Human exposure to micro/nano-plastics through vegetables, fruits, and grains - A predictive modelling approach.

The emergence of human exposure (HE) to micro/nano-plastics (MN-P) via the food chain is a significant public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate HE from ingesting vegetables, fruits, and grains using linear regression models to analyse MN-P size-concentration relationships and bioaccumulation factors (BF). For Irish adults, the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of MN-Ps was calculated, considering potential internalisation in these foods, with a sensitivity analysis addressing variability and uncertainty.

Source identification of heavy metals and metalloids in soil using open-source Tellus database and their impact on ecology and human health.

The presence of heavy metals and metalloids (metal(loid)s) in the food chain is a global problem, and thus, metal(loid)s are considered to be Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs). Arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) are identified as prominent hazards related to human health risks throughout the food chain. This study aimed to carry out a source attribution for metal(loid)s in shallow topsoil of north-midlands, northwest, and border counties of the Republic of Ireland, followed by an assessment of the potential ecological and human health risks.

Escherichia coli-based biorefining process yields optically pure lactic acid from fermented second-generation feedstocks.

Within the circular bioeconomy the production of optically pure LA from 2nd generation feedstocks would be ideal but it is very challenging. In this paper genetically engineered Escherichia coli strains were created to resolve racemic LA solutions synthesised and produced from the fermentation of organic waste or ensiled grass. Refining LA racemic mixtures into either a D- or L-LA was achieved by cells being able to consume one LA isomer as a sole carbon and energy source while not being able to consume the other.

Is the milk we drink safe from elevated concentrations of prioritised heavy metals/metalloids? - A global systematic review and meta-analysis followed by a cursory risk assessment reporting.

Milk has been globally recognised as a comprehensive and vital food source for centuries. However, the presence of heavy metals and metalloids (metal(loid)s) in milk is a global problem. As metal(loid)s are present in the soil due to natural geogenic and various anthropogenic activities, these metal(loid)s are bio-transferred into animal feed, which further results in the presence of metal(loid)s in milk due to bio transfer/accumulation.

Prevalence and concentration of mycotoxins in bovine feed and feed components: A global systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi and identified as contaminants in animal feed. They have potentially harmful effects, including carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and repro-toxicity in animals and humans. As a result of climate change, there is the potential for a change in the prevalence and concentration of mycotoxins in animal feed components.

Conventional extraction of fucoidan from Irish brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus followed by ultrasound-assisted depolymerization.

Fucoidan has attracted considerable attention from scientists and pharmaceutical companies due to its antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and health-enhancing properties. However, the extraction of fucoidan from seaweeds often involves the use of harsh chemicals, which necessitates the search for alternative solvents. Additionally, the high viscosity and low cell permeability of high molecular weight (Mw) fucoidan can limit its effectiveness in drug action, while lower Mw fractions exhibit increased biological activity and are also utilized as dietary supplements.

Assessing the inconsistency of microplastic measurements in foods and beverages.

The widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the food chain has gained substantial recognition as a pressing concern, highlighting the inevitability of human exposure through ingestion of foodborne MPs, coupled with the release of MPs from plastic packaging. However, there are notable disparities in the reported numbers of MPs in foods and beverages, warranting a thorough investigation into the factors contributing to these discrepancies. Table salt is one of the major sources of MPs, and there was an approximately hundred-fold difference between the reviewed studies that reported the highest and lowest number of MPs.

Quantitative risk ranking of mycotoxins in milk under climate change scenarios.

Mycotoxins are toxic fungal metabolites that may occur in crops. Mycotoxins may carry-over into bovine milk if bovines ingest mycotoxin-contaminated feed. Due to climate change, there may be a potential increase in the prevalence and concentration of mycotoxins in crops.

Association between the Presence of Resistance Genes and Sanitiser Resistance of Isolates Recovered from Different Food-Processing Facilities.

Sanitisers are widely used in cleaning food-processing facilities, but their continued use may cause an increased resistance of pathogenic bacteria. Several genes have been attributed to the increased sanitiser resistance ability of . This study determined the presence of sanitiser resistance genes in Irish-sourced isolates and explored the association with phenotypic sanitiser resistance.

Detection of hepatitis E RNA in pork products at point of retail in Ireland - Are consumers at risk?

Hepatitis E (HEV), a zoonotic virus, is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe. The presence of HEV in domestic pigs can result in infections in humans through consumption of pork products which are undercooked or where processing methods are insufficient to inactivate the virus. In Ireland, pork accounts for 34 % of all meat consumption (CSO, 2022) and the prevalence of HEV in products at point of retail has not previously been characterised.

Comparison of the impact of UV-light emitting diode and UV lamp at pilot-plant scale level on quality parameters and consumer perception of fresh chicken meat.

The present study compared the impact of two UV light devices: conventional UV lamp and UV-LED on the colour, pH, lipid and protein oxidation of fresh chicken breast meat aerobically stored at 4 °C for 10 days. Lipid oxidation was the most impacted quality attribute in UV lamp treated meat, unlike UV-LED that showed no effect compared to non-treated meat. Slight changes were observed in colour, pH and protein oxidation of chicken samples subjected to UV lamp and UV-LED.

The efficiency of UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LED) in decontaminating Campylobacter and Salmonella and natural microbiota in chicken breast, compared to a UV pilot-plant scale device.

This study investigated the combined effect of Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) technology treatment with refrigerated storage of chicken breast meat over 7 days on Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, total viable counts (TVC) and total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TEC). An optimised UV-LED treatment at 280 nm for 6 min decreased inoculated S. Typhimurium and C.

Spectroscopic technologies and data fusion: Applications for the dairy industry.

Increasing consumer awareness, scale of manufacture, and demand to ensure safety, quality and sustainability have accelerated the need for rapid, reliable, and accurate analytical techniques for food products. Spectroscopy, coupled with Artificial Intelligence-enabled sensors and chemometric techniques, has led to the fusion of data sources for dairy analytical applications. This article provides an overview of the current spectroscopic technologies used in the dairy industry, with an introduction to data fusion and the associated methodologies used in spectroscopy-based data fusion.

Ammonia emissions from agriculture and their contribution to fine particulate matter: A review of implications for human health.

Atmospheric ammonia (NH) released from agriculture is contributing significantly to acidification and atmospheric NH may have on human health is much less readily available. The potential direct impact of NH on the health of the general public is under-represented in scientific literature, though there have been several studies which indicate that NH has a direct effect on the respiratory health of those who handle livestock. These health impacts can include a reduced lung function, irritation to the throat and eyes, and increased coughing and phlegm expulsion.

Improving the specificity of E. coli acetate/propionate exclusion biosensors via iterative engineering.

Real-time monitoring of key performance indicator analytes such as acetate and propionate within anaerobic digestors (AD) is required for optimum biogas production. In this paper the further refinement of acetate and propionate whole cell (E. coli) exclusion biosensors is reported following an iterative process in which key metabolites that might interfere with O-uptake measurements are identified and genes required for their catabolism are knocked out (exclusion).

The effects of grazer exclosure duration on soil microbial communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

While determining the response of soil microbes to grazer exclosure duration is critical to understanding ecosystem restoration processes, few studies have focused on this issue. With seasonal grazing as a control, microbes of alpine grassland soils under 5, 13, 22, and 39 years of grazer exclosure situated in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, were examined. Microbial diversity was determined through Illumina high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and an internal transcription spacer (ITS).

Upscale fermenter design for lactic acid production from cheese whey permeate focusing on impeller selection and energy optimization.

Unlabelled: This study focusses on the design and scale-up of industrial lactic acid production by fermentation of dairy cheese whey permeate based on standard methodological parameters. The aim was to address the shortcomings of standard scale-up methodologies and provide a framework for fermenter scale-up that enables the accurate estimation of energy consumption by suitable selection of turbine and speed for industrial deployment. Moreover, life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to identify the potential impacts and possibilities to reduce the operation associated emissions at an early stage.

The limitations of bioeconomy LCA studies for understanding the transition to sustainable bioeconomy.

Purpose: Transition to bioeconomy requires all actors and stakeholders to measure the impact of systems that use bioresources and technologies to provision society. There are however some challenges with integrating LCA into business development and management, which have important implications for bioeconomy. There have been many LCA studies published in the twenty-first century, but the question must be answered: how useful are these LCA studies to help understand and manage transition to sustainable bioeconomy?

Method: This research used a structured literature review to identify 83 bioeconomy LCA studies published from January 2006 to June 2021 (excluding bioenergy).

Quantifying current and future raw milk losses due to bovine mastitis on European dairy farms under climate change scenarios.

Bovine mastitis is an infectious disease that causes udder inflammation and is responsible for raw milk losses across European dairy farms. It is associated with reduced cow milk yield and contributes to elevated Somatic Cell Count (SCC) in raw milk. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent mastitis pathogens that cause subclinical and clinical mastitis and can be present as a coloniser bacterium in cows.

Ranking of potential hazards from microplastics polymers in the marine environment.

Microplastics (MPs) have been detected globally in the marine environment. MP polymers of various kinds have different toxicity potentials when decomposed into monomers. Also, the toxicity of MPs is influenced by the particle size distribution of MPs.

Bayesian Networks modeling of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in Mytilus edulis harvested in Bantry Bay, Ireland.

Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) results from the human consumption of contaminated shellfish with marine biotoxins, which are produced by some species of marine dinoflagellates, mainly belonging to the genus Dinophysis. Shellfish contamination with marine biotoxins not only pose a threat to human health, but also lead to financial loss to aquaculture operations from the temporary closure of production areas when toxin concentrations exceed regulatory levels. In this study, we developed a Bayesian Network (BN) model for forecasting the short-term variations of DSP toxins in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Bantry Bay, Southwest Ireland.

Human health concerns regarding microplastics in the aquatic environment - From marine to food systems.

Marine plastic waste pollution is one of the most urgent global marine environmental problems worldwide. It has attracted worldwide attention from governments, the public, the scientific community, media and non-governmental organizations and has become a hot issue in current marine ecology and environmental research. This research aimed to conduct a traditional review of the current state of the art regarding microplastics (MPs) definition and characterisation, including an assessment of MPs detected in marine and food systems.

Detection of previously frozen poultry through plastic lidding film using portable visible spectral imaging (443-726 NM).

The objective of this study is to use a portable visible spectral imaging system (443-726 nm) to detect poultry thawed from frozen at the pixel level using multivariate analysis methods commonly used in machine learning (decision tree, logistic regression, linear discriminant analysis [LDA], k-nearest neighbors [KNN], support vector machines [SVM]). The selection of the most suitable method is based on the amount of data required to build an accurate model, computational speed, and the robustness of the model. The training set consists of pixel spectra from packages of chicken thighs without plastic lidding to evaluate the robustness of the models when implemented on the test set with and without plastic lidding.