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Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 15804

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Sonia Morante Zarcero

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Guest Editor

ESCET—Departamento de Tecnología Química y Ambiental, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
Interests: contaminants; bioactive compounds; natural toxins; sample preparation; novel materials as sorbents; miniaturization; microextraction; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; validated analytical methods; electrochemical sensors; food control; foods quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The occurrence of toxic compounds in food is a topic of utmost importance within the food safety field to guarantee the health of consumers. These substances may occur in food endogenously (implicit constituents or generated in a natural way along their evolution) or exogenously (toxic compounds that occur in food as contaminants as a result of technological and industrial processes or environmental pollution). Nevertheless, they are usually found at very low concentration levels, and the high complexity of food matrices hinders their extraction and detection. Thus, innovative analytical strategies need to be developed to minimize the complexity of samples and to eliminate most of the matrix interferences before their introduction into the analytical instrument, so that the control of these compounds in food can be sensitively and accurately addressed, meeting the requirements established in international guidelines.

This Special Issue aims to be a call for the latest innovative methodologies applied to the determination of toxic compounds in food samples, including natural toxins such as mycotoxins, plant alkaloids (pyrrolizidine, tropane, and opiate alkaloids) or phycotoxins, as well as toxic compounds formed during food production (including feed and primary production), food processing or food packaging. Moreover, manuscripts dealing with the occurrence of environmental chemicals (such as persistent contaminants and metals) will also be considered. Authors are invited to submit original and innovative research articles or comprehensive review papers on this topic, showing the potential of new analytical strategies to ensure food safety.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Sonia Morante Zarcero
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

food control
food safety
natural toxins
food production
food processing
food packaging
environmental chemicals
food Sample treatment
novel materials as sorbents
validated analytical methods

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Thermal Degradation of Tropane and Opium Alkaloids in Gluten-Free Corn Breadsticks Samples Contaminated with Stramonium Seeds and Baked with Poppy Seeds under Different Conditions

by Fernando L. Vera-Baquero, Sonia Morante-Zarcero and Isabel Sierra

Foods 2022, 11(15), 2196; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11152196 - 23 Jul 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2263

Abstract

In this work, the thermal degradation of tropane and opium alkaloids was studied in samples of breadsticks prepared with corn flour, contaminated with seeds of Datura stramonium, and containing seeds of Papaver somniferum L. A total of seven different samples were prepared and eight alkaloids were studied, three tropane (atropine, scopolamine, and anisodamine) and five opium (morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine) alkaloids. For this purpose, a fast, easy and efficient method based on solid-liquid extraction (SLE) prior to the analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was developed and validated. Thermal degradation studies showed a decrease in the TAs and OAs content under baking (180 °C for 20 min) that was between 7–65% for atropine, depending on the preparation conditions used, between 35–49% for scopolamine and anisodamine, up to 100% for morphine and codeine and between 14–58% for thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine. Results also evidenced that degradation of morphine and codeine was higher when the seeds were added as topping to the breadsticks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety)

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Graphical abstract

10 pages, 1376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a Signal-Amplified Aptamer-Based Lateral Flow Test Strip for the Rapid Detection of Ochratoxin A in Red Wine

by Yinyin Liu, Dan Liu, Shuangshuang Cui, Can Li, Ziguang Yun, Jian Zhang and Fengxia Sun

Foods 2022, 11(11), 1598; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11111598 - 28 May 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2736

Abstract

In order to improve the weak optical performance of gold nanoparticles and realize the signal amplification of lateral flow chromatography test strips, individual gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were aggregated into gold nanoparticle aggregates through functional groups around polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. A signal-amplified aptamer-based lateral flow chromatography test strip was constructed for the rapid determination of ochratoxin A (OTA). Under optimal conditions, the visual detection limit of this test strip was 0.4 ng mL⁻¹ and the semi-quantitative limit of detection (LOD) was 0.04 ng mL⁻¹. Compared with other traditional aptamer lateral flow chromatography test strips, its sensitivity was improved about five times. The whole test could be completed within 15 min. The aptamer-based strip was applied to the detection of OTA in red wine; the average recoveries ranged from 93% to 105.8% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) varying from 3% to 8%, indicating that the test strip may be a potentially effective tool for the on-site detection of OTA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety)

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15 pages, 421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fipronil and Fipronil Sulfone Distribution in Chicken Feathers and Eggs after Oral and Dermal Exposure

by Francesco Corrias, Alessandro Atzei, Riccardo Taddeo, Nicola Arru, Mattia Casula, Rachid Salghi, Mariateresa Russo and Alberto Angioni

Foods 2021, 10(12), 3077; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10123077 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3036

Abstract

This work aimed to investigate the bio-distribution and the persistence of fipronil and its primary metabolite fipronil sulfone after oral and dermal administration by simulating natural farming conditions. Fipronil and fipronil sulfone detection and quantification were performed in different poultry matrices using an LC-MS/MS method coupled with modified QuEChERS extraction. After oral administration, fipronil was detected in feathers at each sampling time, in eggs for 28 days, and in the internal organs at the end of the experiment. After dermal administration, high levels of fipronil were detected in feathers, accounting for 195.85 ± 8.54 mg/kg, which were reduced by a third after 60 days. No traces of fipronil were detected in the eggs or internal organs. In addition, fipronil sulfone showed remarkable residues in all samples in trial 2. The data obtained confirmed that inappropriate use of unauthorized pesticides can lead to severe contamination of entire poultry farms. The contemporary presence of fipronil sulfone in feathers and eggs associated with the lack of fipronil in eggs suggests recent dermal contamination or past oral contamination. Moreover, simultaneous analysis of hens’ feathers and eggs could represent a new method to improve large-scale monitoring programs and animal welfare, limiting their slaughter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety)

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Graphical abstract

15 pages, 1499 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simultaneous Determination of Furanic Compounds and Acrylamide in Insect-Based Foods by HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS Employing a Functionalized Mesostructured Silica as Sorbent in Solid-Phase Extraction

by Lorena González-Gómez, Sonia Morante-Zarcero, Damián Pérez-Quintanilla and Isabel Sierra

Foods 2021, 10(7), 1557; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10071557 - 05 Jul 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3289

Abstract

Insect-based products are novel foods (NF) that merit careful study. For this reason, in this work a method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of four food processing contaminants (FPC), acrylamide (AA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, (HMF), 5-methylfurfural (MF) and furfural (F), in insect-based products (bars, crackers and flours) by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). The method consisted of a solid-liquid extraction (SLE) with acidified water, followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE), using 100 mg of a sorbent based on mesostructured silica with a large pore functionalized with amino groups (SBA-15-LP-NH₂). The analytical method was properly optimized and validated in a representative bar sample of pineapple & coconut with cricket flour (Ins-B-Pine-Coco) showing good accuracy, with recoveries ranging from 70–101% for the four analytes and adequate precision (RSD < 9%). Good linearity (R² ≥ 0.995) and low method quantification limits for AA (between 1.3–1.4 µg/g), F (between 7.9–8.8 µg/g), MF (between 3.1–6.5 µg/g) and HMF (between 1.5–3.3 µg/g) were also obtained in all samples studied. The proposed method was successfully applied in eleven insect-based foods. Results revealed that insect-based bars can be a good alternative to traditional cereal bars to reduce dietary exposure to HMF; but, in order to reduce the exposure to AA, alternative formulations must be evaluated in the design of innovative insect-based crackers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety)

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Review

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15 pages, 1919 KiB

Open AccessReview

Considerations on the Analysis of E-900 Food Additive: An NMR Perspective

by Héctor Palacios-Jordan, Anna Jané-Brunet, Eduard Jané-Brunet, Francesc Puiggròs, Núria Canela and Miguel A. Rodríguez

Foods 2022, 11(3), 297; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11030297 - 22 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3589

Abstract

Food additives are in widespread use in the food industry to extend the shelf life of food, improve its organoleptic characteristics or facilitate industrial processing. Their use is not without controversy, which makes regulation and control crucial for food safety and public health. Among food additives, silicone-based antifoaming agents (polysiloxanes or E900) are difficult to analyze and quantify due to their polymeric nature. Currently, there is no official method of quantifying this additive in foods. In this context, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a quantitative method for speciation analysis of silicon compounds almost without known interferents. In this work, we describe the evolution of the regulation of the E900 additive, discuss different analytic methods quantifying polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS), and propose a new method based on NMR suitable for analyzing the content of E900 in the form of PDMS in various types of food from dietary oils to marmalades and jellies, among others. The proposed method consists of a previous quantitative concentration of PDMS by liquid–liquid extraction and the monitoring of the quantification using a bis(trimethylsilyl)benzene (BTMSB) standard to control the variability, ranging within 2–7%, depending on the food. This simple, direct, and reproducible procedure for aqueous and lipidic foods may help to monitor and fill a gap in regulatory legislation regarding the E900 additive. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Analytical Strategies to Ensure Food Safety)

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