Research Publications (Food Safety)

Sulfane sulfur such as glutathione persulfide (GSSH) is produced from H2S oxidation or from L‐cysteine metabolism. It accumulates inside Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 during the stationary phase of growth, inactivating a repressor to increase the expression of a major multidrug efflux pump. The finding explains why the bacterium is relatively resistant to antibiotics at the stationary phase of growth.

by Carlotta Valente, Carlo Guglielmini, Oriol Domenech, Barbara Contiero, Eric Zini, Helen Poser

Author(s): Dong Guo, Peng Wan, Jie Liu, De-Wei Chen

Author(s): Zhiyun Zhang, Helen Lin, Chuanxin Ma, Lingzi Zhang, Julia Zelevinsky, Ming Xia, Yuecheng Xu, Jason C. White, Julian Tyson, Lili He

Lead (Pb) is an important pollutant of worldwide concern with respect to extensive pollution sources and highly toxic effect. Flavonol can improve plant resistance to abiotic stress and is also responsible for the alleviating effect under Pb stress. The relationship between Pb stress and flavonol and the knowledge about the mechanisms of flavonol function are very limited. Pb affected the energy metabolism process and, thus, inhibited plant growth and development.

The negative impacts of road salt (primarily NaCl) on freshwater ecosystems and ground and surface waters used for drinking purposes have been extensively documented.

Currently, no specific drug and vaccine are available for the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and nutritional supplementation should be helpful. This study tried to provide reference for protein supplementation. Specifically, in silico method was employed to simulate protein degradation by gastrointestinal enzymes and to produce a large number of active peptides, then, the binding ability of these peptides to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) was evaluated.

Sub‐seasonal streamflow forecasts, with lead times of 1‐30 days, provide valuable information for operational water resource management. This paper introduces the Multi‐Temporal Hydrological Residual Error model (MuTHRE) to address the challenge of obtaining “seamless” sub‐seasonal forecasts, i.e., daily forecasts with consistent high‐quality performance over multiple lead times (1‐30 days) and aggregation scales (daily to monthly).

China has experienced a sudden multi‐focal and multi‐round of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks during 2018. The subsequent epidemiological survey resulted in a debate including the possibility of a transboundary spread from European Russia to China through wild boar. We contribute to the debate by assessing a hypothetical overland Euro‐Siberian transmission path and its associated ASF arrival dates.

Aims To identify the bacteria nodulating Sulla spinosissima growing profusely in a lead and zinc mine tailings in Eastern Morocco. Methods and Results Thirty two rhizobial cultures, isolated from root nodules of S. spinosissima growing in soils of the mining site, were tolerant to different heavy metals.

The effects of fat content and charcoal types on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in various barbecued fish (trout, seabream, seabass, salmon, and shad) were investigated. Fish samples were also analyzed in terms of fat content and fatty acid profile. Total saturated fatty acids (∑SFA) contents reduced while the total polyunsaturated fatty acids (∑PUFA) contents increased after barbecuing.

Author(s): Tingting Fu, Ruiying Zhao, Bifeng Hu, Xiaolin Jia, Zhige Wang, Lianqing Zhou, Mingxiang Huang, Yan Li, Zhou Shi

Metals occur naturally in the environment; however, anthropogenic practices have greatly increased metal concentrations in waterways, sediments, and biota. Metals pose health risks to marine organisms and have been associated with oxidative stress, which can lead to protein denaturation, DNA mutations, and cellular apoptosis. Sharks are important species ecologically, recreationally, and commercially.

In this study, mAb-5A7 and mAb-1D7, two highly specific monoclonal antibodies against tylosin (TYL), were prepared by using hapten TYL-carboxymethoxylamine hemihydrochloride (TYL-CMO), and they showed IC50 values of 13.84 ng/mL and 13.01 ng/mL and LODs of 1.21 and 0.98 ng/mL, respectively, in indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

In order to find the best nanometal oxides to alleviate the cadmium-caused toxicity, we chose five kinds of nanometal oxides (MgO NPs, ZnO NPs, α-Fe2O3 NPs, γ-Fe2O3 NPs, and Fe3O4 NPs) tried to research the different effects. In this study, the effects of nanometal oxides on physiological response indicators in wheat seedlings poisoned by cadmium were figured out.

In the present investigation, the parent compound 4-amino-5-(4-fluoro-3-phenoxyphenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (1) and its Schiff bases 2, 3, and 4 were subjected to whole-cell anti-TB against H37Rv and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by resazurin microtiter assay (REMA) plate method. Test compound 1 exhibited promising anti-TB activity against H37Rv and MDR strains of MTB at 5.5 µg/mL and 11 µg/mL, respectively.

The vast majority of medicines in pig rearing are administered via oral group medication through medicated feed and drinking water. However, relevant on-farm factors affecting the concentration of these drugs in feed and drinking water, such as the homogeneity, stability, and cross-contamination, are largely unknown.

Author(s): Chukwujindu M.A. Iwegbue, Kenneth O. Osijaye, Ufuoma A. Igbuku, Francis E. Egobueze, Godswill O. Tesi, Francisca I. Bassey, Bice S. Martincigh

Author(s): Herbert Musarurwa, Nikita Tawanda Tavengwa

The residual characteristics and risk assessment with respect to cyazofamid and its metabolite 4-chloro-5-p-tolylimidazole-2-carbonitrile were monitored in case of Korean cabbage at different preharvest intervals during a greenhouse trial. The 0.02 kg a.i/ha of cyazofamid was sprayed twice on seven-day intervals (i.e., on day 0, 7, 14, and 21 before harvest). The liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis was used to monitor the residual amount of fungicide.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are typical lasting organic pollutants. Persistence and recalcitrance to biodegradation of PCBs have hampered the transformation of PCB congeners from the environment. Biological transformation of polychlorinated biphenyls could take place through anaerobic dechlorination, aerobic microbial degradation, and a combination of transformation of anaerobic dechlorination and aerobic degradation.

This study analyzed the nutritional, functional and safety properties of 10 potato cultivars from China and their respective French fries. After frying there was a moisture loss of 24.16‐49.94% and oil uptake of 20.17‐31.01%. Ash, protein, carbohydrate (52.23‐62.49%), total polyphenol content, vitamin C (up to 4.56 mg/100g) and reducing sugar decreased possibly due to leaching during processing and the reaction and denaturation of compounds caused by the heat during frying.

This study investigated whether the mechanism underlying the neurotoxic effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in rats involves p66Shc. This study comprised an initial in vivo experiment followed by an in vitro experiment. For the in vivo experiment, male rats were orally administered saline (vehicle) or CdCl2 (0.05 mg/kg) for 30 days. Thereafter, spatial and retention memory of rats were tested and their hippocampi were used for biochemical and molecular analyses.

Infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens are a worldwide challenge for public health. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are regarded as promising antibiotic alternatives for the treatment of drug-resistant infections. In the present study, a series of small peptides were designed based on our previously reported sea snake AMP Hc-CATH. From them, the lead peptide HC1-D2, a truncated peptide entirely substituted by d-amino acids, was selected.

Aquatic environments are constantly exposed to a cocktail of contaminants mainly due to human activities. As polluted ecosystems may simultaneously present other multiple natural stressors, the objective of the present study was to evaluate joint effect of stressors (natural and anthropogenic) on life history traits of the Neotropical cladoceran, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii.