Research Publications (Food Safety)

BACKGROUND Penicillic acid (PA) is produced by Aspergillus spp. and Penicillum spp., which are common postharvest and storage fungi of fruits. PA can be of concern for human health due to its toxicity and high fruit consumption by the population. However, no data on PA occurrence in various fruits was yet reported. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) approach for PA determination in various fruits was developed and applied to explore PA incidence in fruits.

BACKGROUND Dietary intervention is an important approach to improve intestinal function of weaned piglets. Phytogenic and herbal products have received increasing attention as in‐feed antibiotic alternatives. This study investigated the chemical composition of guava leaf extract (GE) by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS).

BACKGROUND Research involved investigation of Pb, Cd and As concentrations in canned tuna, tuna steak, rainbow trout, smoked mackerel, Baltic and Atlantic cod as well as Atlantic salmon. The aim was to spot check the quality of the most commonly purchased type of fish which are available for sale in most common supermarket chains throughout the Poland as well as to determine potentially less contaminated sources of fish available for retail.

BACKGROUND Wheat is one of three major food crops in China. Alternaria species can cause spoilage of wheat with consequent mycotoxin accumulation. Alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) are the most common and frequently studied mycotoxins. There are limited regulations placed on Alternaria mycotoxin concentrations worldwide due to the lack of toxicity data available. More data on the levels of mycotoxin contamination are also needed.

BACKGROUND Oxidized phlorotannin could be used as protein cross‐linking agents to produce high‐quality fish gel products. Phlorotannin can be easily induced to form quinone compounds in an oxidizing environment, while o‐quinone has been proven to be a reactive, electrophilic intermediate that easily reacts with proteins to form rigid molecular crosslinking network.

BACKGROUND Animal manure frequently harbors pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella spp and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. A defined microbial consortium such as Effective Microorganisms (EM) can potentially be used as a biocontrol against manure‐borne human pathogens such as Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli. The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of EM to decontaminate cattle manure.

The expansion of the food industry, both on the national and the global stages, has resulted in complex collaborative networks and supply chains. The management culture adopted for food supply chains has an impact on the quality of the end product and the vitality of the involved businesses. In this report, we focus on the use of blockchain technology, and distributed ledgers in general, for managing supply chains in the food and agricultural sectors.

Background The largest and most profitable market for citrus is the production of fresh fruit. Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (X. citri) is a Gram‐negative plant pathogen and the etiological agent of citrus canker, one of the major threats to citrus production world‐wide. In the early stages of infection, X. citri can attach to plant surfaces by means of biofilms. Biofilm is considered an essential virulence factor, which helps tissue colonization in plants.

BACKGROUND Aspergillus carbonarius is identified as one of the main fungi that produce ochratoxin A (OTA) in grapes. This nephrotoxic mycotoxin has been legislated in several countries and is a major concern for viticulture. Knowledge of the resistance or susceptibility to colonization by A. carbonarius may be useful in selecting the most promising cultivars for organic agriculture and could help in preventing fungal contamination in vineyards.

BACKGROUND Chinese horsebean‐chili‐paste (CHCP) is a traditional fermented condiment in China, known as “the soul of Sichuan cuisine”. The phase of horsebean‐to‐meju is important for CHCP production and contributes significantly to the tastes and odors.

BACKGROUD To extend the storage time of postharvest cherry tomato, boscalid are often used. Pesticide residue has become an issue of food safety. This study was to investigate the spatial distribution of boscalid residue in cherry tomato fruits and to determine the effect of 24‐epibrassinolide (EBR) in promoting boscalid degradation. RESULTS Boscalid could quickly penetrate into cherry tomatoes, but mainly remained in the peel.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Tetracycline antibiotics are employed for human and animal health and speeding up their growth rate. However, their presence in food products and environmental waters has been a concern for years. Therefore, a variety of sample preparation methods have been developed for the analysis of tetracyclines residues in these matrices.

BACKGROUND Information pertaining to the aromatic profile of seaweeds and seaweed extracts can provide evidence regarding their potential suitability as ingredients in processed foods. To date only limited material has been available on the volatile profiles of some seaweed species. Others in this study have not previously been described.

BACKGROUND The supplementation of folic acid in food is essential in the human diet. The present study aimed to encapsulate folic acid at different concentrations (5, 10, and 15% w/w on a dry basis) in potato starch nanofibers produced through electrospinning. The starch/folic acid nanofibers were evaluated through morphology, FTIR spectra, thermal properties, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and in vitro simulation of the human digestion.

BACKGROUND Olive oil industry generates significant amounts of semi‐solid wastes, namely the olive pomace. Olive pomace is a by‐product rich in high‐value compounds (e.g. dietary fibre, unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols) widely explored to obtain new food ingredients. However, conventional extraction methods frequently use organic solvents, while novel eco‐friendly techniques have high operational costs.

BACKGROUND The contamination of milk by antibiotic residues represents risks to the health of the consumers, therefore they should be monitored.

Background Soybean meal (SBM) is the most common protein source used in the poultry and livestock industries. It has high‐quality protein, an excellent amino acid (AA) profile, and positive isoflavone properties. However, the antigen proteins in SBM are unsuitable for young animals. The objective of this study was to identify a Bacillus strain that can degrade soybean antigen proteins and evaluate the feasibility of its application in SBM fermentation.

BACKGROUND During the production of fresh‐cut products, crops are exposed to wounding stress, and as a stress response, phenolic antioxidants are synthesized. This stress response is elicited by extracellular adenosine triphosphate, released from wounded cells and recognized by receptors of unwounded cells. The phenolic antioxidants produced as a stress response are beneficial for human health.

BACKGROUND Corn, a main feed ingredient in the livestock industry, is one of the most susceptible crops to fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination. Livestock feeding on aflatoxin‐contaminated feed have been shown to cause feed refusal, and decreased growth rate, milk production and feed efficiency. In poultry, aflatoxin poisoning causes weight loss, poor feed efficiency, and reduced egg production and egg weight.

BACKGROUND Lactobacillus plantarum is an important probiotic with a variety of physiologic functions. Studies have focused on the effects of L. plantarum on host physiology and microbiota, but studies on the fate of strains after they enter the intestine are lacking. In this study, L. plantarum ST‐III was genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein (GFP).

Background Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), proved to be potential carcinogenic threats to human health, have received great concerns in food field. It was essential to develop effective methods to detect EDCs in food samples.

BACKGROUND Patulin is a mycotoxin that mainly contaminates apple juice which is a typical high sugar matrix. Many different adsorbents have been utilized to develop sample pretreatment method to minimize the matrix interferences from apple juice. RESULTS A simple and reliable extraction method for the determination of patulin in apple juice has been developed.

BACKGROUND The toxicity and health risks of mycotoxins have encouraged increased awareness and strict monitoring of these contaminants in agricultural byproducts. In this paper, we developed and tested a sensitive, selective, and self‐assembling immunochromatographic (IC) strip for on‐site detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). We were able to demonstrate semi‐quantitative and quantitative detection of OTA in agricultural byproduct samples.

Background Low adoption of maize varieties bred to address the nutritional needs of the growing African population limits their impact. Aroma is essential in consumer preference, but has hitherto hardly been studied. We analysed the volatile organic compounds of flours and porridges of 22 maize varieties belonging to four nutritionally distinct groups, namely provitamin A maize, quality protein maize, yellow and white maize.

Nanotechnology is an emerging science with a wide array of applications involving the synthesis and manipulation of materials with dimensions in the range of 1‐100 nm. Nanotechnological applications include diverse fields, such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, the environment, food processing, and agriculture. Regarding the latter, applications are mainly focused on plant growth and crop protection against plagues and diseases.