Research Publications (Food Safety)

Rice is a widely consumed food worldwide; however, it can be a source of pollutants, such as potentially toxic elements (PTEs), mycotoxins, and pesticides.

Among 200 fungal strains isolated from the soil, only one culture filtrate of Aspergillus flavus JCK-4087 showed strong nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita. The nematicidal metabolite isolated from the culture filtrate of JCK-4087 was identified as cyclopiazonic acid (CPA). Because JCK-4087 also produced aflatoxins, six strains of Penicillium commune, which have been reported to be CPA producers, were obtained from the bank and then tested for their CPA productivity.

Food bio-preservatives are requested as substituents of chemical pesticides in food. The aim of this study was to carry out a screening of twenty biocontrol agents (BCAs) for their potential fungicidal activity in vitro. Twenty BCAs were tested against ten pathogenic fungi. Some of the cell-free supernatants (CFS) tested showed in vitro antifungal activity versus pathogenic fungi.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent carcinogenic mycotoxin that contaminates numerous crops pre- and post-harvest. To protect foods and feeds from such toxins without resorting to pesticides, the use of plant extracts has been increasingly studied. The most interesting candidate plants are those with strong antioxidative activity because oxidation reactions may interfere with AFB1 production.

Application of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for the degradation of chemical contaminants in food products has gained more and more interest in the past two decades. The majority of the research in this field was on mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins and patulin, with limited studies on pesticide residues and other chemical contaminants in food.

A simple methodology for the simultaneous determination of 67 pesticides, 25 veterinary drugs, and aflatoxin M1 in raw milk was developed and validated. After evaluating different combinations of sample preparation protocols, an extraction with acetonitrile:water (2:1) with QuEChERS citrate buffer salts and a combination of RP-C18 and anhydrous magnesium sulfate for the dispersive clean-up, using gas and liquid chromatography couples to mass spectrometry for determination, was selected.

Contamination of food and feed items with mycotoxins causes extensive economic damage. It is therefore important to explore environmentally friendly approaches to manage these toxins with less drawbacks. Phytochemicals can provide a safe alternative to synthetic chemicals. This study was designed to investigate the detoxification potential of water-based extracts of Acacia nilotica against aflatoxins B1 and B2.

Yellow corn kernels were subjected to gamma (γ) irradiation (1.0–10.0 kGy), post packaging in polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate/aluminium foil trilamellate. These packaged‐irradiated corn grits were stored under ambient conditions (23 ± 2°C, 80% R.H.) and their shelf lives were ascertained chiefly w.r.t. lutein and aflatoxin contents.

Author(s): Junmin Ji, Yulan Liu, Dongmin Wang

Author(s): Saeed Akhtar, Muhammad Riaz, Iqra Naeem, Yun Yun Gong, Amir Ismail, Majid Hussain, Kashif Akram

Author(s): Somenath Das, Vipin Kumar Singh, Abhishek Kumar Dwivedy, Anand Kumar Chaudhari, Neha Upadhyay, Akanksha Singh, Deepika, Nawal Kishore Dubey

The presence of ear rots in maize caused by Aspergillus flavus that are also associated with the production of aflatoxins has evolved into an increasing problem over the last few years. Since no commercial biological control products are still available to control A. flavus in maize in Europe, this study targets to the evaluation of six biopesticides/biostimulants (Botector®, Mycostop®, Serenade Max®, Trianum®, Vacciplant®, and zeolite) for the control of A.

The present study was envisaged with an aim to determine the occurrence of antibiotic residues; enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline, penicillin G, sulphamethoxazole and chloramphenicol as well as mycotoxins; aflatoxin M1 and ochratoxin A in raw milk samples collected from individual animals from dairy farms located in 9 districts of Punjab, India. A total of 168 raw milk samples were collected and analysed using commercially available competitive Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Author(s): Xianli Yang, Zhiyong Zhao, Yanglan Tan, Bo Chen, Changyan Zhou, Aibo Wu

Aflatoxins (AFs) as potent food contaminants are highly detrimental to human and animal health. The production of such biological toxins is influenced by environmental factors including pollutants, such as dioxins. Here, we report the biological feedback of an active AF-producer strain of A. flavus upon in vitro exposure to the most toxic congener of dioxins, the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The phenotype of TCDD-exposed A.

Publication date: Available online 17 June 2019

Food and Chemical Toxicology

Author(s): Qin Zhao, Zhao-Si Yang, San-Jie Cao, Yung-Fu Chang, Yu-Qin Cao, Jia-Bing Li, Zi-Xuan Yao, Yi-Ping Wen, Xiao-Bo Huang, Rui Wu, Qi-Gui Yan, Yong Huang, Xiao-Ping Ma, Xin-Feng Han, Yinglong Wu

Toxins, Vol. 11, Pages 56: Simultaneous Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Multi-Class Chemical Contaminants in Maize and Peanut with One-Stop Sample Preparation

Toxins doi: 10.3390/toxins11010056

Authors:
Du Wang
Jianguo Zhu
Zhaowei Zhang
Qi Zhang
Wen Zhang
Li Yu
Jun Jiang
Xiaomei Chen
Xuefang Wang
Peiwu Li

Publication date: November 2018
, Volume 93

Author(s): Rose Omari, Godfred K. Frempong, Winifred Arthur

The objective of this study was to ensure and evaluate the safety of imported frozen beef liver traded in supermarkets of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, through detection of Salmonella typhymurium, Salmonella enteritidies, Escherichia coli O157:H7, antibiotic residues, and aflatoxin B1 residue. Fifty samples of imported frozen liver were randomly collected from different shops at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate for isolation of S. typhymurium, S. enteritidies, and E. coli O157:H7.

Monitoring of dairy products should preferably focus on the most relevant food safety hazards in the dairy supply chain. For this purpose, the possible presence of microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards as well as trends in the dairy supply chain that may affect their presence were assessed. A literature review was combined with available data from EFSA, RASFF, and the Dutch monitoring program on chemical hazards as well as expert information.

Abstract

Aims

To assess frequencies of the Aspergillus flavus atoxigenic vegetative compatibility group (VCG) YV36, to which the biocontrol agent AF36 belongs, in maize-growing regions of Mexico.

Publication date: June 2016
, Volume 64

Author(s): Kyung-Min Lee, Timothy J. Herrman, Susie Y. Dai