Analysis and Detection of Spoilage Microorganisms and Their Toxins in Food

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 874

Special Issue Editors

College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
Interests: food microbiology and molecular microbiology; food safety; microbial ecology; fermentation

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Guest Editor
College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
Interests: microbial biofilms and aquatic systems; microbial response to natural and applied stress; antimicrobial resistance and animal agriculture; microbiology of engineered systems; fermentation to improve food functionality, value-added bioprocessing, antimicrobial films

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food spoilage caused by microorganisms and their associated toxins poses significant challenges to global food quality, safety, and shelf life. Spoilage microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, and molds, can lead to undesirable changes in food products, resulting in economic losses and potential health risks. Additionally, the microbial metabolites and toxins produced during spoilage can compromise consumer safety, even in the absence of pathogenic organisms.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative technologies focused on the detection, characterization, and analysis of spoilage microorganisms and their toxins in food. Topics of interest include the following aspects:

  • Mechanisms of microbial food spoilage in food matrices.
  • Molecular and metabolomic profiling of spoilage organisms.
  • Development of rapid and sensitive detection methods for spoilage organisms.
  • Methods for toxin detection and analysis.
  • Innovative strategies to control food spoilage and extend shelf life.
  • Quality and safety control strategies targeting spoilage-related issues.
  • Predictive models for shelf-life prediction.
  • Risk prediction of spoilage-related hazards.

We welcome original research articles and reviews on these topics.

Dr. Kaidi Wang
Prof. Dr. Darren R. Korber
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • spoilage microorganism detection
  • spoilage microorganism characterization
  • microbial toxin detection
  • microbial toxin analysis
  • detection and analysis methods
  • food quality control
  • food safety control
  • shelf-life prediction
  • risk prediction

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

30 pages, 13743 KB  
Article
Crosslinked-AuNPs@CD-MOF Incorporated into PLA-Zein Composite Film with Humidity-Responsive Antimicrobial Release for Agaricus bisporus Preservation
by Tahirou Sogore, Meimei Guo, Jin Huang, Xinyu Liao, Tian Ding and Mofei Shen
Foods 2026, 15(7), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15071164 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 572
Abstract
Foodborne pathogens cause hundreds of millions of illnesses annually, underscoring the urgent need for advanced antimicrobial food packaging materials. The objective of this study was to develop a crosslinked cyclodextrin metal–organic framework, loaded with gold nanoparticles (CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF) and integrated into a PLA-Zein composite [...] Read more.
Foodborne pathogens cause hundreds of millions of illnesses annually, underscoring the urgent need for advanced antimicrobial food packaging materials. The objective of this study was to develop a crosslinked cyclodextrin metal–organic framework, loaded with gold nanoparticles (CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF) and integrated into a PLA-Zein composite film with humidity-responsive antimicrobial release, as a sustainable and high-performance packaging solution to address the critical limitations of conventional materials in controlling microbial contamination during food storage. Therefore, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized via a green approach using CD-MOFs as stabilizers and p-coumaric acid as a natural reducing agent, then crosslinked with diphenyl carbonate (DPC) to produce CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF. Crosslinking conditions were optimized to a CD-MOF:DPC ratio of 1:1, 1080 min reaction time, and 80 °C, preserving the cubic morphology and crystalline structure while transforming burst release into sustained antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus over 7 days. Then, the incorporation of CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF into PLA-Zein films yielded a composite packaging material with favorable mechanical and barrier properties, including a water vapor transmission rate of 539.44 g/m2·24 h and an oxygen permeability of 235.90 cm3/m2·24 h·0.1 MPa. Progressive elimination of E. coli, S. aureus, and L. monocytogenes over 7 days was confirmed, with antimicrobial efficacy originating exclusively from the CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF component. Application on Agaricus bisporus over 12 days of refrigerated storage demonstrated superior preservation performance: mushrooms inoculated with L. monocytogenes and packaged with CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF/PLA-Zein exhibited a weight loss of only 6.20 ± 2.06%, compared to 17.74 ± 3.15% for PLA-Zein and 41.50 ± 3.01% for PE controls. Color stability was equally improved, with lightness values of 71.46 ± 1.47 retained under CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF/PLA-Zein packaging, versus 58.37 ± 0.86 for PLA-Zein and 23.34 ± 2.34 for PE. Mushrooms inoculated with E. coli and S. aureus followed consistent trends. These results establish CL-AuNPs@CD-MOF/PLA-Zein as a promising multifunctional antimicrobial packaging platform for sustainable food preservation. Full article
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