Research Publications (Food Safety)

Marine-derived Streptomyces actinomycetes are one of the most important sources for the discovery of novel bioactive natural products. This study characterized the isolation, structural elucidation and biological activity evaluation of thirty compounds, including twelve previously undescribed compounds, namely hygrocins K–U (5–13, 17 and 18) and streptophenylpropanamide A (23), from the marine-associated actinomycete Streptomyces sp. ZZ1956.

Background A visual, rapid, simple method was developed based on a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to detect Vibrio vulnificus in aquatic products and aquaculture waters. Results Genomic DNA was extracted from Vibrio vulnificus using the boiling method, and optimized primers were used to detect the gyrB gene using a visual LAMP method.

by Motuma Debelo, Nezif Mohammed, Abebaw Tiruneh, Tadele Tolosa Thermophilic Campylobacter species are common cause of animal and human bacterial diseases with growing resistance to antimicrobials. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Campylobacter species from bovine, knives and personnel in Jimma Town, Ethiopia.

Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrotrophic food-borne pathogen mostly associated with consumption of ready-to eat foods. Due to its high prevalence in raw materials, it is fundamental to control its growth at low temperature. In lipid-rich products, fatty acids can be heterogeneously distributed in the food matrix and can be present in the environment immediately surrounding the pathogen.

Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly notified foodborne disease in New Zealand and poultry meat is the major source for human infection. Carcasses and portions were sampled from key points along primary and secondary processing chains of three New Zealand poultry processors to determine the impact of processing steps on Campylobacter concentrations.

A simple, rapid and sensitive vortex-assisted magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) method using core–shell structured magnetic covalent organic frameworks (Fe3O4/COF-TpBD) as adsorbents was established for simultaneous determination of aflatoxins, ochratoxins and enniatins in maize before high-performance chromatography tandem spectrometry detection. Fe3O4/COF-TpBD was facilely fabricated, characterized, and applied for simultaneous extraction of ten mycotoxins from maize.

Lead, the most widely used heavy metal in industry, is detrimental to human health if exposed to living and occupational environment. Although several studies have been conducted on lead exposure, little has been reported on its harm to mammary gland and its mechanisms.

This research focused on cadmium (Cd), which negatively affects plant growth and auxin hemostasis. In plants, many processes are indirectly controlled through the expression of certain genes due to the secretion of bacterial auxin, as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) acts as a reciprocal signaling molecule in plant–microbe interaction.

The pathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium carotovorum causes soft rot in cabbage and significantly reduces plant yield. In this study, we employed Mhonia fortunei extracts to synthesis silver nanoparticles (Mf-AgNPs) and investigated their functions against P. carotovorum. The results showed that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of AgNP was 412 nm under optimal synthesis conditions.

Pathogens and mycotoxins are serious public health risks for humans and food safety in milk. This study concentrated on detecting Staphylococcus aureus and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in 210 pasteurized milk from ten urban Beijing districts to suggest the co-occurrence of S. aureus with toxin-producing genes and OTA in milk and the possible risk. S. aureus was identified by physiological and biochemical experiments and molecular biology experiments, and enterotoxin genes were identified by PCR.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are the most potent toxins in the world. They are produced by a few dozens of strains within several clostridial species. The toxin that they produce can cause botulism, a flaccid paralysis in humans and other animals. With there being seven established serologically different types and over 40 subtypes, BoNTs are among the most diverse known toxins.

by Stephanie D. Nofal, Caia Dominicus, Malgorzata Broncel, Nicholas J. Katris, Helen R. Flynn, Gustavo Arrizabalaga, Cyrille Y. Botté, Brandon M. Invergo, Moritz Treeck Fundamental processes that govern the lytic cycle of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii are regulated by several signalling pathways. However, how these pathways are connected remains largely unknown.

In this paper, the synchrotron radiation μ-XRF and the mm-XRF method were used to emphatically study the composition, content and distribution of lead and manganese in anode slime on lead-based surface.

Benzalkonium chloride (BC), a class of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), is widely used as a surface disinfectant in food industries and hospitals. To date, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of how bacterial pathogens respond to and develop resistance against QACs.

Tibetan pigs were thought to have good performances of rough feeding tolerance, which may be related to the gut microbiota. This study was conducted to investigate the changes of colonic microbiota contribute to fiber utilization in Tibetan pigs fed alfalfa supplementation diet compared with basal diet, and verified whether the microbial community in Tibetan pigs fed alfalfa diet was beneficial to utilize fiber using in vitro fermentation.

Improperly practiced postharvest procedures can pose mycotoxin-related risks during medicinal herb production. As a health food material with pharmacological activities, Angelicae Gigantis Radix (AGR) has been extensively used in oriental medicine or functional foods. Compared with the official protocol, conventional practices were investigated for provisional critical control points (CCPs) in terms of ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination.

Occurrence of multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae in livestock is of concern as they can spread to humans. A potential introduction route for these bacteria to livestock could be animal feed. We therefore wanted to identify if Escherichia spp., Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., or Raoutella spp. with transferable resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems or colistin could be detected in the environment at feed mills in Sweden.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common pathogen usually controlled by antibiotics in mariculture. Notably, traditional antibiotic therapy is becoming less effective because of the emergence of bacterial resistance, hence new strategies need to be found to overcome this challenge. Bacteriophages, a class of viruses that lyse bacteria, can help us control drug-resistant bacteria. In this study, a novel Vibrio parahaemolyticus phage phiTY18 isolated from the coastal water of Xiamen was explored.

In this study, the contamination of arsenic, cadmium, nickel and vanadium in the surface sediments of Khazar Abad, in the southern part of the Caspian Sea was analyzed in 2019 using ecotoxicological indices.

EFSA Journal, Volume 20, Issue 10, October 2022. The European Commission requested scientific and technical assistance in the preparation of a EU-wide baseline survey protocol for a European Union (EU) coordinated monitoring programme on the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in pigs.

Background The contribution of the microbiome to pesticide breakdown in agricultural pests remains unclear. We analyzed the effect of pirimiphos-methyl (PM) on four geographically different cultures of the stored product pest mite Acarus siro (6 L, 6Tu, 6Tk and 6Z) under laboratory experiments.

by Marilou P. Sison-Mangus, Michael W. Kempnich, Monica Appiano, Sanjin Mehic, Terril Yazzie Auxospore production is a sexual reproductive strategy by diatoms to re-attain normal size after the size-reducing effect of clonal reproduction. Aside from the minimum size threshold used as a sex clock by diatoms, the environmental or chemical triggers that can induce sex in diatoms are still not well understood.

Barley malt, the main raw material for beer production, is at risk of Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum) infection, leading to the possible production of large amounts of deoxynivalenol (DON) in malt. DON in malt can migrate into the final beer product, posing a food safety risk to consumers. In our work, a protonated g-C3N4/oxygen-doped g-C3N4 (CNH/OCN) composite was prepared and used for the inhibition of F.

For molecular detection of foodborne pathogens to be effective, an efficient technique for bacterial DNA concentration is required. Solid phase reversible immobilization (SPRI) paramagnetic beads can concentrate DNA from foods containing low amounts of bacteria because of their highly specific DNA-binding capacity.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a trichothecenes produced by fungi that is widespread and poses a threat to human and animal health. The Notch1 signalling pathway is tightly involved in cell fate determination. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the Notch1 signalling pathway in DON exposure.