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Maintaining the water quality is essential because of the limitation of drinking water bodies and their significant effects on life. Recently, much scientific interest has been attracted to the ecological condition assessment of water resources. Because of numerous health issues connected to water quality, the present work aimed to define the water quality status of Chahnimeh reservoirs, Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran via the Iran Water Quality Index (IRWQISC), the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI), and human risk assessment. This cross-sectional descriptive work was accomplished in 4 seasons in 2020. The samples were gathered from 5 various points of Chahnimeh reservoirs. This study led to the results that the NSFWQI index was between 29.4 to 49.32, which showed “bad” quality, and the IRWQI index was between 19.27 and 39.23, which indicated “bad” and “relatively bad” quality. The best water quality based on both indexes was observed in the spring, and the worst was in the fall and summer. The highest value of HQ related to nitrate in drinking water was 1.60 in the group of children. However, according to the Monte Carlo simulation, HQ95% was estimated as 1.29. The Sobol sensitivity analysis of the first-order effect showed that daily water’s daily ingestion rate (IR) was the most sensitive input. In addition, the value of the second-order effect indicated that the interaction effect of concentration—ingestion rate was the most sensitive input parameter for HQ. Therefore, regular monitoring is necessary to ensure water safety for human consumption.

Dairy products play a crucial role in ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of people. However, they normally contain high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol which are related to the risk of noncommunicable diseases and other health issues. Our review focuses on the effectiveness of added natural ingredients and probi-otics in dairy products for replacing or lowering cholesterol and saturated fat. This narrative review was concep-tualized to describe: (i) natural ingredients for cholesterol and saturated fat substitution, and (ii) probiotics for lowering both cholesterol and saturated fat. Promising techniques for cholesterol and saturated fat replacement by healthy plant oils, carbohydrate, and protein co-products and their effect on product qualities are discussed. In addition, various probiotics inoculated in dairy products exhibiting effect on saturated fat and cholesterol are also addressed.

Acrylamide, a food-borne chemical toxicant, has raised global concern in recent decades. It mainly originated from reducing sugar and free amino acid interactions in the carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs heated at high temperatures. Due to the neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity of AA, the mechanism of formation, toxic effects on health, and mitigation strategies, including conventional approaches and innovative technologies, have been of great interest since its discovery in food. Potato products (especially French fries and crisps), coffee, and cereals(bread and biscuit) are renowned contributors to AA's daily intake. The best preventive methods discussed in the literature include time/temperature optimization, blanching, enzymatic treatment, yeast treatment, additives, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, vacuum roasting, air frying, and irradiation, exhibiting a high efficacy in AA elimination in food products.

Probiotic products' economic value and market popularity have grown over time as more people discover their health advantages and adopt healthier lifestyles. There is a significant societal and cultural interest in these products known as foods or medicines. Products containing probiotics that claim to provide health advantages must maintain a "minimum therapeutic" level (10

The current work aimed to optimise aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) removal from milk by magnetic inactivated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) adsorbent using response surface methodology (RSM). In this research, the ability of 5 strains of LAB was evaluated for AFM1 removal. Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which indicated the highest adsorption efficiency compared to other strains (p < 0.05), was selected. The obtained LAB was modified using Fe3O4 particles for the generation of magnetic inactivated LAB adsorbent, which was further characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The results indicated that L. rhamnosus cells were successfully functionalised and modified by Fe3O4 particles. A central composite design (CCD) was applied to investigate the effect of variables including time (5–125 min), temperature (3–23°C), initial AFM1 concentration (0.1–2.1 μg L-1), and fat (0–3.6%) on AFM1 removal from milk using synthesised adsorbent. According to the RSM model, the optimal adsorption conditions for the second-order model were observed at 73.60 min, the temperature of 17.82°C, AFM1 concentration of 1.598 µg L−1, and fat content of 0.9% leading to the maximum removal efficiency of 56.92%. Hence, the magnetic inactivated LAB adsorbent synthesised using this approach can be an efficient easy-to-separate adsorbent in removing AFM1 from milk. The main functional groups involved in AFM1 removal were carboxyl, amide, and hydroxyl/amino groups. Moreover, the synthesised adsorbent had superparamagnetic behaviour and could be rapidly separated from aqueous solutions. In conclusion, the current study presented a novel method for the efficient adsorption of AFM1 to improve the safety figures of milk.

The contamination of tea as one most widely consumed beverage in Iran with the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) leads to adverse health effects. In the current study, a meta-analysis and probabilistic risk assessment regarding PTEs concentration in tea samples from Iran were performed using international databases (PubMed and Scopus) and national databases (SID, Irandoc, and Magiran) from 2005 to 1 June 2022. Data were analysed using the random-effects model based on Iranian and imported tea subgroups, and a probabilistic health risk assessment was conducted using the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The highest THQ in adults and children due to consumption of Iranian tea was related to As (0.0635) and As (0.2964), respectively, and the highest THQ in adults and children due to consumption of imported tea was related to Cu (0.0266) and Cu (0.1242), respectively. TTHQ in adults and children’s consumers due to PTEs ingestion via consumption of Iranian tea was 0.21 and 1.01, respectively, and TTHQ due to PTEs ingestion via consumption of imported tea was 0.22 and 0.94, respectively. Therefore, non-carcinogenic risk in children due to consumption of Iranian tea was higher than 1 value. The mean CR for content of inorganic As in adults and children via consumption of Iranian tea was 2.89E-5 and 1.35E-4, respectively, and the mean CR for inorganic As in adults and children via consumption of imported tea was 9.44E-6 and 4.42E-5 respectively. Hence adults and children, due to both Iranian and imported tea consumption, are at considerable carcinogenic risk. It is recommended to carry out continuous monitoring plans at country customs and reduce sources of tea contamination to PTEs in agricultural fields.

Following the EPA recommended method, a chronic diet risk assessment for pesticides was recently performed for adults and children in the Iranian population. The National Theoretical Maximum Daily Intake (NTMDI) for 32 pesticides was computed using the theoretical maximum residue limits (MRLs) of food consumption regulations and data from the comprehensive database of the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection (IRIPP). The risk was assessed by comparing TMDI with the acceptable daily intakes (ADI) evaluated by FAO. From 32 investigated pesticides, 10 pesticides had TMDI 65% of the ADI. Some of these ADI-exceeding compounds (spirodiclofen, abamectin, trifloxystrobin, spiromesifen, fipronil, difenoconazole, tetraconazole) were found in citrus, cucumber, grapes, tomato, and potato as the foods that have played the most roles in the consumption of these pesticides. Furthermore, a probabilistic risk assessment was performed to estimate the contingency of extravagance of the ADI. In the current research, only cyazofamid in potato for children consumers exceeded the 1 of the HQ. However, carcinogenic risk (CR) due to spirodiclofen in citrus fruit and difenoconazole in tomato was higher than the 1E-6 value; therefore, consumers were at considerable carcinogenic risk in these commodities. This scrutiny is essential for improving the activities' risk assessment, regulation, and surveillance.

At the beginning of the 21st century, many consumers show interest in purchasing safe, healthy, and nutritious foods. The intent requirement of end-users and many food product manufacturers are trying to feature a new processing technique for the healthy food supply. The non-thermal nature of cold plasma treatment is one of the leading breakthrough technologies for several food processing applications. The beneficial response of cold plasma processing on food quality characteristics is widely accepted as a substitution technique for new food manufacturing practices. This review aims to elaborate and offer crispy innovative ideas on cold plasma application in various food processing channels. It highlights the scientific approaches on the principle of generation and mechanism of cold plasma treatment on rheological properties of foods. It provides an overview of the behavior of cold plasma in terms of viscosity, crystallization, gelatinization, shear stress, and shear rate. Research reports highlighted that the cold plasma treated samples demonstrated a pseudoplastic behavior. The published literatures indicated that the cold plasma is a potential technology for modification of native starch to obtain desirable rheological properties. The adaptability and environmentally friendly nature of non-thermal cold plasma processing provide exclusive advantages compared to the traditional processing technique.

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With the increasing use of nuclear technology, concerns about the contamination of water resources with radionuclides and the contamination of seafood are increasing. In the current investigation, a meta-analysis and exposure assessment regarding the concentration of radionuclides, including lead-210 (Pb-210), polonium -210 (Po-210), and cesium-137 (Cs-137) in the muscle of Sardin fish were conducted. In this regard, some databases including Scopus and PubMed were selected to retrieve papers on the concentration of radionuclides in the muscle of Sardin fish from January 2000 to 25 June 2021. The used keywords were polonium-210, natural radioactivity, lead-210, radiocesium, cesium-137, radionuclides, radium-226, seafood, marine foods, fish, sardine fish, sardinella longiceps, and Clupeidae. Also, effective dose (ED) was calculated to estimate carcinogenic risk in Sardine fish consumers. The rank order of radionuclides in the muscle of sardine fish was Po-210 (31.50 Bq/kg) Pb-210 (3.34 Bq/kg) Cs-137 (0.48 Bq/kg). Based on level of Pb-210 rank of countries was France (12.00 Bq/kg) India (4.06 Bq/kg) Turkey (3.29 Bq/kg) Spain (1.00 Bq/kg) Slovenia (0.55 Bq/kg); Po-210 was Turkey (74.96 Bq/kg) Spain (48.00 Bq/kg) France (31.500 Bq/kg India (30.25 Bq/kg) Slovenia (25.00 Bq/kg) Kuwait (7.28 Bq/kg) and also, Cs-137 was Japan (1.22 Bq/kg) Croatia (0.18 Bq/kg) India (0.23 Bq/kg). The lowest and highest ED of

The application of pesticides enhances food production vastly, and it cannot be prevented; longer fresh produce is contaminated with health-threatening pesticides even though traditional processing methods can remove these pesticides from food surfaces to a certain extent; novel emerging technologies such as cold plasma, ultrasound, electrolyzed water, and pulsed electric field could more effectively dissipate the pesticide content in food without the release of toxic residual on the food surface. The present review focuses on applying emerging technologies to degrade pesticide residues in great utility in the food processing industries. This review also discusses the pesticide removal efficacy and its mechanism involved in these technologies. The oxidation principle in cold plasma is recently gaining more importance for the degradation of pesticide residue in the food processing industries. Analysis of the emerging physical processing methods indicated greater efficacy in eradicating pesticide residues during agriculture processing. Even though the technologies such as EO (99% reduction in dimethoate), ultrasound (98.96% for chlorpyrifos), and irradiation (99.8% for pesticide in aqueous solution) can achieve promising results in pesticide degradation level, the rate and inactivation highly depend on the type of equipment and processing parameters involved in different techniques, surface characteristics of produce, treatment conditions, and nature of the pesticide. Therefore, to effectively remove these health-threatening pesticides from food surfaces, it is necessary to know the process parameters and efficacy of the applied technology on various pesticides.

This systematic review and meta-analysis quantified the effects of various vegetable oil-based nanoemulsion (NE) formulations on muscle foods' microbial and chemical quality by estimating the weighted overall response ratio (

This study aimed to assess the aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in 72 samples of yogurt from eight processing plants in São Paulo, Brazil, and the ability of heat-killed cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1010 yeast cells/g) to reduce AFM1 (0.5 µg/kg) in experimental yogurts (n = 3). Analyses were conducted by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Only seven samples (9.8%) had AFM1 at a mean level of 0.071 ± 0.08 µg/kg. S. cerevisiae efficiently reduced (P < 0.05) the AFM1 levels in spiked yogurts, with a maximum reduction of 46% after 30 days of storage. Further studies should investigate potential effects of S. cerevisiae on the sensory properties of yogurts.

In recent years, the consumption of nuts has shown an increasing trend worldwide. Nuts are an essential part of several countries' economies as an excellent source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. They are contaminated by environmental factors, improper harvesting practices, inadequate packaging procedures, improper storage, and transportation. The longer storage time also leads to the greater chances of contamination from pathogenic fungi. Nuts are infected with

Wound healing is a major problem in diabetic patients, and current treatments have been confronted with limited success. The present study examined the benefit of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) derived from the human umbilical cord (UC) in wound healing in diabetic rats. Thirty days after inducing diabetes, a circular excision was created in the skin of rats, and the treatments were performed for 21 days. Two groups were studied, which included the Control group and WJ-MSCs group. The studied groups were sampled on the 7th, 14th, and 21st days after wounding. Histological ultrasound imaging of dermis and epidermis in the wound area for thickness and density measurement and skin elasticity were evaluated. Our results on post-wounding days 7, 14, and 21 showed that the wound closure, thickness, and density of new epidermis and dermis, as well as skin elasticity in the healed wound, were significantly higher in the WJ-MSCs group compared to the Control group. Subcutaneous administration of WJ-MSCs in diabetic wounds can effectively accelerate healing. Based on this, these cells can be used along with other treatment methods in the healing of different types of chronic wounds.

© 2022Background: Plant-based proteins as an alternative to synthetic polymers have attracted the interest of the global packaging industry in the last decade due to their biodegradability, sustainability, environmental, and beneficial health claims. Scope and approach: This review covers the recent developments in biodegradable packaging such as edible films/coatings and innovative packaging materials based on plant protein sources. The importance, sources, and techno-functional properties of plant-derived proteins for food packaging are discussed. The impact of different additives on the functionality of plant protein-based biodegradable materials is also investigated. In addition, plant protein-based packaging characteristics and their application in food are also introduced. Key findings and conclusions: The sustainability, biodegradability, renewability, and appropriate mechanical and techno-functional properties of proteins from plant origin make them an emerging substitute to the conventional synthetic polymers currently used as food packaging. The functional performance of plant protein-based biodegradable materials can be extended or enhanced by incorporating other additives or biopolymers. Bio-packaging materials made from plant-based proteins provide great potential for enhancing food quality and safety, reducing the environmental pollution.

Conventionally used petrochemical-based plastics are poorly degradable and cause severe environmental pollution. Alternatively, biopolymers (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and their blends) are biodegradable and environment-friendly, and thus their use in packaging technologies has been on the rise. Spoilage of food by mycotoxigenic fungi poses a severe threat to human and animal health. Hence, because of the adverse effects of synthetic preservatives, active packaging as an effective technique for controlling and decontaminating fungi and related mycotoxins has attracted considerable interest. The current review aims to provide an overview of the prevention of fungi and mycotoxins through active packaging. The impact of different additives on the antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic functionality of packaging incorporating active films/coatings is also investigated. In addition, active packaging applications to control and decontaminate common fungi and mycotoxins in bakery products, cereal grains, fruits, nuts, and dairy products are also introduced. The results of recent studies have confirmed that biopolymer films and coatings incorporating antimicrobial agents provide great potential for controlling common fungi and mycotoxins and enhancing food quality and safety.

Consumers have an increasing demand for fruit and vegetables with high nutritional value worldwide. However, most fruit and vegetables are vulnerable to quality loss and spoilage during processing, transportation, and storage. Among the recently introduced emerging technologies, supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO

The present study aimed to systematically review the concentration of different PTEs, including Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) in cheese among some databases between 2000 and 2021 (from 57 included studies). Estimated concentrations of 160.78 (95% CI = 119.24-202.28), 15.68 (95% CI = 11.88-19.48), 16.94 (95% CI = 13.29-20.59), and 2.47 (95% CI = 1.70-3.23) µg/kg were calculated for As, Pb, Cd, and Hg, respectively. Most of the studies for PTEs are related to Pb, about 40% of the studies, compared to As, which has fewer studies. The results showed that As and Hg concentrations were lower than the Codex Alimentarius Commission standard limits. Nevertheless, Cd and Pb concentrations were higher than the standard limit values. Results showed that cheese making, the ripening period, fat content, and texture are influential factors in a high level of Pb and Cd in cheese samples.