A startup in Hong Kong is hoping to use light-up fish embryos to improve food safety. The company, Vitargent, engineered medaka and zebrafish embryos to turn fluorescent green or develop tumors in the presence of harmful substances called Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors (EEDs). The technology can screen for more than 1,000 chemicals such as DDT and BPA at one time, and it can be used to test not only in food and drinks, but in cosmetics and skin care products as well. Traditional product safety tests usually only test five to 10 toxins at a time. Vitargent founder and executive director Eric Chen told the South China Morning Post that the fish have DNA very similar to that of humans, so they are susceptible to the same toxins. “While chemical-specific tests can be sensitive and precise, they are also very narrow and will not detect toxicants for which the analyst is not specifically looking for,” Chen told Tech in Asia. “Unanticipated toxicants usually go undetected because time, cost, and incomplete knowledge prevent chemical specific testing from being a practical screen for toxicity.” Vitargent is now cultivating transgenic medaka and zebrafish at Hong Kong Science Park’s laboratory and is also planning to establish fish farms in mainland China and Europe. The company hopes that it can help China get its food safety under control after numerous contamination scandals. “Businesses are so creative they will add anything you can imagine to our food and drink,” Chen told the Post.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
A review of food safety culture surveys has revealed significant diversity and notable gaps in validation practices.
Scientists said the reliable measurement of food safety culture is crucial to identify
Researchers are studying the impact nanoplastics have on Salmonella and have found they cause the pathogen to become more virulent.
The researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are particularly
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that extensively drug resistant Shigella infections are increasing.
The research, published in the CDC's Morbidity and
We R Nuts of Port Washington, NY, is recalling Uncle Giuseppe’s branded 11-ounce containers of milk chocolate bridge mix, because it may contain undeclared milk, soy and cashews.
People
As part of its enforcement activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until
Ferris Coffee & Nut Co. of Grand Rapids, MI, is recalling a single lot of Frederik’s by Meijer Vanilla Bourbon Trail Mix because it may contain undeclared wheat and
French Broad Chocolates PBC is recalling Bette’s Bake Sale Bonbon Collection boxes with batch numbers 260414 and 260417 because of the potential to contain undeclared walnuts.
People who have
