Research Publications (Food Safety)

In the present study, the effects of intermittent ozone (IO3) application combined with low dose fungicide and high-dose dissolved ozone in water on storage life and quality of orange cv. Washington Navel were investigated.

Wheat flour contaminated with Salmonella or Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been linked to foodborne outbreaks and recalls. The survival of five strains of rifampicin-resistant Salmonella and STEC on wheat berries was evaluated during tempering (hydration). Wheat berries were inoculated with Salmonella (cocktail) or STEC (individual strains or cocktail) and dried at ambient conditions for 24 h.

The aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) were investigated in 60 beer samples of the leading commercial beer brands, with and without adjuncts, produced in Brazil. An analytical method was standardized and validated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The extraction was carried out using immunoaffinity columns.

Deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contamination in maize poses a threat to food safety. Thus, the development of a cost-effective and non-destructive method to classify deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contaminated maize is an important research issue. Natural deoxynivalenol and zearalenone contaminated maize were randomly selected for this experiment.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major seafood-borne zoonotic pathogen causing gastroenteritis in humans. Although antibiotics are the most effective chemical agents for V. parahaemolyticus, their abuse has caused the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, affecting seafood safety. Here, we have isolated and characterized the V.

Poultry on the European market is offered primarily as fresh meat and is usually sold at the retail level packed under either a modified atmosphere (MAP) or vacuum. Packaging is meant to retain product quality during retail offering and influences microbiological changes during storage.

Nowadays, the application of rapid molecular-based methods such as PCR/qPCR and isothermal techniques like Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA), has increased in order to overcome some of the drawbacks of traditional culture-based methods due to their high sensitivity and specificity. One of the main limitations of these techniques is their inability to differentiate between live and dead microorganisms.

Based on the combination of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and propidium monoazide (PMA), a new method called PMA-duplex ddPCR was developed for the quantitative determination of viable Vibrio parahaemolyticus in aquatic products.

The aims of this study were to: i) analyze the prevalence and concentration of pesticides belonging to 4 major classes, namely organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids in chicken meat, liver and kidney; ii) evaluate the impact of boiling, frying and freezing on pesticide levels in chicken meat, and iii) estimate the dietary exposure to pesticide residues in chicken meat and conduct a risk assessment.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of the synergistic antimicrobial effect of cineole (CN) and carvacrol (CR) on E. coli and its application on fresh-cut cucumbers. Herein, the CN/CR synergy could effectively inhibit E. coli by destroying its bacterial cell structure and causing the leakage of intracellular organic matters. For the first time, CN/CR synergy interaction on E.

The food industry must prevent food contamination caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains as they pose a severe public health threat worldwide and lead to unimaginable economic losses. In this study, the synergistic antibacterial activity in vitro of nisin and phytic acid, a natural metal chelate, against 5 foodborne isolates of E. coli were evaluated by a checkerboard assay.

Parasitic diseases are a major health problem in many developing countries. The consumption of contaminated fresh vegetables can play a crucial epidemiological role in the transmission of parasitic foodborne diseases including ascariasis and giardiasis.

Virucidal suspension testing is commonly used as an authorized test for disinfectants. However, this method could not precisely evaluate the effect of disinfectants on food-contact surfaces. To solve this problem, a carrier testing method needs to be established in the food-processing industries by following a standard guideline.

As a first-time study, the thermal storage stabilities of pesticides (bifenthrin, carbofuran, diazinon, methomyl, triflumuron, triadimenol, triazophos, and thiabendazole) in banana homogenate were investigated. Pesticides-spiked banana samples were stored at −20 °C (T1), 4 °C (T2), 25 °C (T3), and 40 °C (T4) and the residues were observed from day 0 to day 84.

Screening of pathogenic bacteria is an essential measure for ensuring food safety. A fast, sensitive and automatic platform for Salmonella determination was presented employing continuous-flow magnetic isolation, enzymatic impedance amplification and smartphone data analysis.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary fungal metabolite produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. OTA contamination of food and animal feed has been attracting increasing concern in view of its toxicity, such as nephrotoxic, teratogenic, embryotoxic, genotoxic, neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and immunosuppressive effects. The widespread contamination of OTA in food and multiple toxicity of OTA have promoted research on detoxifying OTA in food or feed.

Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous and highly resistant food poisoning bacterium that is an important food safety concern. It can contaminate a variety of foods throughout the world. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a complete search was conducted on the prevalence of B. cereus, worldwide. Between 1990 and 2020, a total of 6035 articles were collected from the databases. By applying explicit criteria, the number of 98 studies was included in this study.

During postharvest processing, apples are transported via dump tanks and flumes with recirculated water with sanitizers to control cross-contamination.

Salmonella contamination of chocolate-derived products has caused a number of outbreaks and recalls in recent years. Earlier research found that reducing moisture content or water activity of low-moisture foods sharply enhances the resistance of Salmonella during thermal treatments.

Currently, increasing attention is being paid to conjugated mycotoxins in plant-based foods because of their assumed bioavailability and health risks. However, analytical standards for most mycotoxin glycosides are not available and risk assessment processes have not yet been completed because of the lack of occurrence data.

The goal of the present study was to estimate the distribution and migration of eleven systemic and non-systemic pesticides between the skin and the pulp of apples. Additionally, the behaviour of acetamiprid, boscalid, bupirimate, cyprodinil, flonicamid, fluopyram, pirimicarb, pyrimethanil, thiacloprid, deltamethrin, and fludioxonil in two apple varieties during four thermal processes ranging between −40 °C and 150 °C was discussed.

With the increasing variety of meat analog products, it is important to verify that the methods used for Salmonella detection are effective.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the major agricultural feed contaminants causing serious health hazards worldwide and its degradation by beneficial microbial agents is now being widely examined. In this study we investigated the degradation ability of Klebsiella pneumoniae strain GS7-1 isolated from corn field in Shandong province in China on ZEN. The effects of temperature, incubation time and pH were studied.

Sprouting seeds are considered part of a healthy and nutritious diet, and accordingly, their consumption increases globally. However, edible sprouts are occasionally linked to outbreaks of foodborne diseases, with Salmonella enterica being a frequent contaminant. Biocontrol was recently proposed as a possible approach to combat sprout contamination during production.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a highly toxic non-steroidal mycotoxin produced via some Fusarium species that intimidate the agricultural and food industry. Therefore, it is an intense need for different groups to develop some novel, rapid, reliable, and precise analytical methods for ZEN detection to ensure food safety.