Contamination Of Food Crops Research Articles

Assessment of Mycotoxin Exposure and Associated Risk in Pregnant Dutch Women: The Human Biomonitoring Approach.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by various fungi that can contaminate food crops, which, in turn, may lead to human exposure. Chronic exposure to mycotoxins can cause adverse health effects including reproductive and developmental toxicity. Pregnant women and their foetuses present a vulnerable group for exposure to mycotoxins that can cross the placenta. Human biomonitoring of mycotoxins provides a real-life approach to estimate internal exposure. In this pilot study, 24-h urine samples from 36 pregnant Dutch women were analysed for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), total deoxynivalenol (DON), de-epoxy-deoxynivalenol (DOM-1), total zearalenone (ZEN), total α-zearalenol (α-ZEL), total β-zearalenol (β-ZEL) and total zearalanone (ZAN), where 'total' refers to mycotoxins and their conjugated forms. Serum samples from these women were analysed for fumonisin B1 (FB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA). All samples were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The most prevalent mycotoxins were total DON, total ZEN and OTA, with a detection frequency of 100%. DOM-1, total α-ZEL and total β-ZEL were detected but to a lesser extent, while AFM1, total ZAN and FB1 were undetected. Median concentrations were 4.75 μg total DON/L, 0.0350 μg DOM-1/L, 0.0413 μg total ZEN/L, 0.0379 μg total α-ZEL/L, 0.0189 μg total β-ZEL/L, and 0.121 μg OTA/L. The calculated median concentration for total ZEN and its metabolites was 0.105 μg/L. Based on two separate risk assessment approaches, total DON exposure in this group was considered to be of low concern. Similarly, exposure to total ZEN and its metabolites in this group was of low concern. For OTA, the risk of non-neoplastic effects was of low concern based on exposure in this group, and the risk of neoplastic effects was of low concern in the majority of participants in this group. The findings of this pilot study confirm the presence of mycotoxins in the urine and serum of pregnant Dutch women, with total DON, total ZEN, and OTA most frequently detected. Exposure to all measured mycotoxins was considered to be of low concern in this group, except for exposure to OTA, which was of low concern for the majority of participants. The study's findings offer valuable insights but should be confirmed using a larger and more diverse sample of the Dutch general population.

A big threat : Aflatoxin

The past decade has witnessed a tremendous surge of interest in herbal medicines throughout the world. Aflatoxins are naturally occurring mycotoxins that are mainly produced by Aspargillus flavus and Aspargillus parasiticus and primarily contaminate food crops such as corn, groundnuts, and tree nuts as well as herbal medicinal plants in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a lethal substance that intensely or at slower ingestion influences the strength of humans and animals. Aflatoxin study is vital for a safety perspective as they are extremely lethal and cancer-causing; to overcome the health effect of aflatoxins and for better assessment and standardization of herbal plant drugs. The investigation includes worldwide regulations on aflatoxins with their acceptable ranges in commodities. With more controls for adequate dimensions of aflatoxins set up, present-day analytical techniques have turned out to be very modern, capable of accomplishing results with high accuracy and precision, appropriate for administrative research centers and post-reap sample testing in developed countries.

Alternating water sources to minimize contaminant accumulation in food plants from treated wastewater irrigation

The use of treated wastewater (TWW) for agricultural irrigation is a critical measure in advancing sustainable water management and agricultural production. However, TWW irrigation in agriculture serves as a conduit to introduce many contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) into the soil-plant-food continuum, posing potential environmental and human health risks. Currently, there are few practical options to mitigate the potential risk while promoting the safe reuse of TWW. In this greenhouse study, the accumulation of 11 commonly occurring CECs was evaluated in three vegetables (radish, lettuce, and tomato) subjected to two different irrigation schemes: whole-season irrigation with CEC-spiked water (FULL), and half-season irrigation with CEC-spiked water, followed by irrigation with clean water for the remaining season (HALF). Significant decreases (57.0–99.8 %, p < 0.05) in the accumulation of meprobamate, carbamazepine, PFBS, PFBA, and PFHxA in edible tissues were found for the HALF treatment with the alternating irrigation scheme. The CEC accumulation reduction was attributed to reduced chemical input, soil degradation, plant metabolism, and plant growth dilution. The structural equation modeling showed that this mitigation strategy was particularly effective for CECs with a high bioaccumulation potential and short half-life in soil, while less effective for those that are more persistent. The study findings demonstrate the effectiveness of this simple and on-farm applicable management strategy that can be used to minimize the potential contamination of food crops from the use of TWW and other marginal water sources in agriculture, while promoting safe reuse and contributing to environmental sustainability.

Mechanisms of Uptake and Translocation of Thallium in Brassica Vegetables: An X-ray Fluorescence Microspectroscopic Investigation.

Most nonoccupational human exposure to thallium (Tl) occurs via consumption of contaminated food crops. Brassica cultivars are common crops that can accumulate more than 500 μg Tl g-1. Knowledge of Tl uptake and translocation mechanisms in Brassica cultivars is fundamental to developing methods to inhibit Tl uptake or conversely for potential use in phytoremediation of polluted soils. Brassica cultivars (25 in total) were subjected to Tl dosing to screen for Tl accumulation. Seven high Tl-accumulating varieties were selected for follow-up Tl dosing experiments. The highest Tl accumulating Brassica cultivars were analyzed by synchrotron-based micro-X-ray fluorescence to investigate the Tl distribution and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) to unravel Tl chemical speciation. The cultivars exhibited different Tl tolerance and accumulation patterns with some reaching up to 8300 μg Tl g-1. The translocation factors for all the cultivars were >1 with Brassica oleracea var. acephala (kale) having the highest translocation factor of 167. In this cultivar, Tl is preferentially localized in the venules toward the apex and along the foliar margins and in minute hot spots in the leaf blade. This study revealed through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence analysis that highly Tl-enriched crystals occur in the stoma openings of the leaves. The finding is further validated by XANES spectra that show that Tl(I) dominates in the aqueous as well as in the solid form. The high accumulation of Tl in these Brassica crops has important implications for food safety and results of this study help to understand the mechanisms of Tl uptake and translocation in these crops.

Disinfection byproduct formation from chlorination of agricultural reuse water sources

Treatment of reuse water sources is critical for achieving proper water quality for the desired end-use. Disinfection is often achieved through chlorination, but this leads to the formation of toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs). During reuse for agricultural purposes, it is important to reduce the potential for contamination of food crops and thereby minimize DBP production from treatment processes. This study evaluates the DBP formation potential from various reuse water sources under different reaction conditions to determine the implications of chlorination-derived DBPs for agricultural water reuse. Chlorination experiments were conducted on wastewater, stormwater, and farm lagoon water at pH 5, 6, 7, and with Br− addition. DBP concentrations were then evaluated in conjunction with initial concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN), initial bromide, and specific UV-absorbance (SUVA). The most abundantly formed DBP class for nearly all sources was trihalomethanes (THMs), followed by nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs). Despite a high DOC concentration of 37.8 mg/L, lagoon source 2 only formed a total of 4.15 µg/L DBPs, likely due to oxidation of the inorganic nitrogen (54.8 mg/L TN) inhibiting DBP formation. Stormwater sources (DOC range 3.0-15.3 mg/L) had the highest DBP formation potential, with chloroform concentrations reaching up to 92 µg/L. Waters with lower DOC, TN and bromide and at lower pH ranges had less DBP formation potential for the compounds evaluated in this study. While SUVA did not prove to be a strong indicator of DBP formation, with increasing Br/UVA, there was an exponential increase in bromine substitution factor for THMs (R2=0.927, p < 0.0001) across all reuse sources. Toxicity-weighted DBP concentrations were also evaluated for all sources. Waters with higher TN and bromide content produced more toxic N-DBPs, mainly dichloroacetonitrile and dibromoacetonitrile.

Unlocking the potential of glyphosate-resistant bacterial strains in biodegradation and maize growth.

Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine] is a non-selective herbicide with a broad spectrum activity that is commonly used to control perennial vegetation in agricultural fields. The widespread utilization of glyphosate in agriculture leads to soil, water, and food crop contamination, resulting in human and environmental health consequences. Therefore, it is imperative to devise techniques for enhancing the degradation of glyphosate in soil. Rhizobacteria play a crucial role in degrading organic contaminants. Limited work has been done on exploring the capabilities of indigenously existing glyphosate-degrading rhizobacteria in Pakistani soils. This research attempts to discover whether native bacteria have the glyphosate-degrading ability for a sustainable solution to glyphosate contamination. Therefore, this study explored the potential of 11 native strains isolated from the soil with repeated glyphosate application history and showed resistance against glyphosate at higher concentrations (200 mg kg-1). Five out of eleven strains outperformed in glyphosate degradation and plant growth promotion. High-pressure liquid chromatography showed that, on average, these five strains degraded 98% glyphosate. In addition, these strains promote maize seed germination index and shoot and root fresh biomass up to 73 and 91%, respectively. Furthermore, inoculation gave an average increase of acid phosphatase (57.97%), alkaline phosphatase (1.76-fold), and dehydrogenase activity (1.75-fold) in glyphosate-contaminated soil. The findings indicated the importance of using indigenous rhizobacteria to degrade glyphosate. Therefore, by maintaining soil health, indigenous soil biodiversity can work effectively for the bioremediation of contaminated soils and sustainable crop production in a world facing food security.

Preharvest and postharvest management practices related to mycotoxin contamination in maize in Ethiopia – a review

Abstract Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites that commonly contaminate food crops such as maize. Conducive climatic conditions together with improper crop value chain practices are favorable for mycotoxin contamination. Previous studies in Ethiopia have indicated that mycotoxin contamination in maize is prevalent. For the implementation of proper mycotoxin prevention and control strategies, identifying the current local value chain practices that are related to mycotoxin contamination is needed. This review investigates current preharvest and postharvest management practices of maize cultivation in Ethiopia in relation to mycotoxin contamination and identifies gaps in knowledge and priority areas for future research. Findings indicate that the majority of applied preharvest and postharvest practices of maize in Ethiopia seem to favor mycotoxin contamination. Recent developments in grain drying and storage technologies, which are also potential mycotoxin management strategies, are facing constraints for proper implementation in subsistence farmers’ level.

Evaluation of Effects of Spirulina Extracts on Immunologic Dysfunction and Inflammation Associated with Aflatoxin B1 Induced Toxicity in Mice

The contamination of foods by various mycotoxins has been reported as a major public health concern across the world. The most predominant type of fungal toxins are aflatoxins which are synthesized by certain fungi that contaminate agricultural crops or produce. The main aflatoxin producing fungi are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus which contaminate food crops in the farm and after harvesting. Out of all the types of aflatoxins, the most potent type is aflatoxin B1. The mechanism of toxicity and health effects of aflatoxins have been studied widely and it has been shown that aflatoxin B1 leads to liver necrosis, inflammation and liver cancer. The use of natural products as a remedy to health consequences of aflatoxins in humans and animals is gaining popularity. Owing to its anti-inflammatory effects, Spirulina plantesis has been studied for its immunomodulatory effects. This study evaluated the effects of spirulina extract on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induced immune dysfunction and inflammation. Male BALB/c mice weighing 28-34g were randomly placed into 6 groups and orally treated as follows: Group 1 was not treated but received food and water for entire experimental period. Group 2 received 200 µg/kg b.w of aflatoxin B1 orally. Group 3 received 1g/kg b.w of activated charcoal and an hour later 200 µg/kg b.w of aflatoxin B1 orally. Group 4, 5 and 6 received 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 150mg/kg b.w of Spirulina plantesis respectively then an hour later each group received 200 µg/kg b.w of aflatoxin B1 orally. Treatments were done on a daily basis for 14 days. At the last day of the experiment, all the mice were denied food and water for 12 hours, thereafter sacrificed and samples processed for immunological studies. The results indicated that body weight significantly increased when treated with 100mg/kg spirulina+AFB1 and 150mg/kg spirulina+AFB1 groups in compared to AFB1 treated group (p &lt; 0.05). AFB1 was shown to increase serum level of IFN- γ and IL 2 and decrease levels of IL 4. Treatment with spirulina extract had no significant effect on the serum concentrations of IL-4 and IL-2 (p &gt; 0.05) in comparison with aflatoxin B1 treated group, the serum levels of IFN- γ and IL-2 reduced significantly (p&lt;0.05). Treatment with spirulina extract at different doses had no significant effect on serum levels of immunoglobulins A, G and M (p &lt; 0.05). The mRNA expression of IL-4 was downregulated while that of TNFα, and IFNγ were upregulated. The results showed that increasing mRNA expressions of TNFα, and IFNγ as a result of AFB1was prevented (p≤0.01) by administration of spirulina extract. These findings suggests that spirulina extract could be used as a remedy to AFB1 induced immune dysfunction and inflammation.

Development of a time-resolved immunochromatographic strip for rapid and quantitative determination of deoxynivalenol.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of food crops and feeds is almost impossible to avoid completely; however, through best management practices, this risk can be effectively managed and maximumly mitigated. Accurate and rapid detection of DON contamination as early in the entire value chain as possible is critical. To achieve this goal, we developed a DON test strip based on time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) and a specific DON monoclonal antibody for the rapid quantification of DON in food crops and feeds. The strip displayed a good linearity (R 2 = 0.9926), with a limit of quantification of 28.16 μg/kg, a wide linear range of 50 ~ 10,000 μg/kg. The intra-batch coefficient of variation (CV) and the inter-batch CV was <5.00 and 6.60%, respectively. This TRFIA-DON test strip was applied to detect DON in real samples, and the accuracy and reliability were confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results showed that the relative standard deviation between the DON strips and LC-MS/MS was <9%. The recovery rates in corn samples ranged from 92 to 104%. The established TRFIA-DON test strip had the characteristics of high sensitivity, high accuracy, and a wide linear range which was suitable for rapid and quantitative determination of DON in food crops and feeds at both on-site and laboratory.

Acetyltransferase OsACE2 acts as a regulator to reduce the environmental risk of oxyfluorfen to rice production

The constant use of the pesticide oxyfluorfen (OFF) in farmland contaminates the soil, posing threats to crop growth and human health. To avoid the contamination of food crops with OFF, it is critically important to understand its absorption and degradation mechanisms. In this study, we characterized a new functional locus encoding an acetyltransferase (OsACE2) that can facilitate OFF degradation in rice. OsACE2 was drastically induced by OFF at 0.04–0.2 mg L−1 for 6 days and the rice growth was significantly inhibited. To demonstrate the regulatory role of OsACE2 in resistance to OFF toxicity, we generated OsACE2 overexpression (OE) and knockout mutant using genetic transformation and gene-editing technologies (CRISPR/Cas9). The OE plants grown in the hydroponic medium showed improved growth (plant elongation and biomass), increased chlorophyll content, and reduced OFF-induced oxidative stress. The OsACE2-improved growth phenotypes of rice were attributed to the significantly lower OFF accumulation in OE plants. Conversely, knocking out OsACE2 resulted in compromised growth phenotypes compared to the wild-type (WT). Using LC-LTQ-HRMS/MS, five mono-metabolites and eleven conjugates of OFF were characterized through various canonical pathways, such as hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, glycosylation, acetylation, malonylation, and interaction with amino acids. These metabolites increased in the OE plants, and five acetylated conjugates were reported for the first time. Collectively, OsACE2 plays a primary role in catabolizing OFF residues in rice through multiple degradation pathways and reducing OFF in its growth environment.

The influence of compost amendments on bioaccumulation of potentially toxic elements by pea plant cultivated in mine degraded soils

Potential toxic metal (PTE) accumulation in soil and water is one of the major sources of food crop contamination. PTE remediation from soil can be enhanced by the addition of organic matter to the growing media. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different organic amendments on the accumulation of PTEs in pea plant grown on mine degraded soils. Mining soils from chromite mine (CM), soap stone mine (SSM), manganese mine (MM), and quartz mine (QM) were mixed with vermicompost (VC), leaf mould (LC), and spent mushroom compost (SMC) along with garden soil at 1:1:1 ratio. Various growth and yield-related attributes of pea plant as well as PTE concentrations in soil and plants were studied. The highest Cd (2.62 mg kg−1) and Cr (13.6 mg kg−1) concentration was reported in CM soil, while Pb (23.3 mg kg−1) and Mn (59.2 mg kg−1) concentration in SSM and MM soil, respectively. Mining soils significantly reduced the plant growth and yield, while organic amendments reduced the PTE availability and increased pea plant growth. Comparing the various organic fertilizers used, it was observed that VC efficiently reduced Cd, Cr, Pb, and Mn uptake by pea plant, subsequently, improved pea plant growth and productivity. In order to assess the effects of various amendments on PTE health risk reduction, various risk indices including plant tranfser factor, average daily intake, health risk, target hazard quotient, and target cancer risk were also calculated and the results revealed that application of compost particularly VC significantly reduced the dietary intake and health risks of PTEs.

Transformer-Based Weed Segmentation for Grass Management.

Weed control is among the most challenging issues for crop cultivation and turf grass management. In addition to hosting various insects and plant pathogens, weeds compete with crop for nutrients, water and sunlight. This results in problems such as the loss of crop yield, the contamination of food crops and disruption in the field aesthetics and practicality. Therefore, effective and efficient weed detection and mapping methods are indispensable. Deep learning (DL) techniques for the rapid recognition and localization of objects from images or videos have shown promising results in various areas of interest, including the agricultural sector. Attention-based Transformer models are a promising alternative to traditional constitutional neural networks (CNNs) and offer state-of-the-art results for multiple tasks in the natural language processing (NLP) domain. To this end, we exploited these models to address the aforementioned weed detection problem with potential applications in automated robots. Our weed dataset comprised of 1006 images for 10 weed classes, which allowed us to develop deep learning-based semantic segmentation models for the localization of these weed classes. The dataset was further augmented to cater for the need of a large sample set of the Transformer models. A study was conducted to evaluate the results of three types of Transformer architectures, which included Swin Transformer, SegFormer and Segmenter, on the dataset, with SegFormer achieving final Mean Accuracy (mAcc) and Mean Intersection of Union (mIoU) of 75.18% and 65.74%, while also being the least computationally expensive, with just 3.7 M parameters.

Design and Simulation of 3D-Printed Wastewater Filter Column Rototypes with Various Flow Configurations

Chromium ions and other heavy metals discarded from major industries, if left unchecked, will make their way into waterways and may contaminate food crops, which can cause various chronic and acute health problems. As such, the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) developed radiation-grafted wastewater filters that selectively collect trivalent chromium ions from wastewater. To house these filters with the appropriate flow characteristics, column enclosures suitable for rapid prototyping via additive manufacturing, were designed and simulated. The column has two main components: the main chamber, which houses the filter; and an inner core, where the filter fabric is wound, and which evenly distributes the water flow along its length. Different core slit configurations were presented, giving emphasis on the flow uniformity, with the aim of maximizing the filter life.

Assessment of human exposure to food crops contaminated with lead and cadmium in Owerri, South-eastern Nigeria

BackgroundFood safety and security have remained an emerging global challenge amidst increasing human activities that potentially contaminate the food chain. With the rapid population growth, urbanisation and unrestrained emission of toxic substances, urban-dwelling Nigerians are particularly vulnerable to consuming contaminated food crops. Materials and methodThis study presents a framework for critical analysis of human exposure patterns to potentially contaminated food crops using the city of Owerri (Nigeria) as case study. It systematically assessed the metal burden of soil and staple food crops and the potential health risk associated with dietary exposure of humans to contaminated food crops. Samples of soil, cassava (Manihot esculenta) tubers and fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) leaves were collected from household gardens and analysed for concentration of selected metals (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) using ICP-OES. A risk assessment of human exposure to Pb contamination using both the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Hazard Index (HI) was estimated. ResultsThe majority of metals measured below the respective health-based maximum concentration limits of the Nigerian Department of Petroleum Resources target value, except for Pb in soil, which was above the limit of 85 µg g−1 in 0.9 % of sampled soils. However, Pb measured above the threshold of 0.3 µg g−1 stipulated by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius in 46 % of sampled pumpkin leaves with no correlation established with soil Pb concentrations. This suggests possible Pb contamination via atmospheric deposition, and that human ingestion of pumpkin leaves presents the greatest health risks. ConclusionThe findings revealed that children and toddlers are more prone to Pb contamination via food crop ingestion than adults based on the THQ and HI evaluations; hence need for relevant policies to ensure food safety. This study provides background data for epidemiological investigation of relationships between contaminated food crop ingestion and blood Pb.

Contamination of food crops by unintentionally released PCB 47, PCB 51 and PCB 68 in the vicinity of silicone production sites and their relevance for human health assessment

Since it was shown that silicone rubber production can unintentionally release PCBs, these production sites have become a focus of investigation. The use of the cross-linking agent bis(2,4)-dichlorobenzoylperoxide (2,4-DCBP) can lead to emissions of the PCB congeners PCB 47, PCB 51 and PCB 68 into the environment and cause their accumulation e. g. in food crops. To determine the presence and extent of this uptake, we used the newly developed method dandelion screening. Samples were taken from wild dandelion plants near nine production sites in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and analysed for PCBs. In some cases, the regional orientation values for the maximum background level (OMB) were exceeded by up to nine times. Overall, background levels were exceeded at seven of the nine sites investigated and mitigation measures were initiated at the production sites. In order to validate the dandelion screening results, kale was exposed, which allowed for a health assessment. A wide-ranging consumption recommendation was then issued in four out of nine study areas. At this point in the investigations, risk reduction measures had already been implemented at all production sites investigated, so it can be assumed that the exposures at sites not yet in focus are significantly greater. This is a globally relevant problem, as 2,4-DCBP is used in many countries.

Soil and water pollution and human health: what should cardiologists worry about?

Healthy soil is foundational to human health. Healthy soil is needed to grow crops, provides food, and sustains populations. It supports diverse ecosystems and critical ecological services such as pollination. It stores water and prevents floods. It captures carbon and slows global climate change. Soil pollution is a great and growing threat to human health. Soil may be polluted by heavy metals, organic chemicals such as pesticides, biological pathogens, and micro/nanoplastic particles. Pollution reduces soil's ability to yield food. It results in food crop contamination and disease. Soil pollutants wash into rivers causing water pollution. Deforestation causes soil erosion, liberates sequestered pollutants, and generates airborne dust. Pollution of air, water, and soil is responsible for at least 9 million deaths each year. More than 60% of pollution-related disease and death is due to cardiovascular disease. Recognizing the importance of pollution to human health, the European Commission and the EU Action Plan for 2050: A Healthy Planet for All, have determined that air, water, and soil pollution must be reduced to levels that cause no harm to human or ecosystem health. We are thus required to create a toxic-free environment, respect the concept of a safe operating space for humanity, and sustain the health of our planet for future generations. This review article summarizes current knowledge of the links between soil health and human health and discusses the more important soil pollutants and their health effects.

Trace elements in Foodstuffs from the Mediterranean Basin-Occurrence, Risk Assessment, Regulations, and Prevention strategies: A review.

Trace elements (TEs) are chemical compounds thatnaturally occur in the earth's crust and in living organisms at low concentrations. Anthropogenic activities can significantly increase the level of TEs in the environment and finally enter the food chain. Toxic TEs like cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury have no positive role in a biological system and cancause harmful effects on human health. Ingestion of contaminated food is a typical route of TEs intake by humans. Recent data about the occurrence of TEs in food available in the Mediterranean countries are considered in this review. Analytical methods are also discussed.Furthermore, a discussion of existing international agency regulations will be given. The risk associated with the dietary intake of TEs was estimated by considering consumer exposure and threshold values such as Benchmark dose lower confidence limit and provisional tolerable weekly intake established by the European Food Safety Authority and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, respectively. Finally, several remediation approaches to minimize TE contamination in foodstuffs were discussed including chemical, biological, biotechnological, and nanotechnological methods. The results of this study proved the occurrence of TEs contamination at high levels in vegetables and fish from some Mediterranean countries. Lead and cadmium are more abundant in foodstuffs than other toxic trace elements. Geographical variations in TE contamination of food crops clearly appear, with a greater risk in developing countries. There is still a need for the regular monitoring of these toxic element levels in fooditems to ensure consumer protection.

Health Risks for a Rural Community in Bokkos, Plateau State, Nigeria, Exposed to Potentially Toxic Elements from an Abandoned Tin Mine.

The past mining activities in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) were performed in an uncontrolled way and gave rise to many abandoned ponds now serving as domestic and irrigation water sources. Past research focused mainly on the environmental impact, and we show for the first time what the human health risk through consumption of contaminated food crops is in these communities. This study was designed to determine the level of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) contamination in pond water, soil, and food crops and assess the health risk of inhabitants in the abandoned tin mining community in Bokkos LGA. Samples of the mining pond water, soil, and selected food crops from farms irrigated with the pond water: bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), pepper (Piper nigrum), okra (Albelmoschus esculentus), maize (Zea mays), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), and Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) were analyzed for each of the eight PTEs (viz. Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb) using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results obtained showed that the levels of all the PTEs analyzed in the soil, pond water, and selected food crops except for Fe and Mn in soil and Cd in sweet potato were greater than their corresponding background area values (p < 0.05). Also, the mean concentrations of all the PTEs except for Cu in pond water were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the WHO maximum permissible limit. With the exception of Fe, Ni, and Zn for pepper and okra, Cu and Fe for maize grains as well as Cu, Ni, and Zn for sweet and Irish potatoes and Fe and Cd for sweet potato, the mean concentrations of PTEs in the food crops were significantly higher than WHO maximum permissible limit. The EF values of Cd (0.39); Cu (3.59) and Ni (2.81); Cr (9.38) and Pb (17.84); and Mn (178.13) and Zn (83.22) classified the soil as minimally, moderately, significantly, and extremely highly enriched, respectively. The PI values of all the PTEs in the soil studied were all greater than 5, indicating that the soils were severely contaminated. There was evidence that food crops significantly bioaccumulated PTEs either as a result of contaminated soil and/or irrigation water. The bioaccumulation was not uniform and was dominated by transfer from the polluted irrigation water. The bitter leaf, okra, and to some extent maize had the highest transfer of PTEs, and Mn, Cu, and Zn had the highest bioaccumulation in the food crops investigated. The hazardous index (HI) for the eight PTEs through the consumption of food crops was 107 for children and 33 for adults which greatly exceeded the recommended limit of 1, thus indicating that possible health risks exist for both local children and adults. For every PTE, the values of HI for children are many-fold higher than those for adults, which is of particular concern due to the high HI values for Pb found for maize consumption, a typical staple food. The cancer risk values for Cr and Ni for all the food crops were within 10-3-10-1 which is several fold higher than the permissible limits (10-6and < 10-4) indicating the high carcinogenic risk. It can be concluded based on the results and risk assessment provided by this study that human exposure to mining pond water and soil in farms around the mining pond through the food chain suggests the high vulnerability of the local community to PTE toxicity. Long-term preventive measures to safeguard the health of the residents need to be put in place.

Biocontrol Methods in Avoidance and Downsizing of Mycotoxin Contamination of Food Crops

By increasing the resistance of seeds against abiotic and biotic stress, the possibility of cereal mold contamination and hence the occurrence of secondary mold metabolites mycotoxins decreases. The use of biological methods of seed treatment represents a complementary strategy, which can be implemented as an environmental-friendlier approach to increase the agricultural sustainability. Whereas the use of resistant cultivars helps to reduce mold growth and mycotoxin contamination at the very beginning of the production chain, biological detoxification of cereals provides additional weapons against fungal pathogens in the later stage. Most efficient techniques can be selected and combined on an industrial scale to reduce losses and boost crop yields and agriculture sustainability, increasing at the same time food and feed safety. This paper strives to emphasize the possibility of implementation of biocontrol methods in the production of resistant seeds and the prevention and reduction in cereal mycotoxin contamination.

Uptake and accumulation of erythromycin in leafy vegetables and induced phytotoxicity and dietary risks

Erythromycin (ERY), a widely used macrolide antibiotic, is omnipresent in soil and aquatic environments, which may potentially contaminate food crops but remains to be explored. Two leafy vegetables, pakchoi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk.), were grown in laboratory-constructed soil or hydroponic systems to investigate the dynamic accumulation of ERY in edible plants. Results indicate 14C-ERY could be absorbed by water spinach and pakchoi in both systems. Autoradiographic imaging and concentration data of plant tissues suggested that ERY had limited translocation from roots to shoots in these two vegetables. The accumulation level of ERY was similar between the two vegetables in the soil system; but in the hydroponic system, pakchoi had a higher ERY accumulation than water spinach, with the bioconcentration factor of 2.74–25.98 and 3.65–11.67 L kg−1, respectively. The ERY intake via vegetable consumption was 0.01–2.17 ng kg−1 day−1, which was much lower than the maximum acceptable daily intake (700 ng kg−1 day−1), indicating negligible risks of consuming vegetables with roots exposed to ERY at environmentally relevant levels. In addition, ERY was found to cause growth inhibition and oxidative stress to pakchoi, even at low concentrations (7 and 22 μg L−1). This work contributes to a better understanding of plant uptake and translocation of ERY in soils and water, and has important implications for the reasonable evaluation of the implied risks of ERY to vegetables and human health.