Research Publications (Food Safety)

Context or problem

The second season of ratoon rice (ratoon crop, RC) exhibits a high risk of cadmium (Cd) contamination in grains, requiring effective irrigation management strategies to reduce its grain Cd concentration.

Objective or research question

The research investigates the effects of freeze-dried Spirulina maxima microcapsules in reducing testicular toxicity in rats and optimizing the in vitro release behavior of milk beverages using response surface methodology (RSM). Particle size, polydispersity index and zeta-potential were impacting microcapsules’ stability and bioactivity.

Heavy metal toxicity to plants can be lessened by adding soil amendments like nano-zeolite (NZ) and biochar (BC). The goal of the current research was to determine how BC and NZ may be used to reduce Pb toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Three novel strains designated ABR2-5T, BKB1-1T, and WSW4-B4T belonging to the genus Reichenbachiella of the phylum Bacteroidota were isolated from algae and mud samples collected in the West Sea, Korea. All three strains were enriched for genes encoding up to 216 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), which participate in the degradation of agar, alginate, carrageenan, laminarin, and starch.

The increasing prevalence of antibiotics in seawater across global coastal areas, coupled with the ocean acidification induced by climate change, present a multifaceted challenge to marine ecosystems, particularly impacting the key physiological processes of marine organisms.

The contamination of agricultural soil with cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal, poses a significant environmental challenge, affecting crop growth, development, and human health. Previous studies have established the pivotal role of the ZmHMA3 gene, a P-type ATPase heavy metal transporter, in determining variable Cd accumulation in maize grains among 513 inbred lines.

The misuse of antibiotics in veterinary practices by farmers is harming livestock production and food safety and leading to the rise of antibiotic resistance (AMR). This can also transfer resistant bacteria from animals to humans, posing a serious public health threat. However, we have not paid enough attention to understanding how farmers behave in this regard. Our study aims to explore farmers’ behaviors and identify the factors that influence their choices.

Piperine is a plant-derived promising piperamide candidate isolated from the black pepper (Piper nigrum L.). In the last few years, this natural botanical product and its derivatives have aroused much attention for their comprehensive biological activities, including not only medical but also agricultural bioactivities.

Background and aims Water spinach readily uptakes cadmium (Cd), posing a risk to human health. Selecting low-Cd cultivars is a promising mitigation strategy, but its extensive utilization is limited without a clear understanding of the critical plant factors determining Cd accumulation.

The distribution of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental soil is greatly affected by livestock and poultry manure fertilization, the application of manure will lead to antibiotic residues and ARGs pollution, and increase the risk of environmental pollution and human health. Cinnamomum camphora is an economically significant tree species in Fujian Province, China.

A supercritical fluid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (SFC‐MS/MS) technique was developed for the rapid and simultaneous detection of nine pesticides (carbendazim, isoprocarb, paclobutrazol, isoprothiolane, flusilazole, quinalphos, piperonylbutoxide, propargite, and bioresmethrin) in rice, wheat, and maize. The cereal samples were extracted with a solution of 0.5% acetic acid in acetonitrile and purified using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method.

The accumulation of arsenic (As) in rice poses a significant threat to food safety and human health. Breeding rice varieties with low As accumulation is an effective strategy for mitigating the health risks associated with arsenic-contaminated rice. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying As accumulation in rice grains remain incompletely understood. We evaluated the As accumulation capacity of 313 diverse rice accessions grown in As-contaminated soils with varying As concentrations.

Introduction

Wheat is a staple food, with the two most common species being Triticum aestivum and Triticum turgidum ssp. durum. Moreover, the latter, T. turgidum, includes other tetraploid subspecies, among which the sspp. turanicum (Khorasan wheat) and polonicum (Polish wheat), whose importance has increased in the last decades, representing alternative crops for marginal areas, in addition to being a source of genetic diversity.

Methods

Significance Statement The intensity and complexity of environmental stress conditions impacting plants and crops on our planet is increasing due to global warming, climate change, and industrial/urban/agricultural pollution.

The wet procedure is one of the prominent methods to produce phosphoric acid but unfortunately, remains the undesired components such as heavy metals in the final product. The aim of this work is to employ 4A zeolite adsorbent for the adsorption of lead and arsenic from the wet-process phosphoric acid. The Taguchi methodology was used to improve the processing quality and optimize design factors.

Triazole pesticides are widely used in modern agricultural practices to improve agricultural production quality. Simultaneously, unreasonable and standardized use of triazole pesticides could induce a series of potential diseases of humans. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy has attracted enormous research attention because of its label-free and fingerprint detection capability to noninvasively trace extremely low concentration analytes.

Bionanocomposite is considered an advanced way to bridge the gap between the structural and functional material and achieve the desired properties in the nanocomposite. This present study highlighted the synthesis of fish gelatin-based magnetic nanocomposite (GMNC) using three different concentrations of gelatin (6% w/v, G12% w/v, and 18% w/v) individually, through the in situ coprecipitation method.

Abstract In the frame of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU‐FORA) fellowship programme, two studies on chemical contaminants in food matrices were carried out in Warsaw, Poland, at the Department of Food Safety and Chemical Analysis, Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology. The first study addressed health concerns about the dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) contamination due to consumption of soft drink by Polish population.

Abstract Background Understanding the role of adjuvants in pesticide persistence is crucial to develop effective pesticide formulations and manage pesticide residues in fresh produce.

By the end of 2021, the pear yield in Xinjiang reached 1,795,900 tons, accounting for 1/9 of the country. Pear black spot, caused by Alternaria gaisen disease, has had a significant impact on the pear industry. A. gaisen can infect nearly all pear plants, resulting in black spots on the fruit that negatively affect both yield and quality. This study focused on the TRM76323 strain of Streptomyces, which was isolated from the soil of Tamarix chinensis in Xinjiang Province.

Weaning stress can induce diarrhea, intestinal damage and flora disorder of piglets, leading to slow growth and even death of piglets. Traditional Chinese medicine residue contains a variety of active ingredients and nutrients, and its resource utilization has always been a headache.

Plant-specific YABBY transcription factors play an important role in lateral organ development and abiotic stress responses. However, the functions of the YABBY genes in quinoa remain elusive. In this study, twelve YABBY (CqYAB) genes were identified in the quinoa genome, and they were distributed on nine chromosomes. They were classified into FIL/YAB3, YAB2, YAB5, INO, and CRC clades.

Processed meat products could constitute a relevant source of cadmium (Cd) and other toxic elements in the diet as they could contain organ meats (e.g. kidneys, liver) known to accumulate metals. Additionally, these products could be contaminated due to metal transfer from the machinery during processing and, in the case of canned meats, metal migration from the container could also occur.

Abstract The utilization of the thin film gradient diffusion technique has been on the rise for appraising the efficacy of soil cadmium (Cd). Nonetheless, in contrast to conventional methodologies employed to gauge the efficacy of soil Cd, there exists a dearth of adequate research concerning whether the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) can furnish a more precise and all‐encompassing evaluation of soil Cd effectiveness in soil passivation and remediation procedures.

Human infections by environmental bacteria is becoming an increasing problem and has become a matter of great concern due to the adverse effects worldwide. In this study, we reported a new environmental pathogen. Isolate GX5518T was a novel Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile, pleomorphic and red-pigmented bacterium, was isolated from human wound secretions (GuangXi, People’s Republic of China).