Research Publications (Food Safety)

High arsenic groundwater has been observed throughout the world, which poses severe health impacts on human beings. It urgently needs effective adsorbents to lower arsenic concentration from the target groundwater for the purpose of drinking. In this study, siderite-modified biochar (SID-BC) was synthesized with the hydrothermal method as an adsorbent for arsenate (As(V)) removal from aqueous solution.

Purpose The increasing volumes of mine tailings that are being generated globally because of the rise in metal demand, whilst ore-grades continue to decline, call for novel sustainable management options. Phytoextraction using hyperaccumulator plant species may be one of such strategies to deal with these large volumes of contaminated materials.

Purpose Thallium (Tl) is one of the most toxic elements known and its contamination is an emerging environmental issue associated with base metal (zinc-lead) mining wastes.

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is an important fruit crop in the world. It is used as a table grape and is also used for raisin and wine production. Grape berries accumulate secondary metabolites, such as anthocyanins, tannins, and resveratrol, which are known as functional compounds for human health. Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporter (MATEs) transport secondary metabolites.

From a library of compounds, 11 hit antibacterial agents have been identified as potent anti-Gram-positive bacterial agents. These pyrazole derivatives are active against two groups of pathogens, staphylococci and enterococci, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values as low as 0.78 μg/mL. These potent compounds showed bactericidal action, and some were effective at inhibiting and eradicating Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis biofilms.

In this work, dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure was developed for trace cadmium determination before flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) measurement. Copper(II) based nanoflowers were synthesized to utilize as adsorbent for preconcentration of cadmium. The detection power of the spectrometric system was enhanced by placing a slotted quartz tube (SQT) onto the flame burner which increases the residence time of the analyte atoms in the flame region.

Systemic characterization of the human gut microbiota highlighted its vast therapeutic potential. Despite having enormous potential, the non-availability of their culture representatives created a bottleneck to understand the concept of microbiome-based therapeutics. The present study is aimed to isolate and evaluate the probiotic potential of a human gut isolate.

As a novel protein post-translational modification (PTM), lysine succinylation is widely involved in metabolism regulation by altering the activity of catalytic enzymes. Inactivating succinyl-CoA synthetase in Saccharopolyspora erythraea HL3168 E3 was proved significantly inducing the global protein hypersuccinylation.

A poly (ionic liquid) (PIL) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles methodology was developed and utilized as an efficient adsorbent for the simultaneous extraction of cadmium, lead, and copper ions from water and fruit juice samples. The novel adsorbent was fabricated by grafting DABCO-based PIL onto silica-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles via copper (0)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization. Different techniques properly characterized the developed nanoparticles.

It is of great significance to develop safe and efficient dietary selenium sources to improve lead toxicity. In this study, selenate, selenite, SeMet and Se-yeast were supplied to investigate the Se biofortification and bioaccessibility in Pleurotus eryngii. The effects of Se-enriched P. eryngii on lead binding bacteria were investigated via in vitro fermentation.

Rapid and accurate predictions of heavy metal contents in farmland are of great significance to ensure the safety of agricultural products and maintain ecosystem balance. Combining multispectral images and chemometric modeling provides a feasible means of estimating cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) contents in farmland.

The translucent and nano-crystalline PbS films were equipped with the CBD techniques on metal substrates by the temperature of 90 °C through aqueous solutions of Lead Nitrate and Thiourea. The XRD phases verify the crystalline property of synthesized thin films that the shape falls in the cubic structures with favourite orientations. It revealed that the prepared material is cubic crystal oriented as (111), (110), (100) and (101) crystal planes.

This study investigated the structure of fungal and bacterial communities in different types of Cd-contaminated soils.

Dimeric quinoline-based Schiff base was developed (DQS) for the specific detection of Pb2+ ion via fluorimetry.

Infertility affects about 10–15% couples over the world, among which a large number of cases the underlying causes are still unclear.

Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) are frequently emitted from various sources into environment, but microbial responses to their combined toxicity have not been systematically investigated.

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an infectious illness endemic to Latin America and still lacks an effective treatment for the chronic stage. In a previous study in our laboratory, we established the protective role of host autophagy in vivo during T. cruzi infection in mice and proposed this process as one of the mechanisms involved in the innate immune response against this parasite. In the search for an autophagy inducer that increases the anti-T.

Purpose Heavy metal, particularly cadmium (Cd) is toxic to rice growth. Studies showed that nano-silicon particles (SiNPs) can alleviate Cd toxicity.

Esterase, as a type of powerful catabolic enzyme for the degradation of pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs), appears promising in improving the quality of crops and the environment contaminated by pesticide residues. The purpose of this research is to provide a detailed introduction to the enzymatic properties, optimal production and immobilization conditions, and the degradation ability of Est804 for PYRs.

Mature lysostaphin (mLst) is a glycineglycine endopeptidase, capable of specifically cleaving penta-glycine crosslinker in the peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus cell wall. It is a very effective therapeutic enzyme to kill the multidrug-resistant S. aureus often encountered in hospital acquired infections. Fusing cellulose binding domain (CBD) to mLst significantly reduced the insoluble expression of mLst in E.

Organic residue is a good resource of organic matter and nutrients to improve soil physico-chemical properties, but the toxic trace elements, including cadmium (Cd), borne with it may limit its suitability for arable land. This study aimed to develop regression models for Cd critical concentration in the soils amended with Cd-containing organic residue in view of food safety.

International Journal of Dairy Technology, EarlyView. This study focused on the measurement of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs) in cheese samples (traditional and commercial cheese) by a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with triple-quadrupole (QqQ) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

Lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring heavy metal, which can damage the brain and affect learning and memory. Sodium para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, can readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Our previous studies have found that PAS-Na alleviated Pb-induced hippocampal ultrastructural damage and neurodegeneration, but the mechanism has yet to be defined.

Cadmium (Cd) damages plant photosynthesis, affects roots and leaves growth, and triggers molecular responses. Riluzole (RIL), which protected neuronal damage via inhibiting excess Glu release in animals, has been found to improve Cd tolerance in duckweed in this study.

Contamination of agro-ecosystems with heavy metals can affect the development and reproduction of insect natural enemies.