New food sources and production systems:a comparison of international regulations and China’s advancements in novel foods with synthetic biology

The global shift towards sustainable food systems has sparked innovations in food sources and production systems,including cell-based meat,plant-based food products,precision fermentation,and 3D food printing.These advancements pose regulatory challenges and opportunities,with China emerging as a critical player in adopting and regulating new food technologies.This review explores the international landscape of new food sources and production systems(NFPS),focusing on China’s role and regulatory approaches compared to global practices.Through this comparative analysis,we aim to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on food safety regulation,offering insights and recommendations for policymakers,industry stakeholders,and researchers engaged in the global food system’s evolution.This comprehensive overview underscores the dynamic nature of regulatory frameworks governing NFPS,highlighting the international efforts to ensure food safety,consumer protection,and the sustainable evolution of the food industry.

Global Challenges and Solutions in the Early Warning,Monitoring and Toxicity Assessment of Biotoxins in the Food and Feed Chain

There is a massive and urgent need to ensure safety and security of the food supply of the world´s growing population.However,global agriculture and food industries continue to be vulnerable to problems of contamination with biotoxins produced by plants,algae and particularly by fungi;with global warming and extreme weather events making the occurrence of these toxic metabolites even more unpredictable.In this paper we summarize the multidisciplinary,multi-sectoral complementary competencies needed to innovate in various scientific fields and approaches,so strongly needed to develop improved early warning,monitoring and toxicity assessment of biotoxins in the food and feed chain.These include big data approaches using satellite and drone images,portable monitoring devices and(combined)toxicity testing of(emerging)biotoxins using proteomics and transcriptomics.

Globodera pallida,a non-transgenic invertebrate as a new model for investigating Alzheimer’s disease(and other proteinopathies)?

Biological models of Alzheimer’s disease(AD):Non-human models have contributed tremendously to the understanding of AD and its underlying pathological processes.These models have aided the investigation of the genetic and environmental risk factors.They also have enabled the progression of candidate therapies into human clinical trials.Because of similarities with human brain anatomy and genetics,rodent models have been used extensively to recapitulate some aspects of AD pathology,measure AD-associated behavioral parameters and related nervous system dysfunctions(Eriksen and Janus,2007).For instance,transgenic mice overexpressing human amyloid precursor protein have furthered the development of the amyloid cascade hypothesis as a central pillar of familial AD.

Value of predictive bioinformatics in inherited metabolic diseases

Typically,inherited metabolic diseases arise from point mutations in genes encoding metabolic enzymes. Although some of these mutations directly affect amino acid residues in the active sites of these enzymes,the majority do not. It is now well accepted that the majority of these disease-associated mutations exert their effects through alteration of protein stability,which causes a reduction in enzymatic activity. This finding suggests a way to predict the severity of newly discovered mutations. In silico prediction of the effects of amino acid sequence alterations on protein stability often correlates with disease severity. However,no stability prediction tool is perfect and,in general,better results are obtained if the predictions from a variety of tools are combined and then interpreted. In addition to predicted alterations to stability,the degree of conservation of a particular residue can also be a factor which needs to be taken into account: alterations to highly conserved residues are more likely to be associated with severe forms of the disease. The approach has been successfully applied in a variety of inherited metabolic diseases,but further improvements are necessary to enable robust translation into clinically useful tools.

The Challenge of Standard Stability in LC-MS Based Multi-Analyte Approaches for Veterinary Drugs

The short-and long-term stability of multi-component mixtures and intermediate mixtures of analytical standards of veterinary drugs,which can potentially occur in food and feed chains,was examined by an isochronous measurement approach.Short-term stability testing of calibrants included storage for 1,2,4,and 7 days at-20℃(as a baseline)4℃,and 23℃(with and without exposure to sunlight),respectively.Long-term stability testing conditions of intermediate mixes were-20℃,4℃,23℃(with and without exposure to sunlight),and control temperature at-80℃while the testing period was 2,4,8,and 12 weeks,respectively.Results indicated that calibration standards should ideally be stored at 4℃for only 1~2 days,without the presence of acid.Neutral storage conditions were acceptable even at room temperature.Storage of intermediate mixtures containingß-lactams and cephalosporins for longer than 1 month under 4℃ and room temperature resulted in a loss of almost 90%.When it comes to the intermediate mixtures with penicillin V and G,acceptable storage conditions were 2 weeks at-20℃,without the presence of acid.Other classes of veterinary drugs were less critical as considers long-term stability.Overall,storage conditions at-20℃were considered optimal for long-term storage of intermediate mixes of veterinary drug standards.

Potential Provoking Effects of Environmental Pollutants on Food Allergy:An Issue That Is Gaining Increasing Attention

Allergic diseases are widespread globally,affecting over 40%of the population.Food allergy(FA),characterized by an abnormal immune response to harmless proteins in foods,is one of these prevalent conditions.Current estimates suggest that approximately 220 million people worldwide suffer from FA(1).In children,over one-third of parents report their children experiencing hypersensitive reactions to food,with FA affecting around 8%of this demographic.

梯度扩散薄膜技术(DGT)的理论及其在环境中的应用Ⅱ：土壤与沉积物原位高分辨分析中的方法与应用

从吸附膜的设计、采样装置的设计和分析方法三个方面系统介绍了梯度扩散薄膜技术(DGT)在土壤和沉积物介质中原位高分辨研究的方法学,并回顾了DGT自诞生以来在根际土壤和沉积物中原位高分辨应用所取得的重要研究成果,最后探讨了DGT在原位高分辨研究中的发展前景。DGT技术在沉积物和土壤中对污染物微界面机制的原位高分辨率研究,能够揭示控制重金属污染的关键过程,为针对性地做出管理控制方案提供了重要理论支持,从而推动我国对土壤、沉积物污染的防治和粮食安全的控制。

Gold Nanozymes:From Concept to Biomedical Applications

In recent years,gold nanoparticles have demonstrated excellent enzyme-mimicking activities which resemble those of peroxidase,oxidase,catalase,superoxide dismutase or reductase.This,merged with their ease of synthesis,tunability,biocompatibility and low cost,makes them excellent candidates when compared with biological enzymes for applications in biomedicine or biochemical analyses.Herein,over 200 research papers have been systematically reviewed to present the recent progress on the fundamentals of gold nanozymes and their potential applications.The review reveals that the morphology and surface chemistry of the nanoparticles play an important role in their catalytic properties,as well as external parameters such as pH or temperature.Yet,real applications often require specific biorecognition elements to be immobilized onto the nanozymes,leading to unexpected positive or negative effects on their activity.Thus,rational design of efficient nanozymes remains a challenge of paramount importance.Different implementation paths have already been explored,including the application of peroxidase-like nanozymes for the development of clinical diagnostics or the regulation of oxidative stress within cells via their catalase and superoxide dismutase activities.The review also indicates that it is essential to understand how external parameters may boost or inhibit each of these activities,as more than one of them could coexist.Likewise,further toxicity studies are required to ensure the applicability of gold nanozymes in vivo.Current challenges and future prospects of gold nanozymes are discussed in this review,whose significance can be anticipated in a diverse range of fields beyond biomedicine,such as food safety,environmental analyses or the chemical industry.

Food Safety Strategies:The One Health Approach to Global Challenges and China’s Actions

WORLD FOOD SAFETY DAY World Food Safety Day(WFSD)(1)celebrated on 7 June 2021 aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent,detect and manage foodborne risks,contributing to food security,human health,economic prosperity,agriculture,market access,tourism and sustainable development.The theme of 2021,“Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow”,stresses that production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people,the planet and the economy.Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people,animals,plants,the environment and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future.

Protecting global soil resources for ecosystem services

2015 is the International Year of Soils,as adopted by the United Nations,and reflects the global importance of soil resources in ecosystem sustainability.Soil is not only required for food production,but is also critical for biodiversity conservation and a broad range of ecosystem services.However,soil degradation and loss through anthropogenic activities is highly worrying and reaching a crisis point.Protecting the physical,chemical,and biological integrity of soil is,therefore,of vital importance in securing human and ecosystem health.

Fabrication of plasmonic nanopyramidal array as flexible SERS substrate for biosensing application

The proposed work aims to develop a sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)nano-biosensor.The inverted nano pyramid array on silicon substrate fabricated using electron beam lithography(EBL)was utilised as a master template and the mold was later replicated via nanoimprinting process to prepare gold-coated polymer nanopyramid three-dimensional(3D)SERS substrate.The fast and versatile replication process using nanoimprinting lithography(NIL)can produce polymer nanopyramids in a low-cost and reproducible fashion.Also,the proposed fabrication protocol can be easily upscale for large scale fabrication.The intense electric field confinement at nanotips and four edges of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid enhanced the Raman signal of probe molecules,i.e.,Rhodamine 6G with a limit of detection down to 3.277×10−9 M was achieved.This work also underlines the efficiency of gold-coated polymer nanopyramid arrays in the spectral detection of hemoglobin proteins at low concentrations.The Raman signal enhancement mechanism was further studied through the electromagnetic simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics.In addition,bending test experiments were performed to understand the effect of flexibility on SERS signal response.The fabricated gold-coated polymer nanopyramids arrays could pave the way for the development of low-cost SERS platforms for the detection of hazardous biological and chemical compounds at ultra-low concentrations in practical applications.

守护粮食食品安全,全球携手在行动

确保全球人口日益增长对粮食及食物供应的安全保障已经迫在眉睫。然而,农业和食品工业仍然容易遭受微生物和化学污染物污染问题,包括兽医药品和由植物、藻类特别是真菌产生的天然毒素。全球变暖[1]的和极端天气事件使得这些有毒代谢物的发生,包括真菌的各种有毒次生代谢物--即“真菌毒素”--变得更加不可预测。据估计,全球多达80%的植物源食品被真菌毒素污染[2]。

Using vibrational infrared biomolecular spectroscopy to detect heat-induced changes of molecular structure in relation to nutrient availability of prairie whole oat grains on a molecular basis

Background： To our knowledge, there is little study on the interaction between nutrient availability and molecular structure changes induced by different processing methods in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of heat processing methods on interaction between nutrient availability and molecular structure in terms of functional groups that are related to protein and starch inherent structure of oat grains with two continued years and three replication of each year.Method： The oat grains were kept as raw（control） or heated in an air-draft oven（dry roasting： DO） at 120 °C for 60 min and under microwave irradiation（MIO） for 6 min. The molecular structure features were revealed by vibrational infrared molecular spectroscopy.Results： The results showed that rumen degradability of dry matter, protein and starch was significantly lower（P 〈0.05） for MIO compared to control and DO treatments. A higher protein α-helix to β-sheet and a lower amide I to starch area ratio were observed for MIO compared to DO and/or raw treatment. A negative correlation（-0.99, P 〈 0.01）was observed between α-helix or amide I to starch area ratio and dry matter. A positive correlation（0.99, P 〈 0.01） was found between protein β-sheet and crude protein.Conclusion： The results reveal that oat grains are more sensitive to microwave irradiation than dry heating in terms of protein and starch molecular profile and nutrient availability in ruminants.

Amalgamated gold-nanoalloys with enhanced catalytic activity for the detection of mercury ions(Hg^2+)in seawater samples

Mercury(Hg)is extremely toxic,and continues to cause major threats to aquatic life,human health and the environment.Hg^2+mainly derives from seawater as a product of atmospheric deposition,therefore there is great demand for sensing approaches that can detect Hg^2+in seawater samples.Herein,we demonstrate that the peroxidase-mimicking activity of gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)or so-called nanozymes,can be exploited for the detection of Hg^2+ions in various water samples.In a high electrolyte environment,the catalytic activity for the oxidation of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB)was significantly diminished due to poor stability of the bare-AuNPs.This activity was reduced by-73.7%when the NaCl concentration was higher than 1.168%,which is much lower than that of seawater(-3.5%),thus presenting its unsuitability for detecting Hg^2+in harsh water matrices.To overcome this limitation,AuNPs were first functionalized with oligo-ethylene glycol(OEG),of which their colloidal form presented high stability in NaCl concentrations up to 20%and across a wide range of pHs from 1-14.Interestingly,the catalytic activity of OEG-AuNPs for the oxidation of TMB was strongly suppressed by the coating,but enhanced upon formation of Au-Hg amalgamation.This novel finding underlies a straightforward,sensitive,and highly selective detection platform for Hg^2+in water samples.The approach could detect the exposure limit level for Hg^2+in drinking water(i.e.,2 ppb for tap and bottled water)as set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)and the World Health Organization(WHO).When Hg^2+was spiked into a 3.5%saline solution and a coastal seawater certified reference material(CRM),the detection limits were found to be 10 ancM 3 ppb,respectively,which exceed the Hg^2+concentrations commonly found within seawater(-60-80 ppb).The whole procedure takes less than 45 min to conduct,providing a highly innovative,rapid and low-cost approach for detecting Hg^2+in complex water matrices.

Unusual switchable peroxidase-mimicking nanozyme for the determination of proteolytic biomarker

Detection of enzyme biomarkers originating from either bio-fluids or contaminating microorganisms is of utmost importance in clinical diagnostics and food safety. Herein, we present a simple, low-cost and easy-to-use sensing approach based on the switchable peroxidase-mimicking activity of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that can catalyse for the oxidation of 3,3’,5’5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) for the determination of protease enzyme. The AuNP surface is modified with casein, showing dual functionalities. The first function of the coating molecule is to suppress the intrinsic peroxidase-mimicking activity of AuNPs by up to 77.1%, due to surface shielding effects. Secondly, casein also functions as recognition sites for the enzyme biomarker. In the presence of protease, the enzyme binds to and catalyses the degradation of the coating layer on the AuNP surface, resulting in the recovery of peroxidase-mimicking activity. This is shown visually in the development of a blue colored product (oxidised TMB) or spectroscopically as an increase in absorbance at 370 and 650 nm. This mechanism allows for the detection of protease at 44 ng·mL^-1 in 90 min. The nanosensor circumvents issues associated with current methods of detection in terms of ease of use, compatibility with point-of-care testing, low-cost production and short analysis time. The sensing approach has also been applied for the detection of protease spiked in ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk and synthetic human urine samples at a limit of detection of 490 and 176 ng·mL^-1, respectively, showing great potential in clinical diagnostics, food safety and quality control.

Microbial mediated arsenic biotransformation in wetlands

Arsenic （As） is a pervasive environmental toxin and carcinogenic metalloid. It ranks at the top of the US priority List of Hazardous Substances and causes worldwide human health problems. Wetlands, including natural and artificial ecosystems （i.e. paddy soils） are highly susceptible to As enrichment; acting not only as repositories for water but a host of other elemental/chemical moieties. While macroscale processes （physical and geological） supply As to wetlands, it is the micro-scale biogeochemistry that regulates the fluxes of As and other trace elements from the semi-terrestrial to neighboring plant/ aquatic/atmospheric compartments. Among these fine-scale events, microbial mediated As biotransformations contribute most to the element＇s changing forms, acting as the ＇switch＇ in defining a wetland as either a source or sink of As. Much of our understanding of these important microbial catalyzed reactions follows relatively recent scientific discoveries. Here we document some of these key advances, with focuses on the implications that wetlands and their microbial mediated transformation pathways have on the global As cycle, the chemistries of microbial mediated As oxidation, reduction and methylation, and future research priorities areas.

Sino-EU Intergovernmental Collaboration in the Campaign Against the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food via EU-China-Safe Framework

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has swept across the planet with more than 81 million confirmed cases and deaths surpassing 1.8 million in over 222 countries(1).Since the first outbreak found in Wuhan in late December 2019,the capital city in Hubei Province of China,healthcare workers and scientists having been working relentlessly to fight against this invisible enemy.It is very clear that starting from nowhere.

Towards informed metrics for examining the role of human-induced animal responses in tag studies on wild animals

Two prime issues can detrimentally affect animals that have been equipped with tags:(i)the effect of the cap-ture and restraint process;and(ii)the effect of the tag itself.This work examines some of the issues surround-ing quantification of tag effects on wild animals for both restrained and free-living animals.A new method to quantify stress effects based on monitoring ventilation rates in relation to activity is suggested for restrained an-imals which may help improve the practice of handling animals.It is also suggested that various metrics,many derived from accelerometers,can be examined in tagged wild animals to examine the change in behaviors over time with a view to having a better understanding of welfare issues,assuring the quality of recorded data and in-forming best practice.

A Chinese-Specific Reference Amounts Study With TNO Food Allergen Risk Assessment Models-China,2022

What is already known about this topic?There are no consistent regulations on possible unintended allergen presence in food.The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research(TNO)has been committed to developing a quantitative risk assessment methodology for the unintentional intake of allergens.What is added by this report?This study aims to derive the optimal food consumption point for a deterministic food allergy risk assessment under the TNO framework based on Chinese national consumption data.A case study has been presented as an illustration.What are the implications for public health practice?A robust evidence-based food consumption input in quantitative risk assessment of unintended allergens is necessary for future public policy on Precautionary Allergen Labeling for specific products to meet the safety objectives and to be adequately conservative.

Seasonal occurrence of microplastics in sediment of two South African recreational reservoirs

Inland water systems are regarded as a pathway and sink of plastic pollutants from the terrestrial environment.Aquatic ecosystems are globally contaminated with microplastics,but the spatiotemporal occurrence and density of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems remain poorly understood.The present study seasonally assessed differences in microplastic density in the sediments from two South African recreational reservoirs associated with low human activities(macadamia orchards)and high human activities(communal areas).Microplastics were recovered from all of the reservoirs assessed,indicating their extensive occurrence and densities.Microplastic numbers were significantly higher in reservoirs associated with high anthropogenic activities during the hot-dry season(140.6 particles kg^(-1)dwt)and lower in reservoirs associated with low anthropogenic activities during the hot-wet and cool-dry seasons,i.e.,22.60 particles kg^(-1)dwt and 16.13 particles kg^(-1)dwt,respectively.Overall,polypropylene(31%)and polystyrene(30%)were identified as the dominant types of microplastic polymer in both reservoir types.Moreover,no correlative relationships were observed for environmental parameters and microplastic densities across reservoirs and seasons,suggesting a widespread and largely context-independent pollution level.These results show that microplastics are not evenly distributed between waters associated with low human activities and high human activities.Future work should seek greater sample sizes and centre around observing microplastic contamination in the region by examining their sources,transport,and impacts to freshwater environments,whilst informing management strategies.