Research Publications (Food Safety)

A novel, eco-friendly, and efficient dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed, utilizing pH-switchable hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents. This method, which combines with liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection, allows for the extraction and analysis of aflatoxin M1 in milk-based sports supplements. At first, twelve deep eutectic solvents were prepared and their pH switchability was investigated.

Saxitoxins are potent neurotoxins originating the acute human neurological syndrome of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) via bivalve vectors. The official testing method in the European Union, commonly known as the ‘Lawrence method’, involves pre-column oxidation steps.

Various chemicals present at different stages in the food supply chain can lead to the leaching of heavy metals. These metals can accumulate in the human body through the consumption of contaminated food. Consequently, it is necessary to validate an analytical technique for the quantification chemical that could contaminate food.

Mycotoxin contamination in agri-food systems has been a serious global concern over the past few decades. Corn is easily contaminated by Ochratoxin A (OTA) and Zearalenone (ZEN), which seriously threaten the survival and health of humans and animals. Herein, a rapid and sensitive method of OTA and ZEN dual quantum dots (QDs) fluorescence immunochromatographic test strip was established in this study. OTA and ZEN fluorescence probes were prepared by carbodiimide.

Tetracyclines (TCs) are among the most widely used antibiotics worldwide for treating bacterial infections (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) in humans and animals. In Brazil, chicken is one of the most produced and traded meats, with TCs being the primary antibiotics used in its production.

Pathogenic Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are an important cause of foodborne illness. The detection of STEC in finished products and during the manufacturing process has an important role as part of verification plans, to confirm that practices and procedures described in the food safety program are successfully applied to control STEC.

A methodology with rapidity and specificity is of great significance for the effective control and management of outbreaks caused by Salmonella enterica as it has presented an obvious threat to food safety and public health worldwide.

Purple yam (Dioscorea trifida) has high agricultural productivity in the Amazon region but has not been much investigated. Multivariate strategies were employed to optimize the method to obtain a food extract rich in functional compounds.

This paper aimed to demonstrate the production of edible extracts from red jambo flowers, cultivated in northeastern Brazil, and investigate their bioactive properties.

In this research, a straightforward sample treatment for multiresidue pesticide evaluation of onion samples was developed using the solid-phase extraction/quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and secure (SPE/QuEChERS) method. The suggested technique is based on acetonitrile liquid-liquid partitioning, then follows dispersive solid-phase extraction with ZrO2 particles for extract purification. ZrO2 is synthesized via co precipitation and analyzed via XRD, FTIR, and SEM.

Pigeon is an essential poultry with tasty meat and high protein content, and its breeding and consumption of meat have been increasing annually. Nevertheless, technical bottlenecks still exist in detecting veterinary drug residues in pigeon muscle. A rapid and sensitive method for determining 67 veterinary drugs belonging to six major groups (quinolones, sulfonamides, macrolides, hormones, tetracyclines, and insecticides) was developed in pigeon muscle.

Aflatoxins (AFs) have strong liver and kidney toxicity, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects. They can easily contaminate foods such as grains and oilseeds, and can easily enter the human body through the food chain, posing a huge threat to human health. There is an urgent need to establish a rapid, sensitive, and accurate analysis strategy for AFs in food to protect people’s health.

Paraquat dichloride is a widely used herbicide that poses a significant threat to human health. Its prohibition in several countries highlights the need for the development of a highly sensitive device capable of detecting minimum concentrations of this herbicide in food matrices. In this study, we developed a lateral flow test strip using gold nanoparticles conjugated to anti-paraquat antibodies for the visual and quantitative detection of paraquat in food samples.

Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes are three of the most common foodborne pathogens found in pork. SERS technology enables the rapid acquisition of molecular information by harnessing the synergistic effect of Raman scattering and enhanced substrate surface plasmonics. However, because of the similar chemical composition between bacteria and between pathogens and pork, it is difficult to discriminate pork contaminated with different pathogens.

Listeriosis remains one of the most severe foodborne diseases in terms of fatality rate. Listeria monocytogenes can grow under stressful conditions and contaminate various food categories. Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 modified on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs includes both qualitative and quantitative food safety criteria on L. monocytogenes and mentions EN ISO 11290–1 Standard as the reference detection method for the qualitative criteria.

Veterinary drugs (VDs) are regulated to prevent their abuse or misuse and protect humans that consume animal-based food products from exposure to VD residues. VD residues are managed according to the maximum residue limits (MRLs) or by prohibiting the use of VDs based on their residual properties and toxicities. However, all VD residues, even those that are not managed by MRLs, in animal-based food products will be regulated for public health improvement.

The objective was the development and validation of a method for simultaneous mycotoxins determination (aflatoxins B1 — AFB1, G1 — AFG1, G2 — AFG2 and M1 — AFM1, ochratoxin — OTA, and zearalenone — ZEA) in milk by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector.

Ethylene is a primary plant hormone associated with the ripening process of fruits. Ethylene can initiate the ripening process in fruits even at sub-parts per million concentrations. Therefore, ethylene monitoring during fruit transport and storage is very important in order to ensure optimum quality control and shelf-life extension.

Pymetrozine, a member of the azomethine pyridine group, is gaining popularity among paddy farmers due to its anti-feeding properties against homopteran insects like planthoppers, whiteflies, and aphids on a wide range of fields, fruits, and ornamental crops.

Given the urgent requirement for more laboratories to develop proficiency in detecting foodborne viruses, this case study charts the path to accreditation, demystifying the process of validating a method for detecting norovirus and hepatitis A virus in fresh produce. Securing accreditation is crucial to ensuring dependable and precise food analysis, particularly relevant for products frequently consumed raw, which are at risk of contamination by foodborne viruses.

The use of right sample preparation protocols is critical when analyzing challenging matrices containing inhibitory compounds inhibiting Salmonella growth during pre-enrichment step. The use of right sample preparation protocols will not only avoid a false negative result, but it can also have a huge positive impact on laboratory operations, as it is used for every type of method (cultural, ELISA, or PCR), every day in every laboratory.

Antibiotics are those drugs that can be extracted from some microorganisms and they are effective against other organisms, such as bacteria, by either inhibiting the growth of bacteria or by killing them. The present study was conducted to measure the amount of various antibiotics in the local and imported broiler chickens by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS/Q-TOF).

The accuracy and dependability of results generated through molecular detection of specific target sequences of RNA, commonly used for detecting viruses in food, have been extensively debated within the scientific community. Such concerns have been raised by researchers, clients, and regulators alike, highlighting the need for further investigation and clarification.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) are a class of materials that combine the properties of both polymers and porosity. They are characterized by their network structure composed of repeating organic units, which form pores or cavities throughout the material. Owing to their unique features including tunable porosity, abundant accessible active sites and synthetically control ability, POPs have been widely employed in the fields of catalysis, adsorption, and biomedicine.

The presence of mycotoxins in meat and meat products can result from contaminated feed carry-over, from contamination with toxigenic molds during processing and storage, and from contaminated spices and ingredients. The occurrence of mycotoxins in dry fermented sausage is described worldwide; however, scarce information is available for Brazilian products.