Research Publications (Food Safety)

Medicinal plants have a variety of values and are an important source of new drugs and their lead compounds. They have played an important role in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, COVID-19 and other major and unconquered diseases. However, there are problems such as uneven quality and adulteration. Therefore, it is of great significance to find comprehensive, efficient and modern technology for its identification and evaluation to ensure quality and efficacy.

Globally, the expansion of livestock and fisheries production is severely constrained due to the increasing costs and ecological footprint of feed constituents. The utilization of black soldier fly (BSF) as an alternative protein ingredient to fishmeal and soybean in animal feed has been widely documented. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) used are known to voraciously feed and grow in contaminated organic wastes.

Targeted mutagenesis is now becoming the most favored methodology to improve traits in popular rice cultivars selectively. Understanding the genetic basis of already available mutants could be the first step in designing such experiment. Improved White Ponni (IWP), a popularly grown South Indian rice variety, was subjected to γ irradiation to develop WP-22-2, an M6 line superior in semi-dwarfism, early flowering, and high yield, and it has grain qualities similar to those of IWP.

by Xiyan Wu, Chao Ning, Felix M. Key, Aida Andrades Valtueña, Aditya Kumar Lankapalli, Shizhu Gao, Xuan Yang, Fan Zhang, Linlin Liu, Zhongzhi Nie, Jian Ma, Johannes Krause, Alexander Herbig, Yinqiu Cui

by Estel Aparicio-Prat, Dong Yan, Marco Mariotti, Michael Bassik, Gaelen Hess, Jean-Philippe Fortin, Andrea Weston, Hualin S. Xi, Robert Stanton

by Simon Appah Aram, Benjamin M. Saalidong, Patrick Osei Lartey

Author(s): Fangfang Miao, Yimei Zhang, Yu Li, Xi Liang, Qianguo Lin, Yinzhuang Zhou

Author(s): L. Pérez-Mayán, M. Ramil, R. Cela, I. Rodríguez

Author(s): Lu Wang, Wenxuan Zhu, Gege Lu, Pan Wu, Yi Wei, Yingying Su, Tianyuan Jia, nxing Li Li, Xi Guo, Min Huang, Qian Yang

Author(s): Hong-Yun Zhang, Ya-Li Wang, Xiao-Qiu Zhou, Wei-Dan Jiang, Pei Wu, Yang Liu, Lu Zhang, Hai-Feng Mi, Jun Jiang, Sheng-Yao Kuang, Ling Tang, Lin Feng

The correlation of in vitro and in vivo assays for determining bioavailable Cd amounts in vegetables is limited. Herein, the correlations between Cd relative bioavailability (Cd-RBA) in rat models and Cd bioaccessibility in four in vitro assays were examined in vegetables. Results showed that the combined liver plus kidney data provided the appropriate endpoint and was used as a biomarker to estimate Cd-RBA.

Many food safety issues have occurred in Taiwan during the past decade. Therefore, in 2016, the Taiwan government proposed the “Five rings of food safety” policy to comprehensively protect consumer food supply. Among these policies, the “4-labels-1-Q” approach was adopted to ensure the selection of “retrospective foods” with traceable labels.

Rapid commercialization, industrialization and the use of nanotechnology has led to an increase in the distribution of nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment. The most common metal oxide NPs which is present within products is Titanium dioxide (TiO2). TiO2 NPs have photocatalytic nature and can affect plant growth.

Abstract  

The perception of phytoremediation is efficiently utilized as an eco-friendly practice of green plants combating and cleaning up the stressed environment without harming it. The industrial revolution was followed by the green revolution which fulfilled the food demands of the growing population caused an increase in yield per unit area in crop production, but it also increased the use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture.

Avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) caused avian colibacillosis is mostly common in poultry industry worldwide. APEC virulence factors lead to pathogenesis and the quorum sensing (QS) system is actively involved in the regulation of these virulence factors. Signaling molecules in QS are known as autoinducers (AIs). In QS-1, E. coli encodes a single LuxR homolog, i.e., SdiA, but does not express the LuxI homolog, an acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase of producing AI-1.

Previous studies on the impact of the mining of metal-bearing minerals on surrounding soil mainly focused on single or a few areas. However, these studies' results cannot provide effective making-support for soil pollution control in large-scale areas, especially in cross-provincial scale. This study first collected 78 literature before 2020 on soil heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) affected by the mining of metal-bearing minerals in Southwest China.

In Burundi, many subsistence farmers employ mixed cropping systems in an attempt to provide food for their families in an environment with high risks, few safety nets and limited storage options. In this paper, we studied the crop portfolios that minimize energy and macronutrient deficiency. We accounted for yield variability, seasonality and storage availability.

In this work, we synthesized a novel hyperbranched Au plasmonic blackbody (AuPB) and applied it as a signal amplification label in immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS) sensor for the sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in maize.

As a typical halophilic bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is regarded as one of the marine seafood-borne pathogens causing severe illnesses in humans and aquatic animals. Herein, a novel single primer isothermal amplification (SPIA) technique which was modified with SYBR Green II was successfully developed for the visual detection of V. parahaemolyticus.

Mangrove sediment acts as a natural accumulator of potentially toxic metals (PTMs). Here, we have investigated the efficiency of mangrove species, e.g., Sonneratia caseolaris and Avicennia officinalis phytoremediation potential in a globally significant vulnerable river. The lower pH and anoxic conditions facilitate the elevated accumulation of PTMs in river Hooghly.

This study aims to assess the metallic contamination of soils and water resources in the environment of the Ouixane mining area (North East Morocco). Six metallic elements (Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cd) were analyzed by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. To evaluate the contamination of the soils, three contamination assessment methods were used as follows: enrichment factor (EF), pollution index (PI), and geo-accumulation index (Igeo).

Due to its food-poisoning potential, Bacillus cereus has attracted the attention of the food industry. The cereulide-toxin-producing subgroup is of particular concern, as cereulide toxin is implicated in broadscale food-borne outbreaks and occasionally causes fatalities. The health risks associated with long-term cereulide exposure at low doses remain largely unexplored.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are some of the most toxic proteins known and can induce respiratory failure requiring long-term intensive care. Treatment of botulism includes the administration of antitoxins. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) hold considerable promise as BoNT therapeutics and prophylactics, due to their potency and safety.