Human Health, Precautionary Principle and Product Liability in the Agro-Food Chain

2017 ◽  
pp. 549-559
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Product Liability

Assessing the risk of exogenously consumed pharmaceuticals in land-applied human urine

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1335-1345 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Khan ◽  
J. A. Nicell
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Human Urine ◽  
Chain Transfer ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compounds ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Food Chain Transfer

Once separated, the use of urine as fertilizer is a particular attractive proposition and can significantly mitigate the release of nutrients and pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) to the environment. In the current study, a simple methodological framework is proposed for assessing risks that are posed by the land application of urine, which contains PhACs, in terms of 6 selected environmental and human-health endpoints. In total, 25 commonly used PhACs were conservatively assessed using the proposed methodology and results indicated that 14 of them may pose a risk with respect to either eco-toxicological or human-health endpoints. The receiving terrestrial environment was identified as the most susceptible of the eco-toxicological endpoints and hazard to human-health was most significant through food-chain transfer. The results highlight the need to consider the potential impacts associated with pharmaceuticals and the need to pre-treat urine to address the presence of problematic PhACs before it is applied on land.

scholarly journals Biodegradation and metabolic pathway of sulfamethoxazole by Sphingobacterium mizutaii

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlong Song ◽  
Guijie Hao ◽  
Lu Liu ◽  
Hongyu Zhang ◽  
Dongxue Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Surface Methodology ◽  
Carbon Source ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Metabolic Pathway ◽  
Bacterial Strain ◽  
Sole Carbon Source ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Aquatic Animal ◽  
Animal Diseases

AbstractSulfamethoxazole (SMX) is the most commonly used antibiotic in worldwide for inhibiting aquatic animal diseases. However, the residues of SMX are difficult to eliminate and may enter the food chain, leading to considerable threats on human health. The bacterial strain Sphingobacterium mizutaii LLE5 was isolated from activated sludge. This strain could utilize SMX as its sole carbon source and degrade it efficiently. Under optimal degradation conditions (30.8 °C, pH 7.2, and inoculum amount of 3.5 × 107 cfu/mL), S. mizutaii LLE5 could degrade 93.87% of 50 mg/L SMX within 7 days. Four intermediate products from the degradation of SMX were identified and a possible degradation pathway based on these findings was proposed. Furthermore, S. mizutaii LLE5 could also degrade other sulfonamides. This study is the first report on (1) degradation of SMX and other sulfonamides by S. mizutaii, (2) optimization of biodegradation conditions via response surface methodology, and (3) identification of sulfanilamide, 4-aminothiophenol, 5-amino-3-methylisoxazole, and aniline as metabolites in the degradation pathway of SMX in a microorganism. This strain might be useful for the bioremediation of SMX-contaminated environment.

Real-Time Immuno-PCR: An Approach for Detection of Trace Amounts of Transgenic Proteins

2014 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 1634-1637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Rajeshwar P Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Transgenic Crops ◽  
Plant Genome ◽  
Sensitive Detection ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Functional Stability ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Environment Sustainability

Abstract The research on manipulation of crop genomes for transgenic development is continuously increasing due to several benefits. The major concerns linked to the effect of transgenic crops are human health and environment sustainability. To monitor transgenic samples in the food chain, several highly sensitive and specific DNA-based and protein-based detection methods are being used. However, real-time immuno-PCR (RT-IPCR) assay would be able to provide a sensitive detection of trace amounts of transgenic proteins or allergens in the samples and help in monitoring these materials. In the present study, we developed a novel RT-IPCR method to monitor Cry1Ac transgenic protein in samples with an LOD of 100 pg/mL. The assay may also be useful in the evaluation of functional stability of transgenes inserted in the plant genome.

scholarly journals Phytotoxicity by Lead as Heavy Metal Focus on Oxidative Stress

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sónia Pinho ◽  
Bruno Ladeiro
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Antioxidant Defence System ◽  
The Impact

In the recent years, search for better quality of life in urban areas has been provoking an increase in urban agriculture. However, this new way of agriculture can bring risks to human health since this land is highly contaminated, due to anthropogenic activities. This way, lead (Pb) phytotoxicity approach must be taken into consideration since it can be prejudicial to human health through food chain. Pb is a common environmental contaminant, which originate numerous disturbances in plant physiological processes due to the bioacummulation of this metal pollutant in plant tissues. This review, focus on the uptake and interaction of lead by plants and how it can be introduced in food chain. Special attention was taken to address the oxidative stress by lead regarding the effects produced in plant physiological and biochemical processes. Furthermore, the antioxidant defence system was taken into consideration. Phytoremediation is applied on site or chronic polluted soils. This emerging technique is useful to bioaccumulate, degrade or decrease risks associated with contaminants in soils, water or air through the use of hyperaccumulaters. In addition, the impact of nanoparticles in plant science was also focused in this article since some improving properties in plants have been increasingly investigated.

scholarly journals Microarray analysis and real-time PCR assay developed to find biomarkers for mercury-contaminated soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1539-1547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Hou ◽  
Xinhui Liu ◽  
Baoshan Cui ◽  
Junhong Bai ◽  
Xiangke Wang
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Microarray Analysis ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Soil P

The evaluation of mercury (Hg) toxicity in agricultural soil is of great concern because its bioavailability and bioaccumulation in organisms through the food chain can have adverse effects on human health.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Certain Freshwater Fish Species and the Impact on Human Health: A General Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muralidharan Velappan ◽  
Deecaraman Munusamy
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Catla Catla ◽  
Freshwater Fish Species ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Wet Market ◽  
The Impact

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by organisms of the fungus kingdom, which are capable of causing disease and death in humans and animals when present in food. Recent studies evinces fish consumption might become another way for mycotoxins to enter the human food chain. Although the increasing research publications related to the occurrence and prevention of mycotoxin contamination in fish feeds, there was limited studies on bioaccumulation of mycotoxins research in common freshwater fish species. Further this was assumed fish species of salmonid and cyprinids are very sensitive to feed-borne mycotoxins so far. Studies have demonstrated, fish may also carry mycotoxins residue along the food chain, thus compromising human health. This review describes mainly mycotoxin contaminations in certain freshwater fish species and the impact on human health due to their potential proven toxicity. This review also provided comprehensive information on mycotoxins contamination levels in muscle and liver tissue of some freshwater fish species such as Nile tilapia, Labeo rohita, and Catla catla during capturing in fresh water lakes and also fish sold at wet market and hypermarket in Chennai, Tamilnadu.

scholarly journals The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Benvenuti ◽  
Marco Mazzoncini
Keyword(s):  
Shelf Life ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
Pigment Concentration ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Antioxidant Power

Floriculture and horticulture have always been two parallel and very distinct agronomic realities. Floriculture is concerned with meeting the ornamental needs of our urban ecosystems, while horticulture is based on meeting food requirements. These two activities have now converged toward a food chain where flowers are conceived of as a sort of “new vegetable” and one of the most promising novelties to satisfy the growing need for food innovation both in terms of an organoleptic and nutraceutical profile. This novelty has rapidly evolved, especially following the growing scientific evidence of the human health benefits of flowers used as food. The typically high pigment concentration of the corollas (especially flavonoids and carotenoids), which have evolved to chromatically attract pollinators, indicates a marked nutraceutical activity especially in terms of antioxidant power. In this review, we first attempted to explore which species are most promising and which should be avoided due to real or suspected toxicity problems. The nutraceutical virtues were therefore highlighted trying to focus attention on those “functional phytochemicals” capable of counteracting some specific human pathologies. Furthermore, the organoleptic profile of edible flowers was investigated since this is one of the least known aspects. The cropping systems suitable for their cultivation were therefore hypothesized and finally the criticalities of edible flowers were addressed in terms of shelf life and marketing opportunities.

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