Application, challenges and future prospects of recent nondestructive techniques based on the electromagnetic spectrum in food quality and safety.

Safety and quality aspects of food products have always been critical issues for the food production and processing industries. Since conventional quality measurements are laborious, time-consuming, and expensive, it is vital to develop new, fast, non-invasive, cost-effective, and direct techniques to eliminate those challenges. Recently, non-destructive techniques have been applied in the food sector to improve the quality and safety of foodstuffs. The aim of this review is an effort to list non-destructive techniques (X-ray, computer tomography, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, infrared, Raman, terahertz, nuclear magnetic resonance, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging) based on the electromagnetic spectrum and discuss their principle and application in the food sector. This review provides an in-depth assessment of the different non-destructive techniques used for the quality and safety analysis of foodstuffs. We also discussed comprehensively about advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and opportunities for the application of each technique and recommended some solutions and developments for future trends.

SARS-CoV-2 detection by targeting four loci of viral genome using graphene oxide and gold nanoparticle DNA biosensor.

The current COVID-19 pandemic outbreak poses a serious threat to public health, demonstrating the critical need for the development of effective and reproducible detection tests. Since the RT-qPCR primers are highly specific and can only be designed based on the known sequence, mutation sensitivity is its limitation. Moreover, the mutations in the severe acute respiratory syndrome ß-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) genome led to new highly transmissible variants such as Delta and Omicron variants. In the case of mutation, RT-qPCR primers cannot recognize and attach to the target sequence. This research presents an accurate dual-platform DNA biosensor based on the colorimetric assay of gold nanoparticles and the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. It simultaneously targets four different regions of the viral genome for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its new variants prior to any sequencing. Hence, in the case of mutation in one of the target sequences, the other three probes could detect the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The method is based on visible biosensor color shift and a locally enhanced electromagnetic field and significantly amplified SERS signal due to the proximity of Sulfo-Cyanine 3 (Cy3) and AuNPs intensity peak at 1468 cm-1. The dual-platform DNA/GO/AuNP biosensor exhibits high sensitivity toward the viral genome with a LOD of 0.16 ng/µL. This is a safe point-of-care, naked-eye, equipment-free, and rapid (10 min) detection biosensor for diagnosing COVID-19 cases at home using a nasopharyngeal sample.

The Toxic Impact of Honey Adulteration: A Review.

Honey is characterized as a natural and raw foodstuff that can be consumed not only as a sweetener but also as medicine due to its therapeutic impact on human health. It is prone to adulterants caused by humans that manipulate the quality of honey. Although honey consumption has remarkably increased in the last few years all around the world, the safety of honey is not assessed and monitored regularly. Since the number of consumers of honey adulteration have increased in recent years, their trust and interest in this valuable product has decreased. Honey adulterants are any substances that are added to the pure honey. In this regard, this paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of the different types of adulteration, common sugar adulterants and detection methods, and draws a clear perspective toward the impact of honey adulteration on human health. Adulteration increases the consumer's blood sugar, which can cause diabetes, abdominal weight gain, and obesity, raise the level of blood lipids and can cause high blood pressure. The most common organ affected by honey adulterants is the liver followed by the kidney, heart, and brain, as shown in several in vivo research designs.

Progress on implantable biofuel cell: Nano-carbon functionalization for enzyme immobilization enhancement.

Biofuel cells are bio-electrochemical devices, which are suitable for the environmentally friendly generation of energy. Enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) operates at ambient temperature and pH. Biofuel cells utilize vegetable and animal fluids (e.g. glucose) as a biofuel to produce energy. Fundamental part of each Glucose biofuel cell (GBFC) is two bioelectrodes which their surface utilizes as an enzyme immobilized site. Glucose oxidase (GOx) or glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) were immobilized on bioanode and oxidize glucose while oxygen reduced in biocathode using immobilized laccase or bilirubin oxidase in order to generate sufficient power. Glucose biofuel cells are capable to generate sufficient power for implanted devices. The key step of manufacturing a bioelectrode is the effective enzyme immobilization on the electrode surface. Due to the thin diameter of carbon nanomaterials, which make them accessible to the enzyme active sites, they are applicable materials to establish electronic communication with redox enzymes. Carbon nanomaterials regenerate the biocatalysts either by direct electron transfer or redox mediators which serve as intermediated for the electron transfer. Nano-carbon functionalization is perfectly compatible with other chemical or biological approaches to enhance the enzyme functions in implantable biofuel cells. Efficient immobilization of enzyme using the functionalized nano-carbon materials is the key point that greatly increases the possibilities of success. Current review highlights the progress on implantable biofuel cell, with focus on the nano-carbon functionalization for enzyme immobilization enhancement in glucose/O2 biofuel cells.