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In this study, we evaluated the ability of waste shell powder (WSP) and moringa seed powder (MSP) individually or in combination to eliminate dye, heavy metal and resistant bacteria from the industrial wastewater (IWW). The presence of dyes, heavy metals, approximately 7.0 log CFU/ml of aerobic bacteria and 3.0–4.0 log CFU/ml of other pathogens including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Serratia liquefaciens and Bacillus cereus was evident in IWW of both tannery and textile industries. In addition, depending on the type of bacterial species each bacterium was resistant to as high as 50 ppm of multi-metal (Cr6+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ or its combination) and even multi-drug resistant (amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefixime, ceftazidime, and tazobactam). Combined use of MSP (0.8 gm/100 ml IWW) and WSP (0.2 gm/100 ml IWW) treatment was able to discolor the IWW within 4 h and took 24 h to eliminate heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria to non-detectable level from the IWW, simultaneously. On the other hand, individual use of MSP or WSP was not found effective enough to remove or eliminate dye, heavy metal and bacteria simultaneously from the IWW. Similar experimental results were observed in the challenge test with laboratory-prepared effluent water containing 35.0 ppm Remazol Brilliant Blue R dye and maximum 50 ppm Cr6+. Thus, the combination of these two bio-sorbents could be applicable in IWW treatment before being discharged into the environment.

Antibiotics are widely used in commercial fish farms in Bangladesh for therapeutic and prophylactic purpose, raising concerns about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and environmental contamination. This study used Thin Layer Chromatography to detect antimicrobial residues in four commercially available fish species- Tilapia ( Oreochromis aureus ), Stinging catfish ( Heteropneustes fossilis ), Climbing perch ( Anabas testudineus ), and Pabda ( Ompok pabda )—with 100 samples per species. Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography quantified residues in a subset of 25 samples per species. The prevalence of Ciprofloxacin, Oxytetracycline, and Chlortetracycline residues varied significantly among fish species, with the highest prevalence observed for Ciprofloxacin in Tilapia (42%), Oxytetracycline in Pabda (41%), and Chlortetracycline in Tilapia (49%). Additionally, the prevalence of Levofloxacin and Chlortetracycline differed by sampling location, with the highest levels found in Jhawtala market, 27.5% for Levofloxacin and 53.8% for Chlortetracycline. Furthermore, residue concentrations were highest for Enrofloxacin in Climbing perch (69.32 µg/Kg) and Oxytetracycline in Pabda (88.73 µg/Kg). The highest Hazard Quotient (HQ) was for Enrofloxacin in Climbing perch (0.480), followed by Pabda (0.460), Stinging catfish (0.420), and Tilapia (0.387). While the HQ values were below 1.0, indicating no immediate toxicological risk, residues raise public health concerns due to the chance of potential AMR development. Further research is needed on antimicrobial bioaccumulation, indirect exposure sources, environmental contamination, and antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture and wild fish.

The street foods play an important socioeconomic role in meeting food and nutritional requirements of city consumers at affordable prices to the lower and middle income people. The number of food poisoning notifications rose steadily worldwide since the inception of E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in the 1980s to date. This may be partly attributed to improved surveillance, increased global trade and travel, changes in modern food production, the impact of modern lifestyles, changes in food consumption, and the emergence of new pathogens. Consumer’s knowledge and attitude may influence food safety behavior and practice. For the sake of public health, it is important to understand the epidemiology of foodborne illnesses that help in prevention and control efforts, appropriately allocating resources to control foodborne illness, monitoring and evaluation of food safety measures, development of new food safety standards, and assessment of the cost-effectiveness of interventions. This review paper described the sociodemographic characteristics, common hazards, and occupational hazards of street food vendors, microbial risk associated with street food, food safety interventions and control measures, regulatory aspects and legal requirements, financial constraints, and attitudes.

Schiff base is the class of compounds showing wide range of biological activities having the azomethine (-N=CH-) active pharmacophore, which play major roles in their significant bio-activities. A series of Schiff base analogues of 4-aminoantipyrine analogues have been tested for bactericidal and cytotoxic activities against selected bacterial strains and brine shrimp (Artemia salina) nauplii, respectively. Of the compounds tested, two compounds showed a good inhibition of bacterial growth against E. coli and C. sakazakii, whereas three compounds demonstrated high cytotoxicity with LC50 values of 225, 480, and 581 ppm, in a short term bioassay using A. salina. Qualitative structure-cytotoxic activity relationships were studied using physicochemical parameters; a good correlation between clogP and cytotoxic activity was observed.

Knowledge of the levels of bacteria in food systems before and after processing, as well as the impact of storage time and temperature on microbial populations of minimally processed foods, should provide guidance to the food industry, regulatory agencies, and consumers in implementing HACCP plans and good manufacturing practices (GMP). The spore-forming bacterium can be osmotolerant at both reduced and elevated temperatures. [...]they suggested that combination of other nonthermal treatments could be useful in controlling the safety and quality of low water activity foods. [...]all the papers published in this special issue represent exciting, innovative, and applicable technologies in food safety and quality of various food, as well as emerging future research topics, in this multidisciplinary field.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the levels of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in (1) fresh tea leaves, (2) processed (black) tea leaves and (3) soils from tea plantations originating from Bangladesh.MethodsGraphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) was used to evaluate six digestion methods, (1) nitric acid, (2) nitric acid overnight, (3) nitric acid–hydrogen peroxide, (4) nitric–perchloric acid, (5) sulfuric acid, and (6) dry ashing, to determine the most suitable digestion method for the determination of heavy metals in the samples.ResultsThe concentration ranges of Cd, Pb, As and Se in fresh tea leaves were from 0.03–0.13, 0.19–2.06 and 0.47–1.31 µg/g, respectively while processed tea contained heavy metals at different concentrations: Cd (0.04–0.16 µg/g), Cr (0.45–10.73 µg/g), Pb (0.07–1.03 µg/g), As (0.89–1.90 µg/g) and Se (0.21–10.79 µg/g). Moreover, the soil samples of tea plantations also showed a wide range of concentrations: Cd (0.11–0.45 µg/g), Pb (2.80–66.54 µg/g), As (0.78–4.49 µg/g), and Se content (0.03–0.99 µg/g). Method no. 2 provided sufficient time to digest the tea matrix and was the most efficient method for recovering Cd, Cr, Pb, As and Se. Methods 1 and 3 were also acceptable and can be relatively inexpensive, easy and fast. The heavy metal transfer factors in the investigated soil/tea samples decreased as follows: Cd > As > Se > Pb.ConclusionOverall, the present study gives current insights into the heavy metal levels both in soils and teas commonly consumed in Bangladesh.

The safety of vegetable food is compromised by various factors, including the inefficient or excessive use of sanitizers. Instances of individuals falling ill after consuming raw vegetables have been reported, with outbreaks of diseases caused by pathogens on fresh vegetables becoming increasingly prevalent globally, attracting significant media coverage and impacting the economic viability of vegetable cultivation. Measures to enhance food safety in postharvest horticultural produce involve controlling microbial proliferation and minimizing cross-contamination. Sanitizers were utilized in the food safety arsenal for a variety of purposes, including pathogen elimination and microbe reduction, hand, tool, and vegetable contact surface cleaning, and produce shelf-life extension. Choosing an appropriate sanitizer for all vegetables is difficult due to a lack of knowledge on which sanitizers are ideal for the many types of vegetables grown on farms under different environmental circumstances. Although chlorine-based sanitizers, such as sodium or calcium hypochlorite, have been widely used for the past 50 years, recent research has revealed that chlorine reacts with an organic compound in fresh vegetables to produce trihalomethane, a carcinogen precursor, and as a result, many countries have prohibited the use of chlorine in all foods. As a result, horticulture research groups worldwide are exploring non-chlorine, ecologically friendly sanitizers for the vegetable industry. They also want to understand more about the present procedures in the vegetable business for employing alternative sanitizers, as well as the efficacy and potential dangers to the food safety of fresh salad vegetables. This review paper presents detailed information on non-chlorine sanitizers, such as their efficacy, benefits, drawbacks, regulatory requirements, and the need for additional research to lower the risk of marketed salad vegetable food safety.

A series of 15 (E)-N'-benzylidenebenzohydrazide analogues were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against eleven pathogenic and food-borne microbes, namely, S. aureus (G(+)), L. monocytogenes (G(+)), B. subtilis (G(+)), K. pneumonia (G¯), C. sakazakii (G¯), C. freundii (G¯), S. enterica (G¯), S. enteritidis (G¯), E. coli (G¯), Y. pestis (G¯), and P. aeruginosa (G¯). Most of the compounds exhibited selective activity against some Gram-negative bacterial strains. Of the compounds tested (3a-o), 3b and 3g were most active against C. freundii (MIC = ~19 µg mL(-1)). Whereas, compounds 3d, 3i, 3k and 3n exhibited MIC values ranging from 37.5 to 75 μg mL(-1) against C. freundii, and compounds 3e, 3l and 3n had MIC values of ~75 μg mL(-1) against K. pneumonia. Quantitative structure-antibacterial activity relationships were studied using physicochemical parameters and a good correlation was found between calculated octanol-water partition coefficients (clogP; a lipophilic parameter) and antibacterial activities. In silico screening was also performed by docking high (3b and 3g) and low (3n) activity compounds on the active site of E. coli FabH receptor, which is an important therapeutic target. The findings of these in silico screening studies provide a theoretical basis for the design and synthesis of novel benzylidenebenzohydrazide analogues that inhibit bacterial FabH.

Abstract Street-vended beverages, such as Aloe vera sharbat, are popular in many areas due to their low cost and perceived health benefits. However, the hygiene of utensils used for preparation and serving remains a major concern. This study investigated the prevalence of microbiological hazards in utensils used and in street-vended A. vera sharbat and assessed the associated risks. A total of 160 utensil samples (mug to prepare sharbat, and serving glass) and 80 A. vera sharbat samples were collected from street vendors in Dhaka city and analysed for microbial load, including total aerobic bacterial count, total coliform counts, total faecal coliform count, total yeast & mould count, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Vibrio spp. The study found that approximately 61 (81.3%) mugs and 56 (74.6%) serving glasses were contaminated with E. coli, while 17 (22.6%) mugs and 16 (21.3%) serving glasses were contaminated with Salmonella spp., and 54 (72.0%) mugs and 45 (60.0%) glasses were contaminated with Vibrio spp. The microbiological quality of all sharbat samples was determined to be above the permitted standards, with 96.0% of the samples containing E. coli, 22.7% containing Salmonella spp., and 85.3% containing Vibrio spp. The microbiological risk assessment revealed that Salmonella infection is the most common (10.5%), followed by E. coli (2%) and Vibrio spp. (0.5%). The presence of these bacteria in food is unacceptable since it puts the public at risk of infection, highlighting the need for improved hygiene standards and regulatory control. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract