Human Food Safety Research Articles

Evaluation of African-Bred Maize Germplasm Lines for Resistance to Aflatoxin Accumulation

Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, contaminate maize grain and threaten human food and feed safety. Plant resistance is considered the best strategy for reducing aflatoxin accumulation. Six maize germplasm lines, TZAR101–TZAR106, were released by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture-Southern Regional Research Center (IITA-SRRC) maize breeding collaboration for use in African National Programs and U.S. maize breeding programs. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate aflatoxin reduction by these lines in a U.S. environment. As germplasm lines, resistance was demonstrated by the lines tested in 2010 and 2014 trials. In 2010, TZAR106 was among the lines with the lowest toxin accumulation, and in 2014, along with TZAR102, supported low aflatoxin. When evaluated as single cross hybrids in 2012, 2013 and 2014, several crosses involving IITA-SRRC lines accumulated low toxin. In 2012, TZAR103 × HBA1 was one of 4 lines with the lowest concentration of aflatoxin. In 2014, five IITA-SRRC hybrids were among the lowest with TZAR102 × Va35 and TZAR102 × LH132 being the two lowest. Results demonstrate significant aflatoxin reduction by IITA-SRRC lines in a U.S. aflatoxin-conducive environment (at Mississippi State University). Further testing in different locations and environments is needed to further evaluate the potential usefulness of these germplasm lines.

Defining and Assessing Analytical Performance Criteria for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy–Detecting Amyloid Seeding Assays

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are infectious, fatal neurodegenerative diseases that affect production animal health, and thus human food safety. Enhanced TSE detection methods mimic the conjectured basis for prion replication, invitro; biological matrices can be tested for prion activity via their ability to convert recombinant cellular prion protein (PrP) into amyloid fibrils; fluorescent spectra changes of amyloid-binding fluorophores in the reaction vessel detect fibril formation. Invitro PrP conversion techniques have high analytical sensitivity for prions, comparable with that of bioassays, yet no such protocol has gained regulatory approval for use in animal TSE surveillance programs. This study describes a timed invitro PrP conversion protocol with accurate, well-defined analytical criteria based on probability density and mass functions of TSE(+) and TSE(-) associated thioflavin T signal times, a new approach within this field. The prion detection model used is elk chronic wasting disease (CWD) in brain tissues. The protocol and analytical criteria proved as sensitive for elk CWD as two bioassay models, and upward of approximately 1.2 log10 more sensitive than the most sensitive TSE rapid test we assessed. Furthermore, we substantiate that timing invitro PrP conversion may be used to titrate TSEinfectivity, and, as a result, provide a comprehensive extrapolation of analytical sensitivity differences between bioassay, TSE rapid tests, and invitro PrP conversion for elk CWD.

Increased potential for wound activated production of Prostaglandin E2 and related toxic compounds in non-native populations of Gracilaria vermiculophylla

The capacity of the East Asian seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla (“Ogonori”) for production of prostaglandin E2 from arachidonic acid occasionally causes food poisoning after ingestion. During the last two decades the alga has been introduced to Europe and North America. Non-native populations have been shown to be generally less palatable to marine herbivores than native populations. We hypothesized that the difference in palatability among populations could be due to differences in the algal content of prostaglandins. We therefore compared the capacity for wound-activated production of prostaglandins and other eicosatetraenoid oxylipins among five native populations in East Asia and seven non-native populations in Europe and NW Mexico, using a targeted metabolomics approach. In two independent experiments non-native populations exhibited a significant tendency to produce more eicosatetraenoids than native populations after acclimation to identical conditions and subsequent artificial wounding. Fourteen out of 15 eicosatetraenoids that were detected in experiment I and all 19 eicosatetraenoids that were detected in experiment II reached higher mean concentrations in non-native than in native specimens. Wounding of non-native specimens resulted on average in 390% more 15-keto-PGE2, in 90% more PGE2, in 37% more PGA2 and in 96% more 7,8-di-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid than wounding of native specimens. Not only PGE2, but also PGA2 and dihydroxylated eicosatetraenoic acid are known to deter various biological enemies of G. vermiculophylla that cause tissue or cell wounding, and in the present study the latter two compounds also repelled the mesograzer Littorina brevicula. Non-native populations of G. vermiculophylla are thus more defended against herbivory than native populations. This increased capacity for activated chemical defense may have contributed to their invasion success and at the same time it poses an elevated risk for human food safety.

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food

The analysis of pesticide residues in food is nowadays an increasingly important task. Quality control has to be very strict in order to safeguard the consumers’ health. One of the most important goals of food quality assurance is testing food for residues and contaminants. Among chemical hazards, the contamination of food with pesticides has been characterized as a significant source of many serious diseases. Consumption of food containing pesticide residues may cause cancer, malformations, and damage to the endocrine, nervous, and immune system. In order to assure human food safety, The European Community has established maximum residue limits (MRL) of pesticides permitted in products of animal or vegetable origin that are intended for human consumption. In the EU, Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 of the European Parliament and Council on pesticide residues established the levels of pesticide residues allowed in food and feed. To ensure the compliance of marketed food commodities with the law on food safety, sensitive and reliable analytical methods for the determination of pesticide residues are required. Multiresidue liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods (LC-MS) are widely recognized as an ideal, highly specific, and extremely sensitive technique for testing food products. This review discusses LC-MS approaches applied most widely to pesticide residue analysis over the last few years. The main ionization methods and MS detectors used as analytical tools in quantification and/or identification/confirmation of pesticide residues in food are presented.

Research on the Food Safety Information Management System based on the Data Flow Technology

Food is the paramount necessity of the people. Food is the material foundation of human survival and food safety is the most basic insurance. Food safety crisis management mechanism of local government has an important significance on deepening the theoretical research of food safety crisis management perfecting the food safety management function and management mechanism. This study conducted a deep research on the food security issues from public management crisis management theory, institutional economics and other theories; and based on the food security crisis management it carried a research on mechanism in order to put forward feasible policies and suggestions on food safety problem for local government. The food safety information management system based on data flow technology is also constructed in this study.

Transfer of microcystin from freshwater lakes to Puget Sound, WA and toxin accumulation in marine mussels (Mytilus trossulus)

Many eutrophic inland freshwater lakes in the Puget Sound Washington region produce toxic cyanobacteria blooms annually. While such blooms in lakes tend to be viewed as a localized phenomenon, there is significant potential for downstream export of toxins to freshwater streams, and marine and brackish water environments. However, monitoring for cyanotoxins typically associated with freshwaters, such as the hepatotoxin, microcystin (MC) in marine receiving waters is rare. In 2013 we studied four eutrophic Puget Sound area lakes to assess both toxin transport to marine waters and its potential accumulation in marine shellfish, specifically mussels. Shellfish beds are extensive throughout Puget Sound, and recreational harvest occurs downstream of our study lakes, so a study goal was to also assess if shellfish consumption poses a human health risk for MC exposure. We confirm, for the first time, freshwater to marine transfer of MCs in Puget Sound with subsequent bioaccumulation of MC by mussels. ELISA analysis estimated maximum MC concentrations in source lakes of 2700μg/L, up to 0.34μg/L in marine waters and 6.5μg/kg in mussels. Confirmatory analyses by LC-MS/MS on water and mussel samples identified MC-LA as the major toxin. Although we found relatively low MC levels in mussels, our study implies that potential concern for human food safety is justified and warrants further investigation.

Transcriptomic changes during maize roots development responsive to Cadmium (Cd) pollution using comparative RNAseq-based approach

The heavy metal cadmium (Cd), acts as a widespread environmental contaminant, which has shown to adversely affect human health, food safety and ecosystem safety in recent years. However, research on how plant respond to various kinds of heavy metal stress is scarcely reported, especially for understanding of complex molecular regulatory mechanisms and elucidating the gene networks of plant respond to Cd stress. Here, transcriptomic changes during Mo17 and B73 seedlings development responsive to Cd pollution were investigated and comparative RNAseq-based approach in both genotypes were performed. 115 differential expression genes (DEGs) with significant alteration in expression were found co-modulated in both genotypes during the maize seedling development; of those, most of DGEs were found comprised of stress and defense responses proteins, transporters, as well as transcription factors, such as thaumatin-like protein, ZmOPR2 and ZmOPR5. More interestingly, genotype-specific transcriptional factors changes induced by Cd stress were found contributed to the regulatory mechanism of Cd sensitivity in both different genotypes. Moreover, 12 co-expression modules associated with specific biological processes or pathways (M1 to M12) were identified by consensus co-expression network. These results will expand our understanding of complex molecular mechanism of response and defense to Cd exposure in maize seedling roots.

In vitro digestion of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analog (LHRHa) using simulated gastric conditions in assessing human food safety

Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analog (LHRHa, des Gly10, [D-Ala6] ethylamide) is routinely applied for induced spawning of fish. Simulated gastric acid and pepsin were used to mimic human digestion in vitro to determine the stability of LHRHa upon possible ingestion. In vitro cleavage of LHRHa was quantified using UPLC–MS, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. LHRHa was broken down mainly into two fragments from Glp-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-D-Ala-Leu-Arg-Pro-NHEt (LHRHa) to Trp-Ser-Tyr-D-Ala-Leu-Arg-Pro-NHEt (fragment 1) and Ser-Tyr-D-Ala-Leu-Arg-Pro-NHEt (fragment 2). By 24h of incubation, LHRHa was completely digested or barely detectable if the starting material was at 250ng/μl. If the starting concentration was at 5ng/μl, LHRHa was completely digested by 5h of incubation, or earlier. In both extreme scenarios, the results indicated that LHRHa would be digested completely in the human stomach and would pose no risk in human food consumption. This study supports the assertion that LHRHa used as a spawning aid would not pose a human food safety risk.

Low-cost bioanalysis on paper-based and its hybrid microfluidic platforms

Low-cost assays have broad applications ranging from human health diagnostics and food safety inspection to environmental analysis. Hence, low-cost assays are especially attractive for rural areas and developing countries, where financial resources are limited. Recently, paper-based microfluidic devices have emerged as a low-cost platform which greatly accelerates the point of care (POC) analysis in low-resource settings. This paper reviews recent advances of low-cost bioanalysis on paper-based microfluidic platforms, including fully paper-based and paper hybrid microfluidic platforms. In this review paper, we first summarized the fabrication techniques of fully paper-based microfluidic platforms, followed with their applications in human health diagnostics and food safety analysis. Then we highlighted paper hybrid microfluidic platforms and their applications, because hybrid platforms could draw benefits from multiple device substrates. Finally, we discussed the current limitations and perspective trends of paper-based microfluidic platforms for low-cost assays.

Outer membrane proteomics of kanamycin-resistant Escherichia coli identified MipA as a novel antibiotic resistance-related protein.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a great threat to human health and food safety and there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms of resistance for combating these bacteria. In the current study, comparative proteomic methodologies were applied to identify Escherichia coli K-12 outer membrane (OM) proteins related to kanamycin resistance. Mass spectrometry and western blotting results revealed that OM proteins TolC, Tsx and OstA were up-regulated, whereas MipA, OmpA, FadL and OmpW were down-regulated in kanamycin-resistant E. coli K-12 strain. Genetic deletion of tolC (ΔtolC-Km) led to a 2-fold decrease in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of kanamycin and deletion of mipA (ΔmipA-Km) resulted in a 4-fold increase in the MIC of kanamycin. Changes in the MICs for genetically modified strains could be completely recovered by gene complementation. Compared with the wild-type strain, the survival capability of ΔompA-Km was significantly increased and that of Δtsx-Km was significantly decreased. We further evaluated the role and expression of MipA in response to four other antibiotics including nalidixic acid, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and aureomycin, which suggested that MipA was a novel OM protein related to antibiotic resistance.

Human food safety and environmental hazards associated with the use of methyltestosterone and other steroids in production of all-male tilapia.

In recent years, all-male cultures of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) have been the most preferred mode of production in aquaculture industry. All-male individuals achieve higher somatic growth rate and shut high energy losses associated with gonadal development and reproduction. The economic advantages of culturing all-male tilapia have led to the development of procedures for producing unisex cultures, using 17α-methyltestosterone (MT). Despite widespread use of the MT in tilapia farming, the implications of hormone treatment in relation to human health and the environment have raised a number of concerns in the scientific community. In this review, the hormonal application processes, economic and ecological significance of MT, food safety and residual MT, comparative uses of steroids in aquaculture, animal husbandry, and medicine have been briefly reviewed for regulatory guidelines, and finally, future research perspectives have been addressed. The review can be used as policy-making guidelines in aquaculture framework development as can be emphasized in African continent, among others. The most important conclusion to draw is that the quantity of MT used in conventional practice is large compared to the actual dose required for sex reversal, fish produced are safe for human consumptions, and the environmental hazards should be further emphasized.

Construction and characterization of VL-VH tail-parallel genetically engineered antibodies against staphylococcal enterotoxins.

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by Staphylococcus aureus have increasingly given rise to human health and food safety. Genetically engineered small molecular antibody is a useful tool in immuno-detection and treatment for clinical illness caused by SEs. In this study, we constructed the V(L)-V(H) tail-parallel genetically engineered antibody against SEs by using the repertoire of rearranged germ-line immunoglobulin variable region genes. Total RNA were extracted from six hybridoma cell lines that stably express anti-SEs antibodies. The variable region genes of light chain (V(L)) and heavy chain (V(H)) were cloned by reverse transcription PCR, and their classical murine antibody structure and functional V(D)J gene rearrangement were analyzed. To construct the eukaryotic V(H)-V(L) tail-parallel co-expression vectors based on the "5'-V(H)-ivs-IRES-V(L)-3'" mode, the ivs-IRES fragment and V(L) genes were spliced by two-step overlap extension PCR, and then, the recombined gene fragment and V(H) genes were inserted into the pcDNA3.1(+) expression vector sequentially. And then the constructed eukaryotic expression clones termed as p2C2HILO and p5C12HILO were transfected into baby hamster kidney 21 cell line, respectively. Two clonal cell lines stably expressing V(L)-V(H) tail-parallel antibodies against SEs were obtained, and the antibodies that expressed intracytoplasma were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence assay, and flow cytometry. SEs can stimulate the expression of some chemokines and chemokine receptors in porcine IPEC-J2 cells; mRNA transcription level of four chemokines and chemokine receptors can be blocked by the recombinant SE antibody prepared in this study. Our results showed that it is possible to get functional V(L)-V(H) tail-parallel genetically engineered antibodies in same vector using eukaryotic expression system.

Sustainable, Safe and Secure Human Food Production through Circadian Probiotic Optimization of Rumen Fermentation: A Farsighted Realm

This editorial innovatively establishes circadian timing of rumen fermentation properties as a natural probiotic and modulator of nutrient efficiency and microbial-host health in food-producing ruminants. Inspired by nature, circadian availability of differently nutritious plants is a major driving factor in maintaining near-to-optimal rumen conditions and microbial health and integrity. Taking the advantage of this major probiotic alongside external probiotics will be a postmodern art towards improved ruminant sustainability and human food safety and security.

PESTICIDE RISKS OF SEAFOOD IN TURKEY

Turkey is a rich country in terms of seas and inland wa­ter sources. The aquatic ecosystems in Turkey are threatened by the agricultural activities and pesticide contamination. In parallel to the world, the use of pes­ticides began in the 1940s in Turkey. In the beginning of 1970’s some pesticides have prohibited by reason of their accumulation to environment and food chains, toxic effects on non-target organisms. Pesticides can easily be included to the food chain in the aquatic envi­ronment which causes many risks on human health and food safety. There are still not enough data on the con­centrations of pesticides in seafood and fish in Turkey.

Relationship between soil heavy metal contamination and soil food web health in vacant lots slated for urban agriculture in two post-industrial cities

Urban agriculture offers a means of obtaining healthy food while making use of vacant land in cities. However, soil contamination with heavy metals is a major concern for human health, food safety and soil food web health. In a previous study we reported on the human health risks of heavy metal contamination in soil in 43 vacant lots in two low-income neighborhoods, Hough and Weinland Park, located in two post-industrial cities, Cleveland and Columbus (Ohio, USA), respectively. In this study, we determined the relationship between heavy metal concentrations and the soil food web health using nematode community as a surrogate in the same lots. A general absence of higher trophic level omnivorous and predatory nematodes and an over-abundance of plant-parasitic nematodes indicated the disturbed nature of the urban soil food web. When compared to the USEPA’s Ecological Soil Screening levels (Eco SSLs) only Zn was established as a metal of concern for soil invertebrates which was also negatively associated with nematode Channel index in the multiple regression analysis. A combination of As, Cd, Cr, soil texture and organic matter were significant factors associated with nematode abundance and community indices in the regression analysis. Bacteria and fungus feeding nematodes in the Hough neighborhood were negatively correlated with As and positively with Cd and Cr; whereas plant parasitic nematodes were positively correlated with Cr, % silt and active carbon content, perhaps due to the influence of these heavy metals on the nematode food sources. In Weinland Park, neighborhood, channel index was negatively correlated to Cd and Zn concentration. Soil Pb and Zn concentrations that were elevated in these vacant lots beyond natural background concentrations did not show any significant associations with the nematode community; whereas the metals present within background concentration, i.e., As, Cd and Cr were correlated with the opportunistic bacteria and fungus feeding nematodes. Principal component analysis revealed different clustering of heavy metals, soil properties and nematode parameters in the two cities, indicating unique associations. Results showed that soil Cd and Cr concentrations were positively associated with the abundance of lower trophic level nematodes in both neighborhoods. Additionally, strong correlations between As, Cd, Cr, organic matter and soil texture influenced the nematode population densities and should be further explored.

Experimental and numerical studies on liquid wicking into filter papers for paper-based diagnostics

Paper-based diagnostics have shown promising potential applications in human disease surveillance and food safety analysis at the point-of-care (POC). The liquid wicking behavior in diagnostic fibrous paper plays an important role in development of paper-based diagnostics. In the current study, we performed experimental and numerical research on the liquid wicking height and mass with three width strips into filter paper. The effective porosity could be conveniently measured in the light of the linear correlation between wicking height and mass by the experimental system. A modified model with considering evaporation effect was proposed to predict wicking height and mass. The predicted wicking height and mass using the evaporation model was much closer to the experimental data compared with the model without evaporation. The wicking speed initially decreased significantly and then maintained at a constant value at lower level. The evaporation effect tends to reduce the wicking flow speed. More wicking mass could be obtained at larger strip width but the corresponding reagent loss became significant. The proposed model with evaporation paved a way to understanding the fundamental of fluid flow in diagnostic paper and was essential to provide meaningful and useful reference for the research and development of paper-based diagnostics devices.

Evaluation of ear rot (Fusarium verticillioides) resistance and fumonisin accumulation in Italian maize inbred lines

Mycotoxin contamination of maize ( Zea mays L.) grain is a global threat to the safety of both human food and animal feed. Hence, the development of maize genotypes with reduced mycotoxin accumulation in grain is of major importance. In order to find maize germplasm sources of resistance to Fusarium ear rot, 34 Italian and six public inbred lines were evaluated by means of artificial inoculation in field experiments during 2009 and 2010. Relationships between ear rot and fumonisin concentration in the ears were investigated. Primary ears were challenged with a mixture of two Fusarium verticillioides isolates from Northern Italy, through kernel inoculation, and ear rot severity was assessed.The average number of visibly infected kernels per ear, after inoculation, ranged from 2 to 68 in 2009 and from 0 to 120 in 2010. Fumonisin concentrations in the inoculated ears were greater than in the experimental controls for both years. Variability was found between the inbred lines: fumonisin accumulation ranged from 0.56 to 240.83 mg kg-1 in 2009 and from 1.09 to 190.60 mg kg-1 in 2010. In both years, six inbred lines showed high fumonisin content (≥100 mg kg-1), while the other genotypes were almost equally split into two groups, low (≤10 mg kg-1) and medium (from 11 to 100 mg kg-1) fumonisin content. The number of infected kernels after artificial inoculation correlated with fumonisin concentration both in 2009 (r = 0.94; P≤0.01) and 2010 (r = 0.67; P≤0.01). Additionally, the percentage of internally infected kernels correlated positively with fumonisin concentration (r = 0.37; P≤0.01) and with the number of infected kernels (r = 0.29; P≤0.05). This research has demonstrated that Italian maize germplasm is a valid source of resistance to Fusarium ear rot. Furthermore, there is a strong association of visible Fusarium symptoms with fumonisin concentration, suggesting that selection in maize for reduced visible moulds should reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination.

Amount and metal composition of midgut gland metallothionein in shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) after exposure to cadmium in the food

Accumulation of cadmium in aquatic invertebrates may compromise human food safety and anthropogenic additions of cadmium to coastal areas cause concern. Induction of crustacean metallothionein has been suggested as a useful biomarker for contamination of the aquatic environment with cadmium. We investigated how exposure to low concentrations of cadmium in the food affects the subcellular binding of cadmium with the shore crab Carcinus maenas as model organism. Approximately 80% of the assimilated cadmium was bound in the soluble fraction of the midgut gland and of this, 82% was found in the metallothionein fraction. Metallothionein synthesis was only induced at the highest exposure level. However, the number of cadmium atoms bound per molecule of metallothionein increased linearly with exposure, from approximately 0.18 in the control group to 1.4 in a group administered food containing 5.1μgCdg−1. We noted a marked interaction between the presence of copper and zinc in the midgut gland and the binding of cadmium. The usefulness of crustacean midgut gland metallothionein as a biomarker for cadmium exposure at modest levels was questioned since exposures at levels producing significant increases in the tissue contents of the metal did not result in elevated concentrations of metallothionein in the midgut gland.

Characterization and reactivity of broiler chicken sera to selected recombinant Campylobacter jejuni chemotactic proteins

Campylobacter jejuni, a Gram-negative rod bacterium, is the leading causative agent of human acute bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Consumption and handling of raw or undercooked poultry are regarded as a major source for human infection. Because bacterial chemotaxis guides microorganisms to colonization and invasion in the host cells, proteins involved in chemotactic processes can be novel targets for vaccine development. In this communication, we report amplification, cloning and expression of the C. jejuni chemotactic proteins in an Escherichia coli expression system. A total of 15 chemotactic protein genes were successfully expressed. These recombinant proteins were confirmed by nucleotide sequencing, SDS-PAGE analysis and immunoblot analysis of six-His and hemagglutinin tags. Twelve recombinant chemotactic proteins were further tested whether they were antigenic using sera from broiler chickens older than 4weeks. The immunoblot results show that each chicken serum reacted to a variety of the recombinant proteins, but all sera reacted to the Cjj0473 gene product (annotated as a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein), suggesting that anti-Campylobacter antibodies may be prevalent in the poultry population. These antibody screening results provide a rationale for further evaluation of the Cjj0473 protein as a potential vaccine for broilers to improve human food safety.

Determination of metronidazole residues in water, sediment and fish tissue samples

Metronidazole (MNZ) is an antibacterial and antiprotozoal drug used in veterinary and human medicine. Its continual entry into the environment and its biological properties may have significant, long-term effects on the stability of ecosystems because MNZ and its metabolites possess mutagenic, carcinogenic and toxic properties. For this reason, the application of MNZ in food-producing species is prohibited in the EU, the USA and other countries. To ensure human food safety and to protect the environment, robust and reliable screening and confirmatory tests capable of the low-level detection of MNZ residues are required. The development of methods for MNZ determination in biological and environmental samples is thus an important analytical task in environmental and food science. This work focuses on the evaluation of a method for determining MNZ in water, sediment and fish tissue samples using liquid chromatography – ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). MNZ was extracted from waters on Strata XC cartridges using solid phase extraction (SPE), and from sediments and fish tissues by solid–liquid extraction (sediment: 15mL 0.1M HCl (pH=0.6), 15min; fish tissue: 15mL 1% CH3COOH in ACN, 1min; drying: 5g MgSO4(anhyd.; 30s) with SPE purification of the extracts (from sediment: Strata XC cartridge; from fish tissue: Supelco NH2 cartridge). The optimal procedure that we developed was validated in order to confirm its reliability and sensitivity. Matrix effects (ME) were established. Absolute recoveries ranged from 89.3% to 97.2%, and the method detection limits were 3.4ngL−1 (water samples), 0.4ngg−1 (sediment samples) and 0.3ngg−1 (tissue samples). These methods were used to determine MNZ in surface waters, sediments and fish tissues from the Polish River Gościcina; MNZ was found in all these matrices. The highest concentrations in water, sediment and tissue were 136.2ngL−1, 12.0ngg−1 and 1.5ngg−1 respectively. The results confirmed that these methods are suitable for the simultaneous analysis of waters, sediments and fish tissues for the presence of MNZ.