Research Publications (Food Safety)

In this study, pot-culture experiments were conducted to investigate the single effect of Cd, PCBs, and the combined effect of Cd-PCBs with Tagetes patula L. The study highlights that the minimum concentration of PCBs (100 µg kg−1) could enable the growth of the plant with an increase in biomass by 27.76% when compared with the control. In all the experiments performed, the Cd concentrations over the surface parts were found to be above 100 mg kg−1.

In this work, Aspergillus terreus GS28 and Aspergillus flavus CR500 isolated from industrial waste sludge examined for the decolorization of Congo red (CR) dye. The rate of CR decolorization raised due to optimum pH, temperature, carbon, nitrogen, and heavy metals. In the comparative study, A. terreus has the maximum ability (95%) to decolorize CR (≈ 100 mg L−1) as compared with A.

The large-scale rapid monitoring of heavy metal pollution has become a hot topic due to increasing contamination of Tailings soil by heavy metal. In order to explore the possibility of using soil spectrum to estimate the content of heavy metals in soil and realize the rapid monitoring of soil heavy metals in the Yangshanchong tailings area in Tongling, China. The spectral reflectance of soil and the content of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Zn) in soil were determined.

The aim of this study was to assess the glycogen content in the muscle and liver tissues of the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) exposed to sublethal concentrations of Cd and Pb over 28 days of exposure and 14 days of depuration. Muscle and liver glycogen levels in A. testudineus after Pb or Cd treatment were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of A. testudineus in the control group during the exposure phase.

The management of heavy metal contaminated soil has received extensive research attention. In this study, a novel immobilization agent (SiO2@Fe3O4@C-COOH) was combined with traditional immobilization agents (TIAs), i.e., CaO, organic matter (OM), and calcium superphosphate (CSP), and used to remediate Pb-contaminated soil. The immobilization effects of Pb in soil was evaluated through pot experiments involving wheat cultivation.

Cadmium contamination of agricultural soils threatens food safety. The bioaccumulation (BAF) of Cd in potato tubers ranged from 0.69 to 1.50 and 0.39 to 0.82 in acidic yellow and alkaline calcareous soils, respectively, when 0.3 to 4.8 mg Cd kg-1 was added to the soil. The order of Cd concentration for different organs was root > stem > leaf > tuber. The BAF of Cd decreased with the increase of soil Cd concentration.

Previous studies on the impact of the mining of metal-bearing minerals on surrounding soil mainly focused on single or a few areas. However, these studies' results cannot provide effective making-support for soil pollution control in large-scale areas, especially in cross-provincial scale. This study first collected 78 literature before 2020 on soil heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) affected by the mining of metal-bearing minerals in Southwest China.

The antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have attracted increasing attention. In this study, the abundance of ARB and resistance genes tet32 and defA1 were investigated using high-throughput sequencing and high-throughput qPCR in water samples collected from the inlet of the biological treatment pool and outlet of Beilun Yandong WWTP in Ningbo, China.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious and persistent environmental pollution problem. At present, many studies have focused on the tailings pond's cover systems. This paper introduced the research results of using tin tailings from Laili mountain to make the covering layer of tailings pond. The first part included a detailed description of tailings characterization and acid production potential.

In the last decades, mega-diverse rivers worldwide (e.g., the Amazon and their tributaries) have experienced several human-driven transformations, although impact assessments oftentimes lack baseline data or reference values to better estimate observed disturbances.

Different foliar barrier agents (FBA) were used by foliar spraying in first season field and pot experiments to compare their effects on Cadmium (Cd) reduction in wheat grains. The best two FBA (50 µM SNP and 2 mM Na2EDTA) can significantly reduce Cd concentration in wheat grains, and the filling period was the most effective period for FBA application.

The impacts of invasive fish species on recipient communities are mostly considered a threat to the biodiversity of freshwater systems. A characteristic of introduced species turning invasive is their higher tolerance to environmental stressors.

As one of the most harmful environmental pollutants, cadmium (Cd) has arisen much interest, and many researches have been carried out to study the adsorption of heavy metals by biochar, but the mechanisms were poorly explored and the roles components in biochar played are still indistinct. In this study, we evaluated the adsorption capacities and mechanisms of soybean root biochar pyrolyzed at four different temperatures.

Four specimens of gametophores and protonemata of Scopelophila cataractae (copper moss) were collected from a stream in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Thailand in order to determine heavy metal accumulation and Cu localization. The order of total metal concentrations in the protonemata and leaf cell surfaces of S. cataractae was Fe > Zn > Cu. Significant Cu values (> 400 mg kg−1) were found in both gametophores and protonemata.

This study assessed the seasonal distribution of trace metals in soft tissues of Tympanotonos fuscatus var radula, surrounding water, and sediment of Abule-Agege Creek in Southwest Nigeria. A non-significant variation (p > 0.05) in water physicochemical parameters occurred across wet and dry seasons. Metallic contamination (Copper, zinc, mercury, chromium, lead and cadmium) was found to be higher in T.

The main aim of this work was to develop a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP)-based quantum dots electrochemiluminescent (ECL) probe for the ultrasensitive and highly selective detection of bisphenol A (BPA). The prepared core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 exhibited superparamagnetic properties, making them easy to separate.

To date, the effects of lead on the growth and haematological parameters of milkfish are still not well understood. For this reason the present study seeks to explain this conundrum. Sub-adult female milkfish were exposed to four concentrations of lead nitrate (0 mg/l, 42.64 mg/l, 63.97 mg/l and 85.29 mg/l) for 40 days. Results revealed that exposure to lead nitrate caused significant changes in growth and haematological parameters of milkfish.

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils poses a direct threat to food safety and human health. It has been shown that the colloids is the carrier of heavy metal transport in the polluted soil by heavy metals, but the sources of heavy metals in the soil and colloids and their interrelations are not transparent at present.

Cadmium and copper toxicity was investigated using bioassays with neonates of a freshwater gastropod Physa acuta. Mortality, lethal time, and effects on shell length were studied during 28-day chronic exposure experiments. Relative toxicity was assessed from acute and chronic LC values.

The abuse of antibiotics, such as the cephalosporins in livestock and aquaculture productions, usually causes the widespread antibiotic resistance due to their growth-promoting effects. In this study, cephalexin was chosen as the hapten molecule to prepare a broad-spectrum rabbit polyclonal antibody for cephalosporin antibiotics. The obtained antibody exhibited broad cross-reactivity ranging from 0.05% to 100% with 10 cephalosporins.

The occurrence of Helicobacter spp. and fecal bacterial contamination was investigated in high-altitude environments from the Northeastern Andes of Venezuela. Helicobacter DNA was detected by PCR in streams, drinking and irrigation waters, and one culture from drinking water by the HP enrichment medium for selection of Helicobacter pylori, which displayed 98.98% homology to this pathogen based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

The study investigated concentrations, distribution, and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in agriculture soil and crops irrigated by the Kali River of Uttar Pradesh, India. Soils and crop samples were collected from 17 locations along the river and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. Metals in soil and plant were recorded as Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cd and Mn > Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd, respectively.

Chemical pollution poses adverse effects on aquatic organisms, including altered gene expression. This study, therefore, investigated the hepatic expression of biomarkers of exposure and effect in Oreochromis niloticus inhabiting the drainage canal of a sugarbeet factory (an industrially polluted habitat) and the Nile River (a reference habitat).

Heavy metals (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Hg) in soil of a typical overlapped area of farmland and coal resources (OAFCR) in Xuzhou were investigated, meanwhile the pollution levels and risks of there were discussed.

Microplastics (MPs) can pose ecological risk to the environment and have the potential to negatively affect human health, raising serious public concerns. It is recognized that MPs could act as a vector for various environmental pollutants including heavy metals and potentially influencing their mobility, fate, and bioavailabilty in the environment. However, knowledge on the mechanisms underpinning the interaction processes between MPs and heavy metals is far from clear.