Research Publications (Food Safety)

PM2.5 samples were collected from residential, commercial, plaza and public green spaces in Lin’an, Hangzhou, in spring (March and April) and winter (February and December) in 2017. PAHs were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their sources were identified using the diagnostic ratio (DR) and principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR). The average PAH concentration in winter was 1.3 times that in spring (p < 0.01).

Author(s): Zhi Chen, Yan Liang, QinYue Lu, Mudasir Nazar, Yongjiang Mao, Ahmad Aboragah, Zhangping Yang, Juan J. Loor

Reliable stable indicators are very important for assessing soil quality. This paper compares the dynamics of microbial parameters in two different soils (rich/poor in organic carbon), contaminated in laboratory experiments with an equal dose of heavy metals (HMs) after 30 and 90 days.

Soil enzyme activities are often used as indicators of soil contamination. The responses of the activities of specific soil enzymes, dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, carboxylesterase, and urease to different land uses (soybean and rice crops, and a reference site) were analyzed. Changes in activity at the start and end of each crop cycle were quantified. In general, the catalytic activity of all enzymes was lower in both crops than in the reference site.

Concentrated pig production is a major source of environmental pollution. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) show potential for reducing heavy metal pollution. Two zirconium-based octahedral MOFs, UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2, were prepared by solvothermal method and were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, and BET. The adsorption capacity, treatability, and reusability of the adsorbents were tested in batch experiments.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L)) is a monocotyledon, herbaceous, of the Bromeliad family. Côte d’Ivoire is the leading supplier of fresh pineapple to the European market. For reasons of sanitary quality and also because of the deterioration under the action of several factors of the marketable quality of the fruits, pineapple suffers a slump in the European market. To deal with the problem of fruit deterioration under the action of microorganisms, phytosanitary products are used.

Author(s): Franco Pedreschi, Alicia Ferrera, Andrea Bunger, Fernanda Alvarez, Nils L. Huamán-Castilla, María S. Mariotti-Celis

The effect of ultrasound (480 W, 40 kHz) on the leaching of reducing sugars during the water soaking of potatoes slices (60, 70 and 80 °C- 1, 8 and 15 min) was investigated to reduce the formation of acrylamide (AA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in potato chips.

Author(s): Miaojia Xie, Fengguang Zhao, Yaping Zhang, Yong Xiong, Shuangyan Han

OfChi-h, a lepidopteran-exclusive glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18) chitinase from the agricultural insect pest Ostrinia furnacalis, is a promising molecular target candidate for pest control and management. Berberine (BER), a traditional Chinese medicine, binds to a wide variety of glycosyl hydrolases via an identical mechanism, showing potential as a pesticide lead compound. In this work, we found that BER was a moderate inhibitor of OfChi-h with a Ki of 16.1 μM.

This study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of electrokinetics to remediate two identical soft kaolinite clay slurries with a water content of 70%. The first slurry was contaminated with copper at a concentration of 150 mg/kg of dry soil and the second with cadmium at the same concentration. The tests were performed in four identical electrokinetic columns (two for the electrokinetics tests and two for control) with a volume capacity of 14 L.

Predation is known to play a prominent role in maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning. Despite metals being known to potentially affect predation in aquatic ecosystems, few studies have been conducted, so far, with the aim of evaluating this interplay. In the present study, the effects of four metal salts (copper, cadmium, mercury, and manganese) on the feeding rates and food preference of the dragonfly Tramea cophisa and of the ostracod Chlamydotheca sp.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims
The study aims to identify a novel plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), which contributes to promoting growth and reducing cadmium (Cd) concentration in rice under Cd-contaminated conditions.

Author(s): Lu Li, Fuhong Sun, Qun Liu, Xiaoli Zhao, Kang Song

The Hexi Corridor is the main commodity grain base in northwest China and plays a special role in ensuring food security in northwest China. However, the multiple pollution transport pathways of PAHs and complex and co-existing potential pollution sources around the study areas require a combination of pollution status, source identification, and risk assessment to explore pollution distribution and potential risks.

Author(s): Sancho Rajan, K. Ronnie Rex, Mukesh Pasupuleti, Juan Muñoz-Arnanz, Begoña Jiménez, Paromita Chakraborty

Author(s): Jie Tang, Qiong Zhang, Jie Zhou, Huichao Fang, Haifeng Yang, Feng Wang

Author(s): Peipei Zhou, Rui Wang, Ru Fan, Xiaoran Yang, He Mei, Huaiyu Chen, Huili Wang, Zhenfeng Wang, Xuedong Wang

Author(s): Lihong Su, Yongdong Xie, Zhongqun He, Jianwei Zhang, Yi Tang, Xiaoting Zhou

Acrylamide, a well-documented neurotoxicant, is commonly found as a byproduct of the Maillard reaction in carbohydrate-rich foods. Numerous studies have indicated that acrylamide-induced apoptosis accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to its neurotoxicity. However, the mechanisms of how acrylamide causes mitochondrial impairment is not well understood.

In this paper, a sensitive and simple zirconium nanoparticles (Zr-NPs) based vortex assisted ligandless dispersive solid phase extraction (VA-LDSPE) method was developed for the preconcentration of lead from wastewater samples for the determination by slotted quartz tube–flame atomic absorption spectrometry (SQT-FAAS).

Abstract

Aims

Phosphorus (P) fertilizers are often considered an important source of cadmium (Cd) in crop plants. However, increased plant Cd concentrations are not strictly related to the Cd content of P fertilizers. Considering this, we hypothesized that, alternatively, reduction of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization by P fertilization enhances Cd accumulation in plants.

Soils of abandoned and vacant lands in the periphery of cities are frequently subjected to illegal dumping and can undergo degradation processes such as depletion of organic matter and nutrients, reduced biodiversity, and the presence of contaminants, which may exert an intense abiotic stress on biological communities. Mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies are highly suitable options for remediation of these sites.

Puroindolines are small, amphipathic, wheat proteins that determine the hardness of the wheat kernel and protect crops from different pathogens. Puroindoline A (PinA) and puroindoline B (PinB) are two major isoforms of puroindolines. These proteins have antibacterial and antifungal properties mainly attributed to their characteristic tryptophan-rich domains (TRDs).

Elucidating the relative importance of species interactions and assembly mechanisms in regulating bacterial community structure and functions, especially the abundant and rare subcommunities, is crucial for understanding the influence of environmental disturbance in shaping ecological functions. However, little is known about how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) stress alters the stability and functions of the abundant and rare taxa.

Abstract