Food Safety and Health最新文献

Milk provides a balanced range of nutrients. Microbial fermentation of milk triggers the activation and release of functionally active peptides from milk proteins, thereby enhancing their therapeutic potential. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the functional properties of milk protein-derived bioactive peptides. For the analysis, milk samples were sourced from different cow breeds, namely, Desi cow (DC), American cow (AC), Sahiwal Cow (SC), and Holstein Friesian Cow (HFC). Milk samples were fermented using different combinations of Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains, resulted in bioactive peptide production exhibiting enhanced ACE inhibitory activity. Furthermore, it explores the impact of coculturing of these bacteria on various attributes, such as acidification, proteolysis, and antioxidant potential in fermented milk, assessed through DPPH, reducing power, and Fe²⁺ chelation assays. The findings indicated that DC milk sample fermented with a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum showed the highest ACE inhibition activity (89.90%), followed closely by the HFC milk sample fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici, which showed 88.82% activity. Hence, this study demonstrates that the cow milk fermented by probiotics strains can be served as a valuable source for the production of bioactive peptides with ACE inhibitory and antioxidative properties.

OTC medicines frequently incorporate species with “food-medicine homology”, navigating regulatory gray areas, particularly concerning fungal pathogens and adulterated bioactive components that pose health risks to consumers. This research employed a hybrid approach combining shotgun metabarcoding with conventional methods (microscopic identification, thin-layer chromatography [TLC] and high-performance liquid chromatography [HPLC]) to authenticate ingredients and assess fungal contamination in Yangyin Qingfei Wan (YYQFW). Analysis encompassed two mock samples and 19 commercial YYQFW samples. Conventional methods confirmed adherence to Chinese Pharmacopeia standards: microscopic analysis identified essential tissue structures, TLC detected key compounds (paeonol, paeoniflorin), and HPLC quantified paeonol content (6.2–9.1 mg/pill), surpassing the standard (5.8 mg/pill). Shotgun metabarcoding retrieved sequences from four DNA barcoding regions (ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK, and rbcL), yielding 350, 58, 49, and 53 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), respectively. All labeled ingredients were authenticated via DNA barcodes matching reference databases. Importantly, ITS2 analysis identified 53 fungal OTUs (17 genera, predominantly Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Cladosporium), indicating potential mycotoxin presence. This research underscores the efficacy of integrating methods to ensure the reliability of OTC medications containing food-medicine homologous ingredients, which is crucial given their widespread clinical use. Furthermore, ITS2 emerges as the optimal barcode sequence in shotgun metabarcoding studies, verifying ingredient authenticity and detecting fungal contaminants effectively.

Black pigmented rice (BPR) is a significant source of volatile and functional molecules, including anthocyanin, a potent antioxidant. Extracting these compounds can be challenging. Studies specifically examining the recovery of anthocyanins from the “Chakhao poireton” strain of black rice have not been conducted. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of various green extraction methods, including microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-probe-assisted extraction (UPAE), and microwave ultrasonic bath-assisted extraction (MUBAE) in comparison to conventional solvent extraction (CSE). The experimental design was set up using the Box–Behnken design (BBD) system and statistically optimized the conditions by response surface methodology (RSM) for antioxidant activity (DPPH% inhibition), total phenolic content (TPC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC), respectively, relating to the highest recovery of anthocyanin. The ultrasound-probe-assisted extraction (UPAE) method proved to be the most effective one with recovery of TPC, DPPH% inhibition, and TAC was 1.96 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g, 75.66%, and 3.1393 mg Cyd 3-glu/g at the optimized parameters 10:1 mL/g solvent-sample ratio, 0.45 s⁻¹ cycle, and 15 min extraction time. The high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis of the extract demonstrated the presence of anthocyanin derivatives. These findings highlight UPAE as an effective green technology for recovering anthocyanins from BPR, offering a viable alternative to conventional methods.

This study aims to determine food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among adults in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional web-based study was conducted and the sample comprised 475 respondents from various regions of Malaysia. Overall, Malaysian adults exhibited good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Greater food safety knowledge was observed among males (β = 0.124, p = 0.003), individuals aged 30–49 years old (β = 0.125, p = 0.028), with PhD (β = 0.109, p = 0.016), white-collar workers (β = 0.265, p < 0.001), and unemployed/retired/housewife (β = 0.163, p = 0.003). Meanwhile, individuals aged > 50 years old (β = 0.120, p = 0.042) and those living in Eastern region of Malaysia (β = 0.110, p = 0.032) demonstrated greater food safety attitudes, whereas those aged 30–49 years old (β = 0.165, p = 0.007) and white-collar workers (β = 0.158, p = 0.028) exhibited greater food safety practices. The findings could be valuable for Malaysian policymakers and health authorities in planning more focused and effective interventions and food safety education programs during pandemics and health crises.

Sweet lime is one of the globally consumed fruits. However, besides the useful aspects of Citrus limetta, it generates substantial agro-industrial waste, often discarded without treatment, which can serve as a niche for microbial proliferation, including opportunistic pathogens. The present study isolated microflora from Citrus limetta waste, specifically juice, pulp, and peel samples collected from local markets in Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 48 bacterial strains were isolated. Among them, 18 morphologically distinct strains were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The isolated strains belonged to seven genera: Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Microbacterium, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Curtobacterium. The phenotypic and biochemical characterization indicated that most strains exhibited pathogenic potential. Antibiotic sensitivity testing indicated resistance to ampicillin in several strains and higher susceptibility to tetracycline and kanamycin. These findings provide critical insights into microbial contamination risks from citrus waste and highlight the importance of waste handling in the framework of the one-health concept, food safety, and environmental sustainability.

The Abruzzo region boasts a wide range of typical food products including cereals, legumes, and vegetables. In this context, they take part in the Mediterranean diet, a dietary model that has been shown to have a fundamental role in the prevention of chronic diseases and benefits for the consumer's health. This review aims to collect, describe, and identify cereals, legumes, and vegetables mostly consumed in the Abruzzo region (Italy) from 2020 till now, pointing attention to their biological effects and nutritional value. In this review, we collected the research works previously reported in literature from 2020 till now using common online research tools such as PubMed and Google Scholar by keywords and most cited papers, providing a general overview of the topic, the clinical trials, and the scientific studies conducted on the described typical food matrices of the Abruzzo region. Some of Abruzzo's nationally recognized traditional products appear on the list of traditional food products (PAT) and are also recognized as Slow Food Presidia. This international association supports producers who preserve gastronomic traditions and safeguard the biodiversity of ecological food production methods. Several studies indicate that the biologically active compounds and phytochemicals found in cereals, legumes, and vegetables commonly consumed in the Abruzzo region offer beneficial effects for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.

Wheat bran is a major byproduct of white flour milling and has been produced in large quantities around the world. It is a cheap and abundant source of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. In the current study, wheat bran was subjected to individual and combination treatments of enzyme and fermentation to improve its nutritional and physicochemical properties for the application of functional bread production. The results showed that the treatment of wheat bran with the combination of xylanase enzyme, Lactobacillus plantarum, and baker's yeast was the best treatment with higher nutritional value, phenolic content, and water-extractable arabinoxylans compared to the individual treatments. Moreover, the substitution of wheat flour with treated wheat bran (< 15%) improved the rheological properties of pan bread dough and increased the nutritional value, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and freshness of pan bread. The study concluded that solid-state fermentation (by L. plantarum and baker's yeast) combined with xylanase is an efficient technique to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of wheat bran for production of functional foods.

Blockchain technology can potentially transform the food industry by offering opportunities for increased transparency, traceability, and efficiency. This review article explores the opportunities and challenges of blockchain in the food industry, including food safety and traceability, supply chain management, food authentication and verification, and consumer engagement. Blockchain can improve food safety and traceability, allowing the real-time tracking of products and their ingredients from farms to forks. Blockchain can streamline supply chains, reduce waste, and improve efficiency. Blockchain can help verify the authenticity of food products and prevent counterfeiting and fraud. Blockchain can provide consumers with real-time information about food products and encourage healthier choices. The adoption of blockchain technology in the food industry faces regulatory challenges, particularly in terms of food safety and labeling. Blockchain systems must address the security and privacy concerns of food industry stakeholders including consumers, farmers, and manufacturers. Blockchain technology holds significant potential for the food industry but presents significant challenges. This review article highlights the opportunities and challenges that blockchain presents in the food industry, areas where blockchain can have the greatest impact, and areas where further research and development are needed.

Iodine deficiency (ID) represents one of the major worldwide health problems. ID is the result of insufficient dietary iodine intake. The main strategy for the correction of ID is the fortification of table salt with iodide/iodine. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a diet containing iodized foods enriched during industry processing with protected iodized salt (Presal). Twenty-one 21 healthy volunteers added to their alimentary habits a basket of iodine-enriched foodstuffs and iodine intake was assessed by measuring the urinary iodine excretion (UIE). The median UIE in the two baseline urine samples were 116 and 112 (μg/L), respectively, and increased to 249 and 246 (μg/L). Seven days after the discontinuation of iodized foods intake, UIE was 116 μg/L. In our voluntary subjects the addition to the daily alimentary habits of a basket of foodstuffs added with “stable” iodized salt (Presal) for 2 weeks determines a significant increase in urinary iodine excretion. This study provides an opportunity to increase iodine intake by introducing iodine fortification in industrial food processing. Stable iodized salt (Presal) represents a good way to introduce iodine with the normal diet without increasing the normal consumption of salt.

Food safety is a critical public health concern for preventing foodborne illnesses and ensuring consumer protection. Food safety hazards may present throughout the food supply chain, from farm to fork, posing significant health risks. This comprehensive review explored the prevalent food safety hazards in Bangladesh and highlighted the smart sensor technologies for hazard detection. By reviewing recent literature on food safety hazards in the Bangladeshi food web, this study discusses the potential consequences of these hazards and their detection methods. Finally, a critical evaluation of the existing food safety challenges in Bangladesh and smart sensor-based detection techniques are provided. Bacterial pathogens, agrochemical residues, toxic food preservatives, and adulteration are highly prevalent in the Bangladeshi food chain. The key food safety challenges of the country are the lack of public awareness, unhygienic practices in food handling and preparation, multiplicity of laws and lack of coordination among regulatory authorities, bureaucratic complexities, and lack of inadequate infrastructure and skilled human resources. Smart sensor-based detection offers a promising solution to the limitations of conventional food hazard determination techniques, providing rapid and accurate results with low cost, portability, and ease of operation, thereby significantly enhancing the country’s food safety scenario. This review may help policymakers, regulatory authorities, and academicians to better understand the existing challenges in the Bangladeshi food chain and to develop more effective strategies for mitigating risks, ensuring food safety, and enhancing public health.