Research Publications (Food Safety)

Patulin (PAT) is a highly water soluble, heat resistant and toxic fungal metabolite mostly contaminating apple juice. Due to its serious health effects, its removal from foodstuffs is required to ensure food safety. In this study, carboxy- and amine-terminated iron oxide spheres (Fe3O4-COOH and Fe3O4-NH2) were investigated for their adsorbing capacity of PAT in both aqueous solution and apple juice, and evaluated for being an effective detoxifying agent for PAT.

Our study was aimed to evaluate antifungal, antiaflatoxin, and antioxidant potential of Mentha pulegium, Myrtus communis, and Mentha piperita essential oils (EOs). The EOs showed efficacy as a couscous preservative. A total of 387 fungal species were isolated from Couscous samples, with Aspergillus flavus BN (20) which is identified as the highest aflatoxin producer. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of M.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a low-weight molecule toxin which can cause great damage to human health. A multicolor immunosensor for determination of ZEN was developed based on etching gold nanobipyramids (Au NBPs) mediated by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In this new immunosensor, the anti-ZEN monoclonal antibody (McAb) induced the formation of ternary immunocomplex BSA-ZEN@McAb@HRP-IgG. Then, TMB was converted to TMB+ under the catalysis of HRP.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat is one of the major food safety concerns worldwide. In this study, 70 characteristic precursive factors associated with environment and 6 agronomic practicing factors were explored, using historical data of 479 wheat fields in the Huang-Huai-hai, China. Results showed that DON concentrations influenced by air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and sunshine duration in the period from 17 days before flowering to 10 days before harvest.

Gymnodinium catenatum has been the main species responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning events along the Portuguese coast (Iberian Peninsula), causing bans on bivalve harvesting that result in huge economic losses. This work presents the characterization of two novel isolates of G. catenatum regarding their growth and toxin profiles.

Aflatoxins (AFs) remain the main concern for the agricultural and dairy industries due to their effects on the performances and quality of livestock production. Aflatoxins are always unavoidable and should be monitored. The objective of this paper is to bring to light a significant volume of data on AF contamination in several animal feed ingredients in Northern Italy.

In this study, a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was established for the determination of zearalenone and its five derivatives in feed, including zearalanone, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol, α-zearalenol, and β-zearalenol. An effective immunoaffinity column was prepared for sample purification, which was followed by the silane derivatization of the eluate after an immunoaffinity chromatography analysis for target compounds by GC-MS.

Food pollution caused by Patulin (PAT) seriously threatens the safety of human diets and has attracted extensive attention. Early and accurate detections of PAT are essential to prevent further toxin spreading and contamination. A surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor was fabricated by combining a gold-silver core-shell structure containing signal molecule (ADANRs) and chitosan modified magnetic nanoparticles (CS-Fe3O4).

With the growing diversity and complexity of diet, animals and humans are at risk of exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which is a well-known contaminant in the food chain that causes various toxicological effects. The intestine acts as the first barrier against external contaminants, but the effect of AFB1 on intestinal barrier has not been determined.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic subtype of aflatoxin in feed. Poultry is sensitive to AFB1, and the liver is the main target organ of AFB1. Our previous studies have shown that taraxasterol isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Taraxacum has protective effects against immune-mediated and alcoholic-induced liver injuries.

In September and November 2016, eight marine sampling sites along the coast of the southeastern Gulf of Mexico were monitored for the presence of lipophilic and hydrophilic toxins. Water temperature, salinity, hydrogen potential, dissolved oxygen saturation, inorganic nutrients and phytoplankton abundance were also determined.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. During a series of blooms of Noctiluca scintillans and Mesodinium rubrum, we applied high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to investigate the population dynamics of free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria in an attempt to evaluate the influence of protozoan bloom-induced disturbances on the structuring of these two communities.

Aflatoxin contamination of corn is a major threat to the safe food and feed. The United States Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) monitors commercial grain shipments for the presence of aflatoxin. A total of 146 Aspergillus flavus were isolated from 29 highly contaminated grain samples to characterize the visual phenotypes, aflatoxin-producing potential, and genotypes to explore the etiological cause of high aflatoxin contamination of US corn.

Aflatoxins (AFs), a class of toxins produced by certain species of the genus Aspergillus, occasionally contaminate food and cause serious damage to human health and the economy. AFs contamination is a global problem, and there is a need to develop effective strategies to control aflatoxigenic fungi. In this study, we focused on isothiocyanates (ITCs) as potential chemical agents for the control of aflatoxigenic fungi.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogen-like mycotoxin characterized mainly by reproductive toxicity, to which pigs are particularly sensitive. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of ZEA-induced apoptosis in porcine endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) by activating the JNK signaling pathway through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). In this study, ESCs were exposed to ZEA, with the ERS inhibitor sodium 4-Phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) as a reference.

Aspergillus carbonarius is one of the main species responsible for wine, coffee and cocoa toxin contamination. The main mycotoxin produced by this fungus, ochratoxin A (OTA), is a secondary metabolite categorized as a possible carcinogen because of its significant nephrotoxicity and immunosuppressive effects. A polyketide synthase gene (otaA) encodes the first enzyme in the OTA biosynthetic pathway.

Nivalenol (NIV) is a trichothecene mycotoxin that is more toxic than deoxynivalenol. It accumulates in grains due to infection with Fusarium species, which are the causative agents of scab or Fusarium head blight. An immunoassay, which is a rapid and easy analytical method, is necessary for monitoring NIV in grains. However, a specific antibody against NIV has not been prepared previously. To establish an immunoassay, we prepared NIV, introduced a linker, and generated antibodies against it.

Journal of Food Process Engineering, EarlyView. In this study, the effect of cold plasma on the reduction of Aspergillus flavus and total aflatoxin level in pistachio and some of its quality properties were investigated. Independent variables for reducing A. flavus and aflatoxin include plasma exposure time (5–10–15 min), power supply voltage (10–15–20 kV), argon to air composition (0–50–100%), and the dose of inoculated toxin.

Aflatoxins have carcinogenic effect on human health, developing effective adsorbents for their enrichment and detection is particularly required. A magnetic hyper-crosslinked polymer (MHCP-TPE) was prepared and used as a magnetic sorbent to adsorb and isolate aflatoxins from rice and sorghum samples prior to high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection.

Fusarium (FER) and Gibberella ear rots (GER) are the two most devastating diseases of maize (Zea mays L.) which reduce yield and affect grain quality worldwide, especially by contamination with mycotoxins. Genetic improvement of host resistance to effectively tackle FER and GER diseases requires the identification of stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) to facilitate the application of genomics-assisted breeding for improving selection efficiency in breeding programs.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is prevalent in wheat and threatens the health of humans and animals. It has been certificated that plasma activated water (PAW) can effectively degrade DON in wheat. However, the application of PAW used in the production of wheat flours was not reported nowadays. Thus, PAW was used to replace pure water in the traditional tempering process to eliminate DON in wheat, and DON degradation effect of PAW was compared with H2O2 and O3.

Mycotoxins can occur naturally in a variety of agriculture products, including cereals, feeds, and Chinese herbal medicines (TCMs), via pre- and post-harvest contamination and are regulated worldwide. However, risk mitigation by monitoring for multiple mycotoxins remains a challenge using existing methods due to their complex matrices.

The presence of deoxynivalenol (DON) in feed may increase intestinal barrier permeability. Disturbance of the intestinal barrier integrity may affect the absorption of antibiotics used in animals. Since the bioavailability of orally administered antibiotics significantly affects their efficacy and safety, it was decided to evaluate how DON influences the absorption of the most commonly used antibiotics in pigs, i.e., amoxicillin (AMX) and doxycycline (DOX).

Gymnodimines (GYMs) are a group of fast-acting phycotoxins and their toxicological effects on human beings are still unclear due to the lack of sufficiently well-characterized large quantities of purified toxins for toxicology studies. In this study, a certified reference material (CRM) of GYM-A was prepared from the dinoflagellate Karenia selliformis, followed by multi-step chromatography separation and purification.

In the present study, CotA laccase was cloned from Bacillus licheniformis ZOM-1 and expressed in Escherichia coli. In addition to the oxidative degradation of zearalenone (ZEN) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), CotA laccase also has the ability to degrade the Alternaria toxin alternariol (AOH). This is the first report of an Alternaria toxin-degrading enzyme.