Research Publications (Food Safety)

Tenuazonic acid (TeA), as a naturally occurring mycotoxin found in sorghum, corn, wheat, oat, tomato, apple, rapeseed and their products, has attracted increasing attention due to its wide contamination and high dietary exposure of infants and toddlers. Traditional methods usually require large instruments and high working conditions but are not suitable for low-cost large-scale screening. Thus, a rapid, sensitive and inexpensive method for TeA detection is required.

Industrial production of Tenebrio molitor larvae (TML), a promising source of protein for food, requires safety, fast growth, maturation, and high survival. Probiotics, enhance host growth and protect against pathogens and diseases. This study evaluates the effects of three probiotic bacteria immobilized on the diet of mealworms, on growth performance, nutritional value, and microbial load of T. molitor larvae.

The scope of this work was to study the efficacy of the combination of sonication at 35 or 130 kHz with three temperature treatments: 20, 50 and 55 ºC, on the population of artificially inoculated Listeria innocua in strawberries, and on their overall quality. Prior in vitro results showed that temperature was the main factor in decreasing L.

Clenbuterol is a β-adrenergic receptor agonist that can be used as a bronchodilator for the treatment of respiratory diseases or as an additive feed in livestock to improve conversion rate of lean meat. However, the residue of clenbuterol in food can be a threat to human health. Therefore, it is important to monitor clenbuterol in foods.

Lupines (Lupinus spp.) have emerged as a cheap functional food with the advantages of being non-genetically modified crop, able to adapt to harsh conditions and low-input farming. Lupines are rich in protein and poor in starch, similar to soy. The factor limiting the use of lupine is the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids especially in bitter species.

Edible vegetable oils are essential components of our daily diet that are widely consumed in great amounts worldwide. The present study evaluated the concentration of aflatoxins (AFTs) in highly consumed vegetable oils (including peanut, olive, corn, soya bean, linseed, sesame, palm, canola, sunflower, and coconut) through a systematic review and meta-analytic approach.

Norfloxacin (NOR) is a type of fluoroquinolone broad spectrum antimicrobial drug capable of treating bacterial infections leading to adverse reactions and a reduction in the efficiency for treating infection in humans. To ensure consumer safety, a facile and sensitive immunoassay using personal glucose meter (PGM) was developed for the detection of NOR in animal-derived foods in this study.

A magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based lateral flow immunochromatography assay (LFIA) was established to detect fluoroquinolones (FQs) in milk. This method is an improvement of traditional Au nanoparticle (AuNP)-based LFIA. Compared with AuNP-labeled antibody, the combination between MNPs and antibody is stronger and more stable, and the preparation process is convenient.

Meat adulteration is a form of economic fraud and a global issue diminishing consumer confidence. Consequently, a sensitive and reliable technique for meat species identification is needed to protect meat quality. The present work proposes a rapid, nucleic acid, isothermal amplification method, with SYBR Green I visualization called saltatory rolling circle amplification (SRCA) to identify horsemeat in beef products.

Fermented sausages have been manufactured traditionally in the Mediterranean basin. Istrian sausages are one of the many regionally specific products distinguished by the specific traditional recipes and consequentially exceptional sensory characteristics.

Tea is one of the most popular drinks worldwide. In the process of tea planting, for controlling pests, a variety of pesticides are usually applied. Therefore, pesticide residues and their metabolites in tea leaves, as well as their adverse effects on tea drinkers' health, are becoming increasingly concerning.

Fish parvalbumin is a major allergen known to cause allergy and has been a serious concern of food safety all over the world. Recombinant allergen has been broadly applied in allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy in recent years, but different immune activities of several recombinant allergens compared with their natural forms were found.

Sensitive and rapid analysis of zearalenone (ZEN) in grains and feed is essential to guarantee the food security for human health. Herein a chemiluminescence method was demonstrated to measure the content of zearalenone in food samples. An immunomagnetic beads-anti-ZEN monoclonal antibody complex was prepared.

Abstract

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging technology which has increased attraction due to the consumers’ tendency toward fresh and minimally processed food products. This non-thermal technology has been considered as a promising tool for decontamination of foods, modification of food components as well as food packaging. The potential interactions of cold plasma species with food components and consequently its effect on food quality is of high importance.

Abstract

The confirmation of honey authenticity is an ongoing challenge.

The potential employment of 18 commercial Tunisian essential oils (EOs) as natural food preservatives was investigated. Their antimicrobial activity was evaluated against two food-borne bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Klebsiella pneumoniae) by the agar-well diffusion method and, subsequently, by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC); while their antioxidant activity was assayed by the DPPH test.

To provide a comprehensive overview of the amounts of unesterified and bound 2- and 3-monochloropropanediol (MCPD) and glycidyl esters (G–E) in processed fishery products sold in Germany, an analysis of various frequently consumed products was conducted. In total, 258 commercial samples of breaded and pre-fried fishery products (e.g., frozen fish fingers), fried fish products (e.g., products in marinade), canned fish, smoked fish and some smoked spice preparations were examined.

Food allergy has become one of the food safety issues in the world. As a common source of food allergy, soybean poses a dietary risk to allergic individuals due to the presence of β-conglycinin, a main allergenic protein in soybean. Therefore, an efficient and sensitive detection method using highly specific antibody materials is necessary for the detection of allergens.

With the drying process, the water activity and moisture content of the foods are reduced, so the growth of microorganisms in the foods is largely prevented/postponed. But low-aw foods should not be considered sterile they can be contaminated by fungi and other contaminants during the drying process under unhygienic conditions.

The multi-elemental composition of 4 edible wild-growing mushroom species that commonly occur in Polish forests was compared to 13 cultivated mushroom species available in trade. A considerable variation in the macroelements content was revealed with cultivated species containing higher amounts of macroelements. The mean content of B, Co, Cr, Fe, Pb, Pr, Pt, Sb, Sm, Sr, Te, and Tm was higher in cultivated mushroom species, while the opposite was noted for Ba, Cd, Cu, Hg, La, Mo, Sc, and Zn.

Listeria in food, are a serious risk to consumer’s health that may even have a fatal outcome. To analyze Listeria in food, the methods used must provide reliable results and detect all strains of Listeria. Several qPCR systems have been published for the identification of Listeria monocytogenes, innocua, ivanovii, welshimeri and seeligeri. PCR systems for Listeria spp. have also been published. However, they do not detect all known Listeria.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a widely distributed mycotoxin that frequently occurs in various foodstuffs, and poses a health risk to human and animals. Biodegradation of DON to less- or non-toxic substances using naturally existing microorganisms is considered the best approach for DON detoxification. Although various microorganisms capable of detoxifying DON have been reported; however, such studies on probiotic strains are scarce.