Research Publications (Food Safety)

The trend of feeding dogs and cats with raw pet food claiming health benefits, poses health concerns due to the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. High pressure processing (HPP) allows the non-thermal inactivation of microorganisms, preserving the nutritional characteristics with minimal impact on organoleptic traits of food.

The present study describes creating an attenuated Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) strain with reduced endotoxicity to prevent fowl typhoid. The strain was attenuated by deleting the lon, cpxR, and rfaL virulence-related genes. Endotoxicity was reduced by deleting the pagL open reading frame and replacing it with the lpxE gene derived from Francisella tularencis.

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus fungi. The most toxic among them is Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) which is known to have genotoxic, immunotoxic, teratogenic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic toxic effects (amongst others). The mechanisms responsible for its toxicity include the induction of oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and DNAdamage.

This study aimed to explore the potency of Gonggong sea snail’s (GSS) extract as an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) source. The results showed that the GSS meat extracts exhibited potential antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

The aims of this study were to investigate the accumulation (15 days) and elimination (15 and 30 days) of cadmium (Cd) in the liver, gill, kidney and muscle of Oreochromis niloticus following exposures to different concentrations (1 and 2 mg/L) of Cd at different water temperatures (20, 25, 30 oC).

The aim of this paper is to develop and validate a method, using GC–MS and QuEChERS, for the determination of fungicide residues in bananas produced and commercialized in the Cariri Region — Ceará/Brazil. The extraction procedure, by the QuEChERS-citrate method, allowed obtaining the matrix extract free of pesticides, used for the analytical curves (matrix-matched calibration).

Traditionally fermented foods and beverages are still produced and consumed at a large scale in Romania. They are rich sources for novel lactic acid bacteria with functional properties and with potential application in food industry or health.

Background Bacillus cereus is an important pathogen that causes human food poisoning, specifically diarrhea and vomiting. B. cereus can also induce mastitis in dairy cows and has a strong survival ability in milk, as it cannot be inactivated by high-temperature short-time pasteurization. Therefore, B.

This study evaluated the seasonal and spatial variations in the presence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in rural drinking water supply systems of different municipalities of Antioquia. The municipalities evaluated were Envigado, Caldas, Sabaneta, La Estrella, Itagüi, Bello, Barbosa, Copacabana, and Girardota, located in the department of Antioquia, Colombia.

Cryptosporidium is an enteric protozoan parasite which is able to cause severe gastrointestinal disease and is distributed all over the world. Since information about the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in German dogs is rare, the aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs and the potential zoonotic risk emanating from these infected animals. In total, 349 fecal samples of 171 dogs were collected during the dogs’ first year of life.

Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of childhood diarrhoea. Two species, Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum, are responsible for most confirmed cases globally. Close contact with pet animals can be an unnoticed source of children infections.

Listeria monocytogenes is a common foodborne pathogen affecting public health. Thus, detecting L. monocytogenes even at low levels in food matrices is essential. However, the current culture methods used for its detection and quantification are time consuming and difficult owing to background flora and interference by food matrices. DNA-based assays depend on DNA extraction and purification techniques. No optimal DNA extraction kit has been developed for analyzing L.

Moringa Oleifera (MO) has potential for nutritional and medical applications. We verified whether the administration of MO changed mineral accumulation patterns and mitigative effects of lead poisoning using Sprague–Dawley rats. MO leaves, aqueous leaf extracts, and seeds were administrated to rats in two different concentrations (100 and 600 mg/kg body weight/day) for 3 weeks.

In the present study, the effects of intermittent ozone (IO3) application combined with low dose fungicide and high-dose dissolved ozone in water on storage life and quality of orange cv. Washington Navel were investigated.

Foodborne norovirus (NoV) outbreaks linked to leafy greens are common due to a lack of efficient strategies to prevent NoV spread from contaminated surfaces. We previously found that Sphingobacterium sp. SC015 in lettuce phyllosphere expresses histo-blood group antigen (HBGA)-like substances in soluble extracellular polymeric substances (SEPS) that contribute to NoV adherence on lettuce.

An enterocin whey solution, obtained by growing Enterococcus faecalis L2B21K3 and L3A21K6 in sweet whey – enterocin whey solution (EWS), was incorporated into gelatin/glycerol films that were tested for the control of Listeria monocytogenes. The films containing enterocins produced by either strain (EWS L2 and EWS K6 films) were shown to serve as a suitable matrix for bacteriocin release, preserve the anti-listerial activity for up to 90 days.

Salmonella spp. is one of the leading causes of foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Salmonella spp. has been associated with a variety of food sources, particularly egg products. They can enter into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state in response to harsh stress. VBNC cells still retain membrane integrity and metabolic activity, which may pose health risks. However, the formation mechanism and resuscitation ability of VBNC cells are not understood.

The almond industry suffers product losses caused by mold growth and toxin contamination. Gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has the potential for postharvest reduction of mycotoxic Aspergillus flavus. In this study, almonds inoculated with A. flavus were fumigated with gaseous ClO2 for 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, and 24 h using a dry precursor sachet batch method. The headspace concentration ranged from 0.5-2.4 mg/L, depending on initial dosing and time.

The seasonal effect on chemical composition and contaminants in European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) captured in Norwegian waters was investigated in three seasons (September, December, April). Fillets were compared by analysing proximate composition, lipid and protein profile, including fatty acids, lipid class distribution, free and total amino acids. Trace elements and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined to assess the potential health risk of consumption.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a powerful mycotoxin that can cause severe damage to human health, and its detection has attracted considerable attention in the field of food science. We present a robust and facile label-free colorimetric aptasensor for OTA detection using the aptamer-enhanced oxidase-like activity of MnO2 nanoflowers.

A total of 1797 imported food samples collected during 2018 to 2020 were investigated for Listeria monocytogenes. Antibiotic susceptibility tests and whole genome sequencing analysis were performed for the obtained isolates. The overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes was 5.62 %; the highest prevalence was observed for pork (13.65 %), followed by fish (6.25 %), sheep casing (6.06 %), chicken (3.61 %), and beef (2.06 %).

The present study aimed to molecularly characterize Giardia duodenalis from stool samples of humans, dogs, and cats. Molecular analyses were performed on 59 samples that tested positive for G. duodenalis on coproparasitological examinations.

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are widely distributed protozoa in nature, known to cause severe eye infections and central nervous system disorders. There is growing attention to the potential role that these protozoa could act as reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and, consequently, to the possibility that, the persistence and spread of the latter may be facilitated, by exploiting internalization into amoebae.

Nanoemulsification of essential oils (EOs) is one of the common techniques that prevent the EO interaction with food components and improve its bioavailability and absorption. In this study, the EO of Froriepia subpinnata (Ledeb.) Baill (FSLB) was extracted, and its 28 compounds were identified by the GC-FID and GC–MS analysis. The EO nanoemulsion (EON) was produced using Tween 80 and Span 80 surfactants with high-intensity ultrasound.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most common food poisoning pathogens and the main cause of diarrheal diseases in humans in developing countries. The increased Salmonella resistance to antimicrobials has led to the search for new alternatives, including natural compounds such as curcumin, which has already demonstrated a bactericidal effect; however, in Gram-negatives, there is much controversy about this effect, as it is highly variable.