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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 26 - 50 of 683

  1. Hazard of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Food and Promising Strategies for Natural Products against Virulence

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) secreted by Staphylococcus aureus frequently contaminate food and cause serious foodborne diseases but are ignored during food processing and even cold-chain storage. Notably, SEs are stable and resistant to harsh sterilization environments, which can induce more serious hazards to public health than the bacterium itself. Therefore, it is necessary to develop promising strategies to control SE contamination in food and improve food safety.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  2. Tautomerization and Isomerization in Quantitative NMR: A Case Study with 4‑Deoxynivalenol (DON)

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • The regulated mycotoxin 4-deoxynivalenol (DON) has a heterocyclic structure that is readily amenable to tautomerization and conformational isomerization in solution. An analysis of DON in solution by NMR revealed the presence of hemiacetal tautomer(s) and putative conformational isomers, which maintain the intact enone functional group. The extent and type of tautomerization/isomerization vary according to the NMR solvent used and produce different signal patterns in the NMR spectra.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  3. Glutathione S‑Transferase Genes are Involved in Lambda-Cyhalothrin Resistance in Cydia pomonella via Sequestration

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Pest management is mostly accomplished by the use of insecticides. However, the overuse of insecticides has led to the development of resistance. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are vital detoxification enzymes involved in insecticide resistance in insects. In this study, we report the involvement of GSTs in insecticide resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin in Cydia pomonella, a globally quarantined fruit pest.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  4. Hydroxytyrosol Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis by Modulating Inflammatory Responses, Intestinal Barrier, and Microbiome

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a polyphenol derived from olive oil, was examined against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis to study its potential in preventing colitis and the underlying mechanisms involved. The low dose and high dose of HT used in mice were 10 and 50 mg/kg, respectively. Research findings have shown that HT is effective in preventing colitis by alleviating the signs of colitis.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  5. The Potential Binding Interaction and Hydrolytic Mechanism of Carbaryl with the Novel Esterase PchA in Pseudomonas sp. PS21

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Microbial bioremediation is a very potent and eco-friendly approach to alleviate pesticide pollution in agricultural ecosystems, and hydrolase is an effective element for contaminant degradation. In the present study, a novel Mn2+-dependent esterase, PchA, that efficiently hydrolyzes carbamate pesticides with aromatic structures was identified from Pseudomonas sp. PS21. The hydrolytic activity was confirmed to be related closely to the core catalytic domain, which consists of six residues.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  6. Rapid, Visual, and Sequence-Specific Detection of Salmonella in Egg Liquid with vis-NEAA, a CRISPR/Cas12 Empowered New Strategy

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Salmonella is one of the main pathogenic factors that cause foodborne diseases. Rapid and accurate detection of Salmonella in food is of great importance to ensure food safety. Nicking enzyme-assisted amplification (NEAA) is one of the promising isothermal amplification methods finishing the in vitro amplification in ∼10 min; however, it suffers from nonspecific amplification a lot (∼70% products are noises).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  7. Deletion and Overexpression of the AnOTAbzip Gene, a Positive Regulator of Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis in Aspergillus niger

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • The ochratoxin A (OTA) biosynthetic gene cluster includes a bZIP transcription factor (TF) gene (OTAbzip) that has been identified in different fungal species. However, most previous studies identified the OTAbzip gene in ochratoxigenic fungi using bioinformatics methods, while few studies focused on deleting the gene, let alone overexpressing it, to characterize the function of the OTAbZIP TF.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  8. Characterization of Saponins from Differently Colored Quinoa Cultivars and Their In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion and Fermentation Properties

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Quinoa contains rich saponins, which are removed during processing and cause ecological waste. We extracted saponins from quinoa (SEQ) in black, white, and red cultivars and compared their composition by spectrophotometric assay and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis combined with acid hydrolysis. The digestion and fermentation properties of SEQ were investigated using an in vitro model.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Shigella
  9. Glycyrrhizic Acid against Mycoplasma gallisepticum-Induced Inflammation and Apoptosis Through Suppressing the MAPK Pathway in Chickens

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is the primary pathogen of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) in chickens. In poultry production, antibiotics are mostly used to prevent and control MG infection, but the drug resistance and residue problems caused by them cannot be ignored. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is derived from licorice, a herb traditionally used to treat various respiratory diseases.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
  10. Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Novel Fungicides Containing a 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroquinoline Scaffold and Acting as Laccase Inhibitors

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Laccase is a novel target for fungicides. We previously developed a new fungicide, 4-chlorocinnamaldehyde thiosemicarbazide (PMDD-5Y), as a laccase inhibitor. The introduction of active groups of natural products into the framework of a pesticide molecular structure is an effective method for discovering active lead compounds, and it has applications in the discovery of new pesticides.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  11. Isothermal RNA Amplification for the Detection of Viable Pathogenic Bacteria to Estimate the Salmonella Virulence for Causing Enteritis

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Viable foodborne pathogens can cause intestinal infection and food poisoning. Herein, we reported an RNA assay allowing for sensitive (close to 1 CFU and 1% viable bacteria detectable) and rapid (within 2.5 h) detection of viable pathogenic bacteria by coupling isothermal RNA amplification (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, NASBA) with a CRISPR/Cas13a system. NASBA allowed direct amplification of 16S rRNA extracted from viable S.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  12. Electrospun Nanofibers: Current Progress and Applications in Food Systems

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Electrospinning has the advantages of simple manufacturing equipment, a low spinning cost, wide range of spinnable materials, and a controllable mild process, which can continuously fabricate submicron or nanoscale ultrafine polymer fibers without high temperature or high pressure. The obtained nanofibrous films may have a large specific surface area, unique pore structure, and easy-to-modify surface characteristics.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
      • Pesticide residues
  13. Determination of Pesticides in Bee Pollen: Validation of a Multiresidue High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry Method and Testing Pollen Samples of Selected Botanical Origin

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Pollen is a source of nutrients for honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and suitable for human consumption as well. In our research, a multiresidue method for pesticide determination was developed and validated for the bee pollen matrix. 247 components met the validation criteria for limit of detection, limit of quantification, linearity, and interday repeatability. Average recoveries varied between 70 and 120% except for 14 analytes, which were corrected during on-going validation.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  14. Discovery of Novel Triazolothiadiazines as Fungicidal Leads Targeting Pyruvate Kinase

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Pyruvate kinase (PK) was discovered as a potent new target for novel fungicide development. A series of novel triazolothiadiazine derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized by a ring expansion strategy and computer-aided pesticide design using the 3D structure of Rhizoctonia solani PK (RsPK) obtained by homology modeling as a receptor and our previously discovered lead YZK-C22 as a ligand.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  15. Improved Thyreostatic Drug Detection in Animal Tissues Using Liquid ChromatographyHigh-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility SpectrometryMass Spectrometry

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Thyreostatic drugs (thyreostats) interfere with thyroid function and have been used illegally in animals slaughtered for food. Thyreostat use leads to poorer quality meat, and the drug residues can cause adverse effects in humans. These drugs, with the exception of thiouracil, do not occur naturally and require sensitive methodologies for their detection in animal tissues.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
  16. Ionic Liquid Modified Porous Polymer as a Dispersive Filter Extraction Adsorbent for Simple, Sensitive, and Efficient Determination of Chlorotriazine Herbicides in Irrigation Water

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Triazine herbicides (TRZHs) are widely used in agricultural production, but their improper use can threaten the environment and organisms. Herein, rapid extraction of four chlorotriazine herbicides (Cl-TRZHs) in irrigation water was achieved using an ionic liquid modified porous m-aminophenol formaldehyde resin (IL-MAPFR) as a dispersive filter extraction (DFE) adsorbent.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  17. Transformation of Major Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Stilbenoid Phytoalexins Caused by Selected Microorganisms

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • The peanut plant accumulates defensive stilbenoid phytoalexins in response to the presence of soil fungi, which in turn produce phytoalexin-detoxifying enzymes for successfully invading the plant host. Aspergillus spp. are opportunistic pathogens that invade peanut seeds; most common fungal species often produce highly carcinogenic aflatoxins.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  18. Comprehensive Overview of Carboxamide Derivatives as Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Up to now, a total of 24 succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) fungicides have been commercialized, and SDHIs fungicides were also one of the most active fungicides developed in recent years. Carboxamide derivatives represented an important class of SDHIs with broad spectrum of antifungal activities. In this review, the development of carboxamide derivatives as SDHIs with great significances were summarized.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  19. Design, Synthesis, and Herbicidal Activity of Diphenyl Ether Derivatives Containing a Five-Membered Heterocycle

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, EC 1.3.3.4) is an important target for discovering novel herbicides, and it causes bleaching symptoms by inhibiting the synthesis of chlorophyll and heme. In this study, the active fragments of several commercial herbicides were joined by substructure splicing and bioisosterism, and a series of novel diphenyl ether derivatives containing five-membered heterocycles were synthesized.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  20. AptamerTarget Recognition-Promoted Ratiometric Electrochemical Strategy for Evaluating the Microcystin-LR Residue in Fish without Interferences

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Given the significance of food safety, it is highly urgent to develop a sensitive yet reliable sensor for the practical analysis of algal toxins. As most of the developed sensors are disturbed by interfering substances and the target toxin is detected in a single-signal manner based on the immunoassay technology.

      • Produce Safety
      • Ethylene Sensitive
  21. Effect of Lotus Seed Resistant Starch on Lactic Acid Conversion to Butyric Acid Fermented by Rat Fecal Microbiota

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • The aim was to investigate the effect of lotus seed resistant starch (LRS) on lactic acid (LA) conversion to butyric acid (BA) fermented by rat fecal microbiota to construct an acetyl CoA pathway. According to growth curves, the microbiota compositions at 10 and 36 h were further analyzed. The microbiota in the LRS group had higher richness and diversity compared to glucose (GLU) and high amylose maize starch (HAMS).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Shigella
  22. Advances in Chicken IgY-Based Immunoassays for the Detection of Chemical and Biological Hazards in Food Samples

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • As antibodies are the main biological binder for hazards in food samples, their performance directly determines the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the developed immunoassay. The overwhelmingly used mammalian-derived antibodies usually suffer from complicated preparation, high cost, frequent bleeding of animals, and sometimes low titer and affinity.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Pesticide residues
  23. A Novel Class IIb Bacteriocin-Plantaricin EmF Effectively Inhibits Listeria monocytogenes and Extends the Shelf Life of Beef in Combination with Chitosan

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Plantaricin EmF separated and identified from L. plantarum 163 was a novel class IIb bacteriocin. The molecular masses of plantaricin Em and F were 1638 and 3702 Da, respectively, with amino acid sequences FNRGGYNFGKSVRH and VFHAYSARGVRNNYKSAVGPADWVISAVRGFIHG, respectively. Plantaricin EmF not only exhibited broad-pH adaptability and thermostability but also showed high efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Its mode of action on L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  24. A Novel Class IIb Bacteriocin-Plantaricin EmF Effectively Inhibits Listeria monocytogenes and Extends the Shelf Life of Beef in Combination with Chitosan

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Plantaricin EmF separated and identified from L. plantarum 163 was a novel class IIb bacteriocin. The molecular masses of plantaricin Em and F were 1638 and 3702 Da, respectively, with amino acid sequences FNRGGYNFGKSVRH and VFHAYSARGVRNNYKSAVGPADWVISAVRGFIHG, respectively. Plantaricin EmF not only exhibited broad-pH adaptability and thermostability but also showed high efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Its mode of action on L.

      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Bacterial pathogens
  25. AptamerTarget Recognition-Promoted Ratiometric Electrochemical Strategy for Evaluating the Microcystin-LR Residue in Fish without Interferences

    • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
    • Given the significance of food safety, it is highly urgent to develop a sensitive yet reliable sensor for the practical analysis of algal toxins. As most of the developed sensors are disturbed by interfering substances and the target toxin is detected in a single-signal manner based on the immunoassay technology.

      • Produce Safety
      • Ethylene Sensitive