Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): Jiaqiao Zhu, Zhutao Huang, Fan Yang, Min Zhu, Jiangqin Cao, Jiali Chen, Yan Lin, Shuai Guo, Junwei Li, Zongping Liu

Heavy metal pollution is a great hazard to the environment that enters the ecosystem through different natural and anthropogenic sources. A study was performed to evaluate concentrations of Cd and Pb in selected plants, Ricinus communis and Parthenium hysterophorus, and soils from different functional sites in Sialkot. Maximum fresh and dry weights of R. communis were recorded from control and field sites. Highest concentrations of Cd in P.

This study was designed to determine the occurrence, potential sources, human and ecological risks of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in soil from Wuhan, central China. The soil samples were collected from twenty-six sites at soil depth of 1–20 cm from three land-use types and analyzed for the presence of eight OCPs. The instrumental analysis was carried out using Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD).

Concentration of viruses in water is necessary for detection and quantification of the viruses present, in order to evaluate microbiological barriers in water treatment plants and detect pathogenic viruses during waterborne outbreaks, but there is currently no standardised procedure.

Scorpion venoms are rich resources of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). While the short-chain noncysteine-containing AMPs have attracted much attention as templates for drug development, the antimicrobial potential of long-chain noncysteine-containing AMPs has been largely overlooked.

Biomonitoring of biological samples arises as an effective tool to evaluate the exposure to mycotoxins in the population. Owing to the wide range of advantages, there is a growing interest in the use of non- and minimally invasive alternative sampling strategies, such as dried blood spot sampling or volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS). A VAMS-based multi-mycotoxin method was developed and validated for 24 different mycotoxins.

Rapid identification and characterization of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains is essential to diagnose severe infections in patients. In clinical routine practice, K. pneumoniae is frequently identified and characterized for outbreak investigation.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have been suggested to reduce antimicrobial resistance phenomena in veterinary medicine, as antibiotics are commonly used without microbiological confirmation. The aim of the present study is to design a specific working flow for a tailored antimicrobial treatment in the case of canine and feline urinary tract infections (UTIs). Urine samples were collected by cystocentesis from 16 dogs and 12 cats presenting acute signs of UTI.

Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the contributing agent behind the avian infectious disease colibacillosis, which causes substantial fatalities in poultry industries that has a significant impact on the economy and food safety. Several virulence genes have been shown to be concomitant with the extraintestinal survival of APEC.

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins formed by fungi of the Claviceps genus, which are some of the most common contaminants of food and feed worldwide. These toxins are a structurally heterogeneous group of compounds, sharing an ergoline backbone. Six structures and their corresponding stereoisomers are typically quantified by either HPLC-FLD or HPLC-MS/MS and the values subsequently summed up to determine the total ergot alkaloid content.

A homemade and culture-based test, relying on the visual detection of the reduction of the resazurin reagent (a cell viability indicator), has been developed for the rapid detection of polymyxin resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii. Here, we evaluated the industrial version of this test, the RapidResa Polymyxin Acinetobacter NP® test (Liofilchem, Italy). A well-characterized panel of 68 clinical A. baumannii strains (36 polymyxin-susceptible, 26 polymyxin-resistant A.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii, CRAb) is an emerging global threat for healthcare systems, particularly in Southeast Asia. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology was employed to map genes associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to identify multilocus sequence types (MLST).

Environmental Microbiology, Accepted Article.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical agent known to have detrimental reproductive and developmental effects. The tissue-specific impacts of BPA exposures and target tissues sensitiveness to BPA are still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the short- and long-term dose-dependent toxic effects of BPA on rat testes. Forty-eight Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups each containing 12 rats.

ABSTRACT Many cytosolic bacterial pathogens hijack the host actin polymerization machinery to form actin tails that promote direct cell-to-cell spread, enabling these pathogens to avoid extracellular immune defenses. However, these pathogens are still susceptible to intracellular cell-autonomous immune responses that restrict bacterial actin-based motility.

by Julia Stuhlträger, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Ottmar Kullmer, Marcel M. Janocha, Roman M. Wittig, Kornelius Kupczik

Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic human pathogen. In this study, a novel SXT/R391 integrative and conjugative element (ICE), named ICEPmiChnS012, was identified in the multidrug-resistant P. mirabilis strain S012 that was isolated from retail chicken in China. Whole genome sequencing revealed that ICEPmiChnS012 carried 22 resistance genes including aac(6′)-Ib-cr, fosA3, blaOXA-1, blaCTX-M-65, and blaHMS-1.

Complementary foods must be adequate to satisfy the nutritional needs of the growing child together with breastfeeding. This study was aimed at evaluating the nutritional composition, microbial safety, and sensory quality of extruded complementary foods developed from blends of staple grains and insect bee larva (Apis mellifera).

Author(s): J.L. Moncada Barragán, Lucumí D.I. Cuesta, M.S. Rodriguez Susa

Author(s): Min Luo, Dan-Dan Zhou, Ao Shang, Ren-You Gan, Hua-Bin Li

Author(s): Jingwen Qu, Haoyuan Niu, Jian Wang, Qiang Wang, Yongjun Li

This work involved a systematic comparison between serum and urine for the monitoring of anabolic androgenic steroids in livestock. Incurred samples were collected over 120 days from crossbred steers treated with intramuscular injections containing boldenone undecylenate. Independent high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) methods were used for the assessment of the respective detection windows, which were larger for serum samples.

The tuna fish processing industry produces more than 50% of waste and by-products (scales, head, viscera, etc.) that are usually discarded or used to produce low added value products such as fish meals. However, these waste materials still contain molecules essential for the human diet, such as essential metals, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and proteins of high nutritional value.

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the phytoremediation efficacies of seven weed plant species, viz., Bidens pilosa L., Chenopodium album L., Malvastrum coromandelianum L., Garcke, Oxalis corniculata L., Parthenium hysterophorus L. (an invasive species), Polypogon monspeliensis L., and Rumex dentatus L., against heavy metals like chromium (Cr) and Nickel (Ni).