Research Publications (Food Safety)

Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), specifically serogroups O26, O45, O111, O103, O121, O145, and O157 (Top 7), pose significant health risks. Cattle are the primary reservoir of STEC, and effective intervention remains elusive. The identification of Lactobacillus spp. with antimicrobial activity as direct-fed microbials (DFMs) presents a potential strategy for pathogen reduction.

Toxicity caused by deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin (FB) produced by Fusarium species, naturally occur in food and feed, can lead to repress appetite and growth inhibition in pigs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the mycotoxin exposure with different concentrations in liver, ileum, and rectum tissues of piglets. Animals fed binary mixtures of mycotoxins followed by 0.5, 1, and 3 mg/kg feed for 30 d.

Body weight (BW) is an important component of pig productivity. Understanding the metabolic factors affecting growth rate is key to guiding nutritional strategies and bringing economic benefits to pig farms. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have been used to capture patterns in large datasets and predict animal production traits based on integrated information of performance data and blood records.

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites from molds that can contaminate cereal grains in the field and during storage. Pigs are very sensitive to deoxynivalenol (DON) and other Fusarium mycotoxins, and their diets contain high proportions of cereals and fibrous cereal byproducts such as dried distillers grains. This puts them at an increased risk for negative physiological effects.

Liver abscesses (LA) continue to be an economic challenge for the beef industry. Chronic ruminal acidosis and ruminitis contribute to LA development. Fusobacterium necrophorum subsp. necrophorum, a ruminal bacterium, is the primary causative agent. Damaged ruminal, and possibly other gut regions, become susceptible to invasion and colonization by subsp. necrophorum, which reaches the liver via portal blood to cause abscesses.

Field pea production in North Dakota has increased significantly over the past 20 yr with hectares planted increasing by more than 68% over that period. With the increase in supply of field peas, there is interest in evaluating whether using field peas in beef cattle finishing rations is economical compared with commonly used ingredients such as corn DDGS.

Liver health is vital for growth and health of ruminants, which can directly affect their performance. High-concentrate diet (HCD) feeding, a common practice to meet the energy requirements for animal production and growth, has been known to induce liver damage, including nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in ruminants. To date, the regulatory mechanisms of liver metabolic dysfunctions in ruminants induced by HCD are not well defined.

Mycotoxins causes diseases and physiological responses in humans and livestock. This study was performed to estimate the effects of binary mixtures mycotoxin {e.g., deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin (FB)] on blood biochemistry, histology, and metabolic profiles in rats fed with different toxin concentrations. Experimental animals were administered by oral gavage with 0.9% saline, DON (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg BW), FB (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) at 8 wk of age.

Mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by Fusarium, are harmful fungal secondary metabolic products that cause economic losses and health risks to humans and livestock. Measures to control and prevent feed contamination with DON are necessary to ensure the safety of livestock. These include strategies based on preventing fungal contamination of feed or limiting contaminants in feed through mycotoxin adsorption and degradation.

Immune system activation alters the demand for amino acid (AA) supply, and amino acid-based nutritional strategies may mitigate performance reduction in pigs subjected to a sanitary challenge (SC).

Butyrate is a microbial-produced metabolite associated with increased barrier integrity, enhanced mucosal immunity, and modulation of immune cell function. Butyrate driven immunomodulation occurs through a variety of mechanisms, including signaling via cell surface G protein-coupled receptors. Myeloid lineage cells serve as one of the first lines of defense during infection.

Deficient ruminally available nitrogen caused by a basal diet of low-quality forage can limit microbial growth in the rumen and decrease forage utilization. Protein supplementation is well-documented to improve forage digestibility and performance. Additionally, starch has been evaluated to increase energy supply to grazing cattle when the forage cannot support adequate levels of production.

Low-quality forage provides a limited supply of ruminally available nitrogen and is generally resistant to digestion, inhibiting microbial growth in the rumen and ultimately decreasing forage utilization. Supplementation with protein is well documented to increase forage utilization by promoting microbial growth. Even when protein requirements are met, additional energy, often provided as starch, may be required to meet performance expectations.

Composting is a viable disposal option for livestock-mortalities and offal; however, is illegal in California due to the perceived risk of disease transfer, heavy metal and nutrient leaching into ground water. Objectives were to determine heavy metal and nutrient concentration in non- and livestock-mortality compost.

Abstract

Globally, maize (Zea mays L.) is deemed an important cereal that serves as a staple food and feed for humans and animals, respectively. Across the East African Community, maize is the staple food responsible for providing over one-third of calories in diets. Ideally, stored maize functions as man-made grain ecosystems, with nutritive quality changes influenced predominantly by chemical, biological, and physical factors.

The contamination of food and feed by mycotoxins, particularly zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON), is a global issue. Prenatal exposure to ZEA and DON can result in congenital cardiac malformations in fetuses. Addressing the prevention and mitigation of embryonic cardiotoxicity caused by these toxins is crucial. Citrus limonoid nomilin (NOM) is an extract known for its pathological properties in various diseases.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to global health and food security and is primarily driven by antimicrobial use in human and veterinary medicine. Understanding its epidemiology at farm level is crucial for effective control measures. Despite the significant reduction in antibiotic use in conventional livestock production, the swine sector traditionally has a higher level of antibiotic use in veterinary medicine.

Abstract The article explores the science and practice of electrospinning, tracing its history and examining the factors that influence fiber morphology, including the solution composition, processing conditions, and environmental conditions. It offers a thorough examination of electrospinning fundamentals geared toward generating an appropriate platform for creating tailored nanofibers for sensing applications in the food industry.