Research Publications (Food Safety)

Aims To increase biodegradation of phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR) and fluoranthene (FLU) through mixed cultures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)‐degrading bacteria, using modified repeated batch fermentation. Methods and Results Novel bacterial strains of Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas sp. and Ralstonia eutropha were cultivated and the biodegradation and conversion of mixed PAH to medium chain length‐polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL‐PHA) was determined.

Intensive agricultural and livestock activities demand high pesticide use and, consequently, contaminants reach aquatic ecosystems. In the lower Jacuí River, southern Brazil, there is a lack of knowledge about pesticide residues in water samples and the biochemical responses in native fish species. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the influence of pesticide residues and water parameters to biomarker responses in the native fish Astyanax spp.

Strobilurin fungicides have been widely used in agricultural fields for decades. These pesticides are designed to manage fungal pathogens, although their broad-spectrum mode of action also produces non-target impacts. Therefore, the removal of strobilurins from ecosystems has received much attention.

The emergence and prevalence of carbapenem-resistant bacterial infection have seriously threatened the clinical use of almost all β-lactam antibacterials. The development of effective metallo-β-lactamase (MβL) inhibitors to restore the existing antibiotics efficacy is an ideal alternative. Although several types of serine-β-lactamase inhibitors have been successfully developed and used in clinical settings, MβL inhibitors are not clinically available to date.

by Ashutosh Kumar, Tanvir Islam, Yoshihide Sekimoto, Chris Mattmann, Brian Wilson

Author(s): Wenming Yao, Xiaobo Min, Qingzhu Li, Qingwei Wang, Hui Liu, Yanjie Liang, Kaizhong Li, Zongwen Zhao, Shengli Qu, Zhunqin Dong

Author(s): Lijun Han, Yelena Sapozhnikova

Author(s): María Jesús Clemente, María de los Ángeles Vivó, Sergi Puig, Manuel Zúñiga, Vicente Monedero, Vicenta Devesa, Dinoraz Vélez

Revegetation is an alternative of recovery for contaminated areas by mining tailings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses of Cassia grandis growing in iron mining tailings and the implications for revegetation purposes. Plants of C. grandis were grown for 4 months in substrate collected in affected areas by residues from Fundão dam, and commercial substrate was used as control.

The ability to respire and generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is essential for the physiology, persistence, and pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis. By employing a lead repurposing strategy, the malarial cytochrome bc1 inhibitor SCR0911 was tested against mycobacteria. Docking studies were carried out to reveal potential binding and to understand the binding interactions with the target, cytochrome bcc.

Author(s): Vesela I. Mitkovska, Hristo A. Dimitrov, Tsenka G. Chassovnikarova

Activity-guided fractionation based on in vitro assays was used to identify antibacterial components in the residue wasted in the manufacturing process of aged garlic extract (AGE). Antimicrobial activity of the hexane extract of aged garlic-derived residue (AGR) was evaluated against clinically isolated Gram-positive and -negative bacteria including levofloxacin (LVX)-resistant strains.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins which are used in many consumer products. Most people encounter BPA in their daily routines. However, it has been heavily reported that BPA has a neurotoxic effect.

Biological control is emerging as a feasible alternative to chemical pesticides in agriculture. Measuring the microbial biocontrol agent (mBCA) populations in the environment is essential for an accurate environmental and health risk assessment and for optimizing the usage of an mBCA-based plant protection product. We hereby show a workflow to obtain a large number of qPCR markers suitable for robust strain-specific quantification.

Insect nervous systems offer unique advantages for studying interactions between sensory systems and behavior, given their complexity with high tractability. By examining the neural coding of salient environmental stimuli and resulting behavioral output in the context of environmental stressors, we gain an understanding of the effects of these stressors on...

The nucleocapsid protein (NC) is a highly conserved protein that plays key roles in HIV-1 replication through its nucleic acid chaperone properties mediated by its two zinc fingers and basic residues. NC is a promising target for antiviral therapy, particularly to control viral strains resistant to currently available drugs.

Eutrophication and metal contamination are the principal pollution problem for almost all inland lakes in world. Phytoremediation is one of the viable solutions for this concern. The present study analysed the concentration and distribution of six metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc) in sediment and macrophyte samples of Varthur Lake, Bangalore. Higher concentrations of studied metals in sediment were observed at the inlet and north shoreline regions of the lake.

Author(s): Chanchal Sharma, Sun Chul Kang

Biofilm inhibition by exogenous molecules has been an attractive strategy for the development of novel therapeutics. We investigated the biofilm inhibitor taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) and its effects on the specialized metabolism, virulence, and biofilm formation of the clinically relevant bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14. Our study shows that TLCA alters the specialized metabolism, thereby affecting P. aeruginosa colony biofilm physiology.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide threat due to the decreasing supply of new antimicrobials. Novel targets and innovative strategies are urgently needed to generate pathbreaking drug compounds. NAD kinase (NADK) is essential for growth in most bacteria, as it supports critical metabolic pathways. Here, we report the discovery of a new class of antibacterials that targets bacterial NADK.

Protein S-palmitoylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) in blood stages of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. S-palmitoylation refers to reversible covalent modification of cysteine residues of proteins by saturated fatty acids.

Author(s): Jin Fan, Ling Zhao, Junhong Kan, Hao Qiu, Xiaoyun Xu, Xinde Cao

Author(s): Hailan Li, Peng Pu, Xiaorui Li, Yanzhen Gong, Disheng An, Lixin Zhang, Jinyin Lv

Hengshan goat meat produced exclusively in Shaanxi province of China is the product of national geographical indication. In current study, nutritional and safety indexes of Hengshan goat leg meat were investigated and the quality changes induced by seven commonly used processing methods were systematically evaluated.

In this study, a green mode of solidification of floating organic droplet–based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been developed for the extraction of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from honey samples before their determination by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. In this method, an appropriate volume of menthol:decanoic acid deep eutectic solvent (as an extraction solvent) is added on a sugar cube (as a disperser agent).