Research Publications (Food Safety)

Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging foodborne zoonotic pathogen that has been isolated from environmental water sources. This pathogen establishes in vitro endosymbiotic relationships with Acanthamoeba castellanii, a free-living amoeba found in environmental matrices such as soil and water.

The cultivation area and diversity of genetically modified (GM) crop varieties worldwide is increasing rapidly. Taking Turkey as an example of a country with tight restrictions on the import and use of GM crops but limited resources for product monitoring, we developed a cost-effective 3-tier screening protocol, and tested 110 retail food products and 13 animal feeds available in 2016–2017 for GM ingredients.

The widespread use of bisphenol S (BPS) as a bisphenol A substitute increases its potential of release into the aquatic environments. However, the degradation of BPS in aquatic systems is largely unknown, which will dictate its fate and toxicity. In this study, a bacterial consortium was enriched from river sediments and the dynamic changes of community structure during bacterial acclimation were studied.

Antibiotics in manure, soil, wastewater, and groundwater samples from the livestock and poultry farms in Xuzhou City were investigated in the present study. The concentrations of antibiotics in all matrices varied greatly among farms. Total concentrations of fluoroquinolones and macrolides were much higher than those of sulfonamides in manures and soil samples. Total concentrations of antibiotics in wastewater of livestock farms were higher than those of poultry farm.

The manufacturing and consumption of drugs of addiction has increased globally and their widespread occurrence in the environment is an emerging concern. This study evaluated the phytotoxicity of three compounds: methamphetamine, codeine and morphine; commonly reported in Australian urban water, to the aquatic plant Lemna minor under controlled conditions. L.

The aim of this study is to determine seasonal changes in the blood levels of some heavy metals in three Turkey-specific cattle breed: Native Land (NL), Grizzle Race (GR), and South Anatolian Red (SR). Blood samples were collected in summer and winter seasons from a total of 180 cattle aged 12–24 months. The levels of the essential (Zn, Cu, Fe, Co etc.) and non-essential (Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Pb, etc.) heavy metals were analyzed.

This research presents the assessment of contamination status, congener profiles and ecological risk of selected endocrine disrupting compounds (S-EDCs) in surface water from KimNguu River, Hanoi. Selected EDCs compose polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalate esters (PAEs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Water sampling and chemical analyses were carried out in collected water samples in dry season (April) and wet season (October) in 2018.

Five human-specific markers were detected in 59–74% of 27 human fecal-source samples collected in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Similarly, potential human-specific markers, crAssphage, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and tobacco mosaic virus were detected in 96–100% of samples, with crAssphage showing the maximum concentration of 12.03 log copies/L.

The aim of this study was to determine the origin (human, bovine or porcine) and the concentration of the fecal sources of contamination in waters from Santa Lucía basin and Uruguay River in Uruguay by using host-specific viral markers (adenoviruses and polyomaviruses) as microbial source tracking (MST). Between June 2015 and May 2016, monthly collections of surface water samples were performed in six sites in Santa Lucía basin and four sites in Uruguay River (n = 120 samples).

Monitoring of environmental water is crucial to protecting humans and animals from possible health risks. Although numerous human-specific viral markers have been designed to track the presence of human fecal contamination in water, they lack adequate sensitivity and specificity in different geographical regions.

While one of the biggest problems we are facing today is water scarcity, enormous quantities of water are still being used in irrigation. If contaminated, this water can act as an effective pathway for the spread of disease-causing agents, like viruses. Here, we present a novel, environmentally friendly method known as cold atmospheric plasma for inactivation of viruses in water used in closed irrigation systems.

A simple and sensitive method based on dummy molecular imprinting and matrix solid-phase dispersion (DMI–MSPD) was developed for the simultaneous detection of estrogens including estrone, 17β-estradiol, aestriol, ethinylestradiol, dienestrol, diethylstilbestrol, and hexestrol in aquatic products. The method was followed by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS).

Herein, we examined the effects of plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment on the native microflora survival, quality maintenance, and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut pears, which were washed with PAW under three different conditions (peak voltage = 6, 8, and 10 kV) for 5 min and then stored at 4 °C for 12 days. Distilled water and sodium hypochlorite treatment were used as control and comparison, respectively.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replacement aspects of conventional methods (petroleum-based solvent and Folch assay) by alternative methods (bio-based and biodegradable solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) and supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2)) for seed oil extraction from anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.).

High-performance electrochemical enzymatic biosensor based on flowerlike α-Fe2O3 nanostructures was successfully developed for the detection of potential food adulterant, formaldehyde (formalin). The biosensor was found to be highly sensitive (744.15 μA mg−1 Lcm−2) with linear range of detection (0.01–0.3 mg/L) and showed high shelf-life (9 weeks) and precision (0.73% RSD) with reasonably good reproducibility.

Microchip has been widely used in the biochemical field, but it is rarely applied in the food area. In this paper, an optimal microelectrode model was obtained via the improved evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) method, the effect of topological parameters on the sterilization efficiency was clarified, and the optimized microchip was applied to the sterilization of blueberry juice to verify its feasibility.

Phthorimaea operculella occurs in almost all potato-producing states in India and is considered to be a major potato pest in several states. The larva attacks all vegetative parts of the potato, and most economic damage occurs to potato tubers both before harvest in the field and during storage. The tuber damage in storage has been stated to range from 1 to 72.5% in the endemic states. In Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, up to 100% losses in storage have been reported.

The term ‘quality’ is a complex parameter in the field of potato production, and the desired quality traits depend on the intended use. Important internal quality traits for potatoes are tuber flesh discolouration, dry matter, and starch content. External quality traits include tuber size and shape as well as resistance against mechanical stress during and after harvest. These quality traits are closely interrelated and genetically controlled.

There is a significant increase in the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds in recent past to combat drug resistant pathogens. Members of the genus Bacillus and related genera have been screened extensively due to their ability to produce wide range of antimicrobial compounds. In this study, we have isolated and characterized a new antimicrobial peptide from a marine bacterium identified as Virgibacillus species.

The presence of very high concentrations of organic pollutants, phenols, tannins and heavy metals mainly chromium in wastewater discharged from leather industries, tags it as one of the most polluting industries. The phenolic syntans discharged from tanning units have an adverse effect on living organisms and cause serious environmental pollution, thereby making it very imperative to remove it.

This study aimed to estimate in laboratory the temporal production of methylmercury during the filling of reservoirs of hydropower plants and to correlate it to the ecosystem of different locations in northern Brazil: Jirau hydropower plant in the Madeira River in the state of Rondônia (white waters—under construction), Cana Brava hydropower plant in the Tocantins River in the state of Goiás (clear waters—completed), and the Negro River in the Amazon (black waters—comparative).

This study aimed to determine the mycoremediative capacity of filamentous fungi consortia in landfill heavy metal contaminated soil. Streak plate method was utilized for the isolation of fungi from the landfill soil. Isolates were identified using morphological and molecular techniques. Heavy metal tolerance of the fungi was determined using radial growth diameter technique. Twelve species of landfill indigenous fungi were used for the bioremediation process.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyl acetic acid (2,4-D), glyphosate, and metribuzine are used extensively as an herbicide in the vicinity of Antalya, Turkey. The objective of this study was to investigate the mobility of such herbicides in terra rossa-amended soil by multiple approaches with batch, miscible-displacement, and mathematical modeling studies. The results indicated that the sorption isotherms exhibited predominantly linear behavior over a wide range (0–100 mg/L) of selected herbicides.

Diclofenac (DCF) is one of the most widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs worldwide, and several studies have reported adverse effects on the environment, in plants and animals; so, it is classified as an emerging pollutant.