Search Results (1,268)

The unique molecular fingerprint spectral characteristics in the terahertz (THz) band provide distinct advantages for non-destructive and rapid biomolecular detection. However, conventional THz metasurface biosensors still face significant challenges in achieving highly sensitive and precise detection. This study proposes a sensing platform based on quasi-bound states in the continuum (Quasi-BIC), which enhances molecular fingerprint recognition through resonance amplification. We designed a symmetric graphene double-split square ring metasurface structure. By modulating the Fermi level of graphene, this system generated continuously tunable Quasi-BIC resonance peaks across a broad THz spectral range, achieving precise spectral overlap with the characteristic absorption lines of lactose (1.19 THz and 1.37 THz) and tyrosine (0.958 THz). The results demonstrated a remarkable 763-fold enhancement in absorption peak intensity through envelope analysis for analytes with 0.1 μm thickness, compared to conventional bare substrate detection. This terahertz BIC metasurface sensor demonstrates high detection sensitivity, holding significant application value in fields such as biomedical diagnosis, food safety, and pharmaceutical testing. Full article

Irradiation with ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) represents a promising method for viral inactivation, but a detailed understanding of the wavelength-dependent action spectra remains limited, particularly across different viral components. In this study, we established standardized UV action spectra for infectivity reduction in pathogenic viruses using a system equipped with interchangeable LEDs at 13 different peak wavelengths (250–365 nm). The reduction in viral infectivity induced by UV-LED exposure was strongly related to viral genome damage, whereas no significant degradation of viral structural proteins was detected. Peak virucidal efficiency was observed at 267–270 nm across all tested viruses, representing a slight shift from the traditionally expected 260 nm nucleic acid absorption peak. Enveloped RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and coronavirus, exhibited greater UV sensitivity than nonenveloped viruses such as feline calicivirus and adenovirus. These observations indicate that structural characteristics, such as the presence of an envelope and genome organization, influence UV susceptibility. The wavelength-specific action spectra established in this study provide critical data for optimizing UV-LED disinfection systems to achieve efficient viral inactivation while minimizing energy consumption in healthcare, food safety, and environmental sanitation. Full article

Seafood processing byproducts (SB) such as bones and skin can be safely used as food ingredients to increase profitability for the seafood sector and provide nutritional value. An online survey of 716 US adult seafood consumers was conducted to explore SB trial intent, responsiveness to health and safety information, and associated elicited emotions (nine-point Likert scale). Consumers’ SB-elicited emotions were defined as those changing in reported intensity (from a baseline condition) after the delivery of SB-related information (dependent t-tests). As criteria for practical significance, a raw mean difference of >0.2 units was used, and Cohen’s d values were used to classify effect sizes as small, medium, or large. Differences in willingness-to-try, responsiveness to safety and health information, and SB-elicited emotions were found based on self-reported gender and race, with males and Hispanics expressing more openness to SB consumption. SB-elicited emotions were then used to model consumers’ willingness-to-try foods containing SB via logistic regression modeling. Traditional stepwise variable selection was compared to variable selection using raw mean difference > 0.2 units and Cohen’s d > 0.50 constraints for SB-elicited emotions. Resulting models indicated that extrinsic information considered at the point of decision-making determined which emotions were relevant to the response. These new approaches yielded models with increased Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) values (lower values indicate better model fit) but could provide simpler and more practically meaningful models for understanding which emotions drive consumption decisions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of major public health concern due to its ability to invade host cells and cause severe illness. This study aimed to develop and validate a multi-tiered screening pipeline to identify Bacillus strains with probiotic potential against L. monocytogenes. Methods: A total of 26 Bacillus isolates were screened for antimicrobial activity, gastrointestinal resilience, and host cell adhesion. A fluorescence-based infection assay using mCherry-expressing HCT 116 cells was used to assess cytoprotection against L. monocytogenes NCTC 7973. Eight strains significantly improved host cell viability and were validated by quantification of intracellular CFU. Two top candidates were tested in a murine model of listeriosis. The genome of the lead strain was sequenced to evaluate safety and biosynthetic potential. Results: B. subtilis CECT 8266 completely inhibited intracellular replication of L. monocytogenes in HCT 116 cells, reducing bacterial recovery to undetectable levels. In vivo, it decreased splenic bacterial burden by approximately 6-fold. Genomic analysis revealed eight bacteriocin biosynthetic clusters and silent antibiotic resistance genes within predicted genomic islands, as determined by CARD and Alien Hunter analysis. The strain also demonstrated bile and acid tolerance, as well as strong adhesion to epithelial cells. Conclusions: The proposed pipeline enables efficient identification of probiotic Bacillus strains with intracellular protective activity. B. subtilis CECT 8266 is a promising candidate for translational applications in food safety or health due to its efficacy, resilience, and safety profile. Full article

Electrochemical biosensors are revolutionizing food testing by addressing critical limitations of conventional strategies that suffer from cost, complexity, and field-deployment challenges. Emerging fluorescence and Raman techniques, while promising, face intrinsic drawbacks like photobleaching and matrix interference in opaque or heterogeneous samples. In contrast, electrochemical biosensors leverage electrical signals to bypass optical constraints, enabling rapid, cost-effective, and pretreatment-free analysis of turbid food matrices. This review highlights their operational mechanisms, emphasizing nano-enhanced signal amplification (e.g., Au nanoparticles and graphene) and biorecognition elements (antibodies, aptamers, and molecularly imprinted polymers) for ultrasensitive assay of contaminants, additives, and adulterants. By integrating portability, scalability, and real-time capabilities, electrochemical biosensors align with global food safety regulations and sustainability goals. Challenges in standardization, multiplexed analysis, and long-term stability are discussed, alongside future directions toward AI-driven analytics, biodegradable sensors, and blockchain-enabled traceability, ultimately fostering precision-driven, next-generation food safety and quality testing. Full article

In recent years, the persistent emergence of novel infectious pathogens (epitomized by the global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) has propelled nucleic acid testing (NAT) into an unprecedented phase of rapid development. As a key technology in modern molecular diagnostics, NAT achieves precise pathogen identification through specific nucleic acid sequence recognition, establishing itself as an indispensable diagnostic tool across diverse scenarios, including public health surveillance, clinical decision-making, and food safety control. The reliability of NAT systems fundamentally depends on reference materials (RMs) that authentically mimic the biological characteristics of natural viruses. This critical requirement reveals significant limitations of current RMs in the NAT area: naked nucleic acids lack the structural authenticity of viral particles and exhibit restricted applicability due to stability deficiencies, while inactivated viruses have biosafety risks and inter-batch heterogeneity. Notably, pseudovirus has emerged as a novel RM that integrates non-replicative viral vectors with target nucleic acid sequences. Demonstrating superior performance in mimicking authentic viral structure, biosafety, and stability compared to conventional RMs, the pseudovirus has garnered substantial attention. In this comprehensive review, we critically summarize the engineering strategies of pseudovirus platforms and their emerging role in ensuring the reliability of NAT systems. We also discuss future prospects for standardized pseudovirus RMs, addressing key challenges in scalability, stability, and clinical validation, aiming to provide guidance for optimizing pseudovirus design and practical implementation, thereby facilitating the continuous improvement and innovation of NAT technologies. Full article

This study assessed microbiological contamination in street-sold meat products, focusing on Enterobacterales and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species and their antibiotic resistance. Chicken and mutton street foods like shawarma and brochettes were tested for bacterial load, species distribution. and resistance profiles. The results showed significant contamination, with Enterobacter cloacae (5.38 Log 10 CFU/g). Staphylococcus lentus and Staphylococcus xylosus were also common, reaching 6.23 Log 10 CFU/g in some samples. Contamination levels varied significantly by food type, with chicken shawarma showing the highest risk. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high multidrug resistance, particularly among E. cloacae and Staphylococcus species. Biofilm formation an indicator of resistance was observed mainly in staphylococci and enhanced under fed-batch culture. These findings highlight public health concerns tied to poor hygiene and undercooking in street food environments. The study emphasizes the need for improved hygiene practices, standardized cooking methods, and systematic food safety monitoring to reduce contamination and antibiotic resistance risks. Full article

With increasing popularity of food delivery services, the microbial safety of transported meals should be ensured. An effect of the type of a meal (cooked rice; mashed potatoes; mushroom sauce), inner primary packaging (sugarcane bagasse [SB] tray; polypropylene [PP] tray), secondary container (polyester/polyethylene foam/aluminum foil [PPA] bag; PP box) on the time interval of the internal hot ready-to-eat (RTE) meal temperature decrease to the value critical for Bacillus cereus growth (40 °C) was tested during a simulated delivery; in aliquot samples of the same meals, B. cereus growth was quantified presuming a natural contamination of the meals. Type of a meal had no effect on the tested time interval (p > 0.05). Packaging a meal in the PP tray as compared to the SB tray and inserting primary trays into the PP box instead of PPA bag delayed (p < 0.05) the internal meal temperature decrease by 50 and 15 min, respectively. Average B. cereus counts in the naturally contaminated meals after the four-hour culturing at 40 °C was 2.99 log CFU·g⁻¹. It was concluded that a hot RTE meal delivered up to four hours under the tested conditions is not likely to facilitate B. cereus growth above unacceptable levels. Full article

A novel polyester/graphene nanocomposite fiber was produced using the in situ polymerization protocol with carboxylated graphene and melt spinning technology. The resulting nanocomposite fibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The fibers containing 0.2 wt% graphene fraction showed an excellent dispersity of graphene nanosheets in polymeric matrix. DSC test showed that the efficient polymer-chain grafting depresses the crystallization of PET chains. This graphene-contained PET fabric exhibited attractive antibacterial properties that can be employed in fruit preservation to ensure food safety. Full article

The demand for unpasteurized fruit juices has grown due to their natural nutritional benefits, but this also increases the risk of foodborne illnesses. This study evaluated the transfer of three pathogens (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes) from different surfaces (cutting boards, knives, and gloves) to produce and subsequently across different juice batches. Cutting boards and gloves showed the highest pathogen transfer rates (ranging from 2.03 ± 4.36 to 70.69 ± 23.58% for cutting boards, and from 0.04 ± 0.05 to 70.61 ± 23.51% for gloves), while knives exhibited the lowest (from 1.27 ± 1.35 to 7.87 ± 5.33%), when surface-to-produce transference was evaluated. Among the tested produce, beetroot had the highest pathogen transfer for all the tested pathogens (for the cutting board, from 48.55 ± 21.66 to 70.69 ± 23.58%, for the knife from 7.17 ± 6.17 to 7.87 ± 5.33%, and for the gloves from 48.85 ± 21.66 to 70.61 ± 23.51%). Beetroot juice provided the most favorable conditions for bacterial transfer (δ = 0.53–0.56; k_max1 = 3.09–3.20), whereas strawberry juice led to the fastest microbial decrease (δ = 1.10–1.26; k_max1 = 2.08–2.28) throughout processed juices. Apple juice demonstrated intermediate bacterial decline rates (δ = 0.75–1.10; k_max1 = 2.20–2.61). These findings highlight the need for improved hygiene practices and contamination control in juice processing to minimize food safety risks associated with unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juices. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus frequently causes intramammary infections in dairy cows (bovine mastitis), which impair animal welfare, milk yield, and food safety. This study determined the prevalence and genetic diversity of S. aureus in bulk tank milk (BTM) samples from community-based Alpine dairy pastures in Tyrol, a major milk-producing region in Austria. Throughout the 2023 Alpine season (May–September), 60.3% (94/156) of BTM samples tested positive for S. aureus at least once over the course of up to four samplings. A total of 140 isolates collected from the 94 S. aureus-positive community-based Alpine dairy pastures revealed 33 distinct spa types, with t2953 (n = 33), t529 (n = 12), t267 (n = 11), and t024 (n = 10) being the most common. Selected isolates representing the different spa types were characterised by DNA microarray-based genotyping, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Isolates with spa types associated with bovine-adapted CC8 (CC8bov/GTB) were identified as the most common subtype, being detected in BTM samples from 35.3% (55/156) of the pastures. This emphasises the high prevalence of this subtype in dairy herds across European Alpine countries. Other common bovine-associated subtypes were also detected, including CC97, CC151, and CC479. While antimicrobial resistance was rare, enterotoxin-producing genes were detected in all CC8bov-associated spa types. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of rigorous hygiene practices in dairy farming, particularly in community-based Alpine dairy pastures, where the risk of transmission is particularly high. It also emphasises the need for continued surveillance and subtyping to improve animal health, ensure food safety, and promote sustainable milk production. Full article

The global obesity and metabolic syndrome epidemic have accelerated demand for reduced-sugar food, prompting the food industry to adopt functional sugar alcohols as sucrose substitutes. Threitol is a four-carbon sugar alcohol and an isomer of erythritol. However, there is a scarcity of studies reporting on the edible safety of threitol. This study assessed threitol’s toxicological and metabolic properties. Acute oral administration (10 g/kg) caused no mortality or abnormalities in mice. Repeated 28-day exposure revealed no behavioral or histopathological alterations, with negative outcomes in three genotoxicity tests. Metabolic studies in rats demonstrated that the majority of ingested threitol is excreted in the urine within 24 h. Sensory evaluation indicated threitol’s sweetness equivalence to sucrose, exceeding erythritol and allulose. Notably, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed gut microbiota modulation in threitol-fed mice, indicating potential intestinal health benefits. These integrated findings establish threitol’s preclinical safety and support its development as a novel low-calorie sweetener. Full article

Developing a new drug costs approximately one to three billion dollars and takes around ten years; however, this process has only a ten percent success rate. To address this issue, new technologies that combine artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing can be leveraged in the pharmaceutical industry. The RSA cryptographic algorithm, developed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman in 1977, is one of the most widely used public-key encryption schemes in modern digital security. Its security foundation lies in the computational difficulty of factoring the product of two large prime numbers, a problem considered intractable for classical computers when the key size is sufficiently large (e.g., 2048 bits or more). A future application of using a detailed structural model of a protein is that digital drug design can be used to predict potential drug candidates, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for time-consuming laboratory and animal testing. Knowing the molecular structure of a possible candidate drug can provide insights into how drugs interact with targets at an atomic level, at significantly lower expenditures, and with maximum effectiveness. AI and quantum computers can rapidly screen out potential new drug candidates, determine the toxicity level of a known drug, and eliminate drugs with high toxicity at the beginning of the drug development phase, thereby avoiding expensive laboratory and animal testing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies are increasingly supporting the use of in silico to in vitro/in vivo validation methods and assessments of drug safety and efficacy. Full article

Guaranteeing food safety in the European Union (EU) is a continuing issue affected by diverse national traditions, regulatory power, and consumer culture. Despite the presence of a harmonized regulatory context, there continues to be variability in performance among the 27 member states. This study gives an extensive comparative evaluation of EU food safety based on three indicators: Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) alerts, pesticide maximum-residue-limit (MRL) violation, and per capita food loss. Fuzzy TOPSIS, K-means clustering, and scenario-based sensitivity tests are used to give an extensive appraisal of the performance of member states. Alarming differences are quoted as findings of significance. The highest number of RASFF notifications (212) and percentage of pesticide MRL non-compliance (1.5%) were reported in 2022 by Bulgaria, whereas the lowest values were reported by Estonia and Lithuania—15–20 RASFF notifications and less than 0.6% MRL violation rates. A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.72, p < 0.001) between pesticide MRL violation and food safety warnings was confirmed in favor of pesticide regulation as the optimal predictor of food safety warnings. On the other hand, food loss did not significantly affect safety measures but indicated very high variation (from 76 kg/capita per year in Croatia to 142 kg/capita per year in Greece). These findings suggest that while food loss remains an environmental problem, pesticide control is more central to the protection of food safety. Targeted policy is what the research necessitates: intervention and stricter enforcement in low-income countries, and diffusion of best practice from successful states. The composite approach adds to EU food safety policy discourse through the combination of performance indicators and targeted regulatory emphasis. Full article

Chemical products, including cleaning agents, disinfectants, stain removers, and cosmetics, release harmful chemicals that pose a risk to human health and the environment, necessitating alternative sources. The objective of this research was to identify the most effective phytoextract from food production waste for use in sustainable aerosol hygiene technology as an electrostatic bio-disinfectant. The investigation was performed through wipe tests and airborne microbial collection techniques. The upgraded coffee silverskin phytoextract demonstrated superior disinfection potential for various surfaces and airborne microbes compared to the hot trub phytoextract, with an industrial disinfectant serving as the control. Log reduction analyses revealed a more significant killing efficacy (p ≤ 0.05, using the ANOVA test) against Gram-positive organisms (Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocytogenes) than against Gram-negative organisms (Escherichia coli and Vibrio parahaemolyticus), with the log reductions ranging from 3.08 to 5.56 and 3.72 to 5.81, respectively. Chemical characterization by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS, ¹H NMR, and FTIR showed that CGAs and chalcones are the most bioactive compounds in CSS and HT, respectively. The innovation in this work involves an integrated approach that combines waste-derived phytoextracts, advanced chemical profiling, and scalable aerosol disinfection. Furthermore, this research offers a greener, cost-effective, and industrially relevant alternative to synthetic chemical disinfectants. The interdisciplinary approach contributes to the development of bio-based disinfectants for use in the food industry, hospitals, and public health settings. This investigation supports a paradigm shift toward sustainable disinfection practices, thereby improving food and environmental safety. Full article