Research Publications (Food Safety)

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. The oral cavity is an entry path into the body, enabling the intake of nutrients but also leading to the ingestion of harmful substances. Thus, saliva and oral tissues contain enzyme systems that enable the early neutralization of xenobiotics as soon as they enter the body.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Food allergy has become a major global public health concern. In the past decades, enzymatic crosslinking technique has been employed to mitigate the immunoreactivity of food allergens. It is an emerging non-thermal technique that can serve as a great alternative to conventional food processing approaches in developing hypoallergenic food products, owing to their benefits of high specificity and selectivity.

The structure and function of intestinal microorganisms are closely related to host metabolism, development, physiology, and health. The red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is an important farmed aquatic species in China, which is grown in aquaculture ponds and rice paddy fields.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most common foodborne disease-causing pathogens that can cause severe diseases in very low infectious doses. Rapid and sensitive detecting Salmonella spp. is advantageous to the control of its spread. In this study, a conserved short fragment of the Salmonella invA gene was selected and used to design primers and specific crRNA (CRISPR RNA) for establishing a one-tube and two-step reaction system for Salmonella spp.

Introduction

Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a virulence factor which is associated with methicillin sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA/MRSA) causing skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). This study aimed to evaluate a novel lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) for PVL detection in S. aureus cultures and to describe their genotypic characterization.

Methods

In Se-deficient populations, Selenium- (Se-) enriched wheat is a source of Se supplementation, and Se content can be improved by agronomic biofortification. Thus, black-grained wheat (BGW) and white-grained wheat (WGW) (as the control) were grown in Se naturally contained soils at different concentrations (11.02, 2.21, 2.02, and 0.20 mg·kg−1).

The bactericidal effect on biofilm is the main challenge currently faced by antibacterial agents. Nanoscale drug-delivery materials can enhance biofilm penetrability and drug bioavailability, and have significant applications in the biomedical field. Dental caries is a typical biofilm-related disease, and the acidification of biofilm pH is closely related to the development of dental caries.

To study the contamination of microorganisms in the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, clinical diagnosis, or bacterial taxonomy, accurate identification of species is a key starting point of further investigation. The conventional method of identification by the 16S rDNA gene or other marker gene comparison is not accurate, because it uses a tiny part of the genomic information.

Clonorchiasis, which is caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is an important foodborne disease worldwide. The excretory-secretory products (ESPs) of C. sinensis play important roles in host-parasite interactions by acting as causative agents. In the present study, the ESPs and sera positive for C. sinensis were collected to identify proteins specific to the sera of C. sinensis (i.e., proteins that do not cross-react with Fasciola hepatica and Schistosoma japonicum) at different infection periods.

Author(s): Xiangxiang Sun, Zhuangzhuang Sun, Yu Guo, Jiangyan Zhao, Jian Zhao, Xiangzhen Ge, Huishan Shen, Qian Zhang, Wenjie Yan

Author(s): Ping Shao, Liming Liu, Jiahao Yu, Yang Lin, Haiyan Gao, Hangjun Chen, Peilong Sun

Author(s): Aleksandra Maria Kocot, Barbara Wróblewska, Marta Lopez Cabo

Author(s): Brianna C. Britton, Ibrahima Sarr, Haley F. Oliver Peanuts and peanut products are significant revenue sources for smallholder farmers in the Senegalese peanut basin. However, microbial contamination during production and storage can greatly affect market access for producers. Peanut products have emerged as possible sources of foodborne illness, encouraging discussions on international standards for peanuts.

We developed a strategy using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to test seafood allergens. The protocol employed commercial magnetic beads (MBs) functionalized with anti-human IgE antibodies to carry out the IMS of IgEs in blood samples, followed by capture of allergens from seafood protein extracts for allergy analysis.

Non-invasive monitoring was used to evaluate the concentrations of 40 contaminants in the blood plasma of the North American Green Sturgeon Acipenser medirostris caught and released from three estuaries in Washington State. The highest contaminant concentrations were found in fish caught in the most urbanized sites. Few statistical differences were found when evaluating contaminant levels according to sex, maturation stage, or distinct population segments of Green Sturgeon.

On 13 May 2020, a COVID-19 cluster was detected in a French processing plant. Infected workers were described. The associations between the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the socio-demographic and occupational characteristics were assessed in order to implement risk management measures targeting workers at increased risk of contamination. Workers were tested by RT-PCR from samples taken during screening campaigns. Workers who tested positive were isolated and their contacts were quarantined.

Author(s): Bing Liu, Jiaxuan Peng, Qiuyue Wu, Yaoshuai Zhao, Hua Shang, Shuo Wang

Author(s): Khin Zar Linn, Munenori Furuta, Motokazu Nakayama, Yoshimitsu Masuda, Ken-ichi Honjoh, Takahisa Miyamoto

Author(s): Lili Li, Rikke Heidemann Olsen, Chong Wang, Anhua Song, Jian Xiao, Hecheng Meng, Troels Ronco, Lei Shi Salmonella enterica displaying resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolone (FQs) has been deemed a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). While CTX-M type acquired β-lactamases have been detected in S. enterica serovar Bovismorbificans, DHA enzymes have been rarely reported in S. Bovismorbificans.

Author(s): Cecilia Montero, Gricel Riquelme, Miguel del Campo, Néstor Lagos

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is a plant virus with strong infectivity and destructive power. Given the lack of effective control agents, TSWV causes significant economic damage to several vegetables and ornamental plants worldwide. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel quinazolinone derivatives containing a dithioacetal moiety and evaluated their antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo against TSWV. Some candidate compounds showed good anti-TSWV activity.

Many natural compounds can activate the plant immunity, and for this reason, they have attracted special interest in crop disease management. Previously, we isolated from strawberry leaves an ellagitannin (HeT), which elicits plant defense responses. In this research, we investigated bioactive compounds from field-collected strawberry leaves capable of inducing defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana against a bacterial pathogen.

Bioactive peptides used for food preservation can prolong the shelf life through bacteriostasis and antioxidation. On the one hand, bioactive peptides can inhibit lipid oxidation by scavenging free radicals, interacting with metal ions, and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. On the other hand, bioactive peptides can fundamentally inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms by destroying their cell membranes or targeting intracellular components.

Wastewater reclamation facilities are known sources of emerging contaminants associated with human health and sanitation. This study evaluated the contribution of trace organic contaminants to a previously unmonitored river by water resource reclamation facilities. Six sampling events were conducted on the Reedy River in South Carolina.

In this study, pot-culture experiments were conducted to investigate the single effect of Cd, PCBs, and the combined effect of Cd-PCBs with Tagetes patula L. The study highlights that the minimum concentration of PCBs (100 µg kg−1) could enable the growth of the plant with an increase in biomass by 27.76% when compared with the control. In all the experiments performed, the Cd concentrations over the surface parts were found to be above 100 mg kg−1.