Research Publications (Food Safety)

The wheat head blight disease caused by Fusarium graminearum is a major concern for food security and the health of both humans and animals. As a pathogenic microorganism, F. graminearum produces virulence factors during infection to increase pathogenicity, including various macromolecular and small molecular compounds. Among these virulence factors, secreted proteins and deoxynivalenol (DON) are important weapons for the expansion and colonization of F. graminearum.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding conserved molecules with lengths varying between 18-25nt. Plants miRNAs are very stable, and probably they might have been transferred across kingdoms via food intake. Such miRNAs are also called exogenous miRNAs, which regulate the gene expression in host organisms.

Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), a prevalent cause of foodborne infection, induces significant changes in the host transcriptome and metabolome. The lack of therapeutics with minimal or no side effects prompts the scientific community to explore alternative therapies. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of a probiotic mixture comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus 1.3251) and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum 9513) against S.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) can be a major constraint and global challenge to the sheep industry. These nematodes infect the small intestine and abomasum of grazing sheep, causing symptoms such as weight loss, diarrhea, hypoproteinemia, and anemia, which can lead to death. The use of anthelmintics to treat infected animals has led to GIN resistance, and excessive use of these drugs has resulted in residue traced in food and the environment.

Light and temperature are key factors influencing the accumulation of anthocyanin in fruit crops. To assess the effects of fruit bagging during development and high post-ripening temperature on ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, we compared the pigmentation phenotypes and expression levels of anthocyanin-related genes between bagged and unbagged treatments, and between 25 °C and 37 °C postharvest storage temperatures.

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a tropical fruit originating from southern China that is currently cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide. Litchi anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, a dominant species of Colletotrichum spp., is an important disease of litchi that damages the fruits in fields and in post-harvest storage.

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 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.

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.

The heavy-metal-associated (HMA) proteins are a class of PB1-type ATPases related to the intracellular transport and detoxification of metals.

Pear (Pyrus L.) is one of the most important fruits in the world. Fruit dots are an important trait that affects pear quality. Abnormal fruit dots usually reduce the merchantability of pears. In this research, during cold storage, ‘Danxiahong’ pear fruit exhibited protrudent fruit dots on the peels. Microscopy system measurement showed that fruit dots size and height on the abnormal fruit peel were bigger and higher than the normal ones.

Fagopylum tatarium (L.) Gaertn (buckwheat) can be used both as medicine and food and is also an important food crop in barren areas and has great economic value. Exploring the molecular mechanisms of the response to cadmium (Cd) stress can provide the theoretical reference for improving the buckwheat yield and quality.

Potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected between two chicken breeds (Kashmir favorella and broiler) using deep RNA sequencing. This was carried out to comprehend the coding area alterations, which cause variances in the immunological response to Salmonella infection. In the present study, we identified high impact SNPs from both chicken breeds in order to delineate different pathways that mediate disease resistant/susceptibility traits.

(1) Piglet diarrhea is one of the most serious diseases in pigs and has brought great economic losses to the pig industry. Alteration of the gut microbiota is an important factor in the etiology of piglet diarrhea. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the differences in the gut microbial structures and fecal metabolic profile between post-weaning diarrhea and healthy Chinese Wannan Black pigs.

The reference gene expression is not always stable under different experimental conditions, and screening of suitable reference genes is a prerequisite in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In this study, we investigated gene selection, and the most stable reference gene for the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was screened under the stimulation of Vibrio anguillarum and copper ions, respectively.

The Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringen) beta2 (CPB2) toxin produced by C. perfringens type C (CpC) can cause necrotizing enteritis in piglets. Immune system activation in response to inflammation and pathogen infection is aided by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). In our previous work, we revealed the differential expression of the novel lncRNA LNC_001186 in CpC-infected ileum versus healthy piglets.

Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) is the causative agent of fowl typhoid (FT), a disease that is harmful to the poultry industry. Despite sanitation and prophylactic measures, this pathogen is associated with frequent disease outbreaks in developing countries, causing high morbidity and mortality. We characterized the complete genome sequence of Colombian SG strains and then performed a comparative genome analysis with other SG strains found in different regions worldwide.

Peanut is susceptible to Aspergillus flavus infection, and the consequent aflatoxin contamination has been recognized as an important risk factor affecting food safety and industry development.

The NSAID ibuprofen (2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoic acid) and the structurally related 3-phenylpropanoic acid (3PPA), are widely used pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) which enter municipal waste streams but whose relatively low rates of elimination by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are leading to the contamination of aquatic resources.

Fresh fruits and vegetable products are easily perishable during postharvest handling due to enzymatic browning reactions. This phenomenon has contributed to a significant loss of food. To reveal the physiological changes in fresh-cut potato tubers at the molecular level, a transcriptome analysis of potato tubers after cutting was carried out. A total of 10,872, 10,449, and 11,880 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 4 h, 12 h and 24 h after cutting, respectively.

Boron (B) is an essential mineral nutrient for growth of plants, and B deficiency is now a worldwide problem that limits production of B deficiency-sensitive crops, such as rape and cotton. Agronomic practice has told that balanced B and other mineral nutrient fertilizer applications is helpful to promote crop yield.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is widely prevalent in foods and animal feeds and is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxin subtypes. Existing studies have proved that the intestine is targeted by AFB1, and adverse organic effects have been observed. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between AFB1-induced intestinal toxicity and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation, which involves the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA expression.

The growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains mandates selective susceptibility testing and epidemiological investigations. It also draws attention to an efficient typing strategy. Whole genome sequencing helps in genetic comparison, strain differentiation, and typing; however, it is not that cost-effective. In comparison, Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) is an efficient typing method employed for bacterial strain typing and characterizations.

Mercury (Hg) pollution poses human health and environmental risks worldwide, as it can have toxic effects and causes selective pressure that facilitates the spread of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) among microbes. More and more studies have revealed that numerous Hg-related genes (HRGs) can help to resist and transform Hg.

Soil contamination by heavy metals has become a prevalent topic due to their widespread release from industry, agriculture, and other human activities. Great progress has been made in elucidating the uptake and translocation of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice. However, there is still little known about corresponding progress in maize.