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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 2448

  1. Bacteria existing in pre-pollinated styles (silks) can defend the exposed male gamete fertilization channel of maize against an environmental Fusarium pathogen

    • Frontiers in Plant Science
    • In flowering plants, fertilization requires exposing maternal style channels to the external environment to capture pollen and transmit its resident sperm nuclei to eggs. This results in progeny seed. However, environmental fungal pathogens invade developing seeds through the style. We hypothesized that prior to environmental exposure, style tissue already possesses bacteria that can protect styles and seed from such pathogens.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  2. Weather‐based models for forecasting Fusarium head blight risks in wheat and barley: A review

    • Plant Pathology
    • There is a need for comprehensive but user‐friendly weather‐based models for FHB, FDK and mycotoxin prediction in small‐cereal crops with a focus on simplicity and real‐time application to aid in effective disease management. Abstract Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most devastating crop diseases worldwide, significantly reducing the yield and quality of small‐cereal crops such as wheat and barley when favourable weather conditions exist during anthesis.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  3. Selenomethionine protects the liver from dietary deoxynivalenol exposure via Nrf2/PPARγ-GPX4-ferroptosis pathway in mice

    • Toxicology
    • Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a significant Fusarium toxin that has gained global attention due to its high frequency of contamination in food and feed. It was reported to have hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and reproduction toxicity in organs. On the other hand, Selenomethionine (SeMet) was proven to have anti-oxidation, tissue repairing, immunity improvement, and antifungal mycotoxin infection functions. However, the molecular mechanism by which SeMet alleviates DON damage is not yet clear.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  4. Total aflatoxin and ochratoxin A levels, dietary exposure and cancer risk assessment in dried fruits in Türkiye

    • Toxicon
    • This study aimed to measure total aflatoxin (AF) (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) levels in dried fruit samples and to evaluate the potential dietary exposure and cancer risk to these 

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  5. Occurrence of ochratoxin A in breast milk and urine samples of nursing mothers in Bangladesh

    • Mycotoxin Research
    • The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is a potent nephrotoxin with carcinogenic properties and, thus, of concern as a food contaminant. Since food contaminant data are scarce in Bangladesh, we applied human biomonitoring to gain more insights into OTA exposure in the country’s population. OTA concentrations in human milk and urine samples of nursing mothers were determined with the aim to assess also exposure to this mycotoxin in breastfed infants.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  6. Quercetin Attenuates the Combined Effects of Zearalenone and Lipopolysaccharide on IPEC-J2 Cell Injury through Activating the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

    • Toxins
    • Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin with an estrogen-like effect that is widely found in feed. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) derived from Gram-negative bacteria are a common endotoxin, and both toxins have effects on human and livestock health. During animal feeding, ZEA as an exotoxin and LPS as an endotoxin have the potential to co-exist in organisms.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  7. Poisoning by Baccharis coridifolia in Early-Weaned Beef Calves: Pathological Study and New Macrocyclic Trichothecene Identification

    • Toxins
    • This study investigated two outbreaks of spontaneous poisoning by Baccharis coridifolia (Asteraceae) in early-weaned beef calves in Tacuarembó, Uruguay. A total of 34 affected calves showed signs of salivation, anorexia, apathy, marked dehydration, and diarrhea. Deaths occurred 36–72 h after consumption and mortality varied from 37.5% to 43.3% for outbreak 1 and outbreak 2, respectively.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  8. Recombinant Oxidase from Armillaria tabescens as a Potential Tool for Aflatoxin B1 Degradation in Contaminated Cereal Grain

    • Toxins
    • Forage grain contamination with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a global problem, so its detoxification with the aim of providing feed safety and cost-efficiency is still a relevant issue. AFB1 degradation by microbial enzymes is considered to be a promising detoxification approach.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  9. Aflatoxins detection in almonds via fluorescence imaging and deep neural network approach

    • Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
    • The detection of aflatoxin B in raw food materials represents a topic of great interest worldwide because of the huge health and economic impact of aflatoxin contamination.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  10. Spherical Fe2O3 nanoparticles inhibit the production of aflatoxins (B1 and B2) and regulate total soluble solids and titratable acidity of peach fruit

    • International Journal of Food Microbiology
    • Aflatoxin is a group I carcinogen and causes significant public health and food safety risks, throughout the world.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  11. Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 in human breast and powdered milk in Tehran, Iran

    • Toxicon
    • Aim and background Aflatoxins, produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are among the most toxic mycotoxins. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), found in milk and dairy products from animals fed AFB1-contaminated feed. Consumption of AFM1 has related adverse effects on human health. Breast milk can be a source of contamination for infants due to the presence of AFM.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  12. Radio frequency roasting promotes the degradation of aflatoxin B1 and achieves better quality of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.)

    • Food Control
    • Peanuts contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) possess serious health risks. Radio frequency (RF) roasting was used for decontamination of AFB1 in peanuts. The effects of RF roasting on AFB1 degradation and peanuts quality were investigated under varied electrode gaps (90, 100, 110, and 120 mm), target temperatures (120, 130, 140, and 150 °C) and initial moisture contents (10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%).

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  13. Front Cover: Deoxynivalenol Exposure Induced Colon Damage in Mice Independent of the Gut Microbiota

    • Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
    • Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2023, 67, 202300317 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202300317 Deoxynivalenol (DON), the most common mycotoxin occurring in grain and grain products, can destroy the integrity of the colonic physical barrier and induce oxidative stress and apoptosis in the colon of mice with or without the existence of gut microbiota. Meanwhile, fecal microbiota transplantation did not show significant role of gut microbiota in DON‐induced colon damage.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  14. Mechanism Underlying Bacillus subtilis BS-Z15 Metabolite-Induced Prevention of Grain Contamination by Aspergillus flavus

    • Toxins
    • Aspergillus flavus can cause mildew in corn, peanuts, and other foods as well as animal feed, which seriously endangers human and livestock health; thus, preventing A. flavus contamination is imperative. Previous studies have found that the secondary metabolites of Bacillus subtilis BS-Z15 have broad-spectrum-inhibiting fungal activity, further confirming that the main active inhibiting fungal substance is Mycosubtilin (Myco).

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  15. UDP-glucosyltransferase HvUGT13248 confers type II resistance to Fusarium graminearum in barley

    • Plant Physiology
    • Fusarium head blight (FHB) of barley (Hordeum vulgare) causes yield losses and accumulation of trichothecene mycotoxins (e.g. deoxynivalenol [DON]) in grains. Glucosylation of DON to the nontoxic DON-3-O-glucoside (D3G) is catalyzed by UDP-glucosyltransferases (UGTs), such as barley UGT13248.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  16. Effects of lycopene on the growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens challenged with aflatoxin B1

    • Journal of Food Science
    • Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary lycopene (LYC) supplementation on the growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of breast muscle in aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)‐challenged broilers. A total of 192 1‐day‐old healthy Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to 3 treatments, each with 8 replicates (8 broilers per replicate).

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  17. Cannabidiol protects the liver from α-Amanitin-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress through the regulation of Nrf2

    • Food and Chemical Toxicology
    • α-Amanitin, the primary lethal toxin of Amanita, specifically targets the liver, causing oxidative stress, hepatocyte apoptosis, and irreversible liver damage. As little as 0.1 mg/kg of α-amanitin can be lethal for humans, and there is currently no effective antidote for α-amanitin poisoning. Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive natural compound derived from Cannabis sativa that exhibits a wide range of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  18. Prevalence and Risk Assessment of Aflatoxin in Iowa Corn during a Drought Year

    • International Journal of Food Science
    • Warm temperatures and drought conditions in the United States (US) Corn Belt in 2012 raised concern for widespread aflatoxin (AFL) contamination in Iowa corn. To identify the prevalence of AFL in the 2012 corn crop, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) conducted a sample of Iowa corn to assess the incidence and severity of AFL contamination.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  19. Targeted sphingolipidomics indicates increased C22-C24:16 ratios of virtually all assayed classes in liver, kidney, and plasma of fumonisin-fed chickens

    • Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
    • The biological properties of sphinganine-(d18:0)-, sphingosine-(d18:1)-, deoxysphinganine-(m18: 0)-, deoxysphingosine-(m18:1)-, deoxymethylsphinganine-(m17:0)-, deoxymethylsphingosine-(m17:1)-, sphingadienine-(d18:2)-, and phytosphingosine-(t18:0)-sphingolipids have been reported to vary, but little is known about the effects of fumonisins, which are 

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  20. Current Knowledge of Individual and Combined Toxicities of Aflatoxin B1 and Fumonisin B1 In Vitro

    • Toxins
    • Mycotoxins are considered the most threating natural contaminants in food. Among these mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) are the most prominent fungal metabolites that represent high food safety risks, due to their widespread co-occurrence in several food commodities, and their profound toxic effects on humans. Considering the ethical and more humane animal research, the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) principle has been promoted in the last few years.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  21. In Vitro Degradation of Zearalenone by Culture Supernatant of Bacillus subtilis

    • Food and Bioprocess Technology
    • Zearalenone (ZEN) is a fungal toxin produced by Fusarium that widely occurs in various types of grains and feed. It has strong reproductive toxicity and a wide range of distribution, which will impact food and feed safety. In this study, Bacillus subtilis ZENL09, which is capable of transforming ZEN was investigated.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  22. Method for Determination of Multi-mycotoxins in Milk: QuEChERS Extraction Modified Followed by HPLC-FL Analysis

    • Food Analytical Methods
    • The objective was the development and validation of a method for simultaneous mycotoxins determination (aflatoxins B1 — AFB1, G1 — AFG1, G2 — AFG2 and M1 — AFM1, ochratoxin — OTA, and zearalenone — ZEA) in milk by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
  23. Quercetin alleviates zearalenone-induced apoptosis and necroptosis of porcine renal epithelial cells by inhibiting CaSR/CaMKII signaling pathway

    • Food and Chemical Toxicology
    • Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin that is highly contaminated in feed and can cause severe toxic effects on the kidneys and other organs of animals. Quercetin (QUE) is a plant-derived flavonoid with a variety of detoxification properties, but the mechanism by which QUE detoxifies the toxic effects induced by ZEA has not yet been fully elucidated. We treated porcine kidney cells (PK15) with 80 μM ZEA and/or 30 μM QUE.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  24. Assessment of the Adverse Health Effects of Aflatoxin Exposure from Unpackaged Peanut Oil in Guangdong, China

    • Toxins
    • Aflatoxins are liver carcinogens and are common contaminants in unpackaged peanut (UPP) oil. However, the health risks associated with consuming aflatoxins in UPP oil remain unclear. In this study, aflatoxin contamination in 143 UPP oil samples from Guangdong Province were assessed via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We also recruited 168 human subjects, who consumed this oil, to measure their liver functions and lipid metabolism status.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins
      • Viruses
      • Hepatitis
  25. Novel techniques for the mass scale production of nutritionally improved fungal treated lignocellulosic biomass for ruminants feeding

    • Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
    • Abstract BACKGROUND Laboratory scale experiments have shown that treatment with selective lignin degrading white rot fungi improves the nutritional value and ruminal degradability of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB). However, the lack of effective field‐applicable pasteurization methods has long been recognized as a major obstacle for scaling up the technique for fungal treatment of large quantities of LCB for animal feeding.

      • Natural toxins
      • Aflatoxins
      • Mycotoxins