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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 651 - 675 of 2896

  1. Solidification of heavy metals in lead smelting slag and development of cementitious materials

    • Journal of Cleaner Production
    • Lead smelting slag (LSS) is a hazardous waste containing heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb) and its improper disposal may cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem. Cementitious materials prepared with LSS can be used in construction fields and hazardous heavy metals are also solidified in prepared cementitious materials.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  2. Physiological and Transcriptomic Comparison of Two Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Cultivars With High/Low Cadmium Accumulation

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • The toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is easily absorbed and accumulated in crops and affects human health through the food chains. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a globally important oil crop. In this study, two sunflower cultivars 62\3 (high Cd) and JB231AC (low Cd), were chosen to compare physiological and transcriptomic responses at different Cd concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100 μM). The results showed that JB231AC had better Cd tolerance than 62\3.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  3. Identifying the Novel Inhibitors Against the Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis Pathway Target “mtFabH” of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Mycolic acids are the key constituents of mycobacterial cell wall, which protect the bacteria from antibiotic susceptibility, helping to subvert and escape from the host immune system. Thus, the enzymes involved in regulating and biosynthesis of mycolic acids can be explored as potential drug targets to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  4. Effects of Co-application of Cadmium-Immobilizing Bacteria and Organic Fertilizers on Houttuynia cordata and Microbial Communities in a Cadmium-Contaminated Field

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Cadmium pollution is a serious threat to the soil environment. The application of bio-based fertilizers in combination with beneficial microbial agents is a sustainable approach to solving Cd pollution in farm soil. The present study investigated the effects of co-application of a Cd-immobilizing bacterial agent and two fermented organic fertilizers (fermentative edible fungi residue; fermentative cow dung) on Houttuynia cordata and its microbial communities in a Cd-polluted field.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  5. A comparative life cycle assessment of lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries for grid energy storage

    • Journal of Cleaner Production
    • Lithium-ion battery technology is one of the innovations gaining interest in utility-scale energy storage. However, there is a lack of scientific studies about its environmental performance. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of lithium-ion batteries and conventional lead-acid batteries for stationary grid storage applications using life cycle assessment.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  6. Maternal genetic effect on apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells induced by cadmium

    • Food and Chemical Toxicology
    • To investigate the maternal genetic effects of cadmium (Cd) -induced apoptotic in ovarian granulosa cells (OGCs). Herein, pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated with CdCl2 from day 1 to day 20, F1 and F2 female rats were mated with untreated males to produce F2 and F3 generations. Under this model, significant apoptotic changes were observed in F1 OGCs induced by Cd (Liu et al., 2021).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  7. Arsenic induces ferroptosis and acute lung injury through mtROS-mediated mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane dysfunction

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • The goal of this study was to analyze whether mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAMs) dysfunction mediated arsenic (As)-evoked pulmonary ferroptosis and acute lung injury (ALI).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  8. Understanding the Phytoremediation Mechanisms of Potentially Toxic Elements: A Proteomic Overview of Recent Advances

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and arsenic (As), polluting the environment, pose a significant risk and cause a wide array of adverse changes in plant physiology. Above threshold accumulation of PTEs is alarming which makes them prone to ascend along the food chain, making their environmental prevention a critical intervention. On a global scale, current initiatives to remove the PTEs are costly and might lead to more pollution.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  9. Overexpressing PpBURP2 in Rice Increases Plant Defense to Abiotic Stress and Bacterial Leaf Blight

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • Mosses are one of the earliest diverging land plants that adapted to living on land. The BURP domain-containing proteins (BURP proteins) are plant-specific proteins that appeared when plants shifted from aquatic environments to land. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the BURP domain of higher plants is originated from lower land plants and divergent because of motif conversion.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  10. Dose-dependent interaction of two heavy metals with amiodarone toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    • Toxicology and Industrial Health
    • Amiodarone (AMD) is an antiarrhythmic drug that induces idiosyncratic toxicity. Environmental pollutants, including heavy metals, could interact with its toxicity by affecting pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Other levels of interaction could exist in yeast, such as oxidative stress and the general stress response. In this study, we investigated the interaction of mercury chloride (HgCl2) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2) with AMD toxicity on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  11. Development of an analytical method for determination of lead and cadmium in biological materials by GFAAS using Escherichia coli as model substance

    • PLOS ONE
    • by Michelle Gende, Martina Schmeling In this work, an analytical method was developed for the determination of lead and cadmium in biological samples using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was chosen as model substance for this purpose as it is readily available in most laboratories and can be quickly and easily prepared with a high turnaround rate.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  12. Two New Sulfate-Modified Dibenzopyrones With Anti-foodborne Bacteria Activity From Sponge-Derived Fungus Alternaria sp. SCSIOS02F49

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • At present, foodborne diseases (FBDs) caused by bacteria are gradually increasing every year, and the development of new antibiotics is an urgent necessity for human beings. To find novel antibacterial compounds, three sponge-derived fungal strains (SCSIOS02F40, F46, and F49) were investigated. As a result, Alternaria sp.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  13. Health risk assessment using in vitro simulation in assessing bioavailability of cadmium in rice from main producing areas across China

    • Journal of Food Science
    • Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Rice is a recognized source of cadmium (Cd) exposure. In this study, a total of 102 rice samples were obtained from main producing rice regions of China, and the bioavailability of Cd in rice were assessed by using an in vitro digestion method combined with a Caco-2 cell monolayer model.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  14. Targeting CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 20 by miR-143-5p alleviate lead poisoning-induced renal fibrosis by regulating interstitial fibroblasts excessive proliferation and dysfunction

    • Bioengineered
    • Environmental lead contamination can cause chronic renal disease with a common clinical manifestation of renal fibrosis and constitutes a major global public health threat. Aberrant proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation in renal interstitial fibroblasts are key pathological causes of renal fibrosis. However, the mechanism underlying lead-induced kidney fibrosis remains unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  15. The transformation of our food system using cellular agriculture: What lies ahead and who will lead it?

    • Trends in Food Science & Technology
    • Background World population growth, climate change, food distribution and the current pandemic are some of the main factors that affect food security. Traditional farming techniques, although a vital lifeline for our survival, are increasingly generating large amounts of harmful greenhouse emissions as the global population expands significantly. It is essential, therefore, to investigate alternative methods to supplement current food sources.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  16. The mechanism of the neuroprotective effect of zinc against cadmium-induced behavioral impairments in male Wister rats: Focus on tryptophan degradation pathway, oxidative-inflammatory stress, and histologic evidence

    • Toxicology
    • The present study investigated the attenuating effects of Zn following Cd-exposure in the activities/expression of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO), tryptophan 2, 3-dioxygenase (TDO), oxidative-inflammatory response, behavioral indices and histologic architecture in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of male rats. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to 200 μg/L and 100 μg/L of Cd and/or Zn in drinking water for 42 days.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  17. SERS nanosensor of 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid labeled Ag for detecting total arsenic in black tea combined with chemometric algorithms

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • Detrimental health effects caused by the intake of food contaminated with heavy metals have drawn concerns on effective monitoring using rapid and benign methods.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  18. Effects of the maternal gut microbiome and gut-placental axis on melatonin efficacy in alleviating cadmium-induced fetal growth restriction

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) is a major environmental stressor that induces fetal growth restriction (FGR). Also, changes in gut microbiome diversity-which can be modulated positively by melatonin (Mel) have implications on fetal development and placental functions.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  19. In vivo assessment of genotoxic effects in Cyprinuscarpio L., 1758 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) exposed to selected metal(oid)s

    • Toxicology and Industrial Health
    • Heavy metals and metalloids originating from industrial, agricultural, and urban wastes and increasing in aquatic ecosystems cause genotoxic damage to fish species. This study aimed to determine the potential genotoxic effects of mixtures of aluminum, arsenic, and manganese in Cyprinus carpio. The effects of the mixtures on erythrocyte cells of C.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  20. Bioremediation of lead-contaminated soil by inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria immobilized on biochar

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • In this study, a bio-composite (IBWS700) was prepared using inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (iPSB), which were immobilized on biochar produced from wheat straw (WS700). Further, the bio-remediation effects of the composite for lead (Pb) in soil were also investigated.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  21. Cadmium phytoextraction through Brassica juncea L. under different consortia of plant growth-promoting bacteria from different ecological niches

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Combined bioaugmentation inoculants composed of two or more plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) were more effective than single inoculants for plant growth and cadmium (Cd) removal in contaminated soils. However, the principles of consortia construction still need to be discovered.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  22. Investigation of chetomin as a lead compound and its biosynthetic pathway

    • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
    • Chaetomium fungi produce a diversity of bioactive compounds. Chaetomium cochliodes SD-280 possesses 91 secondary metabolite gene clusters and exhibits strong antibacterial activity. One of the active compounds responsible for that activity, chetomin, has a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of 0.05 μg/mL (vancomycin: 0.625 μg/mL).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  23. Impacts of Life-Time Exposure of Arsenic, Cadmium and Fluoranthene on the Earthworms’ L. rubellus Global DNA Methylation as Detected by msAFLP

    • Genes
    • This study reports on the effects of long-term exposure to the metals arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene on the survival, growth, development and DNA methylation status of the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. Exposures to the three chemicals were conducted over their whole juvenile developmental period from egg to adult. Significant effects on one or more measured endpoints were found for all three chemicals.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  24. Proteomic Perspective of Cadmium Tolerance in Providencia rettgeri Strain KDM3 and Its In-situ Bioremediation Potential in Rice Ecosystem

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • In this study, a multi-metal-tolerant natural bacterial isolate Providencia rettgeri strain KDM3 from an industrial effluent in Mumbai, India, showed high cadmium (Cd) tolerance. Providencia rettgeri grew in the presence of more than 100 ppm (880 μM) Cd (LD50 = 100 ppm) and accumulated Cd intracellularly. Following Cd exposure, a comparative proteome analysis revealed molecular mechanisms underlying Cd tolerance.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  25. Nature-derived epoxy resins: Synthesis, allergenicity, and thermosetting properties of pinoresinol diglycidyl ether

    • Toxicology and Industrial Health
    • We describe a novel nature-derived epoxy resin monomer (ERM) derived from the plant lignan pinoresinol. Epoxy resins are thermosetting materials in global usage owing to their excellent technical properties such as flexibility and durability. However, their adverse health effects are often not considered and affect users of epoxy resins worldwide. Components of epoxy resin systems are strong skin sensitizers and cause allergic contact dermatitis.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals