Research Publications (Food Safety)

To clarify whether microplastics contribute to elevated bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic organisms, we studied the sorption pattern of MeHg on polystyrene beads (PBs) and evaluated MeHg accumulation, via uptake of MeHg-adsorbed PB, in the oyster Crassostrea gigas. MeHg-cysteine conjugates were added to seawater at 10, 100, and 1000 µg/L as Hg. Polystyrene beads (φ = 0.02, 0.2, and 2 µm) were immersed in the seawater for 24 h.

In recent years, the less-studied Alternaria mycotoxins have attracted increasing interest due to the lack of survey data and their ability to cause toxic effects in animals and humans. To fill the gap, the aim of this three-year survey was to investigate the presence and co-occurrence of Alternaria and other mycotoxins in a total of 433 cereal grain samples from Slovenian farms and agricultural cooperatives from 2014 to 2016. Using the multi-mycotoxin method, 14 mycotoxins were determined.

Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aeromonas spp. are associated with seafood‐related outbreaks worldwide. In seafood industry, shellfish play a major role in global seafood production. With this emerging trend of shellfish consumption, shellfish‐related bacterial infections are being reported frequently. Aeromonas spp. are natural contaminants found in shellfish. Although 36 species have been identified, some species including A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A.

by Hongke Wu, Ming Wang, Jay D. Raman, Alicia C. McDonald

by Jacob Schön, Angele Breithaupt, Dirk Höper, Jacqueline King, Anne Pohlmann, Rokshana Parvin, Klaus-Peter Behr, Bernd-Andreas Schwarz, Martin Beer, Jürgen Stech, Timm Harder, Christian Grund

Previous research has demonstrated a high prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in the bulk tank milk on large industrial dairy farms of the central and eastern European region. The aim of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of specific IgG antibodies to C. burnetii proving previous infection among dairy farm workers and to determine the possible risk factors.

Author(s): Changjian Li, Jian Ju, Yunfei Xie, Hang Yu, Yahui Guo, Weirong Yao, He Qian

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is a closely related group of bacteria, composed of at least 20 different species, the accurate identification of which is essential in the context of infectious diseases. In industry, they can contaminate non-food products, including home and personal care products and cosmetics.

Pig’s blood and liver are valuable edible slaughter by-products which are also the major ingredients of offal-derived foodstuffs. The aim of the study was an evaluation of the occurrence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and porcine adenovirus (pAdV) as an index virus of faecal contamination in pig’s blood and liver for human consumption. In total, 246 samples of retail liver (n = 100) and pooled pig’s blood (n = 146) were analysed for the presence of HEV and pAdV.

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) represents a first-line treatment for spasticity, a common disabling consequence of many neurological diseases. Electrical stimulation of motor nerve endings has been reported to boost the effect of BoNT-A. To date, a wide range of stimulation protocols has been proposed in the literature. We conducted a systematic review of current literature on the protocols of electrical stimulation to boost the effect of BoNT-A injection in patients with spasticity.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial infections because of its high resistance. Here, we study the antibiotic resistance in MRSA clinical isolates and their relation to integron I occurrence. A total of 88 clinical Staphylococcusaureus isolates were collected. MRSA were identified by the disk diffusion method (DDM) and confirmed by PCR, and antibiogram was determined by DDM. Integron I, II and the aacA4 gene were investigated by PCR.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent mycotoxin in swine feedstuffs. The intestinal epithelial cells represent the first target for the DON. Here, we studied the effects of DON and mycotoxin adsorbent agents on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways and inflammation-associated gene expression in porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2).

Isavuconazole (ISZ) is used in the treatment of aspergillosis and mucormycosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of ISZ samples from a clinical setting performed at Statens Serum Institut. Materials/methods: Isavuconazole serum concentrations were determined by fluorescent detection on a UHPLC. Serum-ISZ (s-ISZ) results were included and compared to those of serum-voriconazole (s-VRZ) in a 33 month period from March 2017.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most critical bacterial pathogens associated with chronic infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Here we show the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of five consecutive multidrug-resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa collected during a month from a CF patient with end-stage lung disease and fatal outcome.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Vitamins are essential compounds to yeasts, and notably in winemaking contexts. Vitamins are involved in numerous yeast metabolic pathways, including those of amino acids, fatty acids, and alcohols, which suggests their notable implication in fermentation courses, as well as in the development of aromatic compounds in wines.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. The digestion of starch‐based foods in the small intestine as well as factors affecting their digestibility have been previously investigated and reviewed in detail. Starch digestibility has been studied both in vivo and in vitro, with increasing interest in the use of in vitro models.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Understanding the relationship between the structure of solid foods and their oral processing is paramount for enhancing features such as texture and taste and for improving health‐related factors such as management of body weight or dysphagia.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Various dietary sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) have been isolated from seafoods, including edible seaweeds and marine animals, and their health effects such as antiobesity and anti‐inflammatory activities have attracted remarkable interest. Sulfate groups have been shown to play important roles in the bioactivities of these polysaccharides.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Raman spectroscopy and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have been extensively explored in the design of accurate, transparent, and conclusive food safety and quality control assays. Its hyphenation with chemometric algorithms is instrumental in securing safe food campaigns.

Microbial drinking water quality in premise plumbing systems (PPSs) strongly affects public health. Bacterial community structure is the essential aspect of microbial water quality. Studies have elucidated the microbial community structure in cold tap water, while the microbial community structures in hot tap and shower water are poorly understood.

The continued global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a serious threat to global public health and social stability and it has become a serious global public health problem. Unfortunately, existing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the prevention and control of COVID-19 have many shortcomings. In recent years, the emerging CRISPR/Cas technology can complement the problems of traditional methods.

ABSTRACT LcrF is the master regulator that positively regulates the Ysc type III secretion system (T3SS) in Yersinia and shares a high similarity with the DNA-binding domain of the T3SS master regulator ExsA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Based on these features, bioinformatics analysis has predicted a putative LcrF-binding site in its target promoters. Here, we experimentally characterized its binding motif.

ABSTRACT T-2 is a common mycotoxin contaminating cereal crops. Chronic consumption of food contaminated with T-2 toxin can lead to death, so simple and accurate detection methods in food and feed are necessary. In this paper, we establish a highly sensitive and accurate method for detecting T-2 toxin using AlphaLISA.

Bacillus safensis 3A was isolated from a contaminated estuarine sediment sample with mine tailing from the Samarco dam disaster, which occurred in 2015 in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. We report here a draft genome sequence (3.6 Mb) of this bacterial strain. B. safensis exhibited strong resistance to heavy metals.

This study provides a deep insight into Chinese consumer trust in the Chinese dairy value chain, as a lack of trust due to the 2008 melamine scandal has been widely recognized as a barrier to the development of the domestic dairy industry in China. Based on face-to-face interviews with 954 Chinese consumers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shijiazhuang, this study measured consumer trust in farmers, manufacturers, retailers, the government, and third parties.