Research Publications (Food Safety)

Background

The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus isolates carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene is higher in Africa (≈50%) compared to Europe (< 5%). The study aimed to measure anti-PVL-antibodies in Africans and Germans in a multi-center study and to test whether detected antibodies can neutralize the cytotoxic effect of PVL on polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs).

Methods

by Farina Khattak, Salvatore Galgano, Jos Houdijk The study aimed to delineate the robustness of the culture-based and molecular biology methods to assess the total bacterial concentration and Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) quantification in caecal content, analysed as fresh or after being stored immediately at ultra-low (-80°C) temperature at different time points (for 3, 7, 14, 28 and 62 days post collection).

Fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most occurring fumonisin, is capable of disrupting sphingolipid metabolism and poses a serious threat to human and animal health. The high incidence and toxicity of FB1 have created an urgent need for alternative quantitative determination strategies. Herein, a colorimetric aptasensor was developed by combining the catalytical metal-organic frameworks with the polyacrylamide-DNA hydrogel.

Listeria monocytogenes is a relevant foodborne pathogen causing invasive listeriosis in humans, a disease with high mortality rates. Its ubiquity and growth characteristics enable this pathogen to survive harsh food processing environments. The addition of bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides ribosomally synthesized by certain bacteria, appears as a natural alternative to control this pathogen in food. However, the emergence of L.

Corn is one of the main food items for humans and animals. Contamination of corn with aflatoxin during harvest, storage, and transport is one of the human problems. Different methods for removing and inactivating aflatoxin in corn have been introduced so far.

This study characterized Yersinia enterocolitica and other Yersinia spp. isolated from retail and processed meats sampled in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China (2018–2019).

The purpose of this study was to predict the optimal storage conditions for inhibiting aflatoxin production in upland rice seeds inoculated with Aspergillus flavus. The effects of storage conditions including moisture (A), temperature (B) and incubation time (C) on aflatoxin (AFG1, AFG2, AFB1, AFB2 and AFTOT) production in upland rice seed after inoculation of A.

The present study was conducted to determine the occurrence of B. cereus group members in low-moisture food products by phenotypic and genetic assessment and to evaluate the toxigenic potential of B. cereus group isolates. According to the results of their morphological shape, growth temperature range, strain-specific gene distribution, 79.5% and 20.5% among 112 isolates were identified as B. cereus sensu stricto (s.s.) and B.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of new Lactobacillus plantarum strain isolated from dairy products as well as chitosan nanoparticles on reducing aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxicity In vitro. After collection and preparation of yogurt, cheese, milk, and whey products, lactic acid bacteria (LABs) were isolated and identified using biochemical and molecular methods. pH, bile, and salt tolerance tests were used to measure probiotic activity.

In order to ensure food safety, screening food samples for the presence of pathogens has been categorised as a legal testing item throughout the globe. One of the most prevalent zoonotic bacteria transmitted through dairy milk is Staphylococcus aureus.

Semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were used to quantify dissolved concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) along a 40-km reach of the Boardman River in Traverse City, Michigan that has recently undergone dam and impoundment pond sediment removal.

Seaweeds are known for their nutritional benefits; however, they contain one of the highest levels of arsenic content. Arsenic species are found in various oxidation states in the environment, where inorganic arsenic is more toxic than organic ones.

Aflatoxins (AF) are the most potent group of mycotoxins that are produced by certain ascomycete fungi. These toxins can contaminate a large board of food commodities, thus causing a severe toxicity in animals and humans. The detection of fungal contamination of food is still challenging. This work determines whether an accurate relationship between the contamination of nut samples with AF and their contamination with fungal genomic DNA could be established.

Cysteine (Cys) can rapidly and sensitively react with 12 polycytosine-templated silver nanoclusters (polyC12-AgNCs) via the formation of Ag–S bond and enhance the fluorescence of polyC12-AgNCs. Herein, a smart and enzyme-free biosensing platform for ultrasensitive detection of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) has been constructed by the ingenious coupling of Y-shaped G-quadruplex DNAzyme (GQH DNAzyme) with polyC12-AgNCs.

In this study, an optimized QuEChERS method with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination of mesosulfuron-methyl and diflufenican in wheat grain and straw. At the spiking levels of 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg, the average recoveries of five repetitions were 74–98% with RSDs of 1–11%. The LOQs of the two herbicides were both 0.01 mg/kg for wheat grain and wheat straw.

Aldrin and Mirex are organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) considered toxic to human and animal health. Although their use has been banned for decades, these compounds persist in several environmental and food samples, including honey.

Bacterial spores were isolated and purified from three powder spices: garlic powder, onion powder, and five-spice powder. The rapid identification of different bacteriophages was achieved by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with chemometrics. Five bacilli were isolated in the powdered spices: Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, and Paenibacillus pabuli.

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a quick and easy method for the quantification of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), tin (Sn), and zinc (Zn) by high definition X-ray fluorescence (HDXRF) spectrometry in scallops. The optimal moisture content (less than 7.5%), particle size (0.180 mm), sample weight (0.70 g), and measurement time (600 s) of scallops using HDXRF were determined.

Aim of this work was to synthesize mercapto-modified attapulgite (ATP-SH) and explore the effectiveness and mechanism of ATP-SH on the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil. The ATP-SH was applied to the remediation of cadmium contaminated soil with a concentration of 5.48 mg/kg through pot rice experiment. The changes of soil physicochemical properties, Cd content in rice and straw, available Cd, and different speciation of Cd in soil were studied after the addition of ATP-SH.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the mycotoxins that pose high risks for human and animal health, as well as food safety. However, the regulators involved in ZEN cellular toxicity remain largely unknown. Herein, we showed that cell viability of porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) tended to decrease with increasing doses of ZEN by the cell counting kit-8 assay.

Frequent detection of mycotoxins ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) in ruminant feed and feedstuff can be a potential threat to feed safety, animal performance and health. Ineffective biodegradation of these mycotoxins by rumen microflora following ingestion of contaminated feeds can lead to their circulatory transport to tissues such as mammary gland as the result of their biodistribution throughout the body.

Mitochondria hold redox homeostasis and energy metabolism as a crucial factor during oocyte maturation, while the exposure of estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone causes developmental incapacity in porcine oocyte. This study aimed to reveal a potential resistance of phytoalexin resveratrol against zearalenone during porcine oocyte maturation and whether its mechanism was related with PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin-mediated mitophagy.

The interest of the food packaging industry in biodegradable, recyclable, and functional materials has steadily increased in recent years. The use of hydrogels in the food sector holds great potential for use in packaging systems or as carriers for bioactive substances. The synthesis of an oxygen barrier coating of prolaminic silica material and antimicrobial functionalization with fumaric acid for packaging materials described here is an elegant way to meet these requirements.

Excessive antibiotic use in veterinary applications has resulted in water contamination and potentially poses a serious threat to aquatic environments and human health. The objective of the current study was to quantify carbonized leonardite (cLND) adsorption capabilities to remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX)- and enrofloxacin (ENR)-contaminated water and to determine the microbial activity of ENR residuals on cLND following adsorption.

EFSA Journal, Volume 20, Issue 9, September 2022. Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) assessed a decontamination process of fish oils and vegetable oils and fats to reduce the concentrations of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, abbreviated together as PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) by adsorption to activated carbon.