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The use of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles is frequently regarded as a potential solution to the issue of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Among the proposed range of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties, copper oxide nanoparticles are of particular interest. Although the antibacterial properties of copper have been known for a considerable period of time, studies on the effects of copper oxide nanomaterials with respect to biological systems have attracted considerable attention in recent years. This review presents a summary of the antibacterial properties of copper oxide nanoparticles, the mechanisms by which the antibacterial effect is realized, and the key reported methods of modifying these nanoparticles to improve their antibacterial activity. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of these nanoparticles is presented depending on the type of microorganism, the shape of the nanoparticles, and the Gram classification of bacteria based on data from published sources. In addition, the review addresses the biological activities of copper oxide nanoparticles, including their antifungal and cytotoxic properties, as well as their "antioxidant" activity. According to the conducted analysis of the literature data, it can be concluded that copper oxide nanoparticles have a significant bacteriostatic potential with respect to a wide range of microorganisms and, in some cases, contribute to the inhibition of fungal growth. At the same time, the sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria to the effect of copper oxide nanoparticles was often higher than that of Gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Review, the main techniques of the photothermal radiometry family with their varieties (modulated and pulsed photothermal radiometry and infrared photocarrier radiometry) and related methods (infrared thermography) are considered from the viewpoints of their specific features and application in chemical research and related disciplines. The basics of the methods and their technical implementation are briefly described. The focus of the paper is to examine the possibilities of photothermal radiometry methods—as techniques combining molecular spectroscopy and thermal characterization—physical and analytical chemistry, materials sciences, and biomedical research. The Review discusses the techniques of photothermal radiometry that find their applications in the various fields of the materials science like investigation of the thermal and structural properties of materials, defectoscopy, and dynamics of thermal processes. It also discusses the techniques that are used in the applied chemical research, in the evaluation of the optical properties at molecular or substance levels and the assessment of various substances including biomaterials. The outlooks of the further development in this area are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy provides rapid, reliable, quantitative, and qualitative analysis of samples in different aggregation states, i.e., gases, thin films, solids, liquids, etc. However, when analyzing aqueous solutions, particular issues associated with the rather pronounced IR absorption characteristics of water appear to interfere with the solute determination. In this review, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic techniques and their analytical capabilities for analyzing aqueous solutions are reviewed, and highlight examples are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxin contamination in cereals is a global food safety concern. One of the most common mycotoxins in grains is deoxynivalenol (DON), a secondary metabolite produced by the fungi Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum . Exposure to DON can lead to adverse health effects in both humans and animals including vomiting, dizziness, and fever. Hence, the development of analytical technologies capable of predicting mycotoxin contamination levels in grains is crucial. In this study, we emphasize innovative infrared (IR) spectroscopic technologies for the prediction of DON in wheat along the food supply chain. The performance of an IR laser spectroscopic platform for on-site or laboratory confirmative analysis was evaluated. Furthermore, the performance of a handheld IR spectrometer for preliminary screening during transportation, storage, or harvesting was assessed. The accuracy of cross validation (Acc CV ) obtained with the laser spectrometer reached 92%, while the handheld IR spectrometer achieved 84.6%. Hence, both technologies prove significant potential for rapid mycotoxin detection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Farmers, cereal suppliers and processors demand rapid techniques for the assessment of mould-associated contamination. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is among the most important Fusarium toxins and related to human and animal diseases besides causing significant economic losses. Routine analytical techniques for the analysis of DON are either based on chromatographic or immunoanalytical techniques, which are time-consuming and frequently rely on hazardous consumables. The present study evaluates the feasibility of infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (IR-ATR) for the analysis of maize extracts via different solvents optimized for the determination of DON contamination along the regulatory requirements by the European Union (EU) for unprocessed maize (1750 μg kg -1 ). Reference analysis was done by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The studied maize samples were either naturally infected or had been artificially inoculated in the field with Fusarium graminearum , Fusarium culmorum or Fusarium verticillioides . Principal component analysis demonstrated that water and methanol-water (70 : 30% v) were optimum solvents for differentiating DON contamination levels. Supervised partial least squares discriminant analysis resulted in excellent classification accuracies of 86.7% and 90.8% for water and methanol-water extracts, respectively. The IR spectra of samples with fungal infection and high DON contamination had distinct spectral features, which could be related to carbohydrates, proteins and lipid content within the investigated extracts.