Food Safety Applications Research Articles

Applications of Nanomaterial Coatings in Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME)

This review explores the advances in developing adsorbent materials for solid-phase microextraction (SPME), focusing on nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and nanoporous structures. Nanoparticles, including those of metals (e.g., gold, silver), metal oxides (e.g., TiO2, ZnO), and carbon-based materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene), offer enhanced surface area, improved extraction efficiency, and increased selectivity compared to traditional coatings. Nanocomposites, such as those combining metal oxides with polymers or carbon-based materials, exhibit synergistic properties, further improving extraction performance. Nanoporous materials, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and ordered mesoporous carbons, provide high surface area and tunable pore structures, enabling selective adsorption of analytes. These advanced materials have been successfully applied to various analytes, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and heavy metals, demonstrating improved sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility compared to conventional SPME fibers. The incorporation of nanomaterials has significantly expanded the scope and applicability of SPME, enabling the analysis of trace-level analytes in complex matrices. This review highlights the significant potential of nanomaterials in revolutionizing SPME technology, offering new possibilities for sensitive and selective analysis in environmental monitoring, food safety, and other critical applications.

Exploring the Frontiers of Nanopore Sequencing in Food Safety and Food Microbiology.

Foodborne illnesses are a significant global public health challenge, with an estimated 600 million cases annually. Conventional food microbiology methods tend to be laborious and time consuming, pose difficulties in real-time utilization, and can display subpar accuracy or typing capabilities. With the recent advancements in third-generation sequencing and microbial omics, nanopore sequencing technology and its long-read sequencing capabilities have emerged as a promising platform. In recent years, nanopore sequencing technology has been benchmarked for its amplicon sequencing, whole-genome and transcriptome analysis, meta-analysis, and other advanced omics approaches. This review comprehensively covers nanopore sequencing technology's current advances in food safety applications, including outbreak investigation, pathogen surveillance, and antimicrobial resistance profiling. Despite significant progress, ongoing research and development are crucial to overcoming challenges in sequencing chemistry, accuracy, bioinformatics, and real-time adaptive sampling to fully realize nanopore sequencing technology's potential in food safety and food microbiology.

Amino acid-based, sustainable organic nanozyme and integrated sensing platform for histamine detection.

Inorganic nanozymes hold promise for biomolecule sensing but face challenges like complex fabrication, toxicity, and low sustainability, limiting their use. To overcome these, a sustainable organic nanozyme (OA nanozyme) was created using amino acids and a biocompatible polymer for effective histamine detection. The OA nanozyme exhibits peroxidase-like activity and was fabricated through a single chelation/polymer entanglement method, enabling rapid production (within 3h) with uniform morphology (≤100nm diameter) and a negative surface charge at neutral pH. It shows decent kinetic performance (Km=0.009mM for H2O2) and biocompatibility, making it suitable for biological applications. The OA nanozyme achieved high sensitivity for histamine detection (LOD: 21.37 pgmL-1) with excellent selectivity and specificity against related molecules. The system's ability to detect histamine in real food samples (e.g., spinach) was also confirmed. These findings indicate that the OA nanozyme holds significant potential for broader applications in food safety and quality assurance.

Intramolecular distance-regulated G4 DNA enzymatic activity-based chromophotometric system for visual monitoring of diquat.

As global food production continues to surge, the widespread use of herbicides has also increased concurrently, posing challenges like health risks and environmental pollution. Traditional detection methods for pesticide residues, such as diquat (DQ), were hampered by limitations like high expenses, lengthy detection times and complex operations, restricting their practical application in rapid clinical diagnosis. In light of the pressing necessity for the identification of minute pesticide residues and the intrinsic constraints of small molecule analysis, a novel chromophotometric biosensor targeting small molecules was developed based on bi-epitopes on single antibody to immobilize two DQ-PAL, inhibiting the hybridization of DQ-PAL. Accordingly, the free DQ-PAL could hybridize with each other to form a G-quadruplex for a highly selective analysis of DQ with a detection limit of 26.3pg/mL and 10pg/mL by chromophotometric and image colorimetric method respectively. Furthermore, this designed biosensor has been successfully applied to evaluate the levels of DQ residues in real samples, providing an efficient solution for the biological analysis of small molecule targets and enhancing food safety concerning pesticide residues. In comparison to conventional techniques, this biosensor has the advantages of user-friendly operations, portability, high sensitivity, low detection limit and minimal background interference, making it well-suited for clinical diagnostics. At the same time, this technology provides a new idea for the rapid in vitro detection of biological small molecules, and shows great potential applications in agricultural residue-related food safety.

Ultrasensitive and quantitative SERS detection using SiO2@Au core-satellite structures on paper-based super-hydrophobic substrates for food safety applications

Ultrasensitive and quantitative SERS detection using SiO2@Au core-satellite structures on paper-based super-hydrophobic substrates for food safety applications

Oxidase mimicking nanozyme based sensors: From classification and catalytic mechanisms to food safety applications

Oxidase mimicking nanozyme based sensors: From classification and catalytic mechanisms to food safety applications

Phenolic Compounds and Bacteriocins: Mechanisms, Interactions, and Applications in Food Preservation and Safety

ABSTRACTBeneficial properties of different natural antimicrobials are topics of scientific curiosity for improving safety and extending the shelf life of food commodities. In this regard, phenolic compounds, natural molecules known for their antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties can be right choice. Moreover, bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides produced by various microorganisms, capable of inhibiting the growth of other bacteria, particularly closely related species can be genuine alternative. Combining phenolic compounds with bacteriocins can enhance antimicrobial effects, extending the shelf‐life of food products by combating spoilage and foodborne pathogens. Despite their potential, the chemical interactions between phenolic compounds and bacteriocins, including synergistic and antagonistic effects, are not well understood. Key areas needing further research include the following: the mechanisms of action against different bacterium types, interactions with cell membranes, enzyme activity, and gene expression; the effects of environmental factors like concentration, pH, temperature, and food matrix specificity on their interactions; and methods for incorporating these compounds into food products and packaging materials to improve food safety. Additionally, the safety, toxicity, allergenicity, sensory properties, nutritional value, regulatory approval, and consumer acceptance of using phenolic compounds and bacteriocins in food products require thorough investigation.

A Review of Nanotechnology Applications in Food Processing, Packaging, and Preservation

Nanotechnology has certainly become a phenomenon that is of great significance in many regions such as the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and in particular the food sector, over the years. This is because nanotechnology overlaps with pharmaceutical sciences which involve the structural modification of materials to the nano level, increasing the dissolution rate, stability, and functionality of a variety of food safety and quality applications. The novel food supply frameworks enable firms within the food sector to emerge sustainability focused innovations, which tackle safety and nutrition deficiencies within the food industry. Narrowing down on the supply chain, this review seeks to highlight nanotechnology applications across food supply chains, stressing the importance of advancements in bioavailability, nutrition, and safety. In aid of nutrient delivery, overcoming shelf life and packaging issues – development in nanoencapsulation technology and new packaging materials have enhanced mechanical properties, antibacterial properties. Moreover, nanodevice-based smart packaging is considered as valuable tools for real-time monitoring of food safety and quality. Despite these benefits, degenerative concerns about nanoparticles health risks underscore the importance of sound regulatory approaches. While nanotechnology shows considerable potential for enhancing food sustainability and quality, the study ultimately finds that comprehensive regulation and increased public awareness of potential risks are necessary first steps. Continued research and global collaboration may be vital to really unlock the potential of nanotechnology in food systems while safeguarding public health.

The Advanced Role of Carbon Quantum Dots in Nano-Food Science: Applications, Bibliographic Analysis, Safety Concerns, and Perspectives

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are innovative carbon-based nanomaterials that can be synthesized from organic and inorganic sources using two approaches: “top-down” (laser ablation, arc discharge, electrochemical, and acidic oxidation) and “bottom-up” (hydrothermal, ultrasound-assisted, microwave, and thermal decomposition). Among these, hydrothermal synthesis stands out as the best option as it is affordable and eco-friendly and can produce a high quantum yield. Due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties, CQDs are highly promising materials for diverse applications, i.e., medicine, bioimaging, and especially in food safety, which is one of the thriving fields of recent research worldwide. As an innovative sensing tool, CQDs with different surface functional groups enable them to detect food contaminants, i.e., food additives in processed food, drug residues in honey, and mycotoxins in beer and flour, based on different sensing mechanisms (IFE, PET, and FRET). This article discussed the sources, fabrication methods, advantages, and limitations of CQDs as a sensing for the detection of food contaminants. In addition, the cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, high quantum yield, safety concerns, and future research perspectives to enhance food quality and security were briefly highlighted. This review also explored recent advancements in CQD applications in food safety, supported by a bibliometric analysis (2014–2024) using the PubMed database.

Fe-Doped Red Fluorescent Carbon Dots for Caffeine Analysis in Energy Drinks Using a Paper-Based Sensor.

This study introduces a highly sensitive and selective method for detecting caffeine in energy drinks by using red florescence iron and nitrogen co doped carbon dots (Fe-NCDs) as a florescent prob. The Fe-NCDs were synthesized by using an eco-friendly hydrothermal. Providing uniform, quasi-spherical nanoparticles. The photoluminescence properties of the Fe-NCDs exhibit strong red emission making them suitable for fluorescence-based sensing. A microfluidic paper analytical device (µPAD) was developed and coupled with a smartphone-based detection system to facilitate portable, low-cost caffeine quantification. The Fe-NCDs were embedded in the µPADs, enabling fluorescence enhancement upon interaction with caffeine. This enhancement was quantitatively analyzed using the smartphone camera and ImageJ software, revealing a strong linear correlation in the range of 1 to 40µg/mL when both Gray Value (G.V) and Red-Green-Blue (RGB) of reaction analyzed by the software. The limit of detection (LOD) was of 0.024µg/mL and 0.032µg/mL respectively for both applied principles. The methods indicate remarkable selectivity for caffeine, and was validated through accurate recovery studies in commercial samples. This innovative method provides a powerful, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable solution for on-site caffeine detection in energy drinks, offering significant potential for application in food safety and quality control.

Advances in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC)

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) are fundamental analytical techniques that have revolutionized chemical analysis across various fields. These chromatographic methods offer exceptional separation capabilities, high resolution, and precise quantification of complex mixtures. HPLC has evolved significantly since its inception, with improvements in column technology, detection systems, and automation. UPLC, introduced as an advancement to conventional HPLC, operates at significantly higher pressures using sub-2-μm particle sizes, resulting in enhanced resolution, speed, and sensitivity. Both techniques have found extensive applications in pharmaceutical analysis, environmental monitoring, food safety, clinical diagnostics, and biomedical research. The implementation of various detection methods, including UV-visible, fluorescence, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical detection, has expanded their analytical capabilities. Recent developments in column technology, such as core-shell particles and monolithic columns, have further improved separation efficiency. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning has enhanced method development and data analysis. This review discusses the fundamental principles, technological advancements, and diverse applications of HPLC and UPLC. Additionally, it discusses current challenges, emerging trends, and future prospects in chromatographic science, including green chromatography initiatives and miniaturization efforts. The continuous evolution of these techniques contributes significantly to analytical chemistry's advancement, promising even more sophisticated applications in various scientific disciplines.

Voltammetric analysis of capsaicin on reduced graphene oxide paste electrode in acidic medium

This article presents the application of a reduced graphene oxide paste electrode (rGOPE) for the electrochemical detection and quantification of capsaicin via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) in an acidic medium. Using 50 mM Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 1.7 as the supporting electrolyte, the rGOPE demonstrated high sensitivity and a broad linear range for capsaicin quantification, with potential sweeps from −0.2 to +1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in CV and +0.3 to +1.0 V in SWV. The paste electrode, prepared by heating to 60 °C to promote paraffin agglomeration, demonstrated reliable electron transfer, with capsaicin undergoing irreversible oxidation to o-benzoquinone, which subsequently undergoes reversible transformation to catechol. SWV analysis at +0.67 V revealed a linear response from 1.43 to 11.35 µM, with a determination coefficient of 0.993 (n = 3), sensitivity of 0.4971 μA L μmol−1, detection limit (LD) of 0.70 µM, and quantification limit (LQ) of 2.32 µM. Stability tests indicated that o-benzoquinone accumulation during successive scans diminished the capsaicin signal. The electrode demonstrated good repeatability (RSD = 13.31 %) and reproducibility (RSD = 19.24 %) across different solutions and days. Selectivity studies confirmed that ascorbic acid while producing a secondary signal, doesn’t interfere after ethanol extraction due to its insolubility. Successful capsaicin recovery in authentic pepper samples further underscores the rGOPE’s applicability. This study emphasizes rGOPE as a viable, efficient, and economical substitute for traditional chromatographic techniques in capsaicinoid detection, with potential applications in food safety and pharmaceutical evaluation.

Synthesis and characterization of a copper-based metal–organic framework and its application in microextraction and determination of chlorpyrifos by ion mobility spectrometry

This study describes an innovative method for the microextraction and determination of chlorpyrifos, utilizing a newly synthesized copper-based metal–organic framework (MOF) with 3,3ʹ-thiodipropionic acid as the ligand. This approach offers a sensitive and reliable solution for the ultra-trace determination of chlorpyrifos in various matrices, highlighting its potential for broader environmental and food safety applications. To minimize environmental impact, a hydrothermal method was chosen for MOF synthesis. The MOF was fully characterized using FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, FESEM-EDX, BET, zeta potential analysis, and XPS; and integrated into a dispersive solid-phase microextraction (DSPME) technique, paired with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for chlorpyrifos detection. The DSPME procedure has been optimized for extraction efficiency, minimal solvent use, and low absorbent consumption. A low detection limit of 0.65 ng mL−1 was observed and validated along with a linear detection range of 1.0–400.0 ng mL−1 as the result of this optimization. Experiments with water, pear fruit, and soil samples demonstrated the method’s practicality and superior performance compared to existing techniques, showcasing its potential for real-world applications.

Bacterial biofilm inactivation by plasma activated nanobubble water

This research developed novel plasma activated nanobubble water (PANBW) by integrating atmospheric cold plasma and nanobubble water (NBW) technologies. Mixing of plasma reactive species with NBW to generate the PANBW makes it an effective solution for microbial biofilm inactivation and water treatment, possibly by leveraging the benefits of both technologies. Selected properties of PANBW, including the concentrations of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) were characterized, and the stability of RONS during storage for 7 days were evaluated. The combination of argon and air as feed gases was used to determine the influence of feed gas type on RONS production and the effect of the generated PANBW on biofilm reduction. The effectiveness of PANBW in inactivating mixed-species bacterial biofilms was assessed against NBW, plasma activated water (PAW), and their combinations. This comparison involved treating biofilms of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium ATCC 13311 and Aeromonas australiensis, that were grown on stainless steel coupons by these solutions. The PANBW treatment was most effective in the inactivation of the tested mixed species biofilms with a reduction of >2 log CFU/cm2 in the biofilm population. The confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis was consistent with the bacterial inactivation results. This study highlights the potential of atmospheric cold plasma when combined with nanobubble technology, as a novel and efficient method for biofilm control and food safety applications.

Construction of a N-CDs/AuNCs@ZIF-8-assisted ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor for glyphosate detection in edible and medicinal malt

Glyphosate (Gly) is a widely-used herbicide in food production, while, the residue of which due to the long-term and excessive overspray poses serious threats to public health. The development of reliable methods for its sensitive detection is of great urgency. In this study, a novel ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor by encapsulating N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) and gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) in zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) as the dual-emissive fluorescence probes at 410 and 650 nm, respectively, was constructed for Gly detection. Due to the adsorption property of ZIF-8, the N-CDs/AuNCs@ZIF-8 nanoprobes accumulated Cu2+ to quench the red fluorescence of AuNCs, and the blue fluorescence of N-CDs was stable. While thiocholine, a product of acetylthiocholine, hydrolyzed by acetylcholinesterase could coordinate with Cu2+, resulting in significant fluorescence recovery of AuNCs. This phenomenon was utilized for the quantitation of Gly, due to its inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase activity. By calculating the fluorescence intensity ratio (I650/I410), Gly in real sample could be accurately determined in a concentration range of 2–100 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 1.92 ng/mL because of the anti-interference and the self-correction ability of the two fluorescence signals. The N-CDs/AuNCs@ZIF-8 nanoprobes-assisted ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor exhibited unique merits of rapid construction, simple operation, high specificity, and good accuracy for Gly in edible and medicinal malt samples with recoveries of 93.7–108.2 %. This study presents a multiple tool for the versatile sensing of trace pesticides in more food matrices, which can be extended to a full range of environmental and food safety applications.

Enhanced quasi-meshing hotspot effect integrated embedded attention residual network for culture-free SERS accurate determination of Fusarium spores.

Determination of Fusarium spores is essential for precision control of Fusarium head blight and ensuring agri-food safety. As a highly sensitive real-time detection technique with rich fingerprint information and little influence from water, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely applied in the determination of microorganisms. However, fungi determination faces significant challenges including low sensitivity, and poor specificity. The enhanced quasi-meshing hotspot effect (EQMHE) integrated with the embedded attention residual network (EARNet) was proposed to realize a label-free and accurate SERS determination of various Fusarium spores. The EQMHE can promote the binding of spores and nanoparticles to form numerous hotspots, significantly enhancing signal quality and improving the detection limit by at least four orders of magnitude. The key factors inducing EQMHE were validated through various characterization techniques. Moreover, due to its excellent feature extraction and recognition capabilities, EARNet successfully overcomes the limitations of spectral similarity, achieving determination accuracies of 100% in the training set, 98.33% in the validation set, and 100% in the prediction set for three Fusarium species from actual samples. EARNet requires only a small amount of training data and provides rapid and accurate diagnostics. Throughout the process, the spores do not require culturing or lysing, providing an effective determination method for the practical determination of mixed fungal spores. Overall, the proposed strategy effectively addresses challenges such as the need for fungal spore cultivation, difficulties in SERS hotspot formation, and suboptimal signal quality, and it holds significant promise for applications in disease control, food safety, and agricultural production.

Carboxymethylcellulose-based aggregation-induced emission antibacterial material for multifunctional applications.

Polysaccharides are ubiquitous in nature, typically harmless, and highly compatible with various tissues in biomedical contexts. These properties make them attractive for use in multifunctional materials. In this study, the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) antibacterial material (PLOCMC) was successfully synthesized by carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and ε-Poly-Lysine (ε-PL). PLOCMC exhibits not only the AIE property but also a room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) phenomenon. This dual emission behavior enhances its potential applications in chemical sensing and anti-counterfeiting. Notably, PLOCMC shows low cytotoxicity and exhibits antibacterial activity against typical Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, making it a potent agent against a variety of bacterial strains. Additionally, PLOCMC demonstrates specific responsiveness to Fe3+ ions and nitrite, indicating its potential utility in food safety and monitoring applications.

A brief review on recent high-performance platforms for electrochemical sensing of azo dye Allura Red (E129): food safety and pharmaceutical applications

Artificial dyes are increasingly widespread, especially in foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products as an industry marketing strategy to attract consumers. Consumption of the synthetic azo dye Allura Red (AR) has potential risks to human health and can cause several adverse health effects such as genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, allergic and asthmatic diseases in children. The limited number of electrochemical sensing platforms for AR successfully applied for safety assessment of foods, beverages, and drug formulations testifies that the food and pharmaceutical matrices present significant analytical challenges and there is still a need to amplify the analytical performances of these systems. The authors intensively reviewed recent papers (mainly since 2019) emphasizing electrode engineering, strategies for electrochemical signal amplification, and analytical applications in food and drug control. A critical discussion on the latest interesting innovations and perspectives of the most promising electrochemical tools for AR electro­analysis is presented. The challenges and limitations in the design of electrochemical sensors for AR analysis are also discussed with a view to providing new directions for future research and development of sustainable sensing devices, paving the way for advancements in this field.

Real-Time Milk Quality Control Using Multi-Spectral Sensing and Edge Computing: Advancing On-Site Detection of Milk Components with XGBoost

This study explores the use of edge computing technologies to enhance the quality control processes in the dairy industry. Traditional milk quality control methods can be time-consuming and sometimes inadequate, whereas this new approach offers real-time data processing and rapid decision-making capabilities. The objective of the study is to assess the effectiveness of evaluating various spectral characteristics of milk in predicting critical parameters such as protein and fat content. In this research, a multi-channel sensor capable of collecting spectral data at various wavelengths was utilized. The collected data were processed using advanced machine learning models, where XGBoost and other regression models were assessed for their accuracy in predicting protein and fat content. The findings demonstrate the suitability of this technology for quality control in the dairy industry. The results reveal that edge computing-based systems can determine milk quality more quickly and accurately. This technology holds significant potential for overcoming the challenges faced in milk quality control, particularly in developing countries. This study provides valuable insights into how the use of edge computing can enhance operational efficiency and ensure product quality in the dairy industry. This research represents an important step towards developing more effective quality control mechanisms in the dairy industry and aims to establish a robust foundation for future studies. Recommendations focus on the adaptation of this technology to other food safety applications and its diversification for widespread industrial use.

Automation for lateral flow rapid tests: Protocol for an open-source fluid handler and applications to dengue and African swine fever tests.

Lateral flow rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs, RTs) are cost-effective with low infrastructure requirements for limited-resource settings, and in any setting can represent a bridge between early disease monitoring at outbreak onset and fully-scaled molecular testing for human or animal diseases. However, the potential of RTs to handle higher throughput testing is hampered by the need for manual processing. Here we review dengue virus and African swine fever virus rapid tests, and present a novel protocol that employs an open-source fluid handler to automate the execution of up to 42 RTs per run. A publicly accessible website, rtWIZARD.lji.org, provides printouts for correctly spacing cassettes, worksheets for sample organization, and test-specific fluid handler protocols to accurately deliver samples from a 48-tube rack to each cassette's sample and running buffer wells. An optional QR-coded sheet allows for de-identified sample-to-result traceability by producing a unique printable label for each cassette, enabling results to be entered via a scanner. This work describes a highly cost-effective model for increasing outbreak diagnostic efficiency and of increasing RT throughput for other applications including workplace testing, food safety, environmental testing, and defense applications.