Food Control最新文献

{"title":"Novel probiotics Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus inhibit Salmonella colonization in layers and prevent egg-borne transmission","authors":"Ragini Reddyvari,&nbsp;Yuying Ren,&nbsp;Praveen Kosuri,&nbsp;Eswari Kanike,&nbsp;Anjana Thankachan,&nbsp;Kham Bahadur Khatri,&nbsp;Mary Anne Amalaradjou","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Salmonella</h3><div>Enteritidis (SE)-contaminated eggs are a major cause of foodborne outbreaks in the U.S. Contamination can occur through horizontal transmission from the environment or vertical transmission from SE-colonized layers, affecting the outer shell (OS), inner shell (IS), and internal contents (IC), leading to outbreaks. Hence, there is need for effective pre-harvest solutions to control SE on eggs. Here we evaluated the efficacy of two novel probiotics, i) <em>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</em> NRRL-B-442 (LR) and <em>Lactobacillus paracasei</em> DUP 13076 (LP) as in-feed supplements to reduce SE colonization in layers and prevent egg-borne transmission. For this study 19- and 40-week-old birds were assigned to 4 treatments with replicate pens of 10 birds each. Treatments included layer diet without probiotics (control) and diet supplemented with 9 log CFU/kg of LP, LR, or the cocktail (PR). Birds were challenged with SE (10 log CFU/bird) by crop gavage and eggs tested daily for SE for 5 weeks. In-feed supplementation of probiotics reduced SE load by ∼0.8 log CFU/g in the cecum and to below detection limits in the oviduct. Further, in 19-week-old birds, approximately 45 % of eggs in the probiotic groups were SE-positive in the outer shell (OS) compared to 84 % in the control. Additionally, only 10–15 % of internal content (IC) samples tested SE-positive in the probiotic groups, while over 50 % were SE-positive in the control. Similar results were observed with birds in peak lay (40-week-old birds). Overall, in-feed supplementation of probiotics significantly reduced egg-borne transmission of SE thereby improving egg safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111781"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine learning-assisted selective sensing of ornidazole in milk and juice by molecularly imprinted CeFeO3/CHIT nanocomposites","authors":"Rui Liu ,&nbsp;Meng Han ,&nbsp;Chaojun Zhang ,&nbsp;Wein-Duo Yang ,&nbsp;Binqiao Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111789","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111789","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ornidazole (ODZ), as a third-generation nitroimidazole antibiotic, has the potential to cause neurotoxicity and the spread of drug resistance when abused, making the development of highly sensitive and selective detection methods essential. This study develops a molecularly imprinted CeFeO₃/chitosan (CHIT) modified electrode (MIP-CeFeO₃/CHIT/GCE) and utilizes machine learning to predict its electrochemical performance. Through electrochemical detection, the modified electrode shows a good linear response within the range of 0.05–140 nM, with a detection limit as low as 0.0143 nM, significantly outperforming existing methods. Additionally, it exhibits high selectivity, good reproducibility, and stability for ornidazole. In practical electrochemical detection of milk and orange juice samples, the recovery rates range from 98.80 % to 102.83 % and 99.30 %–103.88 %, respectively. Furthermore, by integrating a machine learning model, the modified electrode achieves intelligent and precise electrochemical detection of ornidazole. This work not only provides a high-performance electrochemical sensor for trace detection of ornidazole but also, more importantly, combines machine learning with molecular imprinting technology, offering a new design approach for intelligent modified electrodes in food safety detection. It provides an efficient solution for the rapid monitoring of antibiotic residues in food samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111789"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and dynamics of microbiota in pork processing environments","authors":"Xianqin Yang ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Frances Tran ,&nbsp;Saida Essendoubi ,&nbsp;Kim Stanford ,&nbsp;Tim McAllister","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111787","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The seasonal prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing <em>Escherichia coli</em> (STEC) and impact of control measures on carcass microbiomes associated with pork processing were investigated. Samples (n = 693) from the holding pen floor (HPF), gloves of workers (GLV), scalding water (SCW), tonsils (TSL), cecal material (CEC), hides after bleeding (HAB), and carcasses after scalding (CAS), before and after evisceration, before (B) and after (A) lactic acid (LA) spray, and after chilling (ACH) were analyzed for STEC, total plate count (TPC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), coliforms, <em>E. coli</em> and microbial profiling.</div><div>The slaughter process reduced TPC, EB, coliforms and <em>E. coli</em> on carcasses by 6.99, 5.30, 5.06 and 4.99 log, with scalding and LA/chilling reducing TPC by 3.15 and 2.45 log, respectively. No ACH carcasses yielded EB or <em>E. coli</em>. In summer, HAB were more contaminated than in other seasons (P &lt; 0.05). STEC were found in 73 samples, with 90 % from HAB, CEC and HPF and summer having the highest STEC detection rate. Overall, 12 samples were presumptive <em>E. coli</em> O157 positive based on PCR, but none yielded <em>E. coli</em> O157 isolates. Microbial composition varied among sources and seasons (P &lt; 0.05). The genera accounting for ≥10 % of their respective total population were <em>Escherichia</em> (43.5 %), <em>Streptococcus</em> (12.8 %) and <em>Klebsiella</em> (11.3 %) for CEC/TSL; <em>Streptococcus</em> (22.6 %) and <em>Escherichia</em> (14.2 %) for HAB/HPF; <em>Anoxybacillus</em> (58.3 %) and <em>Streptococcus</em> (11.7 %) for SCW; <em>Stenotrophomonas</em> (30 %) for GLV; <em>Acinetobacter</em> (20.7 %), <em>Rothia</em> (12.0 %) and <em>Macrococcus</em> (10.4 %) for before LA carcasses; <em>Stenotrophomonas</em> (11.0 %) for after LA carcasses; and <em>Bacillus</em> (10.8 %) for ACH, respectively. LA/air chilling primarily shapes ACH carcass microbiota.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111787"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality grading of Zijin cicada tea using a multi-level fusion strategy","authors":"Wencong Liu ,&nbsp;Qiaoyi Zhou ,&nbsp;Shuen Yang ,&nbsp;Feihu Song ,&nbsp;Zhenfeng Li ,&nbsp;Jiecai Wang ,&nbsp;Chunfang Song ,&nbsp;Caijin Ling","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111785","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111785","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A Computer Vision System (CVS) and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) were employed for the quality grading of Zijin Cicada tea for the purpose of more scientifically discriminating the bite degree of tea green leafhoppers and substituting the subjective judgment of manual detection. The 163 samples were categorized into different bite degrees, namely, mild biting (grade B), moderate biting (grade A), and severe biting (grade C). Four machine learning models—the Adaptive Boosting algorithm (AdaBoost), Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and Random Forest (RF)—were established using image, spectral information and fusion information, followed by dimensionality reduction of spectral data via Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS), the Successive Projections Algorithm (SPA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), while image features were optimized using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and PCA. The results showed that the models based on feature-level, decision-level and hybrid fused information that combine machine vision and spectral technologies outperform single-sensor data in terms of robustness and accuracy. Using SVM, feature-level fusion (LDA-extracted image features + CARS-optimized spectral features) achieved 97.20 % accuracy using SVM. Decision-level fusion (LDA-SVM for images; PCA-RF for spectra) attained 98.15 % accuracy. Hybrid fusion combining LDA image features and SPA spectral features further improved the accuracy to 98.45 %. This study confirms that multi-level fusion of NIRS and machine vision provides an efficient, non-destructive solution for Zijin Cicada tea quality grading.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111785"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regulatory challenges and industrial applications of phages and phage-encoded enzymes for food safety","authors":"Xiaoyu Wang ,&nbsp;Aminu Abdullahi Mahmoud ,&nbsp;Mahmoud Elafify ,&nbsp;Song Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinyu Liao ,&nbsp;Tian Ding ,&nbsp;Juhee Ahn","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111788","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111788","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bacteriophages (phages) and phage-encoded enzymes, including endolysins, holins, and depolymerases, provide promising approaches to enhance food safety by targeting foodborne pathogens and preserving food quality. Phages are highly specific to their bacterial hosts, allowing them to eliminate harmful bacteria without affecting beneficial microbes, providing a significant advantage over traditional chemical preservatives. Phages and phage-encoded enzymes also reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance and promote ecological sustainability. However, despite their potential, regulatory hurdles limit their widespread use in the food industry. Challenges such as safety validation, efficacy testing, production standardization, and environmental assessments must be addressed for the approval and commercialization of phage-based alternatives. This review examines recent advancements in the regulatory procedures for phages and phage-encoded enzymes, emphasizing the ongoing challenges in safety evaluation and the need for production standardization. Furthermore, this review explores strategies to overcome these barriers, stressing the importance of global regulatory cooperation to enable the implementation of phage-based biocontrol methods. The resolution of these regulatory challenges is therefore crucial for realizing the potential of phage-based solutions in food safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111788"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing food collection inspection efficiency using a Bayesian network model","authors":"Seung Yong Cho","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111786","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111786","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring food safety requires efficient and targeted inspection strategies. To this end, a Bayesian network model that prioritizes food products with a high likelihood of noncompliance was developed, and its predictive performance was subsequently evaluated. To construct the model, variables related to noncompliance in food collection inspections were selected. A total of 2523 records from the Integrated Food Safety Information Network (IFSIN) in Korea were used to train a data-driven Tree-Augmented Naive Bayes (TAN) Bayesian network model, with compliance set as the root node. The selected variables contributing to noncompliance status included manufacturer-related characteristics, such as past noncompliance history, number of employees, annual sales, and annual exports, as well as product-related factors, such as vulnerability to noncompliance by food type, annual product sales, and HACCP certification status. When the TAN Bayesian network model was applied to 1081 test samples excluded from training, the decision threshold was adjusted to enhance predictive performance and increase the likelihood of selecting noncompliant products for inspection. At a threshold of 0.021, the recall reached 0.7667, and the likelihood of actual noncompliance among inspected products was 9.83 %—approximately 3.5 times higher than the baseline noncompliance rate of 2.75 %. The number of items to inspect can be determined based on this threshold, which may be adjusted according to available resources such as budget and manpower. The results indicate that inspecting only 21.7 % of all items can identify 76.67 % of noncompliant products, demonstrating a substantial improvement in inspection efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111786"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving SSC detection accuracy of hanging-transported strawberries through different correction methods and 1D-CNN","authors":"Chen Wang ,&nbsp;Yu Qiao ,&nbsp;Xiaonan Li ,&nbsp;Li Sun ,&nbsp;Guangjun Qiu ,&nbsp;Ruiyun Zhou ,&nbsp;Zhiming Guo ,&nbsp;Jianrong Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The clamp-hanging method for conveying strawberries by their stems offers distinct advantages for online detection of soluble solids content (SSC) by visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy. It minimizes fruit damage compared to traditional tray conveyance and facilitates non-destructive sorting in industrial applications. However, variations in hanging height and fruit size can alter detection zones and effective optical path length, while the inherent spatial heterogeneity of SSC distribution collectively compromises measurement accuracy for the whole-fruit. To tackle these obstacles, this study developed a refined clamp-hanging prototype and advanced spectral correction techniques for accurate Vis/NIR spectroscopy-based SSC prediction. A visual imaging module was integrated to monitor fruit size and hanging height in real time. Building on this, single spectral correction methods, including extinction coefficient correction (ECC) and correlation coefficient correction (CCC), were evaluated, with ECC delivering the best performance. A combined ECC-CCC approach further improved accuracy, achieving a determination coefficient of prediction (<span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>R</mi><mi>p</mi><mn>2</mn></msubsup></mrow></math></span>) of 0.916 and a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.287°Brix using competitive adaptive reweighted sampling-partial least squares regression (CARS-PLSR), effectively reducing optical path fluctuations. Innovatively, a joint strategy incorporating SSC distribution correction with these spectral correction methods yielded superior results with <span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>R</mi><mi>p</mi><mn>2</mn></msubsup></mrow></math></span> = 0.945 and RMSEP = 0.229°Brix, thereby enhancing overall prediction reliability. Additionally, a one-dimensional convolutional neural network-long short-term memory (1D-CNN-LSTM) model applied directly to raw spectra achieved optimal outcomes with <span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>R</mi><mi>p</mi><mn>2</mn></msubsup></mrow></math></span> = 0.948 and RMSEP = 0.225°Brix, promoting robustness without preprocessing. Collectively, these innovations advance non-destructive, automated SSC detection, outperforming existing methods in accuracy and efficiency for strawberry quality assessment, potentially advancing online internal quality evaluation for small, delicate fruits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111782"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"3D printed electrochemical dual-sensor biodevice for the simultaneous determination of glucose and ethanol in wines","authors":"Eleni Koukouviti,&nbsp;Christina Koulopoulou,&nbsp;Nektarios Anastasiou,&nbsp;Anastasios Economou,&nbsp;Christos Kokkinos","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sustainable and affordable fabrication and direct use of integrated electrochemical biosensors in point of need settings support the decentralization of food and beverage quality monitoring from centralized laboratories. Leveraging the digital simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and laboratory-free advantages of 3D printing, we present a compact, fully integrated, 3D printed dual-sensor enzymatic biodevice for the simultaneous amperometric determination of ethanol (ETH) and glucose (GLU) in wine samples via a single assay using a portable bi-potentiostat. The device was fabricated through a one-step process and comprised four carbon black/polylactic acid (CB/PLA) electrodes—two working electrodes (WEs), one reference, and one counter electrode—embedded in a small biodegradable PLA cell. Each WE was modified with a Prussian Blue mediator layer, the respective oxidase enzyme, and a Nafion film to enable selective biocatalytic oxidation and simultaneous detection of both analytes from a single drop of wine. The developed method exhibited high sensitivity (limits of detection: 0.4 mM ETH and 9.5 μM GLU), excellent selectivity against common interferences, and reproducibility, confirming operational and fabrication robustness. The concentrations of ETH and GLU in three wine samples were determined and validated against standard chromatographic methods. The device can be easily produced at the point of need, and the results demonstrate its ability for rapid, direct, sensitive, and selective on-site simultaneous measurements of ETH and GLU in wines, while also offering prospects for extension to the monitoring of other chemical markers relevant to the food and beverage industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111784"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fumonisins’ risk assessment in broa, a maize-based bread – An example from the Portuguese market","authors":"Pedro Nabais ,&nbsp;Paulo Carmona ,&nbsp;Sarogini Monteiro ,&nbsp;Helena Sousa ,&nbsp;Filipa Melo de Vasconcelos ,&nbsp;Duarte Torres ,&nbsp;Laura Cunha Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111783","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111783","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Broa</em>, a traditional maize-based bread, is culturally significant in Portugal but may be contaminated with mycotoxins, particularly fumonisins. This study assessed the occurrence of fumonisin in Portuguese <em>broa</em> and evaluated the associated health risks from dietary exposure. Thirty-nine broa samples were analyzed for fumonisin B1 and B2 content. Exposure assessment was conducted using consumption data from the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF) 2015–2016 by calculating Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) for different population groups. Fumonisin B1 was found in 94,9 % of samples and fumonisin B2 in 61,5 %, with maximum concentrations of 292 μg/kg and 87 μg/kg, respectively. The highest sum of both fumonisins reached 379 μg/kg. All samples complied with European Union (EU) maximum limits (1000 μg/kg). Under normal consumption scenarios, EDI remained below the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) (1,0 μg/kg bw/day) for all population groups. However, worst-case scenarios indicated that children (0–9 years) could exceed safe limits consuming highly contaminated <em>broa</em>. Our findings reveal a significant regulatory gap, as EU legislation lacks specific maximum levels for traditional maize-based breads, such as <em>broa</em>. We recommend establishing product-specific regulatory limits and implementing targeted monitoring programs, particularly focusing on vulnerable populations such as children, to ensure food safety while preserving this culturally important traditional food.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111783"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case study: Targeted HPLC-MS/MS analysis of TFA and other USC-PFAS in beverages and waters from Italy and Asia","authors":"Alex Affricano ,&nbsp;Alberto Asteggiano ,&nbsp;Alice Di Bernardo ,&nbsp;Orapan Apirakkan ,&nbsp;Angkhana Khachonwongwattana ,&nbsp;Savarin Sinaviwat ,&nbsp;Claudio Medana","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an ultra-short chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), persistent, highly soluble, and increasingly detected in the environment. This study reports the first systematic screening of TFA and other USC-PFAS in Italy, covering surface, mineral, spring and tap waters as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. A total of 172 liquid samples were analyzed with a validated high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method. Additional bottled tap and surface waters from China and Thailand were included for international comparison.</div><div>Among eight target analytes, only TFA was detected. In Italian waters, concentrations were generally low (0.10–2.02 μg/L; mean 0.39 μg/L), with slightly higher levels in well and surface waters. In contrast, beverages showed markedly elevated concentrations, especially wines (45–407 μg/L; mean 138.8 μg/L), with several red wines exceeding 300 μg/L. Furthermore, the analysis of several wine heritages showed an interesting increase in TFA concentration from 1997 to 2024.</div><div>These findings demonstrate a distinct contamination profile of TFA, likely linked to atmospheric deposition, and reveal unexpectedly and high accumulation in wines, suggesting dietary exposure routes beyond drinking water. The work supports the inclusion of TFA in PFAS monitoring and regulatory frameworks and provides a preliminary comparison with Asian regions, where Chinese waters showed higher levels (0.56–1.85 μg/L) and Thai waters were consistently below detection. Finally, the preliminary analysis on wine vintages shows an increase in TFA concentration during the years and paves the way to a future and more throughout systematic study on the increasing presence of TFA in this matrix.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111779"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}