Research Publications (Food Safety)

Promotion of healthier lifestyles has led to an increase in consumption of fresh produce. Such foodstuffs may expose consumers to increased risk of foodborne disease, as often they are not subjected to processing steps to ensure effective removal or inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms before consumption.

The current research focuses on anaerobic respiration of arsenic and other toxic metals by purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB). Among the optimization assays performed were carbon utilization, cross metal resistance, and metal respiration, along with a comparison of each assay in photoheterotrophic and chemoheterotrophic growth. The bacteria were identified by the classification of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Rhodobacter sp.

Cobamides are a family of cofactors that are widely‐utilized by diverse organisms, and there are over a dozen variants, including vitamin B12. V. cholerae imports a range of cobamides, but it cannot utilize a variant called pseudocobalamin and instead remodels it through a distinct pathway. Abstract Cobamides are a group of compounds including vitamin B12 that can vary at the lower base position of the nucleotide loop.

Little is known about the presence and effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Puerto Rico’s waters. Four coastal aquatic systems were investigated using low-density polyethylene passive sampling for PCBs and OCPs in water and its overlying air. The highest total freely dissolved and gaseous concentrations of PCBs were found in Guánica Bay, with 4000 pg/L and 270 pg/m3, respectively.

Functional foods provide nutritional and health benefits, yet they could be contaminated with residues like pesticides and polychlorobiphenyls. These residues affect the safety, quality, and consequently the commercial value of functional foods. Therefore, the validity and efficiency of residue determination methods constitute a major analytical concern. Reduction of matrix effect (ME) has always been the golden key for guaranteed sensitivity, selectivity, and high throughput analysis.

Although many proteins possess a distinct folded structure lying at a minimum in a funneled free energy landscape, thermal energy causes any protein to continuously access lowly populated excited states. The existence of excited states is an integral part of biological function. Although transitions into the excited states may lead...

Mycotoxin removers include enzymes and adsorbents that may be used in animal feeds to eliminate the toxic effects of mycotoxins. This study aimed to determine the removability of two different types of mycotoxin removers, adsorbents and enzyme degradation reagents (EDRs), in the simulated gastrointestinal conditions of pigs and poultry. Seven commercial mycotoxin removers, including five EDRs and two adsorbents, were tested in vitro.

Brucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Brucella species. The diagnosis and clinical assessment of human brucellosis are very important for the management o...

Resistance to antimicrobial agents of pathogenic bacteria has become a major problem in routine medical practices. Carbapenem resistance has long been increasing. The production of carbapenem- hydrolysing β-la...

Author(s): Armand Van Deun, Tom Decroo, Sabira Tahseen, Arnaud Trébucq, Valérie Schwoebel, Nimer Ortuno-Gutierrez, Bouke C. de Jong, Hans L. Rieder, Alberto Piubello, Chen-Yuan Chiang

Author(s): Yujing Zhang, Yu Ma, Ningjuan Liang, Yuehui Liang, Chan Lu, Fang Xiao

Author(s): Huiyu Wang, Shanjun Song, Mingwu Shao, Yan Gao, Chen Yang, Ya Li, Weihua Wang, Yajuan He, Penghui Li

Chilled mutton is favored in the Chinese market for its rich nutrition and delicious taste. However, storage temperature can be higher than 4°C to reduce energy and transportation costs, which makes chilled mutton vulnerable to decomposition by microorganisms causing a high attrition rate of chilled mutton. The physical property method is a general widely applicable method to evaluate meat freshness and is simpler and faster than the complex chemical and microbiological methods.

To combat food scarcity as well as to ensure nutritional food supply for sustainable living of increasing population, microalgae are considered as innovative sources for adequate nutrition. Currently, the dried biomass, various carotenoids, phycocyanin, phycoerythrin, omega fatty acids, and enzymes are being used as food additives, food coloring agents, and food supplements.

Nonthermal processing methods are often preferred over conventional food processing methods to ensure nutritional quality. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) is a new field of nonthermal processing technology and seeing increased interest for application in food preservation. In food applications of NTP, liquid interactions are the most prevalent. The NTP reactivity and product storability are altered during this interaction.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen, implicated in various multi-state outbreaks. It encodes Shiga toxin on a prophage, and Shiga toxin production is linked to phage induction. An E. coli strain, designated 0.1229, was identified that amplified Stx2a production when co-cultured with E. coli O157:H7 strain PA2. Growth of PA2 in 0.1229 cell-free supernatants had a similar effect, even when supernatants were heated to 100°C for 10 min, but not after treatment with Proteinase K.

Author(s): Erfaneh Amoueyan, Sajjad Ahmad, Joseph N.S. Eisenberg, Daniel Gerrity

Author(s): Xiao Xiao, Rui Qi, Hui-Ju Han, Jian-Wei Liu, Xiang-Rong Qin, Li-Zhu Fang, Chuan-Min Zhou, Xiao-Qing Gong, Si-Cong Lei, Xue-Jie Yu

Author(s): Katesaraporn Nuankeaw, Boonyanoot Chaiyosang, Thanapat Suebrasri, Somdej Kanokmedhakul, Saisaamorn Lumyong, Sophon Boonlue

Author(s): Elumalai Preetham, Abdul Salam Rubeena, Baskaralingam Vaseeharan, Mukesh Kumar Chaurasia, Jesu Arockiaraj, Rolf Erik Olsen

Author(s): A.-C. Geuthner, M. Koethe, M. Ludewig, S. Pott, G. Schares, P. Maksimov, A. Daugschies, B. Bangoura