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Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in...
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Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2025 | Viewed by 5066

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiangfeng Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou university, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: agricultural pathogens; mycotoxins; biocontrol
Dr. Bo Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou university, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: food safety; rapid detection technology; animal-derived food; veterinary residues; foodborne pathogens

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food contaminants include biological and non-biological risk factors, such as foodborne pathogens, mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, veterinary drugs, and illegal additives, which pose serious threats to public health and food safety. Developing quick and sensitive detection methods to determine food contaminants is necessary. Instrumental techniques, such as liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC), LC–tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and GC–MS/MS, have been well-established for food analysis.  In addition, instrument analysis usually requires a combination of sample preparation methods, including solid-phase extraction, QuEChERS, and accelerated solvent extraction. Meanwhile, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and biosensors supplement the instruments, providing new methods for rapidly detecting food contaminants. Establishing a novel, quick, and sensitive detection method provides new technical support and theoretical basis for detecting food contaminants, which is significant in ensuring food safety. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to publish the latest research on the novel detection approaches of biological and non-biological risk factors in foods, which involve instrument methods, PCR, ELISA, and biosensors to detect food contaminants.  Additionally, reviews on different detection methods for food contaminants are welcomed.

Dr. Xiangfeng Zheng
Dr. Bo Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pesticides
  • veterinary drugs
  • mycotoxins
  • foodborne pathogens
  • illegal additives
  • instrumental analysis methods
  • biosensor
  • ELISA
  • PCR

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5619 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Fungal and Contamination of Ochratoxin A and Patulin in Foods Susceptible to Contamination in the Yangzhou Market, China
by Qinghua Gong, Zihan Zhang, Peiwen Huang, Bo Wang and Xiangfeng Zheng
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3205; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193205 - 9 Oct 2024
Viewed by 755
Abstract
The conducive conditions of warm and humid climates can facilitate mold proliferation and subsequent mycotoxin production during food processing and distribution, thereby posing a potential risk to consumer health. However, there exists a significant lack of research regarding the diversity of molds and [...] Read more.
The conducive conditions of warm and humid climates can facilitate mold proliferation and subsequent mycotoxin production during food processing and distribution, thereby posing a potential risk to consumer health. However, there exists a significant lack of research regarding the diversity of molds and the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) and patulin (PAT) in food products available in the Yangzhou market. This study was conducted to assess OTA contamination levels and fungal presence in 57 cereal-based food samples, as well as PAT contamination levels and fungal presence in 50 types of foods, including apples, hawthorn berries, pears, and their derivatives. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was detected in 17 out of 57 cereal-based food samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.93 to 32.69 μg/kg. The contamination rate was determined to be 31.48%, and no samples exceeded the established regulatory limits. Furthermore, seven apple products were identified as contaminated with patulin (PAT), exhibiting concentrations between 26.85 and 192.78 μg/kg. Additionally, three food samples derived from hawthorn showed PAT contamination levels ranging from 29.83 to 88.56 μg/kg. Through purification on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, observation of colony morphology, and analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, a total of 35 fungal strains belonging to 13 genera were identified in cereal-based foods. The predominant genera in cereals included Talaromyces, Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. Additionally, twelve fungal strains from five genera (Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aureobasidium, Curvularia, and Alternaria) were isolated and identified in fruits and their derivatives. The findings indicate that OTA and PAT toxins are one of the important risk factors that threaten consumer health. Furthermore, the contamination of some other toxigenic strains is also a matter of substantial concern, with potential implications for consumer health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in Foods)
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11 pages, 1794 KiB  
Communication
Rolling Circle Amplification-Enabled Ultrasensitive Point-of-Care Test Method for Aflatoxin B1 in the Environment and Food
by Hongyu Duan, Yuan Zhao, Xiaofeng Hu, Meijuan Liang, Xianglong Yang, Li Yu, Behrouz Tajdar Oranj, Valentin Romanovski, Peiwu Li and Zhaowei Zhang
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3188; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193188 - 7 Oct 2024
Viewed by 844
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination poses a fatal risk to human beings and urgently needs highly sensitive detection for environmental monitoring and food safety. However, the existing challenges are the unsatisfied sensitivity of the immunoassay methods and the complex matrix effect. Rolling circle amplification [...] Read more.
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination poses a fatal risk to human beings and urgently needs highly sensitive detection for environmental monitoring and food safety. However, the existing challenges are the unsatisfied sensitivity of the immunoassay methods and the complex matrix effect. Rolling circle amplification (RCA) is a promising method for nucleic acid isothermal amplification due to its high specificity and sensitivity. Herein, we constructed a general RCA-based point-of-care test method (RCA−POCT). With biotinylated antibodies, streptavidin, and biotinylated RCA primers, we realized the signal transduction and preliminary signal amplification. In this way, the fluorescent signal of the immunocomplex on the microwells was greatly enhanced. Under optimal conditions, we recorded sensitive detection limits for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) of 1.94, 16.3, and 37.7 fg/mL (femtogram per microliter), and wide linear ranges with 5 × 10−6 to 5, 5 × 10−5 to 5, and 5 × 10−5 to 5 ng/mL in the irrigation water, field soil, and peanut samples, respectively. Satisfactory recovery, specificity, repeatability, and reproducibility were observed. The RCA−POCT was validated by comparing it to the HPLC method. This work provides a general RCA-assisted detection method for AFB1 in the environment and food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in Foods)
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17 pages, 3936 KiB  
Article
Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry—A Rapid and Accurate Method for Detecting 10 Macrolide Residues in Aquatic Products
by Jinyu Chen, Guangming Mei, Xiaojun Zhang, Daoxiang Huang, Pengfei He and Dan Xu
Foods 2024, 13(6), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060866 - 13 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1717
Abstract
The amount of macrolide (MAL) residues in aquatic products, including oleandomycin (OLD), erythromycin (ERM), clarithromycin (CLA), azithromycin (AZI), kitasamycin (KIT), josamycin (JOS), spiramycin (SPI), tilmicosin (TIL), tylosin (TYL), and roxithromycin (ROX), was determined using solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). [...] Read more.
The amount of macrolide (MAL) residues in aquatic products, including oleandomycin (OLD), erythromycin (ERM), clarithromycin (CLA), azithromycin (AZI), kitasamycin (KIT), josamycin (JOS), spiramycin (SPI), tilmicosin (TIL), tylosin (TYL), and roxithromycin (ROX), was determined using solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The residues were extracted with 1% ammonia acetonitrile solution and purified by neutral alumina adsorption. Chromatographic separation was completed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase, and mass spectrometry detection was performed by multiple reaction monitoring scanning with the positive mode in an electrospray ion source (ESI+). Five isotopically labeled compounds were used as internal standards for quality control purposes. The findings indicated that across the mass concentration span of 1.0–100 μg/L, there was a strong linear correlation (R2 > 0.99) between the concentration and instrumental response for the 10 MALs. The limit of detection of UPLC-MS/MS was 0.25–0.50 μg/kg, and the limit of quantitation was 0.5–1.0 μg/kg. The added recovery of blank matrix samples at standard gradient levels (1.0, 5.0, and 50.0 μg/kg) was 83.1–116.6%, and the intra-day precision and inter-day precisions were 3.7 and 13.8%, respectively. The method is simple and fast, with high accuracy and good repeatability, in line with the requirements for accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of the residues for 10 MALs in aquatic products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in Foods)
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14 pages, 1445 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Analysis of Decoquinate Residues in Hen Eggs through Derivatization-Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry
by Yali Zhu, Lan Chen, Yawen Guo, Pengfei Gao, Shuyu Liu, Tao Zhang, Genxi Zhang and Kaizhou Xie
Foods 2024, 13(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010119 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1040
Abstract
A novel precolumn derivatization-gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method was developed to detect and confirm the presence of decoquinate residues in eggs (whole egg, albumen and yolk). Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid phase extraction (SPE) were used to extract and purify samples. [...] Read more.
A novel precolumn derivatization-gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method was developed to detect and confirm the presence of decoquinate residues in eggs (whole egg, albumen and yolk). Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid phase extraction (SPE) were used to extract and purify samples. The derivatization reagents were pyridine and acetic anhydride, and the derivatives were subjected to GC-MS/MS detection. After the experimental conditions were optimized, satisfactory sensitivity was obtained. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) for the decoquinate in eggs (whole egg, albumen and yolk) were 1.4–2.4 μg/kg and 2.1–4.9 μg/kg, respectively. At four spiked concentration levels, the average recoveries were 74.3–89.8%, the intraday RSDs ranged from 1.22% to 4.78%, and the inter-day RSDs ranged from 1.61% to 7.54%. The feasibility and practicality of the method were confirmed by testing egg samples from a local supermarket. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-biological Risk Factors in Foods)
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