Research Publications (Food Safety)

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi. ZEN has endocrine disruptor effects and could impair the hormonal balance. Here, we aimed at investigating possible effects of ZEN on metabolism-related pathways and its relation to epigenetic mechanisms in breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) and breast epithelial (MCF10F) cells.

The aims of this study were to analyse the occurrence of aflatoxins, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), fumonisins, ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin (PAT), zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) in foodstuffs consumed in Chile between 2008 and 2017 and to estimate the contribution of main contaminated foodstuff in human exposure by the probable daily intake (PDI) estimation.

This study attempts to evaluate the potential aflatoxin binder activity of a molecularly imprinted polymer (TMU95) synthesized to target the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) analog molecule in comparison to a commercial toxin binder (CTB). Adsorption experiments were carried out to assess the ability to bind to AFB1 at various pH values. The strength of binding was investigated by the chemisorption index. The isothermal analysis was used to determine the maximum adsorption capacity values.

Edible insects as additional food and/or feed source may represent one important component to solve the problem of food security for a growing human population. Especially for covering the rising demand for protein of animal origin, seven insect species currently allowed as feed constituents in the European Union are gaining more interest. However, before considering insects such as yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) as suitable for, e.g.

A study was conducted to investigate the frequency and levels of AFM1 and AFM2 in urine from children who attended the emergency service of a pediatric referral hospital in Bogota, Colombia. A survey on the consumption of foods likely to be a source of aflatoxins and on sociodemographic variables was conducted as well.

Aquaculture has been a growing sector of food production worldwide in the last decades, and now starts to include new, unconventional species from the Phylum Echinodermata, such as sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) and sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa). However, little is known in this context with regard to food safety aspects arising from toxigenic fungi.

This work characterizes the adsorption of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN) by dry micronized olive pomace (OliPom) and grape stems (GrapStem). Their performance was compared with that of three other materials, activated carbon (ActCarb), bentonite (Bent), and a commercial product (ComProd). Experiments were conducted in vitro at several pH values using buffer solutions.

The ability of several chelating mycotoxins to form coordination complexes with the lanthanide metals europium and terbium was explored. The mycotoxins examined included ochratoxin A, citrinin, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), kojic acid, and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Of these compounds, TeA and CPA resulted in the greatest luminescence. Parameters influencing luminescence of TeA were investigated further.

Recently, it was reported that ochratoxin A (OTA) mycotoxin, produced by a number of Aspergillus and Penicillium fungal species, may cause neuropsychological impairment or mental and emotional disorders but the mechanism of neurotoxicity remains unknown. Adverse effects of OTA in human (SHSY5Y) and mouse (HT22) neuronal cell lines were studied in vitro.

The objectives of the present work were to survey, for the first time, the contamination of Portuguese fresh and dry-cured meat products with ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and to determine the fungi potentially responsible for this contamination. A total of 128 samples including pork fresh legs, dry-cured legs and shoulders, as well as goat and sheep dry-cured legs were analysed. Mycological analysis of these samples yielded a total of 630 fungal isolates.

Canadian oat harvest samples, deliveries to processors, and train shipments from primary elevators were collected from mid-2014 through mid-2017 and analyzed for 26 mycotoxins and the fungal biomarker ergosterol. Of the 26 mycotoxins, 7 were not detected in any sample. The most frequently measured mycotoxins were beauvericin (in over 95% of samples analyzed), followed by tentoxin, culmorin, alternariol, alternariol methyl ether, and deoxynivalenol.

The eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) specifically recognizes the 5′ mRNA cap, a rate-limiting step in the translation initiation process. Although the 7-methylguanosine cap (MMGcap) is the most common 5′ cap structure in eukaryotes, the trans-splicing process that occurs in several organism groups, including nematodes and flatworms, leads to the addition of a trimethylguanosine cap (TMGcap) to some RNA transcripts.

Essential oils (EOs) are products of plant origin and include mixtures of different chemical compounds. These volatile substances have many interesting properties, including antifungal properties. Fungi may develop under field conditions on crops such as wheat or corn and are able to synthesize mycotoxins, which adversely affect livestock and human health. In the present study, selected EOs were used to inhibit the growth of Fusarium graminearum and F.

Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which affects domestic animals and is transmissible to humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate six methods of DNA extraction directly from bovine tissue to detect Brucella spp. The Cq values for all samples were above 30 and varied according to the extraction kit used, but four kits showed no statistical difference in sensitivity.

In most laboratory studies with oral exposure of terrestrial invertebrates to metals an artificial food, which is easy to handle, is used. The bioavailability of metals from this artificial food may, however, be much higher than from more field relevant food sources. Such differences may affect toxicokinetic processes in different tissues.

In this study, the new approach of dispersive micro-solid phase extraction using a magnetic sheet was developed. A circle magnetic sheet (diameter, 25 mm; thickness, 0.4 mm) was perforated and used as a support for fixing and re-collecting three-dimensional magnetic graphene nanoparticles as an adsorbent. The method was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) and utilized for extraction of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2).

This study evaluated the effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment and blanching on the microbial and quality attributes of tiger nuts. In this study, 15 min of single PAW-10 washing and blanching at 60 °C for 5 min (BLN) resulted in 3.53 and 3.51 log CFU/g reductions for Klebsiella pneumoniae and 3.22 and 3.14 log CFU/g for total background bacteria. The sequential treatment of PAW-10 and BLN led to 3.7 and 4.36 log CFU/g reductions in K.

Aeromonas hydrophila is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes serious infections in aquaculture and exhibits significant multidrug resistance. The LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family proteins are a well-known group of transcriptional regulators involved in diverse physiological functions. However, the role of LTTRs in the regulation of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is still largely unknown.

This paper aims to characterize halophilic bacteria inhabiting Algerian Saline Ecosystems (Sebkha and Chott) located in arid and semi-arid ecoclimate zones (Northeastern Algeria). In addition, screening of enzymatic activities, heavy metal tolerance and antagonistic potential against phytopathogenic fungi were tested. A total of 74 bacterial isolates were screened and phylogenetically characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are zoonotic pathogens and may induce severe diarrheagenic diseases in humans and other animals. Non-O157 STEC have been emerging as important pathogens causing outbreaks worldwide. Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials has become a global public health problem, which involves different ecological spheres, including animals.

Leaves of five selected plants Citrus limon (Rutaceae), Ceratonia siliqua L., Olea europaea (Oleaceae), Washingtonia filifera, and Myoporum (Myoporaceae) grown in Jordan were examined for removal of heavy metals (cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) ions) for aqueous solutions. Cd and Pb were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. A pH S-2 acidometer was used for determining the acidity of leaves–solution systems.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) mediates 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-induced toxicity that can lead to chloracne in humans. A characteristic of chloracne, in contrast to acne vulgaris, is shrinkage or loss of sebaceous glands. Acne vulgaris, on the other hand, is often accompanied by excessive sebum production. Here, we examined the role of AHR in lipid synthesis in human sebocytes using distinct classes of AHR ligands.

Background The ability to identify bacterial pathogens that necessitate specific clinical management or public health action in children with acute gastroenteritis is crucial to patient care and public health. However, existing stool-testing guidelines offer inconsistent recommendations, and their performance characteristics are unknown.

Urinalysis (UA) has routinely been used as a screening tool prior to urine culture set up. BacterioScan 216Dx is an FDA-cleared semiautomated system to detect bacterial growth in urine. The aim of this study was to evaluate 216Dx in comparison to UA for diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children.

Laboratory surveillance plays an important role in the detection and control of hepatitis A outbreaks and requires the application of rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic tools for hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA detection, subgenotype identification, and sequence-based genotyping.