Harmful Food Research Articles

Molecular and biochemical taxonomic tools for the identification and classification of plant-pathogenic Penicillium species

ABSTRACTFive species of Penicillium (Penicillium chrysogenum, P. funiculosum, P. griseofulvum, P. implicatum and P. oxalicum) are implicated in seed-borne diseases. Here, we report the discovery of molecular markers based on the internal transcribed spacer regions of fungal ribosomal DNA (rDNA), which are described as primary DNA barcode markers of fungi, for rapid diagnosis and early detection of Penicillium spp. The present markers are expected to be useful for the prevention of seedling and systemic plant diseases associated with Penicillium spp. Our findings, which provide valuable insights into the taxonomy of Penicillium spp., should contribute to improve safety of agricultural produce, thereby protecting both humans and animals from harmful food contaminants such as mycotoxins. In addition, we examined the cellular fatty acid composition of five species of Penicillium. The species studied were found to possess similar fatty acid composition; however, they differed in terms of relative concentration. The principal fatty acids were oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2), comprising 80% or more of the total fatty acid composition of these species. These fatty acid profiles may be useful for characterization and identification of fungi. Data derived from the present study highlight the importance of using polyphasic methods for accurate species-level identification of Penicillium.

The Food Hygiene Institutionalization of Park Junghee Government in 1960s.

This article investigates the historical background and distinctive characteristics of the Korean food hygiene policy during the 1960s. The 3 main findings of this study are as follows. First, Food Sanitation Law in the 1960s was established too hastily and thus mistakenly accommodated two discordant laws as American style law and empire of Japan style law. The legislation of Food Sanitation Law was progressed too quickly for the justification purpose of 5·16 military coup, as one of reorganization tasks of the Korean legal structure established under Japanese imperialism, Second, a division in charge of food hygiene in the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs was newly installed in 1967, as an outcome reflecting a variety of social demand, at least, minimally. Rongalite shock in Korea prompted diverse suggestions for preventing unfortunate accidents from toxic and harmful food. However, Korean Government did not provide the division with necessary budget and manpower to implement relevant regulations. Third, "the special law against health crimes" legislated in 1969, was characterized by severe punishment policy which might be performed afterward but not by protective measures against accidents in advance. The law enabled regulators to punish corrupt dealers up to life sentence. For the constitutional amendment for President for the third term, Park Chung-hee's regime tried to calm down the complaints of people. In sum, the regulations of Korean food hygiene in the 1960s were identified as government practices using an interesting combination of low costs and severe punishments.

Automobile, construction and entertainment business sector influences on sedentary lifestyles

Sedentary lifestyles contribute to premature death and health inequalities. Researchers have studied personal and community-level determinants of inactivity but few have analyzed corporate influences. To reframe the public health debate on inactivity and open new doors for public sector intervention, we conducted a scoping review of evidence from several disciplines to describe how the business and political practices of the automobile, construction, and entertainment sectors have encouraged sedentary lifestyles. In the last 50 years, these industries have found it profitable to produce motor vehicles, housing, and entertainment, which intentionally or unintentionally discourage physical activity. Ceding primary authority for policy decisions in these sectors to the market-based economy has enabled the growth of powerful lobbies that encourage and maintain sedentary lifestyles. To counteract these influences, public health and civil society need to confront more upstream economic and social determinants of sedentary lifestyles. Building on evidence from efforts to change harmful tobacco, alcohol and food industry practices, we propose the creation of research and policy agendas that contribute to public health practice that can modify corporate practices that contribute to physical, social and political environments that discourage physical activity.

Achievements and Future Tasks of the Korean Police Activities for Harmful Food Elimination

Achievements and Future Tasks of the Korean Police Activities for Harmful Food Elimination

Processed elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) products: A beneficial or harmful food alternative?

Elderberry fruit and its food products are not only a rich source of phenolics, boosting their antioxidant activity, but also contain harmful cyanogenic glycosides. In order to assess the potential positive/negative effects of consuming elderberry-based products their biochemical profile and levels of individual compounds were identified with the aid of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrophotometry (MS). Cyanidin-3-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-glucoside were the prevalent compounds among phenolics and sambunigrin among cyanogenic glycosides in all analyzed elderberry products. Processing considerably affects the content of elderberry phenolics and cyanogenic glycosides. The levels of phenolics decreased from 958 mg/kg in unprocessed control berries to 343 mg/kg in elderberry liqueur, 337 mg/kg in spread, 162 mg/kg in tea and 114 mg/kg in elderberry juice. Higher temperatures not only reduced the content of beneficial compounds, but also decreased the levels of harmful cyanogenic glycosides for 44% in elderberry juice, for 80% in tea and for as much as 96% in elderberry liqueur and spread.

PERLINDUNGAN KONSUMEN TERHADAP PRODUK PANGAN YANG BERBAHAYA DALAM MENGHADAPI ERA MASYARAKAT EKONOMI ASEAN

Indonesia needs to obtain the legal protection that can provide safety and comfort both to businesses and consumers. Since the enactment of Law No. 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection on 20 April 1999 (hereinafter referred to as the Consumer Protection Act is one of the laws and regulations is a fortress of strength businesses inside and businessmen from abroad and also a protection for consumers. Consumer Protection Act regulates the rights and obligations of businesses and consumers. Based on the description above, there are problems. How consumer protection on dangerous food products from abroad in an effort to face the ASEAN free trade. Efforts to provide adequate protection against the interests of consumers is an important and urgent to find a solution soon, given the way the complex problems related to the Protection of consumers in Indonesia all the more welcome the free trade era of the Asean Economic Community. The entry of dangerous food products that come from abroad to watch. Keywords: Consumer protection, harmful food products

Reformulation, fortification and functionalization: Big Food corporations’ nutritional engineering and marketing strategies

In response to health concerns arising from the consumption of highly processed foods, the world's largest food and beverage manufacturing corporations (i.e. ‘Big Food’) have responded by modifying their existing products and introducing new products with ‘improved’ nutrient profiles. Three distinct strategies used by food corporations to nutritionally engineer and market their products will be identified: the reformulation of foods to reduce levels of harmful food components, the micronutrient fortification of products to address micronutrient deficiencies, and the functionalization of products that claim to provide optimal nutrition and health benefits. These nutritional strategies gain scientific legitimacy by drawing upon the dominant nutritional ideology of ‘nutritionism’, which is characterized by a reductive focus on nutrients as a way of understanding a food's effects on dietary health. Food and beverage corporations promote these nutritional strategies as an important part of their corporate social responsibility agendas, and as evidence that they are addressing the health issues associated with both over-nutrition and under-nutrition. However, these corporations are also using these nutritional strategies to legitimize and grow the markets for their products in the global North and South.

Isolation of Mal d 1 and Api g 1 - specific recombinant antibodies from mouse IgG Fab fragment libraries - Mal d 1-specific antibody exhibits cross-reactivity against Bet v 1.

BackgroundAround 3–5% of the population suffer from IgE-mediated food allergies in Western countries and the number of food-allergenic people is increasing. Individuals with certain pollen allergies may also suffer from a sensitisation to proteins in the food products. As an example a person sensitised to the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, is often sensitised to its homologues, such as the major allergens of apple, Mal d 1, and celery, Api g 1, as well. Development of tools for the reliable, sensitive and quick detection of allergens present in various food products is essential for allergic persons to prevent the consumption of substances causing mild and even life-threatening immune responses. The use of monoclonal antibodies would ensure the specific detection of the harmful food content for a sensitised person.MethodsMouse IgG antibody libraries were constructed from immunised mice and specific recombinant antibodies for Mal d 1 and Api g 1 were isolated from the libraries by phage display. More detailed characterisation of the resulting antibodies was carried out using ELISA, SPR experiments and immunoprecipitation assays.ResultsThe allergen-specific Fab fragments exhibited high affinity towards the target recombinant allergens. Furthermore, the Fab fragments also recognised native allergens from natural sources. Interestingly, isolated Mal d 1-specific antibody bound also to Bet v 1, the main allergen eliciting the cross-reactivity syndrome between the birch pollen and apple. Despite the similarities in Api g 1 and Bet v 1 tertiary structures, the isolated Api g 1-specific antibodies showed no cross-reactivity to Bet v 1.ConclusionsHere, high-affinity allergen-specific recombinant antibodies were isolated with interesting binding properties. With further development, these antibodies can be utilised as tools for the specific and reliable detection of allergens from different consumable products. This study gives new preliminary insights to elucidate the mechanism behind the pollen-food syndrome and to study the IgG epitope of the allergens.

A Dopamine-Modulated Neural Circuit Regulating Aversive Taste Memory in Drosophila

Taste memories allow animals to modulate feeding behavior in accordance with past experience and avoid the consumption of potentially harmful food [1]. We have developed a single-fly taste memory assay to functionally interrogate the neural circuitry encoding taste memories [2]. Here, we screen a collection of Split-GAL4 lines that label small populations of neurons associated with the fly memory center-the mushroom bodies (MBs) [3]. Genetic silencing of PPL1 dopamine neurons disrupts conditioned, but not naive, feeding behavior, suggesting these neurons are selectively involved in the conditioned taste response. We identify two PPL1 subpopulations that innervate the MB α lobe and are essential for aversive taste memory. Thermogenetic activation of these dopamine neurons during training induces memory, indicating these neurons are sufficient for the reinforcing properties of bitter tastant to the MBs. Silencing of either the intrinsic MB neurons or the output neurons from the α lobe disrupts taste conditioning. Thermogenetic manipulation of these output neurons alters naive feeding response, suggesting that dopamine neurons modulate the threshold of response to appetitive tastants. Taken together, these findings detail a neural mechanism underlying the formation of taste memory and provide a functional model for dopamine-dependent plasticity in Drosophila.

The Cost of Affluence: a Closer Look at the Food Industry

There is often much confusion among consumers in the U.S. as to which food products are healthy for humans and which products are not. One reason why this occurs may be seen in the disconnect among results of various scientific research studies. A prominent example involves one set of research results that indicate that meat and dairy products are healthy for humans to consume (Biesalski, 2005; Pereira & Vincente, 2013), while results from other research indicate that animal-based foods are detrimental to human development and can lead to health issues (Campbell & Campbell, 2006; Esselstyn, 2001). This paper aims to define and identify some externalities/internalities that exist within the food industry as well as utilize a behavioral systems approach, including an analysis of the relevant meta and macrocontingencies and the interlocked relationship formed between the two. Additionally, the three processes of selection within the metacontingency (leadership practices, aggregate product by consumers, and group rules) are addressed as they relate specifically to the food industry in hopes of offering potential solutions for change initiatives at each level. Various strategies for changing the current practices surrounding the production and consumption of potentially harmful food products are also addressed, with a focus on the altering of leadership practices and changes in consumer behavior. By utilizing what we know about organizational practices and how to better those practices through incentives (i.e., tax breaks, cooperatives), we can hope to see healthier options for food available to all U.S. consumers.

Development of recombinant antibodies for reliable and sensitive food allergen detection

Around 4 % of the population suffer from IgE-mediated food allergies in Western countries and the number of food-allergenic people is increasing. Individuals with certain pollen allergies may also suffer from a sensitisation to proteins in the foods. As an example a person sensitised to the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, is often sensitised to its homologues, such as the major allergens of apple, Mal d 1, and celery, Api g 1, as well. Development of diagnostic tools for the reliable, sensitive and quick detection of allergens present in various food products are essential for allergic persons to prevent the consumption of substances causing mild and even life-threatening immune responses. Traditionally the diagnostics of allergens are based on the use of human IgE serum pools isolated from allergic patients. The use of monoclonal antibodies would ensure the specific detection of the harmful food content for a sensitised person. The production of functional antibody fragments and their efficient display on the filamentous phage have made it possible to construct large and diverse antibody phage display libraries for the isolation of recombinant antibodies. Aim of the study was to construct mouse IgG antibody libraries from immunised mice. The selection of the resulting libraries was carried out using recombinant allergens, rMal d 1 and rApi g 1 which were produced as soluble non-fusion proteins in bacterial cells and purified by a conventional chromatography. The binding properties of the isolated Fab fragments towards the recombinant allergens and native allergens from natural sources were characterised. Interestingly, isolated Mal d 1 -specific antibody bound also to Bet v 1, the main allergen eliciting the cross-reactivity syndrome between the birch pollen and apple. Despite the similarities in protein tertiary structure, there was no observable cross-reactivity between Api g 1 -specific antibodies and Bet v 1 in this study. Isolated allergen-specific antibodies can be utilised as diagnostic and research tools for the specific and reliable detection of allergens from different consumable products as well as studying allergy-antibody interactions.

Taste Quality Decoding Parallels Taste Sensations

In most species, the sense of taste is key in the distinction of potentially nutritious and harmful food constituents and thereby in the acceptance (or rejection) of food. Taste quality is encoded by specialized receptors on the tongue, which detect chemicals corresponding to each of the basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory [1]), before taste quality information is transmitted via segregated neuronal fibers [2], distributed coding across neuronal fibers [3], or dynamic firing patterns [4] to the gustatory cortex in the insula. In rodents, both hardwired coding by labeled lines [2] and flexible, learning-dependent representations [5] and broadly tuned neurons [6] seem to coexist. It is currently unknown how, when, and where taste quality representations are established in the cortex and whether these representations are used for perceptual decisions. Here, we show that neuronal response patterns allow to decode which of four tastants (salty, sweet, sour, and bitter) participants tasted in a given trial by using time-resolved multivariate pattern analyses of large-scale electrophysiological brain responses. The onset of this prediction coincided with the earliest taste-evoked responses originating from the insula and opercular cortices, indicating that quality is among the first attributes of a taste represented in the central gustatory system. These response patterns correlated with perceptual decisions of taste quality: tastes that participants discriminated less accurately also evoked less discriminated brain response patterns. The results therefore provide the first evidence for a link between taste-related decision-making and the predictive value of these brain response patterns.

Molecular cloning and evolutionary analysis of captive forest musk deer bitter taste receptor gene T2R16.

Sensing bitter tastes is crucial for most animals because it can prevent them from ingesting harmful food. This process is mainly mediated by the bitter taste receptors (T2R) that are largely expressed in the taste buds. Previous studies have identified some T2R gene repertoires. Marked variation in repertoire size has been noted among species. However, research on T2Rs is still limited and the mechanisms underlying the evolution of vertebrate T2Rs remain poorly understood. In the present study, we analyzed the structure and features of the protein encoded by the forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) T2R16 and submitted the gene sequence to NCBI GenBank. The results showed that the full coding DNA sequence (CDS) of musk deer T2R16 (GenBank accession No. KP677279) was 906 bp, encoding 301 amino acids, which contained ATG start codon and TGA stop codon, with a calculated molecular weight of 35.03 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.56. The T2R16 protein receptor had seven conserved transmembrane regions. Hydrophobicity analysis showed that most amino acid residues in T2R16 protein were hydrophobic, and the grand average of hydrophobicity (GRAVY) was 0.657. Phylogenetic analysis based on this gene revealed that forest musk deer had the closest association with sheep (Ovis aries), as compared to cow (Bos taurus), Tursiops truncatus, and other species, whereas it was genetically farthest from humans (Homo sapiens). We hope these results would complement the existing data on T2R16 and encourage further research in this respect.

An overview of quality status of selected commercial brands of juices and jams based on public perception and laboratory analysis

The study was done to evaluate the quality status of selected commercial brands of juices and jams based on laboratory analysis and public perception. The entire research work was carried out in two phases to evaluate the quality of juices and jams, available in local market. In phase I, a comprehensive baseline survey was done to know the public perception and this revealed that, according to the notion of most respondents, commercial juice and jam products available in market were adulterated by harmful food colors, low grade fruits and harmful preservatives and these were harmful for health. Besides, some outcome from this survey, such as, avoiding low quality products and adopting BSTI standard, enforcing law and imposing punishment and social motivation of food consumers to prevent adulteration. In phase II, chemical analysis and sensory evaluation of selected samples were done. The collected samples were four different brands of mango juices, two different brands of mango jam, two different brands of pineapple jam and apple jam from one brand. Different parameters of collected samples like moisture content, ash content, total soluble solid content, pH, acidity as citric acid, total plate count, yeast and mold count, preservative (Sulphur dioxide and Sodium benzoate) content and heavy metal (As, Pb, Cu, Zn and Sn) content were analyzed. Heavy metal content in every sample was below the detection level. Microbial load was in safe level according to gulf standard. However, preservative content in few samples was quite higher than acceptable limit. Other parameters of collected samples were in acceptable limits. Sensory evaluation showed that all commercial jam and juice samples were more or less equally acceptable and all products obtained satisfactory total score from sensory evaluation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v12i1.21410 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 12(1): 183-188, June 2014

Recent Trend of Harmful Food Cases and Countermeasure of the Police

Recent Trend of Harmful Food Cases and Countermeasure of the Police

First report of a direct surface plasmon resonance immunosensor for a small molecule seafood toxin.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a small molecular weight neurotoxin, is responsible for poisoning events that traditionally occur from consumption of contaminated puffer fish. Recent studies have shown a growing number of foods contaminated with TTX and a larger number of waters and associated countries where the toxin may occur. The apparent expanding prevalence of TTX supports a growing need for screening assays that can be used to detect potentially harmful food. In the past few years, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors have been developed for rapid, robust detection of TTX; however, these assays focus on detection of unbound antibody from an inhibition reaction with the toxin. This manuscript introduces the first direct immunoassay for a seafood toxin, specifically TTX. Major advantages of this assay compared to indirect assays include increased speed of analysis, decreased use of biological reagents, and improved confidence in the detection of the toxin, along with the ability to characterize the antibody/toxin interaction. The analytical method introduced in this paper could be applied to other seafood toxins, as well as to a wide range of low molecular weight targets.

Application of PCR Technique in Combination with DNase Treatment for Detection of Viable Lactobacillus acidophilus Bacteria

AbstractIn this study, we examined whether application of DNase I can serve as differential eliminator of DNAs from dead cells, leaving viable probiotic lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus to be assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). When dead cells were treated with DNase I, DNA amplification was not completely suppressed. Increasing the concentration of DNase I, up to 66 u/100 μL, and the preparation of dead cells using high temperatures did not seem to make difference in the level of PCR product from the dead bacteria. Assessment of free DNA degradation, when mixed with dead cells, showed that stability of free DNAs or their degradation by DNase I was not affected by presence of the dead cells. In conclusion, we tend to suggest that for using this technique, one should take great deal of caution and that its reliability should be tested for different species independently.Practical ApplicationsLactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most common probiotic bacteria incorporated into food products. To have their health‐promoting properties, consumption of high levels of the viable bacteria is recommended. Meanwhile, access to reliable protocols for assessment of viable bacteria remains elusive. Recent studies have focused on providing differential conditions for clearance of DNA material of the dead cells followed by quantification of the viable bacteria by molecular techniques. Despite the previous reports on application of DNase treatment along with PCR assays, for evaluation of viable harmful food bacteria, our data do not support the notion to be applied for detection of L. acidophilus.

Avoidance of potentially harmful food cannot be socially transmitted between rats.

The social transmission of food preferences (STFP) is a behavioural task of olfactory memory, in which an observer rat learns safe food odours from a demonstrator rat, and shows preference for this odour in a subsequent choice test. However, previous studies have failed to detect the transmission of information about food of potential danger and food aversion using STFP test. In this study, we tested how demonstrators' health affects the exchange of odour information and whether observers can learn danger information from an unhealthy demonstrator. As expected, the observer rat formed an odour preference after interacting with a demonstrator rat that had just eaten food containing a new odour, however, odour preference rather than aversion was also formed after interacting with a demonstrator rat injected with LiCl (used to induce gastric malaise). Furthermore, anaesthetized demonstrator rats and half-anaesthetized demonstrator rats, which showed obvious motor deficits suggesting an unhealthy state, also socially transmitted food preferences to observers. These results suggest that the social transmission of food preferences task is independent of a demonstrators' health, and that information about dangerous foods cannot be transmitted using this behavioural task.

Assessment of mycotoxin exposure in the Belgian population using biomarkers: aim, design and methods of the BIOMYCO study

Mycotoxins are harmful food contaminants. Currently, human exposure assessment to these toxins is often based on calculations combining mycotoxin occurrence data in food with population data on food consumption. Because of limitations inherent to that approach, biomarkers have been proposed as a suitable alternative whereby a more accurate assessment of exposure at the individual level can be performed. The BIOMYCO study is designed to assess human mycotoxin exposure using urinary biomarkers of exposure. Over the different seasons of 2013 and 2014, morning urine is gathered in a representative part of the Belgian population according to a designed study protocol, whereby 140 children (3–12 years old) and 278 adults (19–65 years old) are selected based on random cluster sampling stratified for sex, age and geographical areas. Every participant completes a food frequency questionnaire to assess the consumption of relevant foodstuffs (n = 43) of both the day before the urine collection and the previous month. Validated multi-toxin LC-MS/MS methods are used to analyse aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, trichothecenes, zearalenone and their metabolites in morning urine. The study protocol is approved by the ethical committee of the Ghent University Hospital. Within this paper, study design and methods are described. The BIOMYCO study is the first study whereby a multi-toxin approach is applied for mycotoxin exposure assessment in adults and children on a large scale. Moreover, it is the first study that will describe the exposure to an elaborated set of mycotoxins in the Belgian population. In first instance, descriptive analysis will be performed, describing the exposure to mycotoxins for the child and adult group. Exposure of different subgroups will be compared. Furthermore, correlations between the mycotoxin concentrations measured and the food consumption reported will be estimated to explore whether the mycotoxin exposure could be explained by the consumption of certain foods.

Food safety control by spectral electric characteristics

The results of experimental studies of hard cheese aqueous extracts within a wide frequency electromagnetic field have been considered in the paper. Spectral specifications of a complex reactive conductivity, depending on a liquid content, which is located in a conductivity cell, have been obtained. Separate spectral specifications for liquids, containing harmful food additives, namely, nitrates, have been discovered. The main objective of the research lies in developing a quick safety control of hard cheeses by electrical characteristics. The application of a simulation method for developing means of controlling concentrations of controlled substances in a multi-component liquid has been substantiated. The proposed method and means allow obtaining quick data on the content of E 225 food additive and its concentration in hard cheeses under non-laboratory conditions, without a cost equipment and a specially trained personnel. The research results can be used by experts in quality and food safety, at a customs control, when testing in certification laboratories and at enterprises when inspecting raw materials for food products. The offered control method makes improvements in the standard one, providing quick and reliable safety control of nitrate content in hard cheese.