Research Publications (Food Safety)

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. With the enhanced use of chemical preservatives and the survival of foodborne pathogens, lactic acid bacteria and its metabolic product have received increased attention as a potential food preservative. Even though the antibacterial property of lactic acid bacteria is well known, its antifungal property and application in food preservation have not been widely exploited.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Cell-cultured meat and seafood offer a sustainable opportunity to meet the world's increasing demand for protein in a climate-changed world. A responsible, data-driven approach to assess and demonstrate safety of cell-cultured meat and seafood can support consumer acceptance and help fully realize the potential of these products.

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a threat to humans worldwide. The rise of drug-resistant TB strains has escalated the need for developing effective anti-TB agents. Deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) is essential for thymidylate biosynthesis to maintain the DNA integrity. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, dUTPase provides the sole source for thymidylate biosynthesis, which also has the specific five-residue loop and the binding pockets absent in human dUTPase.

COVID-19 is mainly associated with respiratory distress syndrome, but a subset of patients often present gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Imbalances of gut microbiota have been previously linked to respiratory virus infection. Understanding how the gut–lung axis affects the progression of COVID-19 can provide a novel framework for therapies and management. In this study, we examined the gut microbiota of patients with COVID-19 (n = 47) and compared it to healthy controls (n = 19).

A newly isolated alkaline protease-producing myxobacterium was isolated from soil. The strain was identified as Pyxidicoccus sp. S252 on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The extracellular alkaline proteases produced by isolate S252 (PyCP) was optimally active in the pH range of 11.0–12.0 and temperature range of 40–50°C The zymogram of PyCP showed six caseinolytic protease bands. The proteases were stable in the pH range of 8.0–10.0 and temperature range of 40–50°C.

We report a nosocomial outbreak caused by Burkholderia cepacia that occurred among six patients admitted in the medical and surgical intensive care unit between 04 March 2019 and 02 April 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey...

Author(s): Nevin Taşaltın, Selcan Karakuş, Cihat Taşaltın, Gülsen Baytemir

Author(s): Meimei Fang, Ruifei Wang, Addo Keren Agyekumwaa, Yigang Yu, Xinglong Xiao

Enlightened from our previous work of structural simplification of quinine and innovative application of natural products against phytopathogenic fungi, lead structure 2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4-quinolinol (3) was selected to be a candidate and its diversified design, synthesis, and antifungal evaluation were carried out.

The effluent generated from fertilizer plants in Paradeep in the coast of the Bay of Bengal is the major pollutant causing health hazard in the vicinity of the area with respect to plants, animals and microbes. Samples of effluent were found to contain heavy metals (mg L−1): Cr (100), Ni (36.975), Mn (68.673), Pb (20.133), Cu (74.44), Zn (176.716), Hg (5.358) and As (24.287) as analyzed by XRF.

Abstract

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. This study analyzed raw (unpasteurized) dairy milk samples from farms, milk vendors, and shops in the Peshawar region of Pakistan for the prevalence of pathogenic multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli. During August 2018–September 2019, 100 cow′s milk samples from 10 subregions of the Town-3 district were tested for the prevalence of E. coli and of Shiga toxin–producing serotype O157: H7 using various biochemical, morphological, and molecular tests.

Author(s): Azadeh Nilghaz, Seyed Mahdi Mousavi, Miaosi Li, Junfei Tian, Rong Cao, Xungai Wang

Author(s): Panpan Hu, Na Sun, Ajab khan, Xinyue Zhang, Panpan Sun, Yaogui Sun, Jianzhong Guo, Xiaozhong Zheng, Wei Yin, Kuohai Fan, Jianzhong Wang, Huizhen Yang, Hongquan Li

A quantitative risk assessment for exposure to aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) related to the consumption of milk and traditional dairy products of Argentina was developed. The frequency and concentration of AFM1 was modelled at various stages through the milk processes, considering Argentinean practices. Concentration of AFM1 (0.046 μg/l, 95%CI = 0.002–0.264 μg/l) in raw milk was estimated.

Four artificial soils (AS) were prepared based on a mixture of humus, bentonite, kaolinite, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as inert matter, in the following proportion: 0%, 12.44%, 37.50%, 78.55% of humus, 10.5% of bentonite, 10.5% of kaolinite, and 78.92%, 66.26%, and 41.46% of PVC. The AS were prepared with variable content of organic matter (OM) in order to evaluate the retention of lead (II) due solely to the content of OM.

In this work, Aspergillus terreus GS28 and Aspergillus flavus CR500 isolated from industrial waste sludge examined for the decolorization of Congo red (CR) dye. The rate of CR decolorization raised due to optimum pH, temperature, carbon, nitrogen, and heavy metals. In the comparative study, A. terreus has the maximum ability (95%) to decolorize CR (≈ 100 mg L−1) as compared with A.

This study highlights the monitoring and management of urban water bodies, focusing on plankton biodiversity and its relationship with surface water quality. Physicochemical parameters and concentrations of potentially toxic metals were evaluated in an urban reserve in the Central East of Argentina, created for urban flood risk management.

Abstract

The genome of Vibrio cholerae contains three structural genes for the NhaP-type cation-proton antiporter paralogues, Vc-NhaP1, Vc-NhaP2, and Vc-NhaP3, mediating exchange of K+ and or Na+ for protons across the membrane.

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Accepted Article. Background
Oilseed rape requires sulfur (S) fertilization. Cadmium (Cd) differs dramatically in agricultural soils. Rice-oilseed rape rotation distributes widely and contributes the majority of the rapeseeds in Asia countries. It was reported that S metabolism was involved in Cd uptake in seedlings of oilseed rape, but the effects of S on Cd accumulation and seed yield at maturity are still unclear.

Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Accepted Article. Scope
: The food contamination by mycotoxins is of increasing public health concerns. Deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin contaminating cereals has been associated with the exacerbation of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), thereby raising the question of its role in the development of IBD. Moreover, the effect of DON on the colon is poorly described.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Infant formula contains thermal processing contaminants, such as dietary advanced glycation end-products (dAGEs), glycidyl esters (GEs), 2-monochloropropane-1,3-diol esters and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (MCPDEs).

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Biofilm is an advanced form of protection that allows bacterial cells to withstand adverse environmental conditions. The complex structure of biofilm results from genetic-related mechanisms besides other factors such as bacterial morphology or substratum properties.