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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 1 - 18 of 18

  1. Improving the Composition and Bioactivity of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Bean Shell Extract by Choline Chloride-Lactic Acid Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction Assisted by Pulsed Electric Field Pre-Treatment

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • An environmentally friendly method for the release of cocoa bean shell (CBS) extracts is proposed in this paper. This work aims to investigate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment on subsequent solid-liquid extraction (SLE) of metabolites with choline chloride-lactic acid natural deep eutectic solvent (NaDES) and bioactivity of cocoa bean shell (CBS) extract. Two different media for PEF application were evaluated: water and chlorine chloride-lactic acid.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  2. In vitro and In vivo Determination of Biological Activities of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.) Peel, Flesh and Seeds

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Momordica charantia L. has been remained a well-known medicinal vegetable used traditionally. However, which part is most effective against which disorder, has been remained undiscovered yet. The objective of this study was to examine the antimicrobial, antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic activities of peel, flesh, and seeds of bitter gourd, through in vitro and in vivo assays.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Bacillus cereus
  3. In Vitro Bioactivities of Food Grade Extracts from Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) and Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) Leaves

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L., AM) and nettle (Urtica dioica L., UD) are bioactive plants used commercially in functional food and supplement applications and traditionally to alleviate gastric disorders. In this work, the effects of food-grade optimized extracts of Finnish early-season AM and UD were tested on bacterial growth including potential beneficial and foodborne pathogens, as well as murine norovirus (MNV).

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  4. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Selected Fruit Juices

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Fruit and fruit juices are a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which can protect our organisms from oxidative stress. The phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals may affect the antimicrobial properties of juices. The aim of this study has been to evaluate antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of selected berry juices and vitamin C-rich fruit juices.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Clostridium perfringens
  5. Evaluation of a Novel Phosphorylated Red Dragon Fruit Peel Pectin for Enhancement of Thermal Stability and Functional Activity

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Red dragon fruit peel, as a fruit waste, is rich in plant-based nutritional pectins that can be applied as food additives. The present study aims to characterize a novel phosphorylated red dragon fruit peel pectin (PRDFP-P) and to explore its functional activities. The thermal analysis, morphology analysis, antibacterial, antioxidant and antitumor activities of PRDFP-P were evaluated. The results showed that the phosphorylated derivative PRDFP-P had typical phosphate groups.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  6. Sex Specific Effects of Prunella vulgaris on Longevity Regulation

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in over 200 countries globally, brought serious effects on our daily lives. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in combination with regional characteristics has achieved remarkable results in China. Prunella vulgaris is one of the ingredients of commercially available canned Chinese herbal tea which demonstrated lifespan extending effect on Drosophila in our previous study, whereas it is unknown which ingredients contribute to it.

      • Viruses
      • COVID-19
  7. Assessment of the Nutritional Value of Traditional Vegetables from Southern Chile as Potential Sources of Natural Ingredients

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • There is an increasing interest in consuming healthy foods motivated by the need of boosting the immune system naturally. In this sense, vegetables rich in bioactive compounds are a clear example of “superfoods” that promotes overall health and strengthen the immune response.

      • Pesticide residues
      • Chemical contaminants
  8. Affinity-Guided Isolation and Identification of Procyanidin B2 from Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) Rinds and its In Vitro LPS Binding and Neutralization Activities

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) is a tropical fruit that has been used for medicinal purposes in Southeast Asia for centuries. With an interest in its applications to treat infection, we sought to investigate the bioactive constituents of mangosteen and identified the phenolic compound procyanidin B2 from the mangosteen pericarp by examining lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding capacity.

      • Heavy Metals
      • Chemical contaminants
  9. Antiviral Effects of Pomegranate Peel Extracts on Human Norovirus in Food Models and Simulated Gastrointestinal Fluids

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the dominant cause of viral gastroenteritis in all age groups worldwide. In this study, we investigated the effects of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on the reduction of HuNoV in different food models, on surfaces of fresh produce (green onion and cherry tomato), in low-fat milk, and simulated gastrointestinal fluids.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
      • Viruses
  10. Bioactive Compounds and Pharmacological Potential of Pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) Seeds - A Review

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • The use of complementary medicine has recently increased in an attempt to find effective alternative therapies that reduce the adverse effects of drugs. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) by-products, such as seeds, is a rich source of phytochemicals with a high antioxidant activity, thus possessing health benefits.

  11. Potential of Plant Proteins Digested In Silico by Gastrointestinal Enzymes as Nutritional Supplement for COVID-19 Patients

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Currently, no specific drug and vaccine are available for the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and nutritional supplementation should be helpful. This study tried to provide reference for protein supplementation. Specifically, in silico method was employed to simulate protein degradation by gastrointestinal enzymes and to produce a large number of active peptides, then, the binding ability of these peptides to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) was evaluated.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  12. Effect of Processing on Color, Rheology and Bioactive Compounds of Different Sweet Pepper Purees

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Sweet pepper purees (red, yellow and green) were examined for FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), chemical, bioactive, color and rheological parameters. FTIR technique was used to evaluate the functional groups. FTIR wave numbers are associated with the absorption bands that depicted the presence of several phytocompounds in the purees.

      • Seasonal Produce
      • Produce Safety
  13. Risk Assessment and Mitigation of the Mycotoxin Content in Medicinal Plants by the Infusion Process

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Medicinal plants are often consumed as infusions with boiled water. Scarce information is available in the literature about the migration of mycotoxins into the resulting beverage and/or the effects of the infusion procedure on the final mycotoxin contents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of the infusion process on mycotoxin contents during medicinal plant preparation.

      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
      • Natural toxins
  14. Profile and Content of Residual Alkaloids in Ten Ecotypes of Lupinus mutabilis Sweet after Aqueous Debittering Process

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • The evaluation of the level of alkaloids in edible Lupinus species is crucial from a food safety point of view. Debittering of lupin seeds has a long history; however, the control of the level of alkaloids after processing the seeds is typically only evaluated by changes in the bitter taste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the profile and residual levels of quinolizidine alkaloids (QA) in (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet) after aqueous debittering process.

  15. Inhibition of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth by Ethyl Acetate Extracts of Apulian Brassica oleracea L. and Crithmum maritimum L.

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Nowadays, a growing body of evidence supports the view that plants offer an extraordinary opportunity to discover and develop new promising therapeutic strategies for many diseases, including cancer. Here we tested the anticancer action against Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of extracts obtained from two plants harvested in Apulia, namely Brassica oleracea L. and Crithmum maritimum L. B.

  16. Anti-Influenza Virus Activity of Adlay Tea Components

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • Our previous study showed anti-influenza virus activity in adlay tea prepared from adlay seeds, naked barley seeds, soybean, and cassia seeds. In this study, we evaluated the anti-influenza virus activity of each component of this tea and analyzed their active ingredients. Each component was roasted and extracted in hot water; the extracts were tested for antiviral activity and their mechanisms of action were studied.

      • Viruses
  17. Chemical Composition and Anti-Nutritional Profiling of Wattle ( Acacia cyclops , Acacia microbotrya and Acacia victoriae ) Seed Originating from Western Australia

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • The chemical and anti-nutritional, antioxidative and anti-microbial properties of seeds from Acacia cyclops, Acacia microbotrya and Acacia victoriae(which are legumes) traditionally consumed by indigenous Western Australians were studied for the first time for their potential as commercial food components. A. microbotrya (2.7 CIU/g) (α < 0.05) had the highest α-chymotrypsin inhibitor activity, while A.

      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Bacillus cereus
  18. Sorbus umbellata (Desf.) Fritsch var. umbellata Leaves: Optimization of Extraction Conditions and Investigation Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and β -Glucuronidase Inhibitory Potential

    • Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
    • This study aimed to optimize the extraction conditions for Sorbus umbellata (Desf.) Fritsch var. umbellata leaves to maximize the phenolic content and their antioxidant activity and to investigate β-glucuronidase (GUS) enzyme inhibitory, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potentials of the extracts obtained under optimum conditions.

      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Bacterial pathogens