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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 76 - 100 of 2797

  1. Tree-rings analysis to reconstruct atmospheric mercury contamination at a historical mining site

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • Mercury (Hg) is a global environmental concern due to its toxicity (especially high in methylated form) and the long-range distribution of its gaseous elemental form (GEM). Hg-contaminated areas, such as abandoned mining sites, pose intrinsic difficulties for their management and heavy monitoring costs. In these environments, plant-based solutions may play a key role in the ecosystem quality assessment and support remediation strategies, combining reliability and cost-effectiveness.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  2. Mercapto-palygorskite efficiently immobilizes cadmium in alkaline soil and reduces its accumulation in wheat plants: A field study

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Cadmium (Cd) contamination in wheat fields has become a major environmental issue in many regions of the world. Mercapto-palygorskite (MPAL) is a high-performance amendment that can effectively immobilize Cd in alkaline wheat soil. However, MAPL as an in-situ Cd immobilization strategy for alkaline wheat soil remains to be evaluated on a field-scale and the underlying mechanisms requires further evaluation.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  3. Heavy Metal Contamination Characteristics in Acid Soil-rice Systems and the Corresponding Human Health Risk in a Mining and Smelting Area in Jiangxi Province

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • To understand the effects of mining activities on soil cadmium and rice, a typical mining area was selected. The Cd content in a considerable number of soils exceeded the standard limitation GB/T 36,783 − 2018, with a rate of 42.03%. Further analysis revealed soil total Cd content was strongly correlated with soil bioavailability of Cd (R2 0.721**), pH (R2 0.386**) and soil total content of lead(R2 0.678**).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  4. Ecologically different earthworm species are the driving force of microbial hotspots influencing Pb uptake by the leafy vegetable Brassica campestris

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Food chain contamination by soil lead (Pb), beginning with Pb uptake by leafy vegetables, is a threat to food safety and poses a potential risk to human health.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
      • Produce Safety
      • Leafy Greens
  5. TBBPA and lead co-exposure induces grass carp liver cells apoptosis via ROS/JAK2/STAT3 signaling axis

    • Fish & Shellfish Immunology
    • Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and lead (Pb) are widely used in industrial field, which poses a serious threat to human and animal health. In particular, a large volume of wastewater containing TBBPA and Pb was discharged into the aquatic environment, causing a seriously negative impact on fish. Currently, whether TBBPA and Pb have a synergistic toxicity on fish remains unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  6. Assessment of the application for renewal of the authorisation of a feed additive consisting of sodium hydroxide for dogs, cats and ornamental fish (Brenntag Holding GmbH and Electroquímica de Hernani, S.A.)

    • EFSA Journal
    • Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the assessment of the application for renewal of authorisation of sodium hydroxide as a technological additive (acidity regulator) for dogs, cats and ornamental fish. The applicants have provided evidence that the additive currently on the market complies with the existing conditions of authorisation.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  7. Enhancing remediation potential of heavy metal contaminated soils through synergistic application of microbial inoculants and legumes

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Soil microorganisms play a crucial role in remediating contaminated soils in modern ecosystems. However, the potential of combining microorganisms with legumes to enhance the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils remains unexplored. To investigate this, we isolated and purified a highly efficient cadmium and lead-tolerant strain. Through soil-cultivated pot experiments with two leguminous plants (Robinia pseudoacacia L.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  8. Analysis of gut bacteriome of in utero arsenic-exposed mice using 16S rRNA-based metagenomic approach

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Introduction

      Approximately 200 million people worldwide are affected by arsenic toxicity emanating from the consumption of drinking water containing inorganic arsenic above the prescribed maximum contaminant level. The current investigation deals with the role of prenatal arsenic exposure in modulating the gut microbial community and functional pathways of the host.

      Method

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  9. DNAzyme amplified dispersion state change of gold nanoparticles and its dual optical channels for ultrasensitive and facile detection of lead ion in preserved eggs

    • Food Chemistry
    • A dual-mode sensing platform for Pb2+ was constructed based on the dual optical channels of Au NPs system with the amplification of DNAzyme, and it was successfully applied for Pb2+ determination in preserved egg with satisfactory results. The presence of Pb2+ activated the DNAzyme and induced the dispersion change of Au NPs in high salt concentration.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  10. Mercury May Pose Higher Ecological and Human Health Risks than Lead in Vegetables Cultivated on Solid Wastes Dumpsites Soils

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • Vegetable cultivation on solid wastes dumpsites (SWD) soils is very common in developing countries though unsafe due to heavy metals pollution. In order to evaluate the ecological and human health risks of this practice, Talium triangulare and Lycopersicon esculentum were grown in a greenhouse on soils from two abandoned and active SWD, and control site.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  11. A Genome-Wide Identification and Comparative Analysis of the Heavy-Metal-Associated Gene Family in Cucurbitaceae Species and Their Role in Cucurbita pepo under Arsenic Stress

    • Genes
    • The heavy-metal-associated (HMA) proteins are a class of PB1-type ATPases related to the intracellular transport and detoxification of metals.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  12. VOZ1 and VOZ2 transcription factors regulate arsenic tolerance and distribution in rice and Arabidopsis

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • Rice is the major source of arsenic (As) intake in humans, as this staple crop readily accumulates As in the grain. Identifying the genes and molecular mechanisms underlying As accumulation and tolerance is a crucial step toward developing rice with reduced As levels. We identified 25 rice genes that improve As tolerance in yeast cells by expressing a complementary DNA (cDNA) library generated from As-treated rice roots.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  13. Se Ameliorates Cd Toxicity in Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) Seedlings by Inhibiting Cd Transporter Genes and Maintaining root Plasma Membrane Integrity

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • Se (Selenium) has been reported to be an important protective agent to decreases Cd (Cadmium) induced toxic in plants. However, it remains unclear how Se mitigates the uptake of Cd and increased the resistance to Cd toxicity. Hydroponic experiments were arranged to investigate the changes of physiological properties, root cell membrane integrity and Cd-related transporter genes in rape seedlings.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  14. Lead exposure disrupted ileal barrier of developmental Japanese quails(Coturnix japonica): Histopathological damages, microbiota dysbiosis and immune disorder

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • The gut barrier plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis and is usually composed of a mechanical barrier, a chemical barrier, an immune barrier, and a biological barrier. However, the impacts of lead (Pb) exposure on avian gut barrier are still unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  15. Assessment of Potentially Toxic Metals in Fish from Lake Manyara, Northern Tanzania

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • Elemental tracer concentrations of copper, lead, nickel and zinc, were assessed in the muscles of Oreochromis amphimelas and Clarias gariepinus from Lake Manyara, Tanzania, to evaluate their safety to consumers, specifically humans. Results revealed that no elemental concentrations exceeded the FAO permissible levels, indicating fish from all sites are safe for human consumption.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  16. Spatio-temporal Sediment Quality Risk Assessment by Using Ecological and Statistical Indicators: A Review of the Upper Sakarya River, Türkiye

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • In this study, heavy metal accumulation levels (Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, As) in biotic [Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), Squalius pursakensis (Hankó 1925)] and abiotic (sediments) components in a significant freshwater ecosystem in Türkiye were investigated on the basis of seasonal variations using geographic information systems (GIS) and some ecotoxicological risk assessment indices [PLI (pollution load index), PERI (potential ecological risk index), Igeo (geo accumulation index), C

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  17. Remediation of metal toxicity and alleviation of toxic metals-induced oxidative stress in Brassica chinensis L using biochar-iron nanocomposites

    • Plant and Soil
    • Introduction Soil pollution caused by toxic elements such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) induces environmental stress on vegetable plants and soil microbial communities, reducing crop yield and disrupting ecosystem functions. Methodology In this study, nanoscale zerovalent iron supported with eggshell biochar and activated carbon (nZVI-ESB/AC) was synthesized using ca

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  18. Cadmium, Chromium, Nickel and Lead Content of Fish and Vegetables from Selected Dams in Osun State, Nigeria

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in foods are a threat to global health. This study investigated concentrations of selected PTEs; cadmium, chromium, nickel and lead in fish and cultivated vegetables from and along the dams, respectively. Totally, 84 samples; 60 Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), 12 Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and 12 Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) obtained from six dams in Southwestern Nigeria were digested using aqua-regia.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  19. Multiplex metabolic pathway engineering of Monascus pilosus enhances lovastatin production

    • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
    • Monascus sp. is an important food microbial resource with the production of cholesterol-lowering agent lovastatin and other healthy metabolites. However, the mycotoxin citrinin naturally produced by Monascus sp. and the insufficient productivity of lovastatin limit its large-scale use in food industry.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  20. Cadmium-109 Internal Kinetics in Diamond Sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii are Strongly Influenced by Salinity, Exposure Pathway and History

    • Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • Cadmium-109 whole-body and internal biokinetics were experimentally investigated in critically endangered diamond sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii after uptake from water or food, in fresh (FW) and brackish (BW; 9‰) salinities typical of the Caspian Sea. Whole-body rates of uptake of 109Cd from water and subsequent depuration were quantified over 14 and 28 days, respectively.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  21. Environmentally relevant lead alters nuclear integrity in erythrocytes and generates oxidative stress in liver of Anabas testudineus: Involvement of Nrf2‐Keap1 regulation and expression of biomarker genes

    • Journal of Applied Toxicology
    • Abstract Genotoxic and hepatotoxic effects of lead (Pb) on a freshwater fish, climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) were studied at an environmentally relevant concentration (43.3 ppm). The genotoxic potential of Pb was confirmed by micronucleus study, with increased frequencies of erythrocytic nuclear alterations like lobed, blebbed, notched, fragmented, and micronuclei were observed in erythrocytes in treated groups as compared to control.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  22. Assessment of Joint Toxicity of Arsenate and Lead by Multiple Endpoints in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
    • In aquatic ecosystems, arsenate (As(V)) and lead (Pb(II)) frequently coexist but their joint toxicity on microalgae remains unknown. In this study, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was exposed to various levels of combined As(V) and Pb(II) treatments. The cell growth, respiration, pigment synthesis, polysaccharides and protein secretion as well as As speciation of C. reinhardtii were analyzed.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  23. Exogenous application of glutathione enhanced growth, nutritional orchestration and physiochemical characteristics of Brassica oleracea L. under lead stress

    • Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants
    • A major obstacle to agricultural production and yield quality is heavy metal contamination of the soil and water, which leads to lower productivity and quality of crops. The situation has significantly worsened as a result of the growing population and subsequent rise in food consumption. The growth of nutrient-rich plants is hampered by lead (Pb) toxicity in the soil. Brassica oleracea L.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  24. WheatSpikeNet: an improved wheat spike segmentation model for accurate estimation from field imaging

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • Phenotyping is used in plant breeding to identify genotypes with desirable characteristics, such as drought tolerance, disease resistance, and high-yield potentials. It may also be used to evaluate the effect of environmental circumstances, such as drought, heat, and salt, on plant growth and development. Wheat spike density measure is one of the most important agronomic factors relating to wheat phenotyping.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  25. Comparative efficacy of silicon and iron oxide nanoparticles towards improving the plant growth and mitigating arsenic toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • Nano-enabled agriculture has emerged as an attractive approach for facilitating soil pollution mitigation and enhancing crop production and nutrition. In this study, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to explore the efficacy of silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiONPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) in alleviating arsenic (As) toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and elucidated the underlying mechanisms involved.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals