Research Publications (Food Safety)

Journal of Basic Microbiology, EarlyView. Environmental protection from emerging pollutants has become a significant challenge for mankind as an increasing number of contaminants, including synthetic dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represent a serious risk to ecological and environmental balance.

Molecular Microbiology, Accepted Article. Shigella flexneri is a gram-negative bacterial pathogen that causes dysentery. Critical for disease is the ability of Shigella to use an actin-based motility (ABM) process to spread between cells of the colonic epithelium. ABM transports bacteria to the periphery of host cells, allowing the formation of plasma membrane protrusions that mediate spread to adjacent cells.

Poor utilization efficiency of plant protein diets always leads to intestinal barrier dysfunction and growth inhibition in animals. Probiotics have shown promise in improving growth performance and gut health of the host. However, obtaining the host-beneficial probiotic from thousands of bacterial phylotypes is challenging. Here, four intestinal autochthonous bacteria were isolated from fast-growing bullfrog after a 60-day feeding on a soybean meal (SM)-based diet.

Phage bacteria interactions can affect structure, dynamics, and function of microbial communities. In the context of biological wastewater treatment (BWT), the presence of phages can alter the efficiency of the treatment process and influence the quality of the treated effluent.

by Michael J. Rigby, Kinga Zdunek, Fabrizio Pecoraro, Marco Cellini, Daniela Luzi

Context

EmrE is an Escherichia coli multidrug efflux pump and member of the small multidrug resistance (SMR) family that transports drugs as a homodimer by harnessing energy from the proton motive force. SMR family transporters contain a conserved glutamate residue in transmembrane 1 (Glu14 in EmrE) that is required for binding...

Among the organisms that spread into and flourish in Arctic waters with rising temperatures and sea ice loss are toxic algae, a group of harmful algal bloom species that produce potent biotoxins. Alexandrium catenella, a cyst-forming dinoflagellate that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning worldwide, has been a significant threat to human health in southeastern Alaska for centuries.

A specialized method for ochratoxin A (OTA) determination on fermented teas was developed and validated using ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Methodology results showed that recovery, relative standard deviation, accuracy, and precision were qualified. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.32 and 0.96 μg/kg, respectively. Two of 158 collected samples were screened for OTA contamination.

The article presents the results of the study of sulfur-containing gases (carbon disulfide, CS2, and dimethyl sulfide, C2H6S) in the air above the sulfide tailings and in the soils in Komsomolsk settlement. Concentrations of CS2 (gas of the second hazard class) and C2H6S (gas of the fourth hazard class) in the air above the tailings exceeded the average maximum permissible on-time concentration (MPCot) by 20 times and 9 times, accordingly.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Starch is the most abundant glycemic carbohydrate in the human diet. Consumption of starch-rich food products that elicit high glycemic responses has been linked to the occurrence of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus type II.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Ensuring consistently high quality and safety is paramount to food producers and consumers alike. Wet chemistry and microbiological methods provide accurate results, but those methods are not conducive to rapid, onsite testing needs. Hence, many efforts have focused on rapid testing for food quality and safety, including the development of various biosensors.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Drying of foods is a processing step, which has a variety of outcomes from improving shelf life and product stability, to reducing weight, or to achieving a targeted product eating quality. Drying is key step in the manufacturing of some dried meat products, such as jerky. It is also a major event that occurs when beef is dry-aged, where beef is exposed to air under defined conditions for an extended aging period.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Food safety is veryimportant in our daily life. In food processing or disinfection, microorganisms are commonly exposed to oxidative stress perturbations. However, microorganisms can adapt and respond to physicochemical interventions, leading to difficulty and complexity for food safety assurance.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. The versatile photophysicalproperties, high surface-to-volume ratio, superior photostability, higher biocompatibility, and availability of active sites make graphene quantum dots (GQDs) an ideal candidate for applications in sensing, bioimaging, photocatalysis, energy storage, and flexible electronics.

Climate change dramatically impacts Arctic and subarctic regions, inducing shifts in wetland nutrient regimes as a consequence of thawing permafrost. Altered hydrological regimes may drive changes in the dynamics of microbial mercury (Hg) methylation and bioavailability. Important knowledge gaps remain on the contribution of specific microbial groups to methylmercury (MeHg) production in wetlands of various trophic status.

In cities across the globe, the majority of wastewater – that includes drug resistant and pathogenic bacteria among other contaminants – is released into streams untreated. This water is often subsequently used for irrigation of pastures and produce. This use of wastewater-contaminated streams allows antibiotic-resistant bacteria to potentially cycle back to humans through agricultural products.

In Africa, the burden of illness caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica is disproportionally high; however, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) efforts are overwhelmingly concentrated in world regions with lower burdens. While WGS is being increasingly employed in South Africa to characterize Salmonella enterica, the bulk of these efforts have centered on characterizing human clinical strains.

In a previous study, comparing the internalization of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in various leaves by confocal microscopy, we have demonstrated that the pathogen failed to internalize tomato leaves. Numerous reasons may account for these findings, yet one such factor might be the methodology employed to quantify leaf internalization.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, as a vibriosis, causes huge losses to the aquaculture industry, food poisoning in humans and activates macrophages to induce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Chloroquine (CQ), as an anti-inflammatory property, this study aimed to investigate the effect of CQ on inflammatory response to V. parahaemolyticus in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The result showed that V.

Author(s): Xiaojing Hong, Liang Xue, Yingyin Liao, Aiwu Wu, Yueting Jiang, Xiaoxia Kou

Background
Norovirus is a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) are important host attachment factors in susceptibility to norovirus. In this study, the association of FUT2 gene, which participates in the biosynthesis of HBGAs, with norovirus infection has been investigated.

Author(s): Jiao-jiao Yu, Yi-fu Zhang, Jin Yan, Shu-hong Li, Ye Chen

Author(s): Hyemin Oh, Yewon Lee, Yujin Kim, Yeongeun Seo, Joohyun Kang, Eunyoung Park, Yoonjeong Yoo, Miseon Sung, Yohan Yoon

Author(s): Ruiqin Wu, Baozhong Meng, Milena Corredig, Mansel W. Griffiths

Author(s): Craig A. Poland, Noömi Lombaert, Carol Mackie, Alain Renard, Parikhit Sinha, Violaine Verougstraete, Nicky J.J. Lourens

by Mekdes Alemu Tola, Negga Asamene Abera, Yonas Mekonnen Gebeyehu, Surafel Fentaw Dinku, Kassu Desta Tullu

Background