Research Publications (Food Safety)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a type B trichothecene mycotoxin that is commonly found in cereals and grains worldwide. The presence of this fungal secondary-metabolite raises public-health concerns at both the agric...

The graphical abstract presents a detailed analysis of data from the RASFF concerning herbs and spices. On the left, various herbs and spices are depicted, representing the subjects of the notifications. Below this, a pie chart categorizes the types of RASFF notifications, with border rejections constituting the majority. On the right, the graphic lists the top 10 notifying countries, countries of origin, and notified products, with chili being the most frequently reported product.

Probiotics and their bacteriocins have increasingly attracted interest for their use as safe food preservatives. This study aimed to produce soft white cheese fortified with Lacticaseibacillus MG847589 (Lb.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a predisposing factor for necrotic enteritis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a DON and Clostridium perfringens (CP) challenge on the intestinal morphology, morphometry, oxidative stress, and immune response of broilers. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of a Lactobacillus spp. mixture as an approach to mitigate the damage induced by the challenge.

Aflatoxins, a family of fungal secondary metabolites, are toxic and carcinogenic compounds that pose an enormous threat to global food safety and agricultural sustainability. Specifically agricultural products in African, Southeast Asian and hot and humid regions of American countries suffer most damage from aflatoxin producing molds due to the ideal climate conditions promoting their growth.

Fusarium toxins are one of the most common contaminants in poultry diets. The co-occurrence of fumonisins (FUM) and deoxynivalenol (DON), even at a subclinical dose, negatively affects the growth performance, intestinal integrity and induce subclinical necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. Loss of gut integrity can be expected to alter the intestinal microbiota’s composition.

Fumonisins (FUM) and deoxynivalenol (DON) and are two common mycotoxins in poultry feed. Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a primary foodborne bacterium in broilers. This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of naturally occurring FUM and DON and their combination at subclinical doses on broiler performance during a S. Enteritidis challenge.

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial diversity and mycotoxin profile of artisanal infant flours commonly vended in public healthcare centres and retail markets in Côte d’Ivoire. Thus, maize, millet, sorghum, soya and multigrain (mix of different cereals) flour samples collected from different localities were first, analysed for nutritional composition, then for microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing and for mycotoxins through UHPLC-MS/MS method.

Aflatoxin is a potent mycotoxin and a common source of grain contamination that leads to great economic losses and health problems. Although distilled baijiu cannot be contaminated by aflatoxin, its presence in the brewing process affects the physiological activities of micro-organisms and reduces product quality. Bacillus cereus XSWW9 capable of degrading aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was isolated from daqu using coumarin as the sole carbon source.

Catalase (CAT) can eliminate oxygen radicals, but it is unclear whether exogenous CAT can protect chickens against deoxynivalenol (DON)-induced oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the effects of supplemental CAT on antioxidant property and gut microbiota in DON-exposed broilers. A total of 144 one-day-old Lingnan yellow-feathered male broilers were randomly divided into three groups (six replicates/group): control, DON group, and DON + CAT (DONC) group.

Pathogens and mycotoxins are serious public health risks for humans and food safety in milk. This study concentrated on detecting Staphylococcus aureus and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in 210 pasteurized milk from ten urban Beijing districts to suggest the co-occurrence of S. aureus with toxin-producing genes and OTA in milk and the possible risk. S. aureus was identified by physiological and biochemical experiments and molecular biology experiments, and enterotoxin genes were identified by PCR.

The antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from Euphorbia milii was evaluated against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, unicellular yeast, and filamentous fungi. Chaetomium ovatoascomatis NRC was identified morphologically and genetically as the most active strain. The total ethyl acetate extract of C.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most toxic mycotoxins. It has been reported that dietary exposure to AFB1 is related to the low growth performance, immunosuppression, and high susceptibility to infectious diseases of chickens. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of Lactobacillus salivarius on broiler chickens challenged with AFB1.

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) are a diverse group of enzymes that could catalyze the oxidation of different xenobiotic compounds, with simultaneous reduction in oxygen to water. Aside from laccase, one member of the MCO superfamily has shown great potential in the biodegradation of mycotoxins; however, the mycotoxin degradation ability of other MCOs is uncertain.

Author(s): Hong-Yun Zhang, Ya-Li Wang, Xiao-Qiu Zhou, Wei-Dan Jiang, Pei Wu, Yang Liu, Lu Zhang, Hai-Feng Mi, Jun Jiang, Sheng-Yao Kuang, Ling Tang, Lin Feng

Ligninolytic enzymes, including laccase, manganese peroxidase, and dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP), have attracted much attention in the degradation of mycotoxins. Among these enzymes, the possible degradation pathway of mycotoxins catalyzed by DyP is not yet clear. Herein, a DyP-encoding gene, StDyP, from Streptomyces thermocarboxydus 41291 was identified, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21/pG-Tf2.

The co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON), widely exists in cereal-based animal feed and food. At present, most reported mycotoxins degrading enzymes target only a certain type of mycotoxins. Therefore, it is of great significance for mining enzymes involved in the simultaneous degradation of different types of mycotoxins.

The present study was designed to determine the efficacy of a novel multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA) containing modified zeolite (Clinoptilolite), Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls and silymarin against the deleterious effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in broiler chicks.

Gut microbiota plays crucial roles in maintaining host health. External factors, such as diet, medicines, and environmental toxins, influence the composition of gut microbiota. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most prevalent and relevant mycotoxins and is a highly abundant food and animal feed contaminant.

Fumonisin contamination of maize damaged by Fusarium verticillioides and related species is a major problem when it is grown under warm and dry conditions. Consumption of fumonisin contaminated food and feed is harmful to both humans and livestock. Novel tools for reducing or eliminating fumonisin toxicity may be useful to the agri-feed sector to deal with this worldwide problem.

Zearalenone (ZEA), a nonsteroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum, induces hyperestrogenic responses in mammals and can cause reproductive disorders in farm animals.

Low moisture content ready-to-eat foods vended in Nigerian markets could be pre-packaged or packaged at point of sale. These foods are widely and frequently consumed across Nigeria as quick foods. Despite their importance in the daily diets of Nigerians, a comprehensive study on the diversity of fungi, fungal metabolite production potential, and mycotoxin contamination in the foods has not yet been reported.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. and poses a threat to food safety. Biodegradation may be a promising strategy for reducing the OTA contamination in the future. In this study, Aspergillus niger strain W-35 was isolated from cereals and studied for its ability to degrade OTA. Results showed that the supernatant of W-35 could degrade OTA both in vitro and in commercial feeds after incubation at 37 °C for 12 h by 78.0 and 37.0%, respectively.