Research Publications (Food Safety)

In order to improve the hygienic characteristics of the wheat kernels and flours, gentle debranning technology was employed in this study. The physical, chemical and microbial modifications associated with the debranning of common wheat at a peeling rate of 0–5% were examined. Results showed that 80.1% of microorganisms and 15.82% of deoxynivalenol were removed when 1.08% of the total weight of the grain was peeled.

Red fermented rice (RFR) is produced using Monascus spp. This product has some health benefits. However, RFR can also contain the mycotoxin, citrinin (CIT) and that has adverse effects on human health.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is an important cause of human liver cancer. This study proposes a quantitative detection method for the AFB1 in corn based on Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy technology.

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) are two chlorinated oxidizing agents that are implemented in water treatment and postharvest processing of fresh produce. While the antibacterial mechanisms of NaClO have been investigated, there are comparatively few studies that have looked at how ClO2 kills bacteria. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the inactivation pathways of ClO2 and NaClO against Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Atmospheric deposition can supply nutrients to induce varying responses of phytoplankton of different sizes in the upper ocean.

Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus is the major cause of implant-associated infections (IAIs). Antimicrobial treatment is one of the most effective therapeutic options for S. aureus infections. However, it can also lead to adaptive transcriptomic changes due to extreme selective pressure, which may increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance. To study the transcriptional changes in S. aureus upon exposure to antimicrobial agents, we obtained expression profiles of S.

Salmonella enterica can lead to intestinal diarrhea, and the emergence and spread of cephalosporin-resistant Salmonella have brought great challenges to clinical treatment. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence and transmission of blaCTX-M genes among S. Typhimurium from diarrhoeal outpatients in Guangdong, China, from 2010 to 2017. A total of 221 blaCTX-M-positive isolates were recovered from 1,263 S.

Background

Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common cholestatic liver disease in neonates. Herein, we aimed at characterizing the gut microbiota and fecal bile acid profiles of BA patients, defining the correlations between them, and evaluating the relationship between the clinical pathogenesis and changes in the gut microbiota and bile acid profiles.

Methods

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common and virulent human pathogen causing several serious illnesses including skin abscesses, wound infections, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, and toxic shock syndrome. Antibiotics were first introduced in the 1940s, leading to the belief that bacterial illnesses would be eradicated. However, microorganisms, including S. aureus, began to develop antibiotic resistance from the increased use and abuse of antibiotics.

When bacterial pathogens enter the gut, they encounter a complex milieu of signaling molecules and metabolites produced by host and microbial cells or derived from external sources such as the diet. This metabolomic landscape varies throughout the gut, thus establishing a biogeographical gradient of signals that may be sensed by pathogens and resident bacteria alike.

Subclinical mastitis is a common intramammary disease in sheep production systems. Expenses associated with compromised animal performance, therapeutic interventions, and decreased ewe longevity make efforts to minimize its prevalence worthwhile.

Abstract Zearalenone (ZEN) contamination of various foods and feeds is an important global problem. In some animals and humans, ZEN causes significant health issues in addition to massive economic losses, annually. Therefore, removal or degradation of the ZEN in foods and feeds is required to be done.

The modern and rapid avenue for detecting pathogens provided by molecular genetic techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was explored in the present study to identify prevalent disease pathogens, from six aquaculture farms and in two commonly cultured fish in Ghana. The specific detection was carried out directly on clinical samples of naturally infected fish (O. niloticus and C. gariepinus) based on syber-mix reaction protocol in traditional PCR.

Staphylococcus aureus biofilms are the pathogenic factor in the spread of infection and are more pronounced in multidrug-resistant strains of S. aureus, where high expression of proteases is observed. Among various proteases, Serine protease (SspA) and cysteine protease Staphopain B (SspB) are known to play a key role in the biofilm formation and removal of biofilms.

We investigated the effect of replacing normal corn (NC) or normal wheat bran (NW) with moldy corn (MC) or moldy wheat bran (MW) on growth, ovarian follicular reserves, and oxidative status.

The aim of this study was to characterize methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) isolates from the healthy staff of a university veterinary hospital in order to assess their importance as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance and to determine their population structure and evolution. The study duration was over two years (2020–2021), 94 individuals were analyzed in duplicate, and 78 strains were obtained.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Ahead of Print. In the time of antimicrobial resistance, phage therapy is frequently suggested as a possible solution for such difficult-to-treat infections. Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) remains a relatively rare yet increasing occurrence in the clinic for which phage therapy may be an option.

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Accepted Article. This research was performed to encapsulate the phenolic-rich fraction (PRF) obtained from Ferula gummosa (F. gummosa) leaves by utilizing the spray-drying technique. Further, the physicochemical properties and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the PRF were evaluated against Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) infection in mice.

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Accepted Article. Dietary fiber (DF) is a carbohydrate from the edible part of plants and has the functions of promoting gastrointestinal motility, regulating gut microbiota (GM), and improving health. Lead (Pb) is a non-essential toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the environment over time and enter the body through the respiratory tract, skin, and gastrointestinal tract.

Background

Composition of gut microbiota has recently been suggested as a key factor persuading the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases including hepatic cirrhosis.

Objective

by Anum Fareed, Habiba Zaffar, Muhammad Bilal, Jamshaid Hussain, Colin Jackson, Tatheer Alam Naqvi Synthetic dyes are widely used as colorant compounds in various industries for different purposes. Among all the dyestuffs, azo dyes constitute the largest and the most used class of dyes. These dyes and their intermediate products are common contaminants of ground water and soil in developing countries.

by Adam Wilkinson, Ellen Ariel, Jason van de Merwe, Jon Brodie Toxic metal exposure is a threat to green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting and foraging in coastal seagrass meadows and are of particular concern in local bays of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), as numerous sources of metal contaminants are located within the region. Seagrass species tend to bioaccumulate metals at concentrations greater than that detected in the surrounding environment.

by Saiqa Andleeb, Irsa Shafique, Anum Naseer, Wajid Arshad Abbasi, Samina Ejaz, Iram Liaqat, Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Fiaz Khan, Fayaz Ahmed, Nazish Mazhar Ali Earthworms are highly productive invertebrates and play a vital role in organic farming and improving soil structure and function. The gastrointestinal tract of earthworms possessed agricultural important bacteria.

Long term low dose exposure of arsenic has been reported to lead various cells proliferation and malignant transformation. GLUT1, as the key transporter of glucose, has been reported to have association with rapid proliferation of various cells or tumor cells. In our study, we found that low dose exposure to arsenic trioxide (0.1μmol/L As2O3) could induce an increase in glucose uptake and promote cell viability and DNA synthesis.

Screening for superior cadmium (Cd) phytoremediation resources and uncovering the mechanisms of plant response to Cd are important for effective phytoremediation of Cd-polluted soils. In this study, the characteristics of Coreopsis grandiflora related to Cd tolerance and accumulation were analyzed to evaluate its Cd phytoremediation potential.