Latest Research on the Degradation and Detection of Toxins and Contaminants in Food Matrics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 2717

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Interests: fruit; pesticides; fruit quality; agricultural science; postharvest; processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Interests: pesticide residue; food analysis; nanotechnology; heavy metal; risk assessment; environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Healthy food is required to sustain human life by providing essential nutrients and energy for growth and development. Therefore, food safety is a primary concern for developed and developing countries. Various food contaminants are the most important causes of food safety problems, such as pesticides and veterinary drug residues, heavy metal ions, foodborne pathogens, mycotoxins, food additives, etc., according to their sources. Moreover, the ingredients of edibles can undergo many physicochemical changes during preparation and storage, changing the original flavour, texture, taste, and nutritional value of food, but also affecting food safety, producing harmful metabolites, chemicals, and toxins. The production can be related to poor processing, inappropriate storage, and microbial spoilage. The main objective of this Special Issue is to gather studies regarding the detection, extraction, and risk assessment evaluation of harmful contaminants in raw and processed food.

Prof. Dr. Alberto Angioni
Dr. Francesco Corrias
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • food safety
  • food processing
  • analytical methods
  • mycotoxins
  • pesticides
  • heavy metals
  • emerging contaminants
  • degradation compounds
  • risk assessment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2773 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Determination of Six Acidic Pesticides, Including 2,4-DB and 2,4,5-T with No Established MRL in Korea Using LC-MS/MS and QuEChERS for the Safety of Imported Agricultural Products
by Joon-Kyung Oh, Jae-Hyeong Kim, Ga-Eul-Hae An and Hee-Ra Chang
Foods 2025, 14(5), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050904 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 752
Abstract
The use of pesticides is essential for the production of high-quality agricultural products. However, the repeated application of pesticides has led to the contamination of environments, such as the atmosphere, soil, and surface water, affecting ecosystems and leading to residues on crops, which [...] Read more.
The use of pesticides is essential for the production of high-quality agricultural products. However, the repeated application of pesticides has led to the contamination of environments, such as the atmosphere, soil, and surface water, affecting ecosystems and leading to residues on crops, which pose potential risks to human health. Accordingly, regulations regarding pesticide usage, application frequency, timing, and maximum residue limits have been established to manage residual pesticides. The Positive List System (PLS), with a default tolerance of 0.01 ppm, has been applied to both domestic and imported agricultural products for which no established maximum residue limits (MRLs) exist in Korea. This study developed a multi-residue analytical method for the simultaneous determination of six pesticides, including 2,4-DB and 2,4,5-T, for which no domestic MRLs have been established, as well as for 2,4-D, 4-CPA, Dicamba, and Dichlorprop, for the management of imported agricultural products. The target pesticides were extracted and purified using the QuEChERS method and quantified by LC-MS/MS. The analytical method was validated according to the CODEX (CAC/GL 40-1993) and the Guidelines of Standard Procedures of Test Methods for Foods and Other Substances established by the MFDS. Using the developed and validated analytical method, monitoring of imported agricultural products was conducted. Full article
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13 pages, 714 KiB  
Article
Multiresidue Methods Analysis to Detect Contamination of Selected Metals in Honey and Pesticides in Honey and Pollen
by Mattia Casula, Francesco Corrias, Alessandro Atzei, Massimo Milia, Nicola Arru, Alberto Satta, Ignazio Floris, Michelina Pusceddu and Alberto Angioni
Foods 2024, 13(24), 4099; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13244099 - 18 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Honey, a natural food with a rich history, is produced by honeybees and other species of bees from nectar, other plant fluids, and honeydew of sap-sucking insects. During foraging, these bees may be exposed to plant protection products (PPPs), metals, and metalloids, potentially [...] Read more.
Honey, a natural food with a rich history, is produced by honeybees and other species of bees from nectar, other plant fluids, and honeydew of sap-sucking insects. During foraging, these bees may be exposed to plant protection products (PPPs), metals, and metalloids, potentially leading to residues in honey and hive products that could have a negative impact on human safety. Recognizing the lack of an appropriate methodology for pesticide contamination of honey and other hive products, this research aims to support the need for studies on residues in pollen and bee products for human consumption to establish safe maximum residue levels (MRLs) for consumers. A UHPLC-MS/MS residues method and a modified QuEChERS extraction were applied to simultaneously determine 237 pesticide residues in honey and pollen. The study in North Sardinia analyzed honey and pollen samples from six areas for pesticide residues and verified 27 heavy metals and metalloid residues using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The data obtained showed residues at levels close to the LOQ of the method, cycloate in a few samples of pollen, and dichlorvos, zoxamide, cycloate, and chlorantraniliprole in honey samples. All samples showed the absence of heavy metal contamination. Overall, no risk to human health was identified. The results of this study confirm that honey and pollen may be a good bioindicator of environmental contamination of a wide area surrounding honeybee hives. Full article
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