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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 51 - 75 of 2013

  1. Assessment of the Impact of Humic Acids on Intestinal Microbiota, Gut Integrity, Ileum Morphometry, and Cellular Immunity of Turkey Poults Fed an Aflatoxin B1-Contaminated Diet

    • Toxins
    • A recent study published data on the growth performance, relative weights of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, liver histology, serum biochemistry, and hematological parameters for turkey poults fed an experimental diet contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and humic acids (HA) extracted from vermicompost.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  2. Curcumin attenuates aflatoxin B1-induced ileum injury in ducks by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and regulating TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a widespread toxic contamination in feed for animals. The primary active component of turmeric, curcumin (Cur), is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. However, it is yet unknown how AFB1 affects the intestinal epithelial barrier and whether Cur acts as a protective mechanism when exposed to AFB1.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  3. Risk of exposure to aflatoxin M1 through consumption of cow’s milk among children in Magadu, Morogoro

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination of milk affects the general population with particular attention to children who frequently consume milk as part of complementary food. This study determined AFM1 contamination of cow’s milk and estimated the health risk of dietary AFM1 through consumption of cow’s milk among children (6 to 36 months) in the Magadu ward of Morogoro region in Tanzania.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  4. Microbial Composition of Water Kefir Grains and Their Application for the Detoxification of Aflatoxin B1

    • Toxins
    • Water kefir grains (WKGs), the starter used to develop a traditional beverage named water kefir, consist of a symbiotic mixture of probiotics with diverse bioactivities, but little is known about their abilities to remove mycotoxins that have serious adverse effects on humans and animals.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  5. Characterization and mechanism of simultaneous degradation of aflatoxin B1 and zearalenone by an edible fungus of Agrocybe cylindracea GC-Ac2

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Contamination with multiple mycotoxins is a major issue for global food safety and trade. This study focused on the degradation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and zearalenone (ZEN) by 8 types of edible fungi belonging to 6 species, inclulding Agaricus bisporus, Agrocybe cylindracea, Cyclocybe cylindracea, Cyclocybe aegerita, Hypsizygus marmoreus and Lentinula edodes. Among these fungi, Agrocybe cylindracea strain GC-Ac2 was shown to be the most efficient in the degradation of AFB1 and ZEN.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  6. Seasonal Variation and Risk Assessment of Exposure to Aflatoxin M1 in Milk, Yoghurt, and Cheese Samples from Ilam and Lorestan Provinces of Iran

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • The current study aimed to evaluate aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in a total number of 240 samples collected during four consecutive seasons (from January to November 2022) from two western Iranian provinces (Ilam and Lorestan). AFM1 was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector after the toxin extraction with immunoaffinity columns. The results showed 100% of AFM1 contamination in all the surveyed matrices.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  7. Effective removal of aflatoxin B1 using modified attapulgite loaded with bacillomycin D from stored peanut kernels

    • Journal of Stored Products Research
    • Peanut kernels could be easily contaminated by Aspergillus flavus and its mycotoxins. This not only reduced their nutritional and economic value, but also posed a serious threat to human health. In this study, acid-modified attapulgite loaded with bacillomycin D (H-ATP-BD) was used for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) removal in peanut kernels contaminated with A. flavus spores. During storage, H-ATP-BD treatment inhibited mildew of peanut kernels.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  8. Superoxide dismutase, a novel aflatoxin oxidase from Bacillus pumilus E-1-1-1: Study on the degradation mechanism of aflatoxin M1 and its application in milk and beer

    • Food Control
    • The aim of this work was to study the effect of a recombinant superoxide dismutase (rSOD) from Bacillus pumilus E−1-1-1 regarding the degradation of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in model solution. The degradation mechanism was further explored and applied in milk and beer. The Kinetic Momentum and maximal velocity of the rSOD towards AFM1 were 3.6 μg/mL and 1.8 μg/mL/min, respectively. The rSOD-mediated AFM1 degradation product was identified as C12H11O3.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  9. Biopreservative and Anti-Mycotoxigenic Potentials of Lactobacillus paracasei MG847589 and Its Bacteriocin in Soft White Cheese

    • Toxins
    • Probiotics and their bacteriocins have increasingly attracted interest for their use as safe food preservatives. This study aimed to produce soft white cheese fortified with Lacticaseibacillus MG847589 (Lb.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  10. Dietary supplementation of Capsicum powder affects the growth, immunoglobulins, pro-inflammatory cytokines, adipokines, meat, and liver histology of aflatoxin B1 exposed broiler chickens

    • Toxicon
    • The effects of dietary supplementation with Capsicum annuum fruit pericarp powder (CPP) and Capsicum annuum fruit seed powder (CSP) on the health and performance of broiler chickens exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was investigated. Four dietary groups were established: CON (control), AFT (0.5 mg/kg AFB1), CPAF (0.5 g/kg CPP and 0.5 mg/kg AFB1), and CSAF (0.5 g/kg CSP and 0.5 mg/kg AFB1).

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  11. Aflatoxin B1 Impairs Bone Mineralization in Broiler Chickens

    • Toxins
    • Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a ubiquitous mycotoxin in corn-based animal feed, particularly in tropical regions, impairs liver function, induces oxidative stress and disrupts cellular pathways, potentially worsening bone health in modern broilers. A 19-day experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding increasing levels of AFB1-contaminated feed (<2, 75–80, 150, 230–260 and 520–560 ppb) on bone mineralization markers in broilers (n = 360).

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  12. Review: Sample Pretreatment and Detection Strategies for Aflatoxins in Foods

    • Food Analytical Methods
    • Aflatoxins (AFs) have strong liver and kidney toxicity, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects. They can easily contaminate foods such as grains and oilseeds, and can easily enter the human body through the food chain, posing a huge threat to human health. There is an urgent need to establish a rapid, sensitive, and accurate analysis strategy for AFs in food to protect people’s health.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  13. Determination of aflatoxin M1 and ochratoxin A in breast milk in rural centers of Yazd, Iran: Exposure assessment and risk characterization

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • Breast milk (BM) is considered as the best source of nutrition which could have prevention effects on various diseases in the first years of a child. Along with nutritive compounds, presence of contaminants such as mycotoxins in BM could be transmitted into neonate. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence, levels, and factors associated with the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and ocratoxin a (OTA) in BM samples of nursing mothers in rural centers of Yazd, Iran.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  14. A Magnetic Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application for High-Efficiency Detoxification of Aflatoxin B1

    • Toxins
    • (1) Safety problems associated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination have always been a major threat to human health. Removing AFB1 through adsorption is considered an attractive remediation technique. (2) Methods: To produce an adsorbent with a high AFB1 adsorption efficiency, a magnetic reduced graphene oxide composite (Fe3O4@rGO) was synthesized using one-step hydrothermal fabrication.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  15. Chicken CYP1A5 is able to hydroxylate aflatoxin B1 in aflatoxin M1

    • Toxicon
    • Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a naturally-occurring mycotoxin, can cause severe toxicological and carcinogenic effects in livestock and humans. Given that the chicken is one of the most important food-producing animals, knowledge regarding AFB1 metabolism and enzymes responsible for AFB1 transformation in the chicken has important implications for chicken production and food safety. Previously, we have successfully expressed chicken CYP1A5 and CYP3A37 monooxygenases in E.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  16. Characterization of Aspergillus section Flavi associated with stored grains

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • Increased frequencies of Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxins in cereal grains have been seen in recent years due to changes in climate circumstances, such as high temperatures and drought. To assess the microbiological risks of contamination, it is critical to have a reliable and accurate means of identifying the fungi.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  17. Assessing the Risk of Exposure to Aflatoxin B1 through the Consumption of Peanuts among Children Aged 6–59 Months in the Lusaka District, Zambia

    • Toxins
    • Aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) are fungi-produced toxins found in crops like peanuts, maize, and tree nuts. They constitute a public health concern due to their genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. A deterministic exposure risk assessment to AFB1 through the consumption of peanuts was conducted on children using the Margin of Exposure (MOE) and the liver cancer risk approaches.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  18. Aflatoxin M1 Analysis in Urine of Mill Workers in Bangladesh: A Pilot Study

    • Toxins
    • Presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in food and feed is a serious problem, especially in developing countries. Human exposure to this carcinogenic mycotoxin can occur through dietary intake, but also through inhalation or dermal contact when handling and processing AFB1-contaminated crops. A suitable biomarker of AFB1 exposure by all routes is the occurrence of its hydroxylated metabolite aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in urine.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  19. Investigating the Effects of grain quality, processing and environmental conditions on aflatoxin contamination in rice

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • This study examined the impact of aflatoxin contamination on rice, a widely consumed staple food. Various forms and types of rice from three regions in Pakistan between 2019 and 2022 were investigated for their relationship with processing, infestation severity and physicochemical characteristics. Semi-polished rice displayed the highest aflatoxin levels employing significant variability, while parboiled rice was also found to be contaminated.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  20. Impact of using cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) essential oil and its pectin-chitosan nano-emulsion on survival of Aspergillus flavus and total aflatoxin inhibition in beef burger patties

    • Food Control
    • Fungal growth is one of the most common and serious problems faced during food storage. Aspergillus flavus is one of the major storage fungi producing aflatoxins, which are highly toxic and carcinogenic and pose a marked hazard t

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  21. Aflatoxin Decontamination in Maize Steep Liquor Obtained from Bioethanol Production Using Laccases from Species within the Basidiomycota Phylum

    • Toxins
    • Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important crop in Argentina. Aspergillus section Flavi can infect this crop at the pre-harvest stage, and the harvested grains can be contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs). During the production of bioethanol from maize, AF levels can increase up to three times in the final co-products, known as, dry and wet distiller’s grain with solubles (DDGS and WDGS), intended for animal feed.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  22. Mycotoxin contamination in the Arab world: Highlighting the main knowledge gaps and the current legislation

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • Since the discovery of aflatoxins in the 1960s, knowledge in the mycotoxin research field has increased dramatically. Hundreds of review articles have been published summarizing many different aspects, including mycotoxin contamination per country or region. However, mycotoxin contamination in the Arab world, which includes 22 countries in Africa and Asia, has not yet been specifically reviewed.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  23. Aflatoxin M1 removal from milk using activated carbon and bentonite combined with lactic acid bacteria cells

    • International Journal of Dairy Technology
    • Treatment of milk with activated carbon and bentonite combined with lactic acid bacteria cells was an effective approach for removing Aflatoxin M1. This study was planned to explore the AFM1‐reducing potential of various heat and acid‐killed lactic acid bacteria (LAB), activated carbon and bentonite (BENT) in milk contaminated with 0.5 μg/L AFM1 and their impact on milk composition.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  24. Development of isotope dilution-ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the accurate determination of aflatoxins in grains

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • A method for the accurate determination of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 in grains was established using isotope dilution-ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-UHPLCsingle bondMS/MS). 13C- labeled 

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  25. Bile Acids Promote Hepatic Biotransformation and Excretion of Aflatoxin B1 in Broiler Chickens

    • Toxins
    • Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a hazardous mycotoxin that often contaminates animal feed and may potentially induce severe liver damage if ingested. The liver is the primary organ responsible for AFB1 detoxification through enzyme-catalyzed xenobiotic metabolism and bile acid (BA)-associated excretion. In this study, we sought to investigate whether exogenous BA improves hepatic AFB1 detoxification to alleviate AFB1-induced liver injury in broiler chickens.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins