Research Publications (Food Safety)

Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes are three of the most common foodborne pathogens found in pork. SERS technology enables the rapid acquisition of molecular information by harnessing the synergistic effect of Raman scattering and enhanced substrate surface plasmonics. However, because of the similar chemical composition between bacteria and between pathogens and pork, it is difficult to discriminate pork contaminated with different pathogens.

Listeriosis remains one of the most severe foodborne diseases in terms of fatality rate. Listeria monocytogenes can grow under stressful conditions and contaminate various food categories. Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 modified on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs includes both qualitative and quantitative food safety criteria on L. monocytogenes and mentions EN ISO 11290–1 Standard as the reference detection method for the qualitative criteria.

The use of right sample preparation protocols is critical when analyzing challenging matrices containing inhibitory compounds inhibiting Salmonella growth during pre-enrichment step. The use of right sample preparation protocols will not only avoid a false negative result, but it can also have a huge positive impact on laboratory operations, as it is used for every type of method (cultural, ELISA, or PCR), every day in every laboratory.

The development of rapid and effective detection of pathogens is necessary to prevent bacterial infection. Herein, we constructed a novel polymerase chain reaction-dynamic light scattering (PCR-DLS) sensing assay for detecting Salmonella sensitively.

The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the performance of the Assurance® GDS method combining immunomagnetic separation and real-time PCR for STEC detection in pooled samples (up to 375g) of vegetables and meat, and (ii) to compare its performances to that of the reference method ISO/TS-13136:2012 (25 g sample size) in artificially contaminated samples.

Foodborne diseases attributable to foodborne pathogens directly impact food safety and public health. This study aimed to establish a nucleic acid detection platform for sensitive detection of foodborne pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC® 29213™) as a model pathogen was used to evaluate the detection performances of the developed method.

Foodborne illnesses are being reported everyday; thus, there is an obvious need for faster and sensitive methodologies to detect foodborne pathogens in order to assure the safeness of foods. In the present study, the detection of L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and E. coli O157 was performed combining a multiplex short enrichment of 7 h in Tryptic Soy Broth, with a colorimetric LAMP-based naked-eye detection.

Cysteine (Cys) can rapidly and sensitively react with 12 polycytosine-templated silver nanoclusters (polyC12-AgNCs) via the formation of Ag–S bond and enhance the fluorescence of polyC12-AgNCs. Herein, a smart and enzyme-free biosensing platform for ultrasensitive detection of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) has been constructed by the ingenious coupling of Y-shaped G-quadruplex DNAzyme (GQH DNAzyme) with polyC12-AgNCs.

Bacterial spores were isolated and purified from three powder spices: garlic powder, onion powder, and five-spice powder. The rapid identification of different bacteriophages was achieved by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with chemometrics. Five bacilli were isolated in the powdered spices: Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, and Paenibacillus pabuli.

Foodborne pathogens pose serious risks to human health and food safety. More than one pathogen exists in seafood. It is difficult for conventional culture methods to detect some foodborne pathogens simultaneously. Probe-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification is a feasible tool for achieving multi-objective detection of bacterial pathogens in a short time.

Salmonella is one of the most common food-borne pathogens, and the food safety problem caused by Salmonella has raised concern globally. In this work, a novel electrochemical biosensor based on single primer isothermal amplification (SPIA) was established for the specific and sensitive detection of Salmonella.

In this study, we developed an efficient method based on magnetic Fe3O4-modified graphene oxide (MNPs@GO) along with aptamer-functionalized upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) for Staphylococcus aureus detection. MNPs@GO are prepared using aptamer-functionalized MNPs and GO by means of π-π stacking interaction. In the absence of Staphylococcus aureus, MNPs@GO are formed and are magnetically separated.

The electrochemical immunosensor is one of the most promising detection approaches for pathogenic microorganism. In this study, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on chitosan/gelatin was fabricated for the detection of Bacillus cereus. Anti-Bacillus cereus polyclonal antibodies were immobilized through a cross-linking method on a chitosan/gelatin-modified electrode.

The most commonly reported serotype of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is O157:H7. This pathogen presents a threat to public health and is a cause of foodborne illness worldwide. The efficient and sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7 remains a challenge for food safety. In this report, we developed a sensitive and specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction coupled with a lateral flow (LF) assay to rapidly detect E. coli O157:H7.

A novel sandwich strategy based on the dual recognition by teicoplanin (Teic) and IgG was developed for the rapid separation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus.

Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157) is one of the most dangerous foodborne pathogens worldwide. A convenient, sensitive, and specific method for the E. coli O157 detection is necessary. The present study developed an isothermal real-time recombinase polymerase amplification (real-time RPA) assay and an RPA combined with lateral flow strip (LFS-RPA) to detect E. coli O157 targeting the conserved region of the rfbE gene.

In this study, a recombinase aided amplification (RAA) assay with an improved propidium monoazide (PMAxx) treatment called PMAxx-RAA assay was developed to detect Salmonella in milk. The established method was performed at 39 °C and the detection time was less than 40 min. Compared with traditional detection methods, the PMAxx-RAA assay is fast, sensitive, and specific because of the gene invA that was selected to design unique primers and probes for detection.

In the European Union (EU), Salmonella was the causative agent responsible for almost one in three (30.7%) of all foodborne outbreaks reported by member states during 2018, causing 11,581 cases of illness, which represented an increase of 20.6% compared to 2017.

Developing sensitive assay for pathogen detection is a sustained demand for food scientists, industries, and government. In this study, an ultrasensitive colorimetric lateral flow assay (LFA) was successfully developed for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium). Based on cascade enzyme reaction induced by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-encapsulated starch-based liposome, the sensitivity of the conventional LFA can be dramatically improved.

The most commonly reported serotype of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is O157:H7. This pathogen presents a threat to public health and is a cause of foodborne illness worldwide. The efficient and sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7 remains a challenge for food safety. In this report, we developed a sensitive and specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction coupled with a lateral flow (LF) assay to rapidly detect E. coli O157:H7.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. enterica ser. Typhimurium) is one of the main causes of human bacterial gastroenteritis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a highly specific and accurate method for S. enterica ser. Typhimurium detection in food. In the study, we constructed a ratiometric electrochemical biosensor based on saltatory rolling circle amplification (SRCA) and dual-signal electrochemical readout.

As a typical halophilic bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is regarded as one of the marine seafood-borne pathogens causing severe illnesses in humans and aquatic animals. Herein, a novel single primer isothermal amplification (SPIA) technique which was modified with SYBR Green II was successfully developed for the visual detection of V. parahaemolyticus.

Foodborne illnesses caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) are causing worldwide morbidity and mortality, threating human health. One way to limit and eliminate E. coli infections is developing fast and sensitive methods for detection. Biosensors have emerged to complement traditional strategies for E. coli detection. This review aims at providing an updated summary of developed biosensors for specific detection of E. coli in the last 5 years.

In the European Union (EU), Salmonella was the causative agent responsible for almost one in three (30.7%) of all foodborne outbreaks reported by member states during 2018, causing 11,581 cases of illness, which represented an increase of 20.6% compared to 2017.

Sensitive, simple, and rapid pathogen separation and detection methods are essential for the early diagnosis and immediate medical treatment of bacterial infections. In this study, a novel strategy based on vancomycin (Van)-modified ovalbumin (OVA) mediated magnetic nanoprobes (MBs-OVA-Van) combined with multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) was developed for efficient isolation and detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Bacillus cereus (B.