Research Publications (Food Safety)

Arsenic (As) is absorbed and accumulated during the growth of crops, resulting in elevated As concentrations in agricultural products, and threatening human health. Considering As toxicity is associated with chemical species, this review outlines the available literature on both total As and its species in agricultural products. The review reflects that inorganic As was the dominant species in cereal grains (42%–98%) and vegetables (84.2%–100%), the As species in mushrooms are diverse.

Heavy metal ions (HMIs) and arsenic ion with high bioavailability and toxicity in seafood pose a serious threat to human health by food chain.

Determination of aflatoxins as a group of potent contaminations in many food products is a common analysis in food quality control laboratories. For quantification of the four most toxic aflatoxins (AFs) (i,e. AF B1, B2, G1, and G2) in food and feed, a standard method involving a liquid extraction step followed by immunoaffinity purification and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is often used.

Pork substantially contributes to salmonellosis, and processors are increasingly interested in antimicrobials. This study applied antimicrobials using commercial equipment and parameters to reduce Salmonella in pork. Skin-on carcasses inoculated with a Salmonella cocktail (ca.

During the slaughtering process, the meat product cross-contaminates with the surrounding contact surfaces. This study aimed to assess the level of microbial contamination of poultry chicken meat and contact surfaces at poultry slaughterhouses in the Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts of Pakistan. A total of 38 slaughter shops were selected, and from each shop, three types of samples were collected.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus often contributed to a serious foodborne disease outbreak when marine mussels are consumed. The number of drug-resistant isolates of bacteria has also been increased, which makes clinical treatment more challenging. In general, a single food preservative cannot inhibit drug-resistant V. parahaemolyticus in seafood effectively. Inhibition effect of shrimp shell chitooligosaccharide (COS)-catechin (CAT) conjugate toward V.

The peptide MOp3 from Moringa oleifera seeds has been reported to have good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, but its specific antimicrobial effect is still unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial properties of MOp3 against S.

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen which mainly infects susceptible individuals through the consumption of contaminated foods. To this end, ready-to-eat (RTE) food products are of particular concern as this microorganism is widely distributed, can survive, and even grow, under adverse conditions, and thus must be carefully controlled.

Salmonella Enteritidis is one of the major pathogens causing food poisoning worldwide. The persistent nature of this pathogen causes significant food safety and sanitization challenges. As an alternative and efficient approach, the present study investigated the effect of DNase I and eugenol to control S. Enteritidis biofilm formation on stainless steel (SS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and smoked duck surfaces.

Consumer awareness on health benefits of chia seeds has led to the increased consumption including in its raw form. As chia seeds are preferably soaked in water overnight before consumption, prior contamination with Salmonella can enhance the microbial load during soaking as the pathogens are provided with a high nutrition environment.

Mycotoxins, especially aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), should be measured and monitored to ensure the safe consumption of dairy products. This study aims to determine the amount and evaluate the health risk of AFM1 in milk for different age groups in the last two decades in Iran through a systematic review. A systematic search was conducted to extract the required data from June 27, 2000, to October 10, 2022, and 72 papers were eventually chosen for this study based on the study selection criteria.

The antilisterial activity of four strains of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria has been tested in vitro and in a meat model, as an alternative to reduce nitrite added to fermented sausages. Cell-free supernatants were obtained after bacterial growth under monoculture and coculture conditions, both at 32 °C/16 h and 22 °C/72 h.

In Europe the legal limit for aflatoxin M1 in raw milk, heat-treated milk and milk for the manufacture of milk-based products is set to 50 ng kg−1. In Italy, an ‘attention limit’ of 40 ng kg−1 has been defined in 2013 for aflatoxin M1, while a more stringent attention limit of 30 ng kg−1 was set voluntarily by different regions in the following years.

Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns due to climate change (CC) may affect the growth of fungi and the subsequent release of toxic metabolites (mycotoxins). Aflatoxin B1, a human carcinogenic mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), can be found in animal feed and further metabolised into aflatoxin M1 (less carcinogenic) in bovine milk.

Trichothecenes are mycotoxins generated by Fusarium species that are toxic to humans and animals and frequently contaminate cereals. Herein, we present an UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS method using one-step pretreatment for simultaneous detection of 16 type A and B trichothecenes in maize and wheat. A calibration strategy based on natural isotopic distribution was adopted and validated to replace traditional time-consuming and laborious multipoint external calibration curves.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterium present in estuarine environments. Since the first outbreak in Japan in 1950, it has been a dominant cause of foodborne infections throughout the world. Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains can accumulate in shellfish and cause gastroenteritis.

The aim of this study was to estimate the occurrence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk and the exposure to aflatoxin from milk consumption in Chile in different age groups. For this, a total of 50 batches of the most consumed milk, were collected from hypermarkets from January to July 2022: 24 infant formulas and 26 powdered or fluid milk packages for general consumption. AFM1 levels were analyzed by ELISA using a commercial kit (RIDASCREEN, detection range 5–80 ng/L).

Quality and safety issues arising from herbicide residues in fishery products are a growing concern. In order to ensure the edible safety of fishery products, a comprehensive assessment of multi-class herbicide residues should be conducted. Hence a modified QuEChERS approach was explored and validated using UPLC-Q-Tof-MS/MS for rapid screening and quantification of 158 herbicide residues in fishery products.

Antibiotic residues in chicken meat pose health risks to consumers and affect the economics of the poultry industry due to an export ban. The present cross-sectional study aimed to determine the occurrence of antibiotic residues in marketed chicken meat collected under different agro-climatic conditions in Chhattisgarh, India, and assess human health risks by Monte Carlo Simulation.

Salmonella enteritidis, a Gram-negative foodborne pathogen, causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Poultry and poultry products are considered to be the main hosts of S. enteritidis, especially the most common edible eggs, and increase the risk of Salmonella infection. Therefore, developing the inactivation strategy of S. enteritidis on the surface of eggs is the key step during the egg production process.

A liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method for screening, quantification and identification of veterinary drugs (antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anthelmintics, coccidiostatics and tranquilizers) and pesticide residues was validated in pig (porcine) muscle.

Salmonella Typhimurium 53647 was inoculated in eggs and inactivated with radio frequency (RF). Processing was conducted at 40.68 MHz, 35 W, 56.7 °C, and 19.5 min. Control and RF-treated eggs were stored at 7.2 °C and 10 °C, and the microbial counts and quality attributes (Haugh unit, weight loss, yolk and albumen pH, yolk index, and albumen turbidity) were assessed weekly for five weeks.

The accidental consumption of diarrhetic shellfish poisons can cause food poisoning. Okadaic acid (OA) is among the major diarrhetic shellfish poisons; however, current assays and techniques for OA detection have certain limitations. Therefore, in this study, a rapid and quantitative immunochromatographic assay for the detection of OA in shellfish was established using lanthanide fluorescent microspheres (LFM). Lanthanide fluorescent nanospheres were used to label OA monoclonal antibodies.

Salmonella Typhimurium 53647 was inactivated with selected radio frequency processes in in-shell eggs. The combination of hot air (HA), hot water immersion (HW), and hot water spray (HWS) were evaluated alone (56.7 °C) and in combination with radio frequency (40.68 MHz, 35 W, 4.5 min). Microbial inactivation did not follow first-order kinetics in any treatments.

The frequent occurrence of ochratoxins in food and herbs poses a considerable threat to consumer and animal health. Here, we generated a broad-specificity monoclonal antibody against three ochratoxins. Concentrations for 50% inhibition (IC50) for OTA, OTB, and OTC were 0.37, 0.23, and 2.24 ng/mL, respectively.