Search Results (767)

Sheep- and goatpox are highly contagious, transboundary viral diseases caused by capripoxviruses (CaPV), severely impacting small ruminant production and resulting in significant economic losses. Our study aimed to analyze the spatiotemporal SGP distribution using the available genome sequence data and to evaluate the recombination occurrence. For this, the WAHIS, WOAH and FAO databases were utilized for the epidemiological analysis of SGP outbreaks. The cross-correlation was calculated to assess the impact of massive animal movements associated with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha on the SGP epizootic situation, and phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis, as well as a recombination analysis were performed. A total of 1629 SGP outbreaks were reported to WAHIS during 2010–2024, with the majority occurring in Mongolia, the Balkan countries, Russia and the Middle East. Over 60% of all SGP outbreaks were associated with croplands or grasslands, with the highest proportion corresponding to animal densities of 10–50 head/km². Statistically significant positive cross-correlation (p < 0.05) was identified between the month of the Eid al-Adha celebration and the number of SGP outbreaks in Russia, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Tajikistan, while in Greece and China no significant correlation was found. The inferred goat pox virus (GTPV) transmission pathways from China to Vietnam and from India to Bangladesh; for the sheeppox virus SPPV, the routes between Kazakhstan and Russia, Kazakhstan and India, as well as between Russia and China, had the strongest Bayes factor support. Intra-specific recombination events were not detected for the SSPV and GTPV datasets. However, inter-specific CaPV recombination analysis identified a single recombination event in GTPV. Therefore, the use of molecular epidemiological tools, along with the time-calibrated phylodynamic and phylogeographic analyses, has significant applications in the local and international surveillance of the occurrence of SGP outbreaks and for identification of potential recombination events. Full article

The aim of this study was to detect and characterize foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes circulating in cattle from Nigeria and to determine the genetic relationship with FMDV from previous studies in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was undertaken between 2017 and 2020, during which a total of 234 epithelial tissue samples were collected from reported outbreaks in nine states across Nigeria over a four-year period. Serotypes O/EA-3 and SAT2/VII were identified in samples from 2017 and 2018, serotypes A/Africa/G-IV and SAT2/VII in 2019, and all three serotypes including O/EA-3 and O/WA were identified in samples from 2020. This study identified the presence of three FMDV serotypes (O/EA-3 and O/WA, A/Africa/G-IV and SAT2/VII) circulating in Nigeria. The three serotypes detected in this study can be recommended for production of the appropriate vaccines to control FMDV in Nigeria. Full article

The processing of bee products has recently become more frequent due to the rapidly growing market and demand for healthy, natural, and functional food. Therefore, bee products, and above all honey, while maintaining the reputation of healthy and natural foods, become carriers of various additives. Their consumption without proper control, or not declaring their presence in the composition, may pose a significant hazard to human health and life. This study was based on data mining with the use of all accessible RASFF records. They were formatted to analyze all chemical hazards that have occurred in bee honey and have been noted by EU countries to support swift reaction by food safety authorities since 2014. Within 10 food categories presenting 13,295 records, 93 records applied to bee products, including 79 records that referred to honey, 65% (n = 51) of which related to chemical hazards. PDE-5 inhibitors, i.e., sildenafil and tadalafil, were identified 14 times during the last 6 years and were the second most numerous group of hazards in honey and honey-based products after VMPs. The periodically published results of market sample tests and the continuing trend of RASFF notifications of these compounds in honey and honey-based products may suggest an iceberg phenomenon that requires frequent and thorough inspections. Full article

Probiotics play an important role in maintaining human gastrointestinal health and immune function, driving a rapidly expanding global market for probiotic-fortified foods. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei is one of the most widely applied probiotic strains in functional foods and dairy formulations, with well-documented health-promoting properties. For probiotic foods, authenticity requires rigorous verification for efficacy and compliance, which depends on rapid strain-specific identification. However, conventional culture-based methods are time-consuming and cannot distinguish closely related Lacticaseibacillus species, while PCR-based assays require expensive thermal cyclers and trained personnel, barring deployment in resource-limited settings. Here, we report the development and validation of a MIRA-CRISPR/Cas12a fluorescence assay for rapid, species-specific, and highly sensitive on-site detection of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. This integrated workflow combines 8 min rapid crude DNA extraction, 30 min isothermal MIRA pre-amplification, and 20 min CRISPR/Cas12a signal amplification with naked-eye fluorescence readout under blue light excitation, and requires only miniaturized portable equipment. The assay achieved a reliable limit of detection of 100 CFU/mL in milk-matrix spiked samples, showing no cross-reactivity across 17 tested lactic acid bacteria strains. In a validation set of 48 food samples, our method demonstrated 100% concordance with the gold-standard species-specific qPCR assay. This field-deployable method is appropriate for on-site quality control in probiotic manufacturing, label compliance verification, and frontline market regulatory inspections. Full article

Background: Calcium formulations are important nutritional interventions for improving insufficient calcium intake and assisting in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. In vitro and in vivo performance may be influenced by dosage form, calcium source, and formulation composition. In this study, an integrated approach combining in vitro dissolution, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic evaluations was used to compare the comprehensive performance of nine calcium formulations and related functional components. Methods: The nine samples were coded as CS-1 to CS-9 according to a predefined order. Calcium release characteristics were determined under simulated gastrointestinal pH conditions using a flow-through cell system. Calcium concentrations in rat plasma, feces, and urine were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to evaluate calcium exposure, excretion, and retention. Meanwhile, the bone-protective effects of different calcium preparations were assessed in a retinoic acid-induced osteoporotic ICR mouse model, and the pharmacodynamic performance of calcium citrate and various bone-derived peptide preparations was investigated in a calcium-deficient female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat model. Results: CS-1 exhibited rapid and nearly complete calcium release in simulated gastric fluid and showed a relatively favorable dissolution profile under sequential gastrointestinal pH conditions. Calcium balance analysis indicated that calcium retention in rats was relatively higher after administration of CS-1. Animal experiments showed that different calcium sources and bone-derived peptide preparations improved bone-related parameters to varying degrees, among which CS-1 produced relatively consistent improvements in bone microarchitecture and biomechanical properties. As a functional component of the CS-1 formulation, salmon bone-derived ingredients showed activity in the comparative pharmacodynamic evaluation, suggesting that they may contribute to the overall bone-protective effect. Conclusions: Different calcium formulations showed distinct profiles in dissolution behavior, calcium retention, and bone-protective effects. Among the tested samples, CS-1 demonstrated relatively favorable overall performance, which may be related to its liquid dosage form and salmon bone-derived functional components. Full article

Limited access to quality seed constrains vegetable productivity and food security in Uganda, where informal seed systems remain central to farmers’ access to seed but are inadequately documented and largely unregulated. This study documented vegetable seed production and management practices, identified opportunities and constraints within informal seed systems, and examined the role of community seed banks in strengthening seed security. Using a mixed-method approach, quantitative surveys and key informant interviews were conducted with seed producers, seed traders, and community seed bank leaders across Uganda. Study respondents were predominantly men, with most respondents aged ≥35 years, despite women’s and youth’s primary role in vegetable production. Respondents reported key seed management constraints of seed storage pests, low-quality seeds, inconsistent market supply and price fluctuations, limited capital, and weak regulatory oversight. Seed treatment practices primarily consisted of sun-drying and plant-based pesticides, while seed quality assessment relied largely on experience and visual inspection, using cues such as seed color, size, and cleanliness, with limited use of standardized testing. Given that most vegetable growers obtain seeds through community-based seed channels, strengthening actors’ capacity to produce and supply high-quality seed is essential for sustaining vegetable production, improving farmer incomes, and enhancing food and nutrition security. Full article

The perforated backup plate of KARL KROYER MP 2C120 diaphragm pumps, used in the starch processing food industry, exhibits recurrent in-service fractures whose quantitative explanation and redesign solution have not been previously addressed in the literature. To solve this problem, an integrated analytical model is developed that combines, in a calibrable expression, small-magnitude spherical curvature, regular square-pattern perforation, and stepped peripheral clamping, calibrated against finite element numerical simulation and applied to the screening of eighteen geometrically feasible configurations. The chemical composition of the installed material was verified by portable optical emission spectrometry (PMI), identifying it as austenitic stainless steel AISI 301/1.4310 X10CrNi18-8, with nominal annealed yield strength ${\sigma }_y=195$ MPa according to EN 10088-2. The calibration quantifies an overestimation of $22.6\%$ for the simply supported edge model and an underestimation of $51.7\%$ for the clamped edge model; the dimensionless parameter ${\eta }_{\mathrm{BC}}=0.695$ describes the effective degradation of clamping due to the reduced stiffness of the perforated belt adjacent to the edge and supports the use of the simply supported model as a conservative screening bound. The currently installed configuration operates with a safety factor $F{S}_{\mathrm{op}}=0.89$ with respect to yield strength, quantitatively explaining the observed fractures. Within the standard manufacturable space, the configuration $d=5$ mm, $p=7.5$ mm ($\eta =0.333$) minimizes the maximum equivalent stress predicted by the conservative screening model; this selection corresponds to the configuration with the maximal ligament efficiency and is preserved under the single-point calibration, which acts as a single global positive scale factor. The screening is verified by a direct finite element campaign performed on the complete $d=5$ mm family (configurations 1, 2 and 3) with the experimentally verified material properties. The verification confirms the predicted ranking and the peripheral location of the critical region, but shows that the smooth cross-center field is essentially invariant across configurations ($187.3$, $195.0$ and $186.0$ MPa), so the linear-scaling estimate previously used to anchor absolute margins is not supported; the benefit of the redesign accrues at the governing hole-edge concentration, which decreases from $338.2$ to $261.5$ MPa ($22.7\%$ reduction) yet remains above the yield strength of the annealed material. Geometric modification alone is therefore insufficient, and industrial adoption requires combining configuration 3 with material substitution to a cold-worked hardened state (C700: $FS=1.91$ on the governing peak) or a duplex alloy ($FS=1.76$), together with periodic non-destructive inspection. The central contribution of this work is the parameter ${\eta }_{\mathrm{BC}}$ as a quantitative descriptor of effective clamping degradation and the proposal of an industrially feasible redesign, integrated with complementary mitigation strategies, for KARL KROYER MP 2C120 pumps and geometrically equivalent equipment. Full article

Rice-milling quality is conventionally inspected post-process, leaving operators unable to correct breakage as it occurs. We present and quantitatively validate a cloud-mediated closed-loop architecture that couples a YOLO26 machine-vision pipeline to Arduino-based actuator control on a laboratory rice mill. The image-acquisition node uploads frames to a cloud repository; an inference and analysis node retrieves them, runs YOLO26 detection with a hybrid post-process classifier to estimate the broken-rice fraction, and issues a command to an Arduino microcontroller that drives PWM-modulated motor and vibrator actuators. The detector achieved a mean Average Precision of 0.951 (peak precision 0.99, peak recall 0.98) on a held-out test set of 100 images. In a matched comparison against an open-loop baseline ($n=196,000$ kernels, broken fraction 21.04%), closed-loop operation ($n=114,000$ kernels) reduced the broken fraction to 6.19%, an absolute improvement of 14.85 percentage points (two-proportion z-test: $z=112.8$, $p<0.001$, 95% CI for the absolute reduction: 14.62–15.08 pp). Dynamic analysis identified a near-linear plant gain of 1.0–1.5% breakage per 1% PWM, providing the empirical basis for future formal PID and Model Predictive Control synthesis. The principal empirical contribution is a quantitative characterisation of the PWM-to-breakage transfer relationship of a rice-milling actuator under deep-learning-derived quality feedback, together with a matched open-loop/closed-loop demonstration that this feedback loop moves the laboratory prototype from non-compliant to Grade A-equivalent quality at constant throughput. The lab-scale prototype is not yet industrial; a roadmap to pilot-scale deployment is outlined. Full article

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major staple crop vulnerable to post-harvest deterioration caused by fungal infection and mycotoxin contamination. Visual defects such as discoloration, breakage, insect damage, and mold growth are commonly associated with reduced grain quality and increased contamination risk. This article presents a publicly available RGB image dataset of white maize kernels deposited in Harvard Dataverse for the development of computer vision models for automated grain quality assessment. The dataset contains 5143 high-resolution RGB images acquired using Samsung Galaxy A12 and Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone cameras under semi-controlled imaging conditions. Images contain either single or multiple kernels and were annotated at the instance level using the YOLO format, resulting in 13,533 labeled kernel instances. Annotations were assigned by experts experienced in mycotoxin-related grain quality inspection. Labels are based solely on visual surface characteristics and do not represent direct chemical measurements of aflatoxins, fumonisins, or other mycotoxins. The dataset provides a practical resource for developing and evaluating machine learning models for maize kernel defect detection, quality screening, and risk-oriented grain inspection applications. Full article

The development of reliable computer vision systems for poultry slaughterhouses requires robust segmentation methods capable of handling challenging industrial conditions. This study evaluated the structural behavior, computational performance, and consistency of three segmentation pipelines for broiler chicken carcass inspection: (i) an edge-based approach using Canny detection and morphological operations, (ii) a threshold-based method using global binarization and contour extraction, and (iii) a deep learning-based approach for automatic background removal implemented with the rembg library. A dataset of 587 RGB images acquired in commercial slaughterhouses was analyzed. Segmentation performance was assessed using Intersection over Union, Dice coefficient, Overlap Error, Structural Similarity Index, Edge Preservation Index, and Fisher Discriminant Ratio, complemented by qualitative analyses of discordance maps and Sobel edge visualizations. Results showed that overlap-based metrics alone were insufficient, as high IoU and Dice values often concealed important boundary differences. Classical methods exhibited lower computational cost and processing times compatible with real-time applications but presented limitations in contour stability. The deep learning-based approach generated more continuous and structurally coherent boundaries, although at higher computational cost. These findings demonstrate that segmentation methods produce distinct structural representations that can directly affect the reliability of artificial intelligence systems for poultry inspection. Full article

The genus Orthopestivirus, within the family Flaviviridae, includes important pathogens such as classical swine fever virus (CSFV), bovine viral diarrhea virus types 1 and 2 (BVDV-1 and BVDV-2), and border disease virus (BDV). Although Costa Rica is endemic for BVDV, it remains officially free of CSFV and BDV, highlighting the need for reliable molecular tools for pestivirus surveillance and differential diagnosis in swine populations. This study validated a conventional broad-range in-house RT-PCR assay targeting the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of pestiviruses, a genomic region that is highly conserved among members of the genus Orthopestivirus. A wide variety of PCR-based assays have been developed for pestivirus detection; however, many are designed specifically for the diagnosis of bovine pestiviruses, such as bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2, and HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV) in cattle. In contrast, the assay described in this study was standardized and validated to detect multiple pestivirus species, thereby providing a useful tool for surveillance and diagnostic applications across different host species. A total of 66 reference samples were analyzed to determine diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, while analytical sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and selectivity were also evaluated. Additionally, pestivirus surveillance was conducted from 2014 to 2025. The assay showed a limit of detection of 1.2 copies/µL for CSFV and 11.7 copies/µL for BVDV, with diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 98% and 100%, respectively. A total of 1072 surveillance samples were tested, including 11 bovine and 1061 porcine samples. Two porcine samples collected in 2015 were positive for pestivirus and clustered within the BVDV-2a group, representing the first molecular detection of BVDV-2a in pigs in Costa Rica. Circulation of BVDV-1b in cattle was also confirmed. The assay demonstrated satisfactory performance as a broad-range pestivirus surveillance tool and may support differential diagnosis in CSFV-free countries when combined with sequencing confirmation for pestivirus species identification. Full article

The consequences of foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in non-endemic countries are devastating. Early detection and confirmation of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) are critical for controlling outbreaks. Diagnostic sampling currently uses direct sampling of suspected animals, including swabs and/or vesicular fluid. In the event of an FMD outbreak, there is limited veterinary capacity to sample all animals in the control zones. Thus, environmental sampling methods (shoe booties, ropes, and environmental swabs) were assessed and compared to direct animal sampling for experimentally infected cattle and swine. Environmental sampling methods such as shoe booties were sufficient to identify FMDV by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and nanopore sequencing, similarly to oral swabs collected from animals. Furthermore, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based point-of-care test produced by ZiP Diagnostics was able to rapidly detect FMDV from clinical and environmental samples with Cq values of 30 or less. This study demonstrates a proof of concept that shoe booties can be used to detect FMDV in animal pens prior to the onset of clinical signs in animals. The use of shoe booties for surveillance sampling of non-clinical animals on multiple premises in a given zone would increase operational capacity and enable earlier detection for a faster response to FMD outbreaks. Full article

The entry of JD.com into the food delivery sector and the ensuing subsidy competition have resulted in irrational competition, merchant profit squeezes, and food safety risks in China. This study therefore investigates the collaborative governance mechanisms for food delivery platforms under involutionary competition driven by traffic contestation. A two-agent evolutionary game model between platforms and merchants is developed, and Q-learning simulations are conducted to capture dynamic learning behaviors. The analysis examines the effects of coupon face value, cost-sharing mechanisms, traffic incentives, and government incentive-penalty policies on the strategic choices of both agents. Key findings reveal that merchants are more sensitive than platforms to traffic incentives and government penalties. Traffic-dependent merchants and traffic-independent merchants exhibit significantly different responses to government interventions. The coupon face value demonstrates a threshold effect, where only a reasonable range encourages compliant behavior among both parties. Based on these results, a collaborative governance framework is proposed. For traffic-dependent merchants, the government should focus on regulating platform behaviors and supervising coupon value controls, while platforms should establish a reward-oriented, penalty-supported incentive mechanism. For traffic-independent merchants, the government should strengthen consumer-reporting penalty mechanisms and strictly control collusion risks between platforms and merchants. Platforms should increase inspection frequency and reinforce penalties to prevent, at the source, the decline in product quality and market disorder induced by involutionary competition. This study provides strategic insights for achieving collaborative governance of involutionary competition in platform economies under intense traffic contestation. Full article

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is of primary importance to the food industry, state inspection authorities and consumers alike due to the carcinogenic nature of this toxin and the respective health risk associated with its presence in dairy products. In the present work, 1197 raw cow milk samples were collected and analyzed for AFM1 in the Republic of Cyprus during a five-year period (2021–2025) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Health exposure assessment and risk characterization were also performed for the Cypriot population (men, women and children) regarding milk consumption through the calculation of Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Hazard Index (HI) and Margin of Exposure (MoE). Results showed that AFM1 in cow milk varied with season: 7.34 ± 8.59 ng/kg for winter, 6.86 ± 10.00 ng/kg for spring, 6.43 ± 7.44 ng/kg for summer and 5.36 ± 7.11 ng/kg for autumn. Among the analyzed years, 2022 and 2025 showed wider concentration ranges, with several samples presenting elevated AFM1 levels compared to the other years. Of the 1197 milk samples analyzed for AFM1 content, 633 were <LOD, 284 < LOQ, 278 at concentrations of 10–50 ng/kg, and only two samples exceeded the limit set by the EU (50 ng/kg). The average amount of AFM1 exposure EDI ranged between 0.026 ng/kg b.w./day for men and 0.061 ng/kg b.w./day for children. HI was <1, recording values of 0.130 for men, 0.155 for women and 0.305 for children. Finally, MoE recorded values > 10,000 (15,385 for men and 12,903 for women) and 6557 for children, indicating that the amount of AFM1 consumed through milk by children may comprise a considerable risk for this population group and consequently AFM1 contamination of milk demands its regular monitoring and evaluation of the respective risk involved. Full article

The rapid proliferation of genetically modified (GM) crops and the uncontrolled distribution of GM-based food and feed have become a growing global concern, posing new challenges for regulatory oversight and traceability. The traditional PCR detection method cannot simultaneously meet the needs of high-throughput, high-specificity and high-sensitivity detection of transgenic organisms. In this study, a multiplex fluorescence PCR-capillary electrophoresis platform was developed by labeling primers of endogenous and exogenous genes with different fluorescent groups. The system enabled the simultaneous detection of 27 GM-related genes and events in a single analytical workflow. The results demonstrated accurate identification of all seven GM maize events, with correct detection achieved for each individual strain. In addition, the method enabled precise discrimination of a mixed sample containing five GM maize varieties. The assay also achieved a detection sensitivity of 0.1% in gradient mixtures with different GM contents. Our platform integrates a larger number of targets into a single PCR reaction, thereby simplifying the detection workflow while maintaining high analytical performance. Furthermore, the combination of multicolor fluorescence labeling and capillary electrophoresis provides high-resolution fragment discrimination and robust multiplex detection capability. This platform provides a novel and effective tool for rapid detection in food safety of transgenic crops and related areas, and can be applied in import/export inspection, quarantine, and biosafety surveillance. Full article