A challenge test on spp. as spoiling microorganism in fish fillets.

Fish fillets are highly susceptible to spoilage, with spp. bacteria being among the main culprits. To maintain products' quality and safety, it is important to control the load of these microorganisms and understand their growth potential in fish fillets.

External Quality Assessment (EQA) scheme for serological diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 detection in Sicily Region (Italy), in the period 2020-2022.

Objectives: Since December 2019, worldwide public health has been exposed to a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by Coronavirus-2. Serological testing is necessary for retrospective assessment of seroprevalence rates, and the determination of vaccine response and duration of immunity. For this reason, it was necessary to introduce a panel of tests able to identify and quantify Covid-19 antibodies.

Technical and health governance aspects of the external quality assessment system for classical and new psychoactive substances analysis testing in blood.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are uncontrolled analogues of existing drugs or newly synthesized chemicals that exhibit psychopharmacological effects. Due to their diverse nature, composition, and increasing prevalence, they present significant challenges to the healthcare system and drug control policies. In response, healthcare system laboratories have developed analytical methods to detect NPS in biological samples.

Impact of Fibrous Microplastic Pollution on Commercial Seafood and Consumer Health: A Review.

The omnipresence of microfibers in marine environments has raised concerns about their availability to aquatic biota, including commercial fish species. Due to their tiny size and wide distribution, microfibers may be ingested by wild-captured pelagic or benthic fish and farmed species. Humans are exposed via seafood consumption.

Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Phenotypes of spp. in Fresh Fish Fillets.

In fresh fish products, excessive loads of can lead to their rapid spoilage. It is wise for Food Business Operators (FBOs) to consider its presence both in whole and prepared fish products. With the current study, we aimed to quantify spp.

Microplastics in Fish and Fishery Products and Risks for Human Health: A Review.

In recent years, plastic waste has become a universally significant environmental problem. Ingestion of food and water contaminated with microplastics is the main route of human exposure. Fishery products are an important source of microplastics in the human diet.

Machine Learning Algorithms Highlight tRNA Information Content and Chargaff's Second Parity Rule Score as Important Features in Discriminating Probiotics from Non-Probiotics.

Probiotic bacteria are microorganisms with beneficial effects on human health and are currently used in numerous food supplements. However, no selection process is able to effectively distinguish probiotics from non-probiotic organisms on the basis of their genomic characteristics. In the current study, four Machine Learning algorithms were employed to accurately identify probiotic bacteria based on their DNA characteristics.

Virulence Characteristics and Distribution of the Pathogen Listeria ivanovii in the Environment and in Food.

and , are the only pathogenic species of the genus and share many virulence factors and mechanisms of pathogenicity. shows host tropism towards small ruminants and rodents and much lower virulence for humans compared to . However, severe infections caused by , resulting in bacteremia, abortion and stillbirth, occasionally occurred in immunocompromised persons and in pregnant women, while in immunocompetent hosts can cause gastroenteritis.

Evaluation of the microbiological and chemical aspects of autochthonous wild snails in Sardinia.

This study was conducted to acquire knowledge on the epidemiology and ecology of some zoonotic agents in snails. Chemical and microbiological analysis was carried out on 46 samples of snails belonging to the species of and . The association between heavy metals and wild snails, a native consumer product in the Region of Sardinia, was determined.

Challenge Test as Special Tool to Estimate the Dynamic of and Other Foodborne Pathogens.

Over 23 million cases of foodborne disease (FBD) occur in Europe each year, with over 4700 deaths. Outbreaks of FBD have a significant impact on our society due to the high economic losses they cause (hospital treatment of affected patients and destruction of contaminated food). Among its health objectives, the European Union has set itself the goal of reducing the incidence of the main FBDs, approving various regulations that codify requirements in order to produce food that is "safe" for human consumption.

Occurrence, Diversity of spp. Isolates from Food and Food-Contact Surfaces and the Presence of Virulence Genes.

This study evaluates the hazards posed by foodborne bacteria of the genus by analyzing the occurrence, diversity and virulence of spp.in food and food-manufacturing plants. Seventy-five isolates obtained from the routine analysis of 653 samples taken by three diagnostic laboratories in Northern Italy were genotypically differentiated by Repetitive Extragenic Palindrome (rep) PCR, with the GTG5 primer identified by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene and examined by specific PCR tests for the presence of virulence determinants occasionally found to occur in other species of the genus.

Multi-Analyte MS Based Investigation in Relation to the Illicit Treatment of Fish Products with Hydrogen Peroxide.

Fishery products are perishable due to the action of many enzymes, both endogenous and exogenous. The latter are produced by bacteria that may contaminate the products. When fishes age, there is a massive bacteria growth that causes the appearance of .

Distribution of spp. on Carcasses of Regularly Slaughtered Swine for Italian Dry Cured Ham.

Swine carcasses are often contaminated with spp. Heads are more contaminated than shoulders and thighs. Lairage time higher than 10 h is a risk factor for spp.

Tetracycline Residues in Bovine Muscle and Liver Samples from Sicily (Southern Italy) by LC-MS/MS Method: A Six-Year Study.

We examined a total of 369 bovine liver and muscle samples for the detection of oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), chlortetracycline (CTC), and doxycycline (DOX) residues by implementation and validation of a LC-MS/MS method. The method showed good recovery values between 86% and 92% at three levels of concentrations. The linearity tests revealed r² > 0.

Residues of 165 pesticides in citrus fruits using LC-MS/MS: a study of the pesticides distribution from the peel to the pulp.

A sensitive LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of 165 pesticides in 50 citrus fruit samples collected in Sicily. Moreover, an evaluation of pesticides levels in the citrus layers (peel, albedo, and pulp) was carried out. The method presented acceptable trueness, precision, and linearity with LOQ of 5 μg/kg.

Aflatoxin M in cow, sheep, and donkey milk produced in Sicily, Southern Italy.

Samples (n = 485) of raw (n = 394) or heat-treated (n = 91) milk of three different species (cow, n = 170; sheep, n = 133; donkey, n = 84), collected 2013-2016 in Western Sicily (Southern Italy), were analyzed for aflatoxin M (AFM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive ELISA results were further analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Both methods had a detection limit for AFM in milk of 7 ng kg.

Undeclared animal species in dry and wet novel and hydrolyzed protein diets for dogs and cats detected by microarray analysis.

Background: Although the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) stated that labels must be accurate and provide detailed information on the ingredients, mislabeling of pet food has been documented by several authors. This phenomenon is of particular concern when related to products used as elimination diets for the diagnosis of adverse food reaction (AFR) in dogs and cats because the presence of undeclared ingredients may negatively interfere with the trial and prevent the veterinarian from making an appropriate diagnosis. The aim of this study was to shed light upon the problem of contamination and mislabeling in both dry and wet novel protein diets (NPDs) and hydrolyzed protein diets (HPDs) using a microarray-based commercial kit which tests for the presence of 19 animal species.

Corticosteroids in liver and urine in Sicilian cattle by a LC-MS/MS method.

The presence of corticosteroid residues was assessed in urine and liver samples from livestock of Sicily. A total of 630 bovine samples were collected from farms and slaughterhouses. The samples were analysed using solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).

Effect of diet and packaging system on the microbial status, pH, color and sensory traits of rabbit meat evaluated during chilled storage.

The combined effect of two dietary lipid sources (sunflower vs linseed oil) and three packaging methods (PVC film - BAG, modified atmosphere CO 20% + 80% O MAP, and vacuum - VAC) on the shelf-life (pH, color, microbial count, sensory traits) of rabbit loins was tested at days 1, 4 and 10 of refrigerated storage. Linseed oil did not adversely affect neither the physical or sensory traits, nor the microbiological quality of rabbit meat throughout the shelf-life trial. The three packaging methods were all similarly effective in maintaining the physical and sensory quality of the meat, irrespective of the different dietary lipid sources and thus different susceptibility to oxidation.

A Limited Survey of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Fresh and Frozen Cuttlefish Ink and Mantle Used As Food.

Cuttlefish ink is consumed as a delicacy worldwide. The current study is the first assessment of heavy metal concentrations in cuttlefish ink versus mantle under different storage methods. A total of 212 samples (64 of fresh mantle, 42 of frozen mantle, 64 of fresh ink, and 42 of frozen ink) were analyzed for the detection of the following heavy metals: arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd).

Black soldier fly as dietary protein source for broiler quails: meat proximate composition, fatty acid and amino acid profile, oxidative status and sensory traits.

In the perspective of improving the sustainability of meat production, insects have been rapidly emerging as innovative feed ingredient for some livestock species, including poultry. However, at present, there is still limited knowledge regarding the quality and sensory traits of the derived meat. Therefore, the present study tested the effect of a partial substitution of soya bean meal and oil with defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (H) in the diet for growing broiler quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on meat proximate composition, cholesterol, amino acid and mineral contents, fatty acid profile, oxidative status and sensory characteristics.

Mercury in fish products: what's the best for consumers between bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna?

A total of 205 bluefin and yellowfin tuna samples were examined for mercury detection in order to verify possible differences and have a detailed risk assessment of the two tuna species. The results showed significant higher mercury concentration in muscle tissue of bluefin tuna respect yellowfin tuna (p < 0.001) with mean concentration of 0.

Determination of Ten Corticosteroids in Illegal Cosmetic Products by a Simple, Rapid, and High-Performance LC-MS/MS Method.

The aim of our present work was the development of a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method with electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for the determination of several corticosteroids in cosmetic products. Corticosteroids are suspected to be illegally added in cosmetic preparations in order to enhance the curative effect against some skin diseases. Sample preparation step consists in a single extraction with acetonitrile followed by centrifugation and filtration.