Research Publications (Food Safety)

Journal of Separation Science, Accepted Article. A novel solid phase microextraction device coated with an efficient and cheap thin film of polyurethane was developed for trace determination of 13 widely used pesticides in fruit and tea beverages. A round-shaped polyurethane film covering the bottom of a glass vial was fabricated as the sorbent to exhibit a superior capacity of preconcentrating target compounds and reducing matrix interferences.

by Thankhoe A. Rants’o, Divan G. van Greunen, C. Johan van der Westhuizen, Darren L. Riley, Jenny-Lee Panayides, Lizette L. Koekemoer, Robyn L. van Zyl Current studies on Anopheles anticholinesterase insecticides are focusing on identifying agents with high selectivity towards Anopheles over mammalian targets. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from electric eel is often used as the bioequivalent enzyme to study ligands designed for activity and inhibition in human.

Pesticide residues in fruit and vegetable constitute a great threat to mankind's health, and a technique of rapid, cost-effective, ultra-sensitive and non-destructive analysis is especially critical for on-site detection in practical application. A strategy was utilized to fabricate highly viscous and flexible WPU@AgNPs sticky tape for the rapid extraction and Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) assay of thiabendazole residues on the surface of fruits.

Rice is the world’s most important food crop and is of great importance to ensure world food security. In the rice cultivation process, weeds are a key factor that affects rice production. Weeds in the field compete with rice for sunlight, water, nutrients, and other resources, thus affecting the quality and yield of rice. The chemical treatment of weeds in rice fields using herbicides suffers from the problem of sloppy herbicide application methods.

Matrix effects (MEs) can heavily affect the accuracy and reproducibility of a pesticide residue analysis method, especially in complex matrices such as herbs. Therefore, it is of great importance to assess MEs of pesticides in herbal matrices. In this research, the MEs of 28 pesticides and their metabolites in five types of herbs representing different medicinal parts were evaluated by UHPLC-MS/MS analysis after QuEChERs pretreatment.

Strawberry gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is one of the most severe diseases in pre- and post-harvest periods. Although fungicides have been an effective way to control this disease, they can cause serious “3R” problems (Resistance, Resurgence and Residue). In this study, Streptomyces sp. sdu1201 isolated from the hindgut of the fungus-growing termite Odontotermes formosanus revealed significant antifungal activity against B. cinerea.

Agricultural seed-coat treatments are prone to drift as seed coatings may scuff off and become incorporated into field particles during planting. Vacuum planters release exhaust and kick up field dust, laden with systemic pesticides that blow across the landscape, is taken up, and later expressed in the nectar and pollen of surrounding plants.

Bensulfuron methyl (BSM) is a widely used sulfonylurea herbicide in agriculture. However, the large-scale BSM application causes severe environmental problems. Biodegradation is an important way to remove BSM residue. In this study, an endophytic bacterium strain CD3, newly isolated from barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), could effectively degrade BSM in mineral salt medium. The strain CD3 was identified as Proteus sp.

Corn is the second most plentiful cereal grown for human consumption. Corn has several pests and diseases and various kind of pesticides are used for controlling these, and reducing their damage.

Background The contribution of the microbiome to pesticide breakdown in agricultural pests remains unclear. We analyzed the effect of pirimiphos-methyl (PM) on four geographically different cultures of the stored product pest mite Acarus siro (6 L, 6Tu, 6Tk and 6Z) under laboratory experiments.

Soil lead (Pb) contamination is one of the environmental problems facing the modern world. Sources of Pb in soil include industrial activities such as mining and smelting processes, agricultural activities such as application of insecticide and municipal sewage sludges, and urban activities such as use of lead in gasoline, paints, and other materials.

The main purpose of this study was to determine pesticide contamination levels in commonly consumed vegetable and fruit samples collected from three different regions of Gujarat state, India.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Pesticide residues in radishes can induce serious health hazards, especially in children and toddlers. In order to assess potential health risk from pesticide residues in radishes, a total of 26 pesticides were evaluated by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in 1690 samples, which were collected from the year 2016 to 2019 in Shandong Province of China.

EFSA Journal, Volume 20, Issue 10, October 2022. EFSA established cumulative assessment groups and conducted retrospective cumulative risk assessments for two types of craniofacial alterations (alterations due to abnormal skeletal development, head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects) for 14 European populations of women in childbearing age.

A simple and effective approach to remove pesticide residues on vegetables is necessary for food safety. Ozone microbubbles treatment as an eco-friendly washing technique was investigated for three vegetables (celery, pakchoi and cowpea) collected from the field applied with five pesticides. The removal rates of five pesticide residues on cowpea by ozone microbubbles treatment were 15 %–47 % higher than that by ozone macrobubbles.

Metals and pesticides pose risk to human health if accumulated in date fruits eaten for their distinctive sweetness and beneficial minerals. The present study evaluated the concentrations of metals and pesticides in Mazafati date fruit, soil, and irrigation water from three locations of Kerman province in Iran to show potential pollution hazards to consumers of date fruit in Iran.

The global population is rising at an alarming rate, which is threatening food and nutritional security. Although chemical fertilizers and pesticides are important for achieving food security, their excessive usage critically affects soil health and adds up residues in the food chain. There is an increasing interest in identifying eco-friendly farm inputs that can improve crop productivity through sustainable agricultural practices.

A total of 57 pesticide residues were analyzed in 155 litchis and 153 longan samples collected from the three main producing provinces of China.

Transfer rate and processing factor (PF) for thirteen most commonly recommended fungicides in grape is assessed during wine making. Validated a rapid and cost effective multi-residue method for thirteen fungicide residues in grapes, pomace and wine. The average recoveries varied 81.52–109.26%. Comparatively higher matrix effect was observed in pomace.

A decoction is the most common form of Chinese herbal medicine dosing. An Angelica sinensis decoction was qualitatively and semi-quantitatively analyzed for 15 highly toxic pesticide residues by thermal desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (TD-ESI/MS) with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode without pretreatment.

EFSA Journal, Volume 20, Issue 9, September 2022. EFSA received a request from the European Commission to provide support for the preparation of the EU position for 53rd Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR).

In this study, an optimized QuEChERS method with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination of mesosulfuron-methyl and diflufenican in wheat grain and straw. At the spiking levels of 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg, the average recoveries of five repetitions were 74–98% with RSDs of 1–11%. The LOQs of the two herbicides were both 0.01 mg/kg for wheat grain and wheat straw.

Aldrin and Mirex are organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) considered toxic to human and animal health. Although their use has been banned for decades, these compounds persist in several environmental and food samples, including honey.

Cypermethrin is an important synthetic pyrethroid pesticide that widely used to control pests in agriculture. However, extensive use has caused its residue and the metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) to seriously pollute the environments and agricultural products. In this study, a highly efficient cypermethrin-degrading bacterial consortium was acclimated from long-term pyrethroid-contaminated soil.

Synthetic pesticides are extensively and injudiciously applied to control agriculture and household pests worldwide. Due to their high use, their toxic residues have enormously increased in the agroecosystem in the past several years. They have caused many severe threats to non-target organisms, including humans. Therefore, the complete removal of toxic compounds is gaining wide attention to protect the ecosystem and the diversity of living organisms.