Field Of Food Safety Research Articles

A novel Zn-MOF fluorescent probe for highly sensitive and rapid detection of gossypol in cottonseed oil and fetal bovine serum

Gossypol is a poisonous substance in cottonseed which seriously harms the internal organs, blood vessels, nerves, and reproductive systems of organisms. Therefore, detecting gossypol is of great significance in the field of food safety. This manuscript constructs a novel target-oriented gossypol fluorescence probe based on the energy competition absorption mechanism. The probe is a zinc-based metal organic framework material (Zn-MOF) with blue fluorescence, which can achieve rapid and sensitive detection of gossypol through fluorescence “turn-off” effect. It has the advantages of low detection limit (16.6 nM), ultra-fast response time (8 s), and favorable selectivity. Interestingly, this probe can be reused and the fluorescence can still be recovered after five cycles when detecting gossypol. In addition, the application of the fluorescent probe in cottonseed oil and fetal bovine serum is reliable, with the recovery of 99.35%–101.5% and the relative standard deviation of less than 2.72%. These results indicate that the developed sensor has prominent application potential in the field of food and biological detection.

High-performance pyramid-SiNWs biosensor for NH3 gas detection

NH3 is widely existed in the environment and is closely associated with various health issues. Additionally, detecting the small amounts of NH3 exhaled by patients with liver and kidney diseases offers potential opportunities for painless early disease diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a convenient, rapid, and highly sensitive real-time NH3 monitoring method. This work presents a high-performance NH3 sensor based on olfactory receptor-derived peptides (ORPs) on a pyramid silicon nanowires (SiNWs) structure substrate. First, we successfully fabricated the pyramid-SiNWs structure on a silicon substrate using a chemical etching method. Subsequently, by dehydrative condensation reaction between the amino groups on APTES and the carboxyl groups of ORPs, ORPs were successfully immobilized onto the pyramid-SiNWs structure. This methodology allows the ORPs sensor on the pyramid-SiNWs substrate to detect NH3 as low as 1 ppb, which was the reported lowest limit of detection, with a higher response rate compared to ORPs sensors on flat SiNWs substrates. The sensors also exhibit good sensitivity and stability for NH3 gas detection. The results show the feasibility and potential applications of ORPs-pyramid-SiNWs structure sensors, in the fields of food safety, disease monitoring, and environmental protection, etc.

Cytosine-rich mismatched DNA aptamer combined with superparamagnetic photonic crystal sensing material for the specific visual detection of silver ions

DNA aptamer superparamagnetic photonic crystals (DSPCs), enriched with a highly selective cytosine-rich mismatched single-stranded DNA aptamer (CRDA), were successfully employed in a novel visual detection strategy for the detection of silver ions (Ag+). The technologies of superparamagnetic colloidal nanospheres (SCNs), DNA aptamer, and photonic crystals were combined to fabricate DPSCs. The aptamer was immobilized via electrostatic adsorption with amino groups that were chemically introduced on the surface of the SCNs, forming D–NH–SCNs. The detection is achieved by forming an Ag+ complex (C–Ag+–C) between Ag+ and D–NH–SCN. The DSPCs assembled under a magnetic field by D–NH–SCNs effectively detected Ag+ in the range of 1 μg/L to 5 mg/L, corresponding to the critical concentration range for heavy metals in drinking water. During the detection, the DSPC exhibited a wavelength blueshift from 652.8 nm to 626.4 nm (26.4 nm), as well as changes in reflection intensity. Notably, when detecting Ag+, a change in DSPC color from orange to yellow was observed. In summary, the developed visual detection material facilitates direct Ag + sensing. In the future, different DNA aptamers will be modified further to detect various targets in the fields of medicine, environmental monitoring, and food safety.

Simultaneous detection of three nitrofuran antibiotics by the lateral flow immunoassay based on europium nanoparticles in aquatic products

Nitrofuran (NF) antibiotics have been banned worldwide in aquaculture due to their potential carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Because of the short half-life of NF antibiotics, an easy and sensitive multiple lateral flow immunoassay (mLFIA) based on europium nanoparticles (EuNPs) has been successfully established to simultaneously and quantitatively detect 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ), 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) and sodium nifurstylenate (NFS) in aquatic products. The EuNP-mLFIA assay was accomplished within 10 min. The limits of detection (LODs) for AOZ, AMOZ and NFS were 0.013, 0.019 and 0.023 ng/mL, respectively. The average recoveries of AOZ, AMOZ and NFS were 98.0–104.4%, 96.0–102.6% and 98.0–102.8%, respectively. It showed satisfactory consistency, and the feasibility was validated by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). Briefly, this method will become a powerful tool for monitoring multiple NF antibiotics and provide promising applications in the field of food safety and environmental testing.

Highly selective and sensitive histamine and tryptamine analysis using SiO2@AuNPs@PDA molecularly imprinted polymer coupled with SALDI–TOF MS

A combination of SiO2@AuNPs@PDA molecularly imprinted and surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SALDI–TOF MS) was devised as a method for highly specific and ultrasensitive detection of two biogenic amines—histamine (HIS) and tryptamine (TRP)—in real samples. In this strategy, AuNPs modified amino-abundant silica nanospheres (SiO2@AuNPs). The prepared SiO2@AuNPs were used as a substrate to synthesize a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) through in situ dopamine self-polymerization with HIS and TRP as the template molecules (SiO2@AuNP@PDA-MIP). The as-prepared MIP structure, properties, and target-analyte identification conditions were characterized and optimized and it was used as the matrix for MS. Compared to the case of nonimprinted materials, the imprinting function endowed the matrix with a higher selectivity for capturing the target molecules. The enriched analytes were directly and rapidly identified using SALDI–TOF MS without elution. Meanwhile, the proposed method has low background interference, good reproducibility and stability, high salt tolerance, and satisfactory linearity (R2 > 0.99), and it enables ultrasensitive detection of HIS and TRP (limits of detection for HIS and TRP were 0.2 and 0.1 ng mL−1, respectively). Moreover, the proposed method was applied to analyze samples of real beer, sausage, and chicken, and the results agreed with those obtained via liquid chromatography–MS, suggesting that the method has excellent practical applications in the field of food safety.

Recent Studies and Applications of Hydrogel-Based Biosensors in Food Safety.

Food safety has increasingly become a human health issue that concerns all countries in the world. Some substances in food that can pose a significant threat to human health include, but are not limited to, pesticides, biotoxins, antibiotics, pathogenic bacteria, food quality indicators, heavy metals, and illegal additives. The traditional methods of food contaminant detection have practical limitations or analytical defects, restricting their on-site application. Hydrogels with the merits of a large surface area, highly porous structure, good shape-adaptability, excellent biocompatibility, and mechanical stability have been widely studied in the field of food safety sensing. The classification, response mechanism, and recent application of hydrogel-based biosensors in food safety are reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the challenges and future trends of hydrogel biosensors are also discussed.

GMOs policy and research in Tajikistan

The policy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of biosafety, regarding the issue of handling and use of living genetically modified organisms (LMOs or GMOs) is aimed at compliance with international legal acts, agreements and obligations to ratified Conventions. Tajikistan ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1997 and the Cartagena Protocol on Biological Safety in 2004. After ratifying the protocol, the country has prepared three National Reports in accordance with the requirements of international agreements. Earlier in Tajikistan, the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Biological Safety” (2005) was adopted. “The Law regulates the development, testing, production, import, export and release on the market and into the environment of GMOs, is aimed at reducing the risk of adverse effects of GMO on human health, biological diversity, ecological balance and the state of the environment”. Currently, this Law has been renamed into the Law “On Genetically Modified Organisms” and is under discussion, approval and adoption by the Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan.
 Among the urgent problems that the Republic of Tajikistan is currently facing, considering the prospects for the coming years, is the problem of food security, including issues related to ensuring food safety. Taking into account the importance of conducting research in the field of biological and food safety, scientifically based risk assessment of biological agents (including GMOs) and toxins, chemical contaminants in food products and crops by the Decree of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan No. 108 dated 30.11.2015 the Laboratory of Biological Safety was established at the Institute of Botany, Plant Physiology and Genetics of Tajikistan National Academy of Science, the main tasks of which are the development and application of modern methods of analysis for the detection of biological agents and toxins, chemical contaminants in food products and crops, and analysis of GMO products.
 It should be noted that at present there is no official information related to the production, use, distribution, sale, import and export of GMOs, as well as the registration of incoming GMO food products in Tajikistan. An analysis of the market for agricultural products in the capital city of Dushanbe showed that a number of GMO food products and genetically modified seed material are still imported from abroad in the form of technical and humanitarian assistance as well as international trade. In this regard, food safety activities should include risk assessment based on scientific evidence. Its emphasis should be on both process control and end product safety so that potentially unsafe foods can be identified early. GMO food can be considered safe if the risks associated with it are at an acceptable and acceptable level. It should be noted that an effective system for monitoring food products, including products containing GMOs, their compliance with quality standards is important for protecting the health and safety of the country’s population.

Intramolecular charge transfer-induced fluorochromic covalent organic frameworks for high speed on-line monitoring of volatile amines

Direct and visual evaluation of volatile amine molecules, a group of hazardous gases and indicators, remains challenge in the fields of chemical industry, environmental detection and food safety. Herein, a convenient and reversible intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)-induced fluorescence-colorimetric approach is proposed for on-line, visual and quantitative monitoring on volatile amines at molecular level through skeletal constructing of cationic pyridinium sites in a carbon-conjugated covalent organic framework (COF). In the presence of volatile amine molecules, the deprotonation of pyridinium sites causes a strong fluorescence enhancement (fluorescence quantum yield > 13 %) and a sharp color change. Specifically, with the reversable pyridinium sites, the COFs-based sensor first exhibits an ultrafast response time (τrise) of 0.65 s to ammonia gas (51.8 ppm), which outperforms reported nanostructure-based ammonia sensors. Meanwhile, through studying the relationship between the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and Red/Green/Blue (RGB) outputs of home-made COFs membrane on the food spoilage (fish meat: R2 > 0.9987, shrimp meat: R2 > 0.9917), the protonated TPCH-mOBPy COF is fully verified to work as an on-line fluorochromic probe for visually, AI-intelligently and quantitatively monitoring the generation of volatile amines.

Dual-Channel Fluorescent/Colorimetric-Based OPD-Pd/Pt NFs Sensor for High-Sensitivity Detection of Silver Ions.

Silver ions (Ag+) exist widely in various areas of human life, and the food contamination caused by them poses a serious threat to human health. Among the numerous methods used for the detection of Ag+, fluorescence and colorimetric analysis have attracted much attention due to their inherent advantages, such as high sensitivity, simple operation, short time, low cost and visualized detection. In this work, Pd/Pt nanoflowers (NFs) specifically responsive to Ag+ were synthesized in a simple way to oxidize o-phenylenediamine (OPD) into 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP). The interaction of Ag+ with the surface of Pd/Pt NFs inhibits the catalytic activity of Pd/Pt NFs towards the substrate OPD. A novel dual-channel nanosensor was constructed for the detection of Ag+, using the fluorescence intensity and UV-vis absorption intensity of DAP as output signals. This dual-mode analysis combines their respective advantages to significantly improve the sensitivity and accuracy of Ag+ detection. The results showed that the limit of detection was 5.8 nM for the fluorescence channel and 46.9 nM for the colorimetric channel, respectively. Moreover, the developed platform has been successfully used for the detection of Ag+ in real samples with satisfactory recoveries, which is promising for the application in the point-of-care testing of Ag+ in the field of food safety.

Evaluation of the Handling Practices and Risk Perceptions of Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms in Asian Restaurants in the United States

In late 2020, dried wood ear mushrooms, a low-moisture food ingredient that had been imported and sold to restaurants, were linked to a foodborne outbreak of Salmonella Stanley, which sickened 55 individuals across the United States. These mushrooms are commonly used in Asian cuisine. It is unclear if the contaminated dried wood ear mushrooms that caused the foodborne illnesses were improperly handled during preparation. The objectives of this study are to assess the handling practices, risk perceptions, and food recall experiences of dried wood ear mushrooms in restaurant kitchens among Asian restaurant managers and chefs. We conducted a series of telephone interviews with managers and chefs of Asian restaurants in the United States who used dried wood ear mushrooms in making dishes. After reaching information saturation, a total of 25 restaurant managers and chefs participated in the interview. Our results showed that 76% of the participants did not keep track of package information, such as expiration date and lot number, and many participants reported using cold water for rehydration. Wood ear mushrooms were blanched before being used in all cold dishes and most stir-fry dishes, but less commonly in stew or ramen. Some participants (16%) did not view dried wood ear mushrooms as a raw food ingredient, and 16% did not perceive that low-moisture food ingredients constituted microbiological food safety risks. The majority of the participants had heard of food recalls, but only 17% knew about the dried wood ear mushroom recall, and even fewer had heard of food recalls of other low-moisture foods, like nuts and seeds (9%), and flour (4%). While this study shares similarities with previously published studies evaluating the handling practices of consumers and restaurant employees with respect to meat and poultry, it makes a distinctive contribution to the field of food safety as the first-of-its-kind to study the handling practices of a low-moisture food ingredient: dried wood ear mushrooms. This unique ethnic food ingredient has been associated with a past outbreak and multiple recalls in the United States. The findings of the study show the need to develop food safety educational programs that are tailored toward Asian restaurant food handlers and provide guidance to develop risk communication strategies for this niche audience.

Use of DNA technologies for the examination of foodstuff

An integral component of the management system in the field of food safety is the examination of food products, which is based mostly on physical, chemical, physico-chemical and biochemical methods of research. Progress in the mastery of DNA diagnostic methods has become an incentive for the development and introduction into laboratory practice of highly sensitive methods for assessing the safety and quality of foodstuff, based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. In recent decades, the demand for molecular tools for food examination, authentication and traceability has increased significantly. This is due to the fact that legislation in the food sector is becoming increasingly strict, and market strategies are aimed at evaluating the food chain "from field to table" and ensuring that consumer choices match their expectations. An overview of proven and widely tested molecular approaches for the examination of food products is presented: PCR-RFLP method, RAPD-PCR, SSR-PCR, RTPCR. The potential and prospects of the latest technologies, such as SNP - single nucleotide polymorphisms, isothermal amplification, digital PCR, Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS), DNA metabarcoding, are also described. The specified methods are characterized by high productivity, speed and scaling, enabling the study of biological systems at a new qualitative level. Examples of successful use of the specified methods for examination of foodstuff of plant and animal origin, their authentication and traceability are given. A broad panel of molecular methods is a powerful tool to protect both producers and consumers, providing consumers with freedom of choice and increasing transparency in food production systems, enabling honest producers to properly promote their products. Key words: DNA-technologies, polymerase chain reaction, food safety, foodstuff examination.

Direct Z-scheme NiTiO3/polyaniline heterojunction based photoelectrochemical aptasensor for the efficient detection of ochratoxin A in corn and soil

Preparation of Z-scheme heterojunctions requires band-gap matched semiconductors with tedious procedures, which is challenging for the application of photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing. Herein, a sensitive PEC aptasensor for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection was constructed based on direct Z-scheme NiTiO3/polyaniline (NiTiO3/PANI) heterojunction. NiTiO3/PANI was firstly prepared via electrostatic adsorption between monomers; PANI with high conductivity and hydrophilicity can engineer the surface of NiTiO3 to enhance the separation of charge carriers and enlarge the PEC signal (e.g., 71.8-fold higher of that at NiTiO3). By virtue of superior properties, a NiTiO3/PANI-based PEC aptasensor was developed by using the recognition event of OTA with aptamer to vary photocurrent. When OTA is present, the aptamer is pulled away from the electrode interface by OTA, leading to a decrease in steric hindrance and the recovery of photocurrent, thereby enabling the detection of OTA. The constructed PEC aptasensor offered a linear range of 1 pg mL−1–2000 pg mL−1 with a detection limit of 0.33 pg mL−1. Moreover, this PEC aptasenosr displayed satisfactory selectivity and stability. The strategies to fabricate high-performance direct Z-scheme heterojunction as well as PEC aptasensor offer new solutions for the efficient detection of mycotoxins in the field of food safety and environmental protection.

HOF-101-based dual-mode biosensor for photoelectrochemical/electrochemiluminescence detection and imaging of oxytetracycline

A unique hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOF-101)-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) dual-mode biosensor using polydopamine nanoparticles (PDAs) as quencher was constructed for ultrasensitive detection and imaging of oxytetracycline (OXY). In particular, HOF-101 was a superior ECL material and can be observed with the naked eye. Furthermore, it also had outstanding PEC signal, so HOF-101 was a new dual-signal material with excellent performance, thus it was explored to realize dual-mode detection. As the main component of natural melanin, PDAs not only had good biocompatibility, but also contained rich functional groups on the surface. Additionally, PDAs had excellent light absorption ability and poor conductivity, which made it the excellent photoquencher. In this work, PDAs were introduced on the surface of HOF-101 to quench its ECL and PEC signals by using the dual-aptamer sandwich method, achieving ultrasensitive detection of antibiotic OXY. Particularly for ECL detection, HOF-101 was firstly used to visually detect OXY. The detection range can reach 0.1 pM-100 nM, and the limit of detection (LOD) can reach 0.04 pM. This work showed a great contribution to the development of new ECL-PEC materials and ECL visualization analysis, which had outstanding application potential in the fields of food safety and biochemical analysis.

Actions of military veterinary medicine in a food defense context: a study under the perspective of the Brazilian Armed Forces based on American Armed Forces guidelines

The perception that food supplies and any stage of manufacturing process chains can become vehicles for the intentional spread of biological, chemical, physical, and radiological contaminants took form after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Food defense thus emerged as a new area within the food safety field. Under this perspective, risks to food and food production chains originate from intentional and ideologically engineered acts that aim to harm public health on a wide scale. In times of international conflicts that aim to destabilize a nation’s morale, the armed forces may become a target for attacks, leading to operability losses and momentary or permanent troop losses due to foodborne illnesses or deaths caused by the massive contamination of food consumed by the military. In this regard, veterinarians enrolled in the armed forces can focus on defense measures against deliberate food supply contamination, as they are trained in food technology, inspection, and surveillance. This review summarizes the role of veterinarians in the food defense field in the United States Armed Forces and the current situation of these professionals in the Brazilian Armed Forces.

Research progress of aptasensor technology in the detection of foodborne pathogens

In recent years, foodborne pathogenic bacteria have gained increasingly serious public concerns. Therefore, the construction of simple, rapid, effective, and low-cost methods for rapid detection in the field of food safety has become an important topic. Amongst, aptasaenors are emerging biosensors in the field of food safety, detection, and control. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA sequence that specifically bind to proteins or other small molecules following the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) and other derivative techniques. Aptamers are widely used in food safety testing because of their wide range of target molecules, high sensitivity, strong specificity, and good stability. This review will provide an overview of recent studies about aptamers against foodborne pathogens, the potential applications and optimization methods of aptasensors in foodborne pathogens. Finally, it is hoped that this review can generate new ideas and approaches for the development and application about aptasensors against foodborne pathogens.

Polymerase chain reaction: a powerful analytical tool in the field of food safety

Abstract The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the canonical DNA analysis technique that has enabled the understanding of the complexity of organisms and significantly advanced achievements in the field of biological sciences. Today, the method is still widely used in basic science research, but PCR-based diagnostics are becoming increasingly important in industries such as food and agriculture. This method provides high sensitivity because it requires trace amounts of template DNA to generate enough copies for detection. Using primers specific to the DNA sequence ensures the high specificity of the test. The advantages of the method are time – and cost-effectiveness and reproducibility. PCR-based techniques have found favor in areas where food traceability is important, whether from an economic, legal, health, or religious-cultural point of view. This review outlines the most important aspects in which the PCR method has been successfully applied, namely in the protection of human health by enabling the identification of foodborne pathogens or allergens. Furthermore, the use of PCR in the so-called green criminology, a branch that deals with tracking illegal practices such as food adulteration, compliance with the labeling rules, and detection of food products containing GMO material or other undeclared food ingredients, was also described.

Application progress of innovative high resolution separation and analysis technology in food safety detection field

In the last decade, mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely used in food inspection science, and the continuous improvement of instruments is the key to the breakthrough of analytical chemistry technology. This paper discusses the latest progress and application of high resolution separation and analysis technology in food safety field (2013-2023), focusing on the innovative development technologies such as on-line MS coupling technology, high resolution screening technology and micro mass spectrometer. Finally, the development of new device in the field of food safety detection is prospected.

Results of multi-actor collaboration in risk analysis: a simplified risk assessment toolkit for rapid detection of emerging risks.

The dynamic field of food safety faces continuous challenges, prompting stakeholders to develop collaborative actions for improved food safety systems. As part of these actions, the EU-FORA fellowship programme was dedicated to a multi-actor collaboration addressing risks of the unregulated mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2 toxins in oats. Critical gaps in risk assessment procedures were identified, leading to a joint effort to develop a strategy for rapid data collection and risk assessment, including the development of a risk assessment toolkit comprising of a training manual and two intuitive Microsoft® Excel files. The toolkit enables efficient data collection and processing, facilitating risk assessment calculations and rapid risk detection. Applying the toolkit to assess T-2 and HT-2 toxin risks in Belgian oats revealed minimal concerns, except for children aged 3-9 years, likely due to an overestimation. The toolkit is available on the FoodSafety4EU Platform and will be refined based on user feedback, promoting better risk assessment practices. This approach empowers stakeholders, from professionals to policymakers, fostering collaboration and enhancing food safety practices.

A novel AgNPs/MOF substrate-based SERS sensor for high-sensitive on-site detection of wheat gluten

Gluten, known as the major allergen in wheat, has gained increasing concerns in industrialized countries, resulting in an urgent need for accurate, high-sensitive, and on-site detection of wheat gluten in complex food systems. Herein, we proposed a silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)/metal-organic framework (MOF) substrate-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for the high-sensitive on-site detection of wheat gluten. The detection occurred on the newly in-situ synthesized AgNPs/MOF-modified SERS substrate, providing an enhancement factor (EF) of 1.89 × 105. Benefitting from the signal amplification function of AgNPs/MOF and the superiority of SERS, this sensor represented high sensitivity performance and a wide detection range from 1 × 10-15 mol/L to 2 × 10-6 mol/L with a detection limit of 1.16 × 10-16 mol/L, which allowed monitoring the trace of wheat gluten in complex food system without matrix interference. This reliable sandwich SERS sensor may provide a promising platform for high-sensitive, accurate, and on-site detection of allergens in the field of food safety.

Functionalized nanofibers mat prepared through thiol–ene “click” reaction as solid phase extraction adsorbent for simultaneous detection of florfenicol and paracetamol residues in milk

Due to the significant differences in physical and chemical properties of various veterinary drugs, sample pretreatment is still the bottleneck of simultaneous detection of multiple veterinary drug residues. In order to achieve quantitative determination of two different types of veterinary drug residues (florfenicol and paracetamol) in milk, 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) functionalized nanofibers mat (AmimCl-NFsM) was prepared through thiol-ene “click” reaction and applied as a new solid phase extraction adsorbent. The preparation parameters were systematically investigated and optimized through dynamic adsorption experiments. The developed method achieved significant extraction and purification efficiency, which was attributed to the multiple adsorption mechanisms of AmimCl-NFsM. Under the optimal condition, the established method showed low detection limit (1.25–2.90 ng/mL), high precision (RSDs ≤ 12.6 %) and good recovery (76.4 %–96.1 % with RSDs ≤ 5.23 %). The obtained results demonstrated the practical application value of the established method in food safety field.