Contamination News and Research

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Organic Flour May Contain Fewer Pesticides, but What About Other Contaminants?

Researchers testing 96 wheat flours sold in France found pesticide residues or a pesticide synergist in 26% of samples and at least one mycotoxin in 76%, with seven recorded exceedances of European reference thresholds. Conventional flours were more likely to contain pesticide residues, while organic flours had higher concentrations of several mycotoxins and trace metals, raising questions about food safety across different farming and processing systems.

22 Oct 2026

New DNA Test Detects Listeria in Ice Cream and Reveals How It Survives Freezing

Researchers developed a PMA-ddPCR assay to detect and quantify potentially viable Listeria monocytogenes in ice cream, identifying the pathogen in two of 500 commercial samples and demonstrating good agreement with conventional culture-based measurements. The method also supported predictive models of bacterial growth under different temperature conditions, while experiments showed that the pathogen could survive 240 days of frozen storage without substantial changes in population levels.

21 Oct 2026

Scientists Analyzed 28,724 Food Safety Alerts and Found a Surprising Limit to AI

Researchers analyzed 28,724 European food safety notifications from 2019 to 2025 and found that accounting for the direction of country-to-country alert links improved predictions, while more complex machine learning models offered little additional benefit. Simpler network measures performed just as well at identifying future notification links, highlighting the importance of careful model evaluation and targeted food safety surveillance.

21 Oct 2026

Mobile Genetic Elements and Reservoir Type Drive Resistance-Gene Abundance in Water Sources

Aquatic environments are recognized as reservoirs and pathways for antimicrobial resistance, receiving antibiotic residues and resistant microorganisms from sewage, livestock farming, and aquaculture. Previous studies have detected resistance genes in drinking water sources and shown that conventional treatment may remove them incompletely.

16 Oct 2026

Researchers Develop Metax Profiler for Accurate Microbial Taxonomic Identification

HZI team develops a computational tool for accurate identification and abundance estimation of microorganisms in complex samples.

29 Sep 2026

Historic Parchment Unlocks Ancient Genetic History of Sheeppox Virus

Some of Europe's most well-known historic manuscripts, including the York Gospels, have proven to be biological time capsules for uncovering the 3,500-year history of the sheeppox virus (SPPV).

4 Sep 2026

A Bio-Based Janus Dressing That Targets Bacteria At Wound Sites

Bio-based furan polyamide dressings effectively direct antibiotic release, offering a sustainable solution for early bacterial control in wounds.

27 Jul 2026

Tescan Unveils the New CLARA to Help Researchers See More at the Nanoscale

Tescan has introduced the new generation of Tescan CLARA™, an ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscope for nanoscale materials characterization.

From Tescan 24 Jul 2026

Why Rare E. coli Genes Rarely Create New Metabolic Functions

A study reveals that rare E. coli genes mainly reshape existing metabolic reactions, highlighting genetic diversity without expanding biochemical pathways.

16 Jul 2026

Genetically Stable Bacteriophages Open New Frontiers for Fighting Crop Disease

Researchers have discovered that a group of viruses known to infect an agriculturally important plant pathogen has remained genetically stable for an astonishing four decades.

14 Jul 2026

Bio-Rad Launches Vericheck ddPCR Kits Compatible with QX700 Platform for Biopharma Quality Control and Cell and Gene Therapy Workflows

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in life science research and clinical diagnostics products, today announced the launch of the QX700 System-compatible Vericheck ddPCR Kit portfolio for critical quality control (QC) workflows in advanced cell and gene therapy development and other biopharma applications.

From Bio-Rad Laboratories 8 Jul 2026

Study Reveals How Brick Kiln Arsenic Shifts Soil Metabolic Potential

Brick kilns have long supported construction and economic development, but their legacy can remain in the soil long after production stops.

7 Jul 2026

Ancient Proteins Uncover Potential Female Burial Site in Homo naledi Population

Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all female burial site.

25 Jun 2026

Study Reveals How Arsenic Pollution Alters Bacterial Metabolism and Detoxification

As arsenic levels increased, bacterial richness and diversity declined, while arsenic-tolerant groups such as Proteobacteria became more abundant. The study also found that bacteria strengthened stress-response pathways, including signal transduction and cell motility, and upregulated arsenic-resistance genes such as arsC2 and arsB.

23 Jun 2026

Can Everyday Supplements Lead to Failed Anti-Doping Tests?

Researchers developed a high-throughput LC-MS/MS platform that screened 331 pharmacologically active compounds and quantitatively validated 214 analytes across representative food matrices. Applied to 78 commercial foods and supplements, the framework showed that some products could produce modeled urinary concentrations exceeding WADA reporting thresholds under realistic intake scenarios.

19 May 2026

Epigenetic Engineering Boosts Stable Production of Safe Monascus Pigments

This study was led by Professor Yi Wang and Professor Weiming Zhu from the School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China.

15 May 2026

New Data Suggest Ready-to-Eat Meats Rarely Reach Illness-Linked Bacterial Levels

The study found that Clostridium perfringens was occasionally detected in raw or not-ready-to-eat meat products, but rarely appeared at concerning levels in cooked ready-to-eat meats. Even products linked to cooling deviations did not exceed 2 log CFU/g, suggesting that illness-associated growth during commercial stabilization is highly unlikely.

13 May 2026

New Epigenetic Marker Reveals Lasting Impact of Arsenic Exposure

Public health experts estimate that more than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

5 May 2026

How the Microbiome Shapes Cancer Immunity and Therapy Response

This review examines how the human microbiome regulates anti-tumor immunity through DNA damage, inflammation, immune-cell activity, microbial metabolites, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. It highlights emerging microbiome-based strategies, including FMT, probiotics, prebiotics, engineered bacteria, and live biotherapeutics, while stressing the need for rigorous validation and clinical trials.

29 Apr 2026

New DNA Tests Expose Spice Fraud Across Popular Herbs and Spices

Researchers interlaboratory-validated 13 DNA-based qPCR methods to quantify selected plant adulterants in paprika/chilli, saffron, turmeric, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. The methods showed strong repeatability, reproducibility, and trueness, supporting their use as confirmatory tools in official spice authenticity testing.

28 Apr 2026