and indirect repercussions on public health and threatens to decrease the therapeutic effect of antibiotic treatments and lead to more infection-related deaths. There are several mechanisms by which ABR can be transferred from one microorganism to another. The risk of transfer is often related to environmental factors.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is one of the most common obstetric diseases, and affects approximately 10 % of all pregnancies worldwide. Maternal cadmium (Cd) exposure is one of the factors that may increase the risk of the development of FGR. However, its underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Lead (Pb) contamination of planting soils is increasingly serious, leading to harmful effects on soil microflora and food safety. Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are carbohydrate polymers produced and secreted by microorganisms, which are efficient biosorbent materials and has been widely used in wastewater treatment to remove heavy metals. However, the effects and underlying mechanism of EPS-producing marine bacteria on soil metal immobilization, plant growth and health remain unclear.

Rice is an important grain as a major source of carbohydrates in Asia but contains more arsenic (As) than other grains. A total of 239 rice-based processed foods (rice, n = 30; rice cake, n = 30; porridge, n = 39; noodles, n = 33; bread, n = 20; snack, n = 59; powder, n = 28) were purchased in 2019 from domestic markets to measure total As (tAs) and As species.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of soils is an environmental concern, as cadmium harms food crops and can therefore impact human health. The use of combinations of biochar (seeded with Rhizobium leguminosarum) and Vigna radiata (as an intercrop) has the potential to reduce the mobilization of Cd from soil via mustard plants (Brassica juncea). Mustard plants are grown as a food and oil production crop that is consumed worldwide.

Information on the exposure of wild birds to pharmaceuticals from wastewater and urban refuse is scarce despite the enormous amount of drugs consumed and discarded by human populations. We tested for the presence of a battery of antibiotics, NSAIDs, and analgesics in the blood of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings in the vicinity of urban waste dumps and contaminated rivers in Madrid, central Spain.

by Abhinaya Venkatesan, Pablo D. Jimenez Castro, Arianna Morosetti, Hannah Horvath, Rebecca Chen, Elizabeth Redman, Kayla Dunn, James Bryant Collins, James S. Fraser, Erik C. Anderson, Ray M. Kaplan, John S. Gilleard Ancylostoma caninum is an important zoonotic gastrointestinal nematode of dogs worldwide and a close relative of human hookworms. We recently reported that racing greyhound dogs in the USA are infected with A.

by Muhammad Waqas Mazhar, Muhammad Ishtiaq, Mehwish Maqbool, Muhammad Ajaib, Iqbal Hussain, Tanveer Hussain, Abida Parveen, Sumaira Thind, Tauqeer Sardar, Raheel Akram, Muhammad Azeem, Alia Gul Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) grown under heavy metals such as cadmium stress shows poor growth patterns and yield attributes which can be extenuated by the application of calcium and organic manure to the contaminated soil.

The human population is growing and urbanising. These factors are driving the demand for animal-sourced proteins. The rising demand is favouring livestock intensification, a process that frequently relies on antibiotics for growth promotion, treatment and prevention of diseases. Antibiotic use in livestock production requires strict adherence to the recommended withdrawal periods.

Soil heavy metal pollution is one of the most challenging problems. Kenaf is an important natural fiber crop with strong heterosis and a higher tolerance to heavy metals. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of kenaf heavy metal tolerance, especially the mechanism of genomic DNA methylation regulating heterosis.

The soil contamination caused by the discharge of cadmium (Cd) from coal mining activities has aroused continuous attention due to the detrimental effects on the human health. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics on distribution of Cd in soils and its accumulation in wheat grains under wheat-cultivation system, and further assess the human health risks to adults and children.

LF3872 was isolated from the milk of a healthy lactating and breastfeeding woman. Earlier, the genome of LF3872 was sequenced, and a gene encoding unique bacteriocin was discovered. We have shown here that the LF3872 strain produces a novel thermolabile class III bacteriolysin (BLF3872), exhibiting antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains.

Skeletal system toxicity due to lead exposure has attracted extensive attention in recent years, but few studies focus on the skeletal toxicity of lead in the early life stages of zebrafish. The endocrine system, especially the GH/IGF-1 axis, plays an important role in bone development and bone health of zebrafish in the early life. In the present study, we investigated whether lead acetate (PbAc) affected the GH/IGF-1 axis, thereby causing skeletal toxicity in zebrafish embryos.

The current development model of the agricultural sector in Brazil has considerable potential to cause negative environmental impacts, including the pollution of aquatic ecosystems, as it may contribute to the intensification of erosive processes on deforested soils, to the leaching of eroded materials, and to the consequent siltation of waterbodies with soil particles containing environmental pollutants.

Purpose To determine if the increase in Cd uptake by durum wheat in the presence of Cd-citrate is due to dissociation or to the transpiration-driven apoplastic uptake of the complex. Methods A mechanistic model of Cd uptake in hydroponics was developed, formalising the transport of Cd, citrate and their complex, including the dissociation of the latter and its uptake

Enrofloxacin (ENR) is one of the most common drugs used in poultry production to treat bacterial diseases, and there is a high risk of drug interactions (DDIs) between polyether anticoccidial drugs added to poultry feed over time. This may affect the efficacy of antibiotics or lead to toxicity, posing a potential risk to the environment and food safety. This study aimed to investigate the DDI of ENR and salinomycin (SAL) in broilers and the mechanism of their DDI.

Mastitis is one of the most prevalent diseases of dairy cows. Currently, mastitis treatment in dairy cows is mainly based on antibiotics. However, the use of antibiotics causes adverse effects, including drug resistance, drug residues, host-microbiome destruction, and environmental pollution. The present study sought to investigate the potentiality of geraniol as an alternative to antibiotics for bovine mastitis treatment in dairy cows.

To date, Cd remains a major contaminant in rice production. An in-depth exploration of the mechanism that causes genotypic differences in Cd enrichment in rice is necessary to develop strategies to regulate Cd enrichment in rice. Here, two rice cultivars (low grain Cd, ZZ143; and high grain Cd, YX409) displayed different transcriptomic profile patterns when subjected to 100μmol/L Cd stress.

The NSAID ibuprofen (2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid) and the structurally related 3-phenylpropanoic acid (3PPA), are widely used pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) which enter municipal waste streams but whose relatively low rates of elimination by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are leading to the contamination of aquatic resources.

Cadmium, one of the toxic heavy metals, robustly impact crop growth and development and food safety. In this study, the mechanisms of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) selenium-binding protein-A (TaSBP-A) involved in response to Cd stress was fully investigated by overexpression in Arabidopsis and wheat. As a cytoplasm protein, TaSBP-A showed a high expression in plant roots and its expression levels were highly induced by Cd treatment.

Quality and safety issues arising from herbicide residues in fishery products are a growing concern. In order to ensure the edible safety of fishery products, a comprehensive assessment of multi-class herbicide residues should be conducted. Hence a modified QuEChERS approach was explored and validated using UPLC-Q-Tof-MS/MS for rapid screening and quantification of 158 herbicide residues in fishery products.

Biochar, as a sustainable amendment, effectively remediates soils contaminated with potentially toxic metals. However, the immobilization efficiencies of biochar can vary according to the soil properties.

Edible oil-based switchable-hydrophilicity solvent liquid–liquid microextraction (EO-SHS-LLME) was used prior to the determination of lead as its metal chelate with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) by flame-atomic absorption spectrometry.