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The study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional and sensory attributes of maize based complementary food fortified with pigeon pea and Moringa stenoptela leaves. Methods of laboratory analysis and required reagents to determine each proximate composition were of analytical grade. A total of five food samples (FS1, FS2, FS3, FS4 and FS5) were formulated. The formulated five food products were evaluated for proximate composition to determine the nutritional value by using standard methods. The sensory evaluation of the prepared food sample were determined by 30 untrained breast feeding farmers from the study area. The nutritional analysis result indicated that crude protein, crude fat, moisture content, ash content, crude fiber and total carbohydrate of maize+moringa+pigeon pea fortified complementary food were ranged between 8.48-16.32%, 4.56-4.79%,4.60-4.79%, 5.5-7.8%, 1.32-2.60%, 67.21-76.38% respectively and increased significantly (p≤0.05) with the increasing amount of pigeon pea and moringa. But moisture and total carbohydrate contents decreased significantly (p≤0.05) when compared with common complementary food that was purely maize based. The sensory evaluation results indicated that appearance, taste, texture, odor and over all acceptance of semi-solid complementary food were ranged between 2.7-4.7, 2.4-4.9, 3.2-4.9, 2.6-4.7 and 1.8-4.8 respectively. The significant (p≤0.05) difference for sensory evaluation was attained for maize alone (FS1) and food sample with 10% moringa fortified with 5% pigeon pea and 85% maize (FS2), 15% moringa fortified with 10% pigeon pea and 75% maize (FS3), 20% moringa fortified with 15% pigeon pea and 65% maize(FS4) attained at p≤0.05. In conclusion, increasing moringa and reducing maize during complementary food preparation increased almost all nutrients except its moisture content. However, sensory acceptability of the sample decreased due to lack of familiarization and awareness of the evaluators in the study area.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and for lining metal cans, used in canned foods. BPA is a well-known endocrine disrupting chemical, it therefore, is very hazardous to human health. BPA levels were determined in three brands of canned tomatoes (Gino, Super Mama, Derica) as sold in Nigerian markets. The samples were analyzed using solvent extraction, separation and quantitation by gas chromatography- mass spectrometric method. The recovery value for BPA in the method was 89% with the relative standard deviations of 3%.The BPA concentration in the samples ranged from 0.124 to 0.141 (), which are higher than the European Food Safety Authority Specific Migration Limit (SML) of 0.05 mg/kg in food sample. The samples analyzed in this work may be, therefore, of a potential health concern to the consumers.

The complexity of food materials owing to the diverse matrices and biochemical composition poses challenge to microbiologists especially to identify the microbial contamination at low level. The present study describes the development and evaluation of a ready to use self-contained food sample homogenization bag (All-In-Bag) with the required sterile diluent and an in-built filter for subsequent clarification of the homogenate for microbiological analysis. Three-ply non-foil laminate comprising outer alumina oxide coated polyester film, middle nylon and inner polypropylene layers were used for the outer layers while non-woven polypropylene sheet with of 50 μ to 100 μ size porosity was sandwiched between the laminated sheets to restrain the food debris but allow the microbial cells to pass through across along with the diluent. The homogenization bag along with the diluent was sterilized by thermal (retort) processing with F0 value (lethality value) of 12 to ensure the sterility of diluent during storage. The effectiveness of the All-in-Bag for the homogenisation of different food sample matrices for microbiological analysis was compared with BagPage®+ bag. All-in-Bag withstood the shearing action during sample paddling in the bag mixer/stomacher and no significant difference was observed for both aerobic plate count. Spike and recovery of E. coli from the different food matrices indicating absence of interference for microbial recovery in newly developed All-in-Bag. The All-in-Bag, the first of its kind with 12 months shelf life does away with the requirement of sterile diluent preparation and additional steps for the clarification of the homogenate and thus making microbial food quality analysis easier in places with limited resources.

Escherichia coli serotype O157: H7 and Shigella dysenteriae type 1 as the Shiga toxin‐producing bacteria cause some acute gastrointestinal and extraintestinal diseases such as hemorrhagic uremic syndrome and bloody diarrhea in human. Stx genes are the key virulence factors in these pathogens. The aim of this study was to develop HRMA assay to differentiate stx1A gene for detection of E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 and determine the prevalence of these pathogens in food samples using this method. PCR‐HRMA assay and gold standard methods have been carried out for identification of pathogens among 135 different food samples. We found HRMA method a sensitive and specific assay (100 and 100%, respectively) for differentiation of stx1A gene, consequently, detection of these pathogens in food samples. Also, the highest prevalence of E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 harboring stx1A gene was observed in raw milk and vegetable salad samples, respectively. HRMA as a rapid, inexpensive, sensitive and specific method is suggested to be used for differentiation of stx1A gene to detect E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 as the key pathogens for safety evaluation of food samples., In this paper, we developed high resolution melting curve analysis method to differentiate stx1A gene to detect Escherichia coli serotype O157: H7 and Shigella dysenteriae strains in food samples. We found this method specific and sensitive for detection of these pathogens in food samples. Also, we investigated the prevalence of these foodborne pathogens in food samples using this method. We observed the highest prevalence of E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 in raw milk and vegetable salad samples, respectively. We found this method appropriate for detection of these pathogens in naturally contaminated food samples.

Background The multiple health promoting effects associated with the consumption of dietary polyphenols have increased research interest in recent years to develop advanced and environmentally friendly analytical approaches for correctly identify and quantify these compounds in different foodstuffs. However, food samples are highly complex matrices, what hinders determination of these compounds, which additionally, are usually found in food at low concentration levels, therefore a preliminary sample preparation method which provides adequate isolation and enrichment of analytes, as well as effective clean-up from matrices interferences, is often required prior to further analysis. Scope and approach Current trends in sample preparation involves moving towards cheaper, cost-effective and more environmentally friendly procedures, by minimizing the number of steps and reducing the consumption of sample and organic solvents, replacing toxic solvents by non-toxic ones, and improving extraction efficiency and selectivity with the application of new advanced sorbents materials and micro-extraction techniques that overcome limitations of conventional sample preparation methods. Key findings and conclusions This review provides an overview of the most relevant achievements and improvements in sample preparation and extraction methodologies applied for the determination of dietary polyphenols in food products, regarding the preparation of novel silica-based sorbent materials and the development of new micro-extraction methodologies, giving some recent examples from the last five years. The review gives an updated overview that emphasizes the new developments achieved, providing a broad view of the current trends and the future perspectives in the analysis of dietary polyphenols and expanding knowledge related to food quality.

DNA from hair that has undergone retort pouch sterilization shows considerably more fragmentation. Assessing the extent of DNA fragmentation using a PCR assay could therefore be applied to infer the sterilization history of a contaminated food sample. Such assessments could make it possible to determine whether a food sample had been contaminated by hair during the production process. To determine the extent of retort pouch sterilization, primers specific for the detection of human DNA were designed to give an amplification product of approx 500 bp. Hair was subjected to retort sterilization as a model of contamination, and PCR was performed using the extracted DNA as a template and the primer set for determining retort pouch sterilization. The results showed that no DNA amplification occurred in retort pouch samples, whereas amplification was observed in samples that were unheated, heated in hot water, or heated in a microwave oven. The present method was thus able to specifically detect thermal decomposition of DNA from hair that had undergone retort sterilization, and will be useful for determining whether hair discovered in a retort pouch was responsible for contamination.

Chemometrics is a scientific discipline closely connected with statistics and mathematics. It has an important role in analytical chemistry. Modern analytical methods provide opportunity to collect large amounts of data for various samples. For handling analytical results different chemometric methods are employed, such as basic statistical methods for the determination of mean and median values, standard deviations, minimal and maximal values of measured parameters and their mutual correlation coefficients, the principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The objectives of chemometrics in analytical chemistry are focused on characterization and chemometrical classification of different samples. The quality of environmental samples such as water, sediment, soil, air samples etc. can be determined according to measured physical and chemical parameters, which represent the individual samples. Chemometric methods give information regarding measured parameters about similarity between sampling locations, sources of pollution, seasonal behavior and time trends. Monitoring of general pollution of environmental samples and following measuring parameters which are above permitted level given by legislation can be used for searching of pollution source and for planning prevention measures from pollution. Food samples can also be characterized by chemometrical methods. Chemometrics can be used for fast and efficient determination of food sample categories, such as edible oils, wines, fruits and fruit juices etc. Classification can also be performed according to the origin, source or season. From all these facts it is evident that the aim of chemometrics in analytical chemistry is high and extensive.

Rapid and accurate detection of pesticide and veterinary drug residues is a continuing challenge because of the complex matrix effects. Thus, appropriate sample pretreatment is a crucial step for the effective extraction of the analytes and removal of the interferences. Recently, the development of nanomaterial adsorbents has greatly promoted the innovation of food sample pretreatment approaches. Porous organic frameworks (POFs), including polymers of intrinsic microporosity, covalent organic frameworks, hyper crosslinked polymers, conjugated microporous polymers, and porous aromatic frameworks, have been widely utilized due to their tailorable skeletons and pores as well as fascinating features. This review summarizes the recent advances for POFs to be utilized in adsorption and sample preparation of pesticide and veterinary drug residues. In addition, future prospects and challenges are discussed, hoping to offer a reference for further study on POFs in sample pretreatment.

Sri Lanka’s largest mineral sand deposit occurs in Pulmoddai, and the surrounding area of the mineral sand deposit has been identified as a high natural background radiation area. The food crops grown in the area are used for human consumption. However, the long-term consumption of high radioactive foodstuff may cause health defects. The objective of the present study was to assess the radiological impact on individuals due to ingestion of foodstuffs grown in Pulmoddai area. Seasonal food crops growing in the area, including cereals, vegetables, nuts, fruits and yams were collected and used to prepare common meal plans consumed by the residents. Samples were analyzed with high-purity germanium gamma spectrometer for activity concentrations. Activity concentration of 40K was observed in higher amounts in every food sample. Trace amounts of 137Cs 232Th and 7Be were also identified. The total committed effective dosage to an adult from gamma-emitting radionuclides from cooked meals was 0.1482 mSv year−1, and raw foodstuff was 0.0667 mSv year−1, which are far below than the harmful levels declared by International Atomic Energy Agency. Results concluded that foodstuff and cooked meals consumed by the people who live in Pulmoddai, Sri Lanka, are radiologically safe.

In this work, we introduce our recent finding that the carbon fiber paper (CFP) treated by simple air annealing (OCFP) could be used for exceptionally high-performance electrochemical nitrite sensing. The air-annealing process endows the pristine CFP with higher defective edge/plane sites, more oxygen-containing functional groups, higher roughness, and improved wettability. The electrochemical studies show that the OCFP exhibits excellent sensing performance for nitrite, with an ultralow determination limit of 0.1 μM and a detection limit of 0.07 μM, an ultrawide linear determination range of 0.1-3838.5 μM, a fast current response of 1 s, and a high sensitivity of 930.4 μA mM

The contamination of foods with mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) is a serious concern, requiring in most cases tedious mitigation measures that span across the whole food supply chain. A major issue today is the significant variability of the results generated by laboratories. This study was therefore designed to achieve a deeper insight into the analytical procedures used by commercial laboratories, identifying possible gaps and suggesting improvements that will enhance the reliability of the MOH data, an important prerequisite for risk assessment. In total six different food matrices, i.e. infant formula (IF), cocoa butter, cocoa powder, biscuits, fruit-based baby food containing biscuit and roast and ground coffee were subjected to comparative inter-laboratory studies, as well as one vegetable oil analysed within the frame of a professionally conducted proficiency test. The results indicate that on some matrices with possibly low amounts of MOH contamination, the current methodologies cannot reliably conclude whether or not a food sample is indeed contaminated with mineral oils (

The study of Cannabis sativa (L.) is growing in importance due to the many medicinal and pharmacological benefits of the plant. These benefits are exhibited by its most abundant constituents, the cannabinoid and terpene molecules. Cannabis-based products can be found in many different shapes and forms, such as raw plant material and extracts, which can be consumed by themselves or prepared in different ways to make them more attractive for human consumption. Among the breadth of these products, the most challenging to analyze are edibles due to the complexity of the matrices, which vary among recipes and can potentially require a myriad of sample preparation and cleanup techniques before analysis. The consumption of edibles has rapidly increased due to increased availability, ease of use, and reduced adverse health effects relative to smoking. Even so, some authorities are moving to ban edibles because of the difficulty associated with their quality control. Different extraction techniques may be required based on the type of matrix and the possible related interferences present. Here, the most common techniques for food sample preparation are reviewed, with an eye towards their use for analysis of cannabis edibles.

Food being an excellent source of nutrients, serves as a favorite habitat for microorganisms. These microorganisms can be either beneficial or detrimental. They can bring about the spoilage of food or help in fermentation. Hence, in-depth study of the microbial ecology of food is necessary. This can be achieved by high-throughput and cost-effective next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods which can sequence the microbial nucleic acid isolated directly from the given food sample. These are culture-independent and hence even have the advantages of studying organisms which are otherwise undetectable using traditional culture-based methods. In this chapter, short descriptions of currently used NGS technologies are provided. Also discussed is how these techniques can be used to examine the microbial diversity of food. Applications and future perspectives of these high-throughput sequencing techniques in studying food microbiology are also presented.

An analytical strategy is a key element in a Food Fraud Mitigation Plan and should be designed to reduce the risk of food fraud by putting in place optimal analytical solutions. The most cost-effective strategy follows a stepwise approach starting from simple tests before moving on to more sophisticated analyses. Different analytical techniques are available for the detection of food fraud, and selecting the right one will depend on the product and the type of fraud. The most commonly used techniques are so-called targeted methods that are directly linked to specific authenticity markers. There is currently a move toward nontargeted methods, where an overall fingerprint of a food sample is used to detect food fraud with the added advantage of being able to detect unknown or unexpected risk. This new approach brings with it added challenges, such as the need to establish a representative reference database and the lack of guidelines for validating the methods.

In this chapter, different high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) methodologies applied in foods are discussed. Due to the complex structure of food matrices, the chapter is focused on those food categories, based on the Codex Alimentarius classification, where carbohydrates play an important technological or nutritional role. The chapter aims to inform readers about instrumental techniques and modifications of known HPLC and CE methods to improve the separation, quantification, and detection of sugars and their derivatives. In addition, it covers many applications to different types of foods and drinks to assist readers with a critical selection of HPLC and CE methods for analyzing carbohydrates based on the food sample and final purpose.

Electronic Nose is one of a number of technological models that can be harnessed to its full potential using Machine Learning. It has the ability to predict whether a specific food sample is rotten or not based on the gases released by the food sample. In this paper, we have discussed how we have been able to achieve accurate predictions with a specific food sample being spoilt or not by training the model on previously recorded data and testing it on unseen data using supervised classification models. By using a number of popular Machine Learning models like K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest ensemble and Logistic Regression to train and predict the results, we have been able to predict the best and accurate result which will provide a real-life solution to an age-old problem of detecting whether a food sample is rotten or not. In this work, Python is used as the software tool.

Chemical elements speciation analysis of food samples has been among the most important scientific topics over the last decades. Food samples are comprised of high variety of chemical compounds, from which many can interact with metals and metalloids, forming complex elemental species with various influence on the human body. It is particularly important not only to determine the amount of certain chemical element in food sample but also to identify the form in which given element occurs in given sample. Employment of bespoke and nontargeted speciation methods, with the use of liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC/ICP-MS) and complementary techniques, provides more complete picture on the metals and metalloids speciation in food. This review discusses issues concerning speciation analysis of metals and metalloids in food samples with the use of LC/ICP-MS as a leading technique in elemental speciation nowadays and a complimentary technique intended for their identification. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mass Spec Rev.

At present, the issue of food safety is gradually rising as the focus of people’s attention, and the comprehensive testing of food safety also has higher requirements. In recent years, food safety testing has achieved remarkable results, but there are still some problems of one kind or another. Food safety testing is closely related to people’s welfare, life and health. Therefore, food safety testing must be carried out comprehensively to ensure the safety level of food quality, so as to protect the vital interests of the people. This paper mainly evaluates and measures how to improve the accuracy of food safety samples, and studies through a parallel classification algorithm. In this paper, the accuracy of food testing is an important basis for increasing effective food supply and ensuring food quality and safety. By using Spark framework to analyze the market trend of food testing industry, it can provide a basis for expanding the market scale, clarifying the market competition pattern and developing testing technology. In this paper, synthetic sampling algorithm is also used to analyze the influencing factors and causes of the accuracy of food detection, and to propose strategies to improve the current food sample detection methods.

Foodborne diseases arise from Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) are global public health problems, influencing both developing and developed countries. Therefore, their rapid and accurate detection is of much concern in food safety and point-of-care diagnostics. In this study, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based lateral flow assay (LFA) for simultaneous detection of them was developed. Under optimal conditions, the proposed assay showed good linear responses in the ranges of 102–107 cfu/mL and 102–107 cfu/mL with limits of detection of 75 cfu/mL and 75 cfu/mL, respectively, for L. monocytogenes and S. typhimurium, respectively. The practicality of the LFA in real food sample (milk) was also validated. Overall, the proposed assay is promising and has a good chance to be employed for multiple pathogen detection in food products.

A recent European Regulation further restricted the use of bisphenol A in food-contact materials, reducing its limit of migration. However, all analytical systems of control are aimed at identifying and quantifying the molecules of this monomer without taking in consideration the possible presence of its oligomers, species originating from material degradation and able to follow an in-vivo hydrolysis providing bisphenol A generation. Thus, the presence of oligomers of polycarbonate deriving by unreacted species or polymer degradation can be considered a hidden source of several bisphenol A units, that remains outside the control of legislation and should be considered of high concern. This work was focused on the identification and the description of kinetics of release of different molecules migrating from polycarbonate food contact materials to simulants and to a model food sample such as melted chocolate. Analyses were performed by UHPLC system coupled to a Q-Exactive mass spectrometer. Targeted and untargeted analysis through data dependent acquisition mode allowed to detect the occurrence of several species deriving from polycarbonate, and permitted to investigate the polymer degradation pattern and explore the correlation of the recorded amounts of each product with age, hours of usage, and washing cycles of the plastic items.

The present report deals with specific colorimetric (naked-eye) and fluorometric sensing of HSO3− by a pair of chemodosimetric probes, namely L1 and L2. The D-π-A structure-based probes exhibited an outstanding HSO3−-dependent response with excellent selectivity and lower detection limit values. The probes were designed to verify the reactivity of exo-cyclic vs. non-exocyclic C C bonds towards reaction-based sensing. It was proven that only activated exo-cyclic C C double bonds were responsible for selective sensing. We also reported the utility of probe-coated paper-strip analysis with L1 for rapid detection of HSO3− in the experimental medium. Also, the ability to detect HSO3− in real food sample as well as in river water, lake water, and tap water were also checked by L1.

Pathogens, mycotoxins, or antibiotics may exist in a food sample. Micro- and macromolecular substances must be detected quickly. A rapid and convenient lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) integrated with competitive and sandwich models was developed to detect micro- and macromolecular substances. In this study, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were selected as the micro- and macromolecular substances, respectively. Two test lines in the LFI test strip were evaluated to detect AFM1 and E. coli O157:H7 by competitive and sandwich models. Results showed that the limits of detection for detecting AFM1 and E. coli O157:H7 were 50 pg·mL−1 and 1.58 × 104 cfu·mL−1, respectively. The whole assay time was 30 min. The recoveries of gold nanoparticle-LFI ranged from 78.0 to 111.6% with coefficients of variation in the range of 3.9 to 8.5% for the detection of AFM1. For the detection of E. coli O157:H7, the range of recoveries was from 70.1 to 89.6% with coefficients of variation ranging from 4.9 to 13.0%. This study not only tested sensitivity and specificity, but also was a systematic study of location of 2 test lines of the LFI test strip integrated with competitive and sandwich models.

We isolated and characterized two novel rV5-like lytic bacteriophages from independently collected food samples. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that these phages have linear double-stranded DNA genomes comprising 138,073 bp with 213 CDS and 5 tRNA genes. The two genomes contain completely identical nucleotide sequence, albeit there is a 10,718 bp-long shift in the sequence. The GC content of the phage genomes was 43.7% and they showed high general homology to rV5-like phages. The new phages were termed C203 and P206. The genome of both phages contains a unique ORF that encodes for a putative phage homing endonuclease. The phage produced clear plaques with a burst size of approx. 1000 viral particles and a latent period of 60 min. Morphological investigation indicated that the new phages are members of the family Myoviridae with an approximate head length of 85 nm, tail length of 75 nm, and a head width of 96 nm. C203 and P206 exhibit a broad and uniform host range, which included enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli strains of serogroup O157, multi drug resistant (MDR) E. coli strains of various sero- and pathotypes, and both Shigella sonnei and S. dysenteriae strains. C203 and P206 both effectively reduced the number of living EHEC O157:H7 Sakai in experimentally inoculated minced meat. The same broad host range, the lack of any virulence related genes, the stability and its short latent period suggest that these newly found phages could be suitable candidates as a bio-control agents against food-borne pathogenic Enterobacteria.

A new fluorescence labeling reagent 1-(4-(1 H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)-1 H-pyrrole-5-dione (PIPD) used for the sensitive determination of thiols in food samples has been successfully...

Amongst the various microorganisms found as contaminants in food and water samples, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most predominant bacteria observed. The presence of the various strains of E. coli, pathogenic or non-pathogenic, in either food or water samples serves as an indicator of faecal contamination and helps to determine the hygienic condition, potability and safety of a given water or food sample for consumption. Although several conventional microbial analytical methods and the more advanced biochemical and molecular biology based methods exist for detection of E. coli, these are laden with several limitations. Nanotechnology offers cheaper, more reliable, quicker and more sensitive detection platforms for screening and/or enumerating the load of E. coli in a given sample. The present review outlines in brief the conventional methods available for E. coli detection enlisting the drawbacks of the same. Against this background, nanotechnology-based sensing systems developed for detection and capturing of E. coli so far have been highlighted. The most commonly developed nanosensors employ gold or silver nanoparticles with magnetic nanobeads also being currently employed for sensor development. Further, the evolution of green nanoparticle technology and its application in E. coli sensing has been explored with various examples of carbon dots, graphitic carbon nitride, glycopolymers and rice husk ash being cited. Furthermore, the development of nanosensors for E. coli using bimetallic nanoparticles has also been reviewed. These nanobased sensors have proved to exhibit high sensitivities and low detection limits for E. coli. However, approaches to enhance the sensitivity to detection even further lower limits and provide nanosensors as multifunctionalized detection tools for multiple pathogenic strains are underway.

A food texture evaluation method using a magnetic food texture sensor is proposed for the visualization of food texture. The food texture sensor measures two time-series waves, one of force and one of vibration, during fracture of a food sample. Twenty profiles were extracted from the two waves. The evaluation method selected the profiles to use in the logistic model and determined the coefficients of the model based on the results of sensory tests. Laboratory experiments confirmed that the logistic model evaluated the food textures as radar charts. In addition, the model can potentially evaluate the food textures of unknown foods.

In this study, a paper-based microfluidic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed as a screening system for rapid detection of clenbuterol, which is illegally used as a growth promoter for food-producing animals. The microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) was combined with ELISA and the intrinsic properties of paper allowed the entrapment of antibody through cellulosic fibres, validating to be an alternative to 96-well ELISA microplate for food safety monitoring. Detection of clenbuterol in milk was achieved by measuring the intensity of colour change that was proportional to the analyte concentration with a detection limit of 0.2 ppb. The μPAD effectively reduces the cost, volume of reagents, and time required to run ELISA for food sample testing. usc Refereed/Peer-reviewed

In this study, an improved analytical method for the detection of the colorant Brown FK in foods using high-performance liquid chromatography was developed. The method, which employed an RC-C18 column and diode array detection at 254 nm with sodium acetate solution and methanol as mobile phases, exhibited good linearity (R2 = 1.0), and its limits of detection and quantification were determined to be 0.06 and 0.19 μg/mL, respectively. The precision was found to be 0-1.2% and the accuracy was between 86.5% and 94.8%. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was also performed to identify Brown FK in peaks. The pretreatment method was optimized for three different food sample groups, i.e., seafood, noodles and other, affording recoveries of 86.5-92.8%, 90.8-94.8% and 90.0-92.3%, respectively. In addition, inter-laboratory testing was also conducted to check the precision.

Background Food contaminants are a threat to agriculture, the food chain, and consequently human health. Traditional analytical methods for food safety usually have limitations in achieving quick on-site detection of contaminants in large food samples. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop sensitive, simple, and reproducible methods for the on-site detection of food contaminants. Aptamer-based biosensors have attracted increasing attention owing to their superior performance, simplicity, and sensitivity. Scope and approach Among aptamer-based biosensors, optical and electrochemical biosensors have been constructed for the detection of pesticides and veterinary drugs, such as acetamiprid, organophosphorus pesticides, and various antibiotics, which are together the cause of serious food pollution. Food sample preparation techniques pertaining to testing contaminants in food samples by using those aptasensors are briefly discussed. Additionally, the various nanomaterials and nanocomposites used in the sensing platform are described, to show the good effect of the currently employed means of generating and amplifying sensing signals to improve sensitivity and accuracy of detection. Key findings and conclusions This review provides an overview of the latest advances in the sensing principles of aptamer-based biosensors, such as fluorescent, colorimetric, and electrochemical measurement methods. Recently, using the subsistent aptamers with affinity for food contaminants, optical aptasensors play an important role in detection assays to achieve easier observation and operation with an inexpensive instrument, while electrochemical aptasensors have the advantage of being sensitive, accurate, and less time-consuming. These detection methods provide a meaningful reference for monitoring food safety. The advantages and challenges of aptamer-based biosensors for food contaminant detection are described.

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics as contaminants in the ecosystem has become a matter of environmental concern gaining considerable attention in the research community as well as public arena. Lack of efficient collection and improper management of plastic have resulted in the enormous amounts of plastic wastes landing into the marine systems with oceans being the ultimate sink. Due to non-biodegradability, these plastics break down into smaller fragments over a period of time leading to consumption by aquatic species, threatening marine life. In the recent years, a wide range of food products has also been contaminated with microplastics directly affecting human health. This review focuses on the separation and identification technologies for extraction and detection of microplastics in food and marine ecosystems. Efficient technologies like floatation, membrane separation, chemical treatment, enzymatic treatment, and other miscellaneous techniques have been discussed considering their merits and demerits. Additionally, identification technologies like optical detection, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermo-analytical methods, and hyperspectral imaging have been emphasized for the detection of microplastic particles. The emerging techniques like enzymatic digestion combined with hyperspectral imaging could be a possible way for obtaining higher separation efficiency and characterization with minimal harm to food sample. This article narrows the gap for choosing a standard separation technology for microplastic detection in food matrices keeping in mind the composition, particle size, shape, data visualization techniques and cost.

The paper presents a study of food freezing using hydrofluidisation method, characterised by very high heat transfer coefficients exceeding 2500 W · m−2 K−1, which constitutes a novel and promising technology. A numerical analysis of a system with a stationary group of food products was performed. This study aimed to investigate the geometrical parameters governing the freezing process, i.e., the position of food products above the orifices (from 50 mm to 70 mm), their mutual position, the diameter of orifices (3 mm or 5 mm), and the spacing of the orifices in an array (from 8 mm to 12 mm). In this method, the freezing time was from 3 min for 10 mm spherical food sample in moderate refrigerating medium temperatures up to 12 min for 30 mm spherical sample. Moreover, the freezing times at different liquid temperatures were compared in the range of −20 °C to −5 °C. Reducing the temperature by 5 K may lead to shortening the process by up to 50%. The hydrofluidisation method was assessed versus the immersion freezing for spherical products of different sizes showing the reduction of the process time from about 35% to over 60%.

Studies found that deep fried starchy foods may contain potential compound to increase cancer risk known as acrylamide. Identification of acrylamide health risk assessment in deep fried starchy food among students in Kolej Tun Syed Nasir, Kuala Lumpur was investigated. A survey was conducted to obtain data on types of deep fried starchy food preferred by the subjects, the food source, intake frequency and also the serving size. Acrylamide in the food sample was quantified using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Based on this study, the estimated acrylamide intake are 0.042 µg/kg/day for fries, 0.012 µg/kg/day for fried banana, 0.129 µg/kg/day for fried sweet potato and 6.101 µg/kg/day for the coated fried chicken, while the acrylamide level in anchovies’ fritter cannot be detected (N/A). Based on the hazard quotient (HQ) calculated, the intake of french fries, fried banana and fries sweet potato do not give a significant health risk (HQ < 1). However, for the coated fried chicken, the HQ value is more than 1 which could possibly cause a health risk. Based on individual excess lifetime cancer risk (IELCR) calculated, the deep fried starchy food intake cancer risk of coated fried chicken is higher (3x10 -2 ) compared to fried sweet potato (5.81x10 -4 ), french fries (1.89x10 -4 ) and anchovies fritter (5.4x10 -5 ). The students’ intake of coated fried chicken can give a significant health risk compare to other tested food, however in term of cancer risk, all of the tested food give a high number of probability of increased risk of cancer. DOI : http://dx.doi.org./10.17576/JSKM-2018-1602-14

The speedy analysis of food products remains a keen area of concern; thus, rapid, highly efficient and robust on-site detection platforms are essential. Globally, Escherichia coli O157:H7 is the most common organism associated with food borne illness. The present study focuses on the development of a rapid onsite E. coli O157:H7 detection platform. Accordingly, target specific ssDNA aptamers are generated using whole cell-SELEX, where the highly reactive aptamers (EcoR1 and EcoR2) with the lowest dissociation constants (Kd) are further biotin tagged (EcoR1) and fluorescent labelled (EcoR2). Subsequently, the biotin-labelled aptamers are immobilized onto silane-glutaraldehyde-functionalized glass slides, which act as capturing ligands, and the QD-labelled aptamers act as revealing probes. The detection limit of the platform is found to be 102 CFU mL−1 within 15 min, and no cross-reactivity towards other related pathogens is observed. The developed assay is further evaluated in complex food matrices to determine the presence of E. coli O157:H7, where the results are found to be consistent with those of the conventional methods with a recovery percentage ranging from 76% to 91%. In conclusion, the developed method is promising for application in real-time food sample monitoring.

This study aims to determine the yogurt drink spoilage profiles and its physico-chemical properties correlation as to investigate the coliform potability level upon exposure to an open air (unsealed condition). The commercially available three induced contamination of fruit (berry) flavoured yogurt drinks (labelled as A0 (original-flavoured Farm Fresh™), A1 (Farm Fresh™), A2 (Marigold™) and A3 (Nestle®)) were created to pre-run a spoilage indicator model system with regards to the colony formation unit (cfu) and its physico-chemical properties. Physio-chemical analysis (e.g., Brix, pH, colour and contact angle) and microbiological analysis were performed at 30 min intermittently for up to 4.5 h as soon as the food sample was unsealed (room environment condition: 27 ± 2 °C; relative humidity (RH): 73 ± 1%). The results showed the presence of yeast and fungus in yogurt drinks after all samples were opened and exposed to the environment. The total formation of yeast colonies and fungi of all three-yogurt berry drink brands on DRBC agar were inevitably high during the treatment (p

Some indices of food texture were not enough to reproduce the kinetic energy. Therefore, we developed a device and an index (Energy Texture Index, ETI) that enables one to measure the kinetic energy of vibration by the food fracture using a probe mass obtained by a free running. It enabled one to define another index (Food Friction Index, FFI) that was also proposed to measure a friction of probe against a food sample. The ETI and FFI were measured for apple, persimmon, and banana as examples. The ETI and FFI showed a characteristic difference between the three fruit samples. The FFI was found to be constant even if the insertion velocity into sample is changed. The ETI and FFI have possibilities to show a new facet of food texture.

Porcine adulteration of food is objectionable to a sizeable percentage of the global population owing to health concerns and/or religious faiths. However, unintentional or intentional porcine adulteration is common in the food industry - for which a strong demand prevails for a fast and sensitive method to detect and quantify porcine DNA in foods. In this study, we are reporting the development of a real-time qPCR assay based on the novel ZEN™ probe for the fast and sensitive detection of porcine DNA in real food samples. The assay's specificity to porcine DNA was confirmed against nine species. Standard curve was developed and sensitivity of the assay was tested with six ten-fold dilutions of the DNA standard. Our novel assay successfully detected as low as 1 pg/μl of porcine DNA and as low as 0.001% pork in the raw pork-chicken binary mixture.

An easy, rapid and sensitive method for the detection of meat species is important to identify adulteration or fraudulent substitution in raw meats with undeclared species. We report herein the development of an optical fibre genosensor able to detect low level of pork (Sus Scrofa) meat in mixtures of minced meat obtained by an optimized and faster DNA extraction protocol. Our approach uses highly specific and sensitive DNA capture and secondary probes designed out of the mitochondrion genome of Sus Scrofa. Once DNA capture probes were immobilized on optical fibres, we demonstrate their putative application as genosensors in detecting Sus Scrofa DNA in purified samples obtained first using a commercial DNA extraction kit and thereafter using our improved extraction method. Furthermore, analysis of beef (Bos taurus) minced meat samples also show that the assay can determine 1% (w/w) of Sus Scrofa DNA. The sensitivity obtained by the optical fibre and the short time required for the results (about 2.5 h) indicate the usefulness of the system. We envision that this genosensor may serve as a diagnostic tool for food sample screening using a technology that is accurate, simple to perform and has the potential to be used in portable format.

The aim of the present research was to uncover the auditory parameters that correspond to the experience of spiciness/piquancy in food, and to assess whether such crossmodal correspondences have perceptual consequences when it comes to evaluating the spiciness of actual foods tested in a naturalistic environment. An online study (Experiment 1) was conducted first in order to determine the acoustical/musical parameters that best match spiciness. The results were used to compose a spicy soundscape that was incorporated into the subsequent experiments. Next, a between-participants study (Experiment 2) was conducted to test the effect of different background sound conditions on participants’ expected and actual ratings of a novel restaurant dish. Four sound conditions were used in testing: the aforementioned spicy soundtrack, a sweet soundtrack, white noise, and silence. The expected spiciness of the dish was significantly higher in the spicy soundscape group as compared to the other groups. However, no significant differences were observed in the actual taste ratings. A contributing factor to this later result may have been the large disparity between the participants’ expectations of spiciness and the actual (mild) spiciness of the test dish itself. To follow-up, a study (Experiment 3) was conducted with a spicier food sample and the same sound conditions. Here, the results revealed that the rated spiciness of the food sample was significantly higher in the spicy soundtrack condition than in the other sound conditions. Finally, a study using both mild and hot salsa (Experiment 4) demonstrated an interaction effect between the sound condition and stimuli spiciness level, consistent with the assimilation-contrast model of consumer expectation disconfirmation. These results therefore demonstrate that a soundscape with auditory attributes corresponding to spiciness can enhance the perception of spiciness in foods, likely via the setting of sensory expectations.

The recent horse meat scandal that rocked Europe in early 2013 shows how important it is for the routine food control authorities to constantly evolve analytical tools for the accurate evaluation of meat products among others, to ensure that product declaration and actual composition correlate. While in most cases qualitative detection approaches suffice for product evaluation, in other cases a quantitative analysis is important to distinguish between inadvertent contamination and deliberate adulteration. In this work an optimized real-time qPCR-based approach is presented and compared with another real-time based method for the detection of equine sequences among others in meat products. The method is a multiplex system for the simultaneous quantification of horse, beef, pork and sheep fractions, and was validated for use in the routine analysis of meat products. We describe a modular multiplex approach, where a quadruplex system (without sheep) and a pentaplex assay (with an integrated sheep detection system) can be applied in meat detection and quantification strategies. The analysis is matrix independent and relies on concomitant quantification of the animal species present in the food sample against the backdrop of myostatin, a universal sequence present in most mammalian and poultry species. The limit of detection of the analytical method was 10 genome copy equivalents. For validation of the method, meat samples comprising differing meat compositions were analysed, and the assay performed well in terms of robustness and reproducibility.

There is abundant evidence that cooking reduces the level of nutrients in foods, but the reductions are exacerbated by among other factors the type of cooking pot used. We conducted a research to determine the influence of various cooking pots on macro and micronutrients of cooked foods. Seven pots and five types of food stuffs were used for the study. The cooking pots used included unpitted aluminum, pitted aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, enamel coated, clay (earthen) and iron-cast while the food stuff were chosen from the major classes of food as to include tubers (yam), cereals (rice), fleshy (beef), vegetables (tomato) and legumes (cowpea). Cooking pot forged from titanium offered best (up to 87.7%) protection (retention) of micronutrients while pitted aluminum pot offered the least retention irrespective of the food sample cooked. Significant portions of food micro nutrients namely vitamin C, vitamin A and selenium were mostly affected compared with the macro nutrients. In the course of our investigations we observed that titanium and enamel coated cooking pots required less quantity of water to get food done. The use of less water to cook transmitted to low (69.67%) moisture content of food cooked in such pots compared to values as high as 76.89% when other pots were used. Food cooked with less water may impact better taste to food since the food is expected to be more nutrient-dense; having considerable lower moisture content. Our research evidenced that cooking pot can have a strong impact on people's morbidity since some pots can aggravate hidden hunger, that is, micronutrient malnutrition. Hidden hunger is a subtle enemy that drains away health and vitality unnoticed until it is too late to reverse. It is crucial to state here that our findings may have turned on its head the previous idea of using pressure pot to cook food. Pots that offered low-pressure cooking (80°C/0.48 bar) was found to preserve the most heat liable (vitamin C and volatiles) nutrients probably because of the lower water boiling temperature and reduced level of oxygen. Our conclusion and recommendation, therefore, is the use of titanium and enamel surface coated cooking pots which offered better protection of food micronutrients among other cooking pots tested. This is a piece of information that is quite vital and beneficial to food consumers, manufacturers of cook wares, operators and key players in the food processing industry.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in processed food have been a topic of concern for the past 60 years. Several advancements have been made towards understanding their toxicity, formation, occurrence and detection, risk assessment and legislative guidelines. Still, the research field is facing several challenges starting from general challenges such as lack of data on oral toxicity and direct effect on the human body, using toxic equivalency factors from coal tar mixtures for food etc., to specific challenges such as diversity in processing of food products, matrix-interferences, PAH solubility and clean-up requirements. Furthermore, use of non-environmentally friendly solvents and non-/semi-automatized processes, ambiguity in reported PAHs and consumption data, and different risk assessment approaches are problematic. Besides these challenges, this chapter discusses the lack of detailed mechanisms for PAH formation in processed food, analysis of PAH derivatives and process by-products, lack of diagnostic ratios for source-apportionment and food regulations. Standardization of food products and processes, designing cooking tools, model development, initial food sample screening, rapid contaminant detection, identification of hidden influential factors and establishing an international platform for discussion of the research needs are some recommendations. A focus on these will further enhance our cognizance and insight about these toxic compounds in processed food products.

A novel culture-transfer-inoculation device (CTID), comprised of a fiber-foam matrix suspended in the enrichment medium and thereafter used in subsequent transfers and inoculations, was used in the analysis of foods for Salmonella using the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) method and for Listeria using the FDA and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) procedures. In these studies, the food sample was introduced into the enrichment medium including the CTID. Following incubation, transfer from the primary enrichment culture and subsequent transfers were made by both conventional procedures and by the CTID. Four-hundred-and-twenty-five samples were analyzed for Salmonella of which 115 were positive. Using conventional transfer and inoculation techniques, 87 positive results were observed; whereas using the CTID-modified technique, 112 positive results were obtained. The false-negative rate for the conventional transfer method was 21.7%. A 2.6% false-negative rate was observed with the CTID. The difference between conventional and CTID results were statistically significant (p

Microbial concentrations of thermally processed foods are mostly low. Recently we proposed a stochastic method based on the MPN technique for estimating microbial concentration in a food product whose concentration is low. Namely, with the number of target pathogen-positive samples in the total samples of a food product by a qualitative examination, the concentration of the target microbe in the product was estimated with the stochastic method. However the credible interval of the estimate with the method was not yet studied. Also the method was not validated with foods yet. The present study showed the 95% credible interval of the estimation by the method with the maximum likelihood analysis. Also the present study showed the reliability of the method experimentally by using a powdered formulae for infants product and a liquid food model injected with Salmonella cells. This method could estimate as low as seven and two cells/1,000 g or 1,000 mL, respectively. Next, the estimated concentrations and 95% credible intervals of Enterobacteriaceae in fresh meat for eating raw were demonstrated at various Enterobacteriaceae-positive numbers of the sample with the present method. Further, the characteristics of the present method on the sample size and the aliquot of sample were clarified. These results suggested that the present method could be a good tool to verify microbiological safety of food products.