Research Publications (Food Safety)

The detection of ochratoxin A (OTA), a harmful toxic contaminant of foods causing serious health problems, is of great importance. Common analytical methods for this purpose are expensive, time- and labor-consuming.

Preparing matrix-matched calibration curves for each matrix type makes multiresidue methods for pesticides determination in foods a labor-intensive endeavor.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary metabolite of filamentous fungi and is considered within the 2B group by IARC. OTA can be found in a variety of food commodities and beverages. In this study, a new methodology for the detection and quantification of OTA in coffee beverages was developed and validated. The extraction procedure was based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with solidification of a floating organic drop (DLLME-SFO). The extract was analyzed by UHPLC-(ESI+)-MS/MS.

The surface and output of organic agriculture is growing steadily in recent years, being generally seen as a healthier, safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture. Comparisons between organic and conventional products are nonetheless scarce in the literature, especially in the case of wine.

Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OTA) are chemical hazards in dried figs that induce adverse effects on international trade. However, there is no maximum level (ML) for OTA in dried figs worldwide. Risk assessment of OTA in dried figs has drawn great attention for establishing an ML or providing other risk management advice to control or prevent contamination.

Activated carbon-boron (AC-B) nanocomposite has been developed as a new solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent for the extraction and specification of aflatoxins (AFs) in nuts. Porous activated carbon was produced by the chemical activation method from potato peels, which is important biomass waste, and boron was incorporated into the structure.

Matrix-matching calibration is a method for minimizing or eliminating the matrix effect in pesticide residue analysis. However, when the matrix effect cannot be ignored, a matrix-matching calibration must be established for each single plant, which is time-consuming and laborious.

Fluoroquinolones are widely employed to treat or prevent respiratory diseases in poultry, and their residues could be present even after slaughtering. Thus, this study aimed to assess the oxidative effect of fluoroquinolones on myosin and chicken meat proteins under in vitro conditions, using proteomics and peptidomics approaches.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different doses (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 mM) of putrescine treatments on the postharvest weight loss, decay, firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH, respiration rate, L*, a*, b*, Chroma and Hue angle and phenolic compounds, organic acids and vitamin C content of kiwi (cv. Hayward.

Detrimental health effects caused by the intake of food contaminated with heavy metals have drawn concerns on effective monitoring using rapid and benign methods.

This research aims to analyze 57 pesticide residues in 35 ready-to-use barberry samples collected from hypermarkets in Iran by Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) approach using acetonitrile for the extraction, and surface adsorbents for clean-up procedure, followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).

The principal purpose of this study was to investigate the amount and human health risk assessment by Monte Carlo simulation for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk in Kermanshah province, Iran.

Trace metals such as lead and mercury can be present in beverages by contamination during production and storage processes, or by the use of hops and brewing grains that may be contaminated with trace metals. Since these metals are harmful to human health, their presence is strictly controlled by regulatory agencies.

A simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly method for the determination of pyrethroids and cadmium in drink samples was developed by successive homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction (SHLLME) based on switchable hydrophilicity solve

The present study monitored pesticide residues in 2319 samples of fruiting vegetables namely, tomato (416), capsicum (363), brinjal (448), and cucurbits (1,092) grown in the Northern and Western regions of India. The samples were extracted using QuEChERS method and analyzed for the residues of 155 multi–class pesticides by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and/or liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

This study assessed the adsorption capacity and stability of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), Ochratoxin A (OTA), and Zearalenon (ZEA) via Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 7469 individually and in combination with each other. Detoxifying efficiency depends on lactic acid bacteria species (hydrophobicity of cell wall), pH, temperature, time and mycotoxin type.

In this work, carbonized cellulose nanoparticles have been prepared easily by heating filter paper in a mixture of sulfuric acid and water.

A multi-residue method was developed for 45 pesticides from different groups, encompassing the most widely used pesticides. 30 samples of honey were randomly collected from different regions of Iran and extraction was performed using validated QuEChERS method. Next, pesticide residues were identified and measured using optimized UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS analysis.

A novelty high-throughput semi-automatic sample clean-up method was developed and used for rapid analysis of 9 drug residues in fish muscle tissues combined with high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). The target compounds were extracted by Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe multiresidue (QuEChERS) method with acetonitrile. A vortex oscillating clean-up column was proposed for single step purification firstly.

In order to assess the health risks associated with the consumption of Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) and to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of three potentially toxic metals, lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) concentrations were measured in the muscle and the liver of 872 specimens of sardine sampled between October 2017 and September 2018 along the Algerian coast at 3 sites (Algiers, Dellys and Bejaia) subject to high pollution pressure.

A solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) coupled high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) strategy was explored for trace concentrations of dicamba, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and picloram residues simultaneous determination from complex matrix of food samples.

Pesticides are contaminants that pose serious risks to human health and the environment worldwide; however, little information is available on the occurrence of pesticide residues in vegetables in either Chile or Mexico. This study evaluated the presence of 22 pesticide residues in vegetables sold at supermarkets and farmers markets in Chile and Mexico and estimated the dietary risk.

To estimate the mean dietary exposure to total As (tAs) and some arsenic species [inorganic arsenic (iAs), methylarsonic acid (MMAs) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAs), and arsenobetaine (AsB)] across the entire Japanese population (≥1 year old), a national total diet study (TDS) based on composite sample with a market-basket approach was conducted in Japan from 10 regions throughout Japan in 2019.

As a specialty food that is medicinal and edible, Anoectochilus roxburghii contains many active ingredients. Herein, optimal conditions to preserve A. roxburghii samples and obtain high physiological activity have been studied. The contents of polysaccharides, kinsenoside, and flavonoids of A.