Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Relevance of gut microbiome research in food safety assessment

This review examined how the gut microbiome metabolizes non-nutritious dietary compounds, arguing that gut microbial processing of food contaminants and additives is an underappreciated dimension of food safety assessment.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Lactic acid bacteria as promising dietary-derived bioadsorbents for foodborne contaminants: Mechanism, application advances and future perspectives

This review examined lactic acid bacteria as potential bioadsorbents for foodborne contaminants including mycotoxins and microplastics. Researchers found that these beneficial bacteria can bind and sequester various pollutants through cell surface interactions, suggesting that dietary lactic acid bacteria may offer a safe, cost-effective approach to reducing human exposure to contaminants in the food chain.

2025 Food Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial and multi-omics approaches for bioremediation of emerging contaminants: environmental impact and future engineering solutions

This research review summarizes how scientists are using helpful microbes (bacteria, fungi, and algae) to clean up dangerous pollutants in our water and soil, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and microplastics that can harm human health. The study shows that these tiny organisms can naturally break down and remove many toxic chemicals from the environment. This matters because it could lead to cheaper, eco-friendly ways to clean up contaminated areas and protect our drinking water and food supply.

2026 Biodegradation
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics on the frontline: causes, strategies to combat pollution and protect health with advanced bioremediation—a review

This systematic review examines how microplastics carry toxic chemicals like heavy metals and persistent pollutants into the food chain, ultimately reaching humans. It also explores promising bioremediation approaches — using bacteria and enzymes to break down microplastics — as a potential strategy to reduce exposure.

2026 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A
Systematic Review Tier 1

Probiotics as Modulators of Microplastic-induced Toxicity: A Systematic Review

This systematic review found that probiotics can reduce microplastic-induced toxicity in animal models by restoring gut microbiota balance, reducing oxidative stress, and modulating inflammatory responses. The findings suggest that probiotic supplementation may help mitigate the harmful effects of unavoidable microplastic exposure, though human clinical trials are still needed.

2025 Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins
Article Tier 2

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Food Safety: Decoding Gut Microbiota-Mediated Health Effects of Non-Microbial Contaminants

This review explores how food contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and micro- and nanoplastics can alter gut bacteria in ways that affect overall health, from immune function to metabolic regulation. The study highlights how artificial intelligence tools are helping researchers untangle the complex relationships between these contaminants, gut microbiome changes, and health outcomes that traditional methods struggle to decode.

2025 Foods 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Chemical safety of food products: problems and solutions (literature review)

This literature review examines chemical safety challenges in food production and processing, covering contamination by pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and emerging pollutants including microplastics, and discussing regulatory and technological solutions.

2025 Toxicological Review
Article Tier 2

Toxicological impacts and mitigation strategies of food contaminants: a global perspective and comprehensive narrative review

This comprehensive review examines the toxicological impacts of food contaminants, including heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, and microplastics, from a global health perspective. Researchers synthesized evidence on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of harm caused by these contaminants and assessed current monitoring and mitigation strategies. The study calls for stronger international coordination to address the growing complexity of food safety challenges.

2025 Current Research in Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential influence of food additives and contaminants on the gut microbiota: A comprehensive review

This comprehensive review examines how food additives and contaminants, including pesticides, heavy metals, microplastics, and antibiotics, affect the gut microbiota. Researchers found that these substances can disrupt the balance of gut microbes, leading to inflammation, gastrointestinal injury, and altered production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids. The study emphasizes the need for further research into the mechanisms by which dietary contaminants affect gut health and overall wellbeing.

2025 Food and Chemical Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Could probiotics protect against human toxicity caused by polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics?

This review examines whether probiotics could help protect against the harmful effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics in the body. Researchers found evidence that probiotic bacteria may counteract plastic-induced gut imbalances, reduce inflammation, and support intestinal barrier function. The study suggests that probiotics represent a promising area of research for mitigating some of the biological effects of microplastic exposure, though more human studies are needed.

2023 Frontiers in Nutrition 24 citations
Article Tier 2

The microplastic-crisis: Role of bacteria in fighting microplastic-effects in the digestive system

This review examines how microplastics affect the human digestive system and explores whether certain bacteria could help counteract the damage. Microplastics disrupt the gut by altering microbial communities, interfering with digestive enzymes, and damaging the protective mucus lining. The authors highlight the potential for probiotic bacteria to bind to microplastics, reduce inflammation, and help repair the gut environment, offering a possible protective strategy against microplastic-related digestive harm.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation of contaminants of emerging concern: metabolic, genetic and omics insights for enhanced bioremediation

This review covers how microorganisms have evolved the ability to break down emerging pollutants including plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, turning them into less harmful substances. Understanding the genes, enzymes, and metabolic pathways these microbes use could lead to cost-effective, eco-friendly cleanup methods for removing persistent contaminants -- including plastic-derived chemicals -- from the environment before they reach people.

2024 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Lactobacillus plantarum reduces polystyrene microplastic induced toxicity via multiple pathways: A potentially effective and safe dietary strategy to counteract microplastic harm

Researchers found that Lactobacillus plantarum, a probiotic bacterium commonly found in fermented foods, can reduce the harmful effects of polystyrene microplastics in mice through multiple pathways. The bacteria worked by binding directly to plastic particles to help remove them from the body, reducing oxidative damage, repairing the intestinal barrier, and regulating bile acid metabolism. This suggests that certain probiotics could be a safe dietary strategy to help counteract some of the negative health effects of microplastic exposure.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Relevance of gut microbiome research in food safety assessment

This review examines evidence that food additives and microplastics may disrupt the gut microbiome and, in turn, affect human health. The researchers discuss how these non-nutritive dietary compounds can alter gut bacterial communities through mechanisms that are often overlooked in food safety evaluations. They recommend integrating gut microbiome science into food risk assessment frameworks to better protect human health.

2024 Gut Microbes 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Microbes in Microplastic Removal and Its Effect on Human Health

This review examines the role of microbes in microplastic removal from environmental matrices and food systems, covering both degradation pathways and the health implications of microplastic-microbiome interactions for humans and other organisms.

2025
Article Tier 2

Persistence, toxicity, and risk assessment of toxic compounds in food: implications for food safety and public health

This review provides a comprehensive overview of toxic chemical contaminants in the food system, including microplastics, nanoplastics, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and processing byproducts like acrylamide and bisphenol A. Researchers examined how these compounds are absorbed, distributed, and metabolized in the body, as well as their effects on various organs. The study also highlights advances in detection technology, including nanotechnology-based biosensors and artificial intelligence tools for food safety monitoring.

2025 Exploration of Foods and Foodomics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Crucial Role of the Gut Microbiome in Advancing Food Processing Technologies

This review explores the role of gut microbiome composition in food processing and technology development, examining how microbial communities influence fermentation, nutrient bioavailability, and food safety, with implications for probiotic and prebiotic product design.

2025 Food science and nutrition
Article Tier 2

Unlocking secrets of microbial ecotoxicology: recent achievements and future challenges

This review explores how microorganisms interact with environmental pollutants, including microplastics, covering how bacteria can break down pollutants but are also harmed by them. The authors highlight that microplastics create new surfaces in the environment where bacteria form communities, potentially spreading harmful species or antibiotic resistance. Understanding these microbial interactions is critical for developing nature-based solutions to reduce pollution and protect human health.

2023 FEMS Microbiology Ecology 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and probiotics: Mechanisms of interaction and their consequences for health

This review explores how microplastics interact with probiotics and what that means for gut health. Researchers summarized evidence showing that microplastics can disrupt the gut lining, alter the microbiome, and trigger inflammation, while certain probiotic strains may help counteract these effects by reducing oxidative stress and supporting the intestinal barrier. The study also discusses the emerging possibility of using engineered probiotics for environmental microplastic cleanup.

2025 AIMS Microbiology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental geochemistry of emerging contaminants: impacts on agroecosystem function, food security, and human health

This review examines how emerging contaminants including microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and engineered nanomaterials threaten agricultural ecosystems and food safety. Researchers found that these pollutants persist in soil, accumulate in crops, and disrupt beneficial soil organisms, creating complex risks that are difficult to manage with current approaches. The study emphasizes the urgent need for integrated monitoring and remediation strategies to protect both food production and human health.

2026 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of nutraceutical against exposure to pesticide residues: power of bioactive compounds

This review explores how nutraceuticals, which are health-promoting compounds found in foods like fruits, vegetables, and spices, might help protect the body against damage from pesticide exposure. The bioactive compounds, including antioxidants and polyphenols, can support detoxification and repair cellular damage caused by environmental toxins. While focused on pesticides, this approach is relevant to microplastic exposure because microplastics carry pesticides and other chemicals into the body, and dietary interventions could potentially help mitigate some of their harmful effects.

2024 Frontiers in Nutrition 10 citations
Review Tier 2

Food Contaminants: A Scoping Review of Sources, Toxicity, Pathophysiological Insights, and Mitigation Strategies

This scoping review examines various food contaminants including microplastics, heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins, covering their sources, toxicity, and strategies for mitigation. Researchers synthesized evidence on how these contaminants enter the food supply and their potential effects on human health. The study highlights the growing concern around microplastics as a food contaminant and calls for integrated approaches to food safety monitoring.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Probiotics an emerging therapeutic approach towards gut-brain-axis oriented chronic health issues induced by microplastics: A comprehensive review

This review examines how microplastics disrupt the gut-brain axis, the communication system between the digestive system and the brain, leading to chronic health problems like inflammation and neurological issues. The authors highlight probiotics as a promising treatment approach, since beneficial bacteria can help repair gut damage caused by microplastic exposure. The findings suggest that supporting gut health through probiotics may help counteract some of the harmful effects of microplastics on both digestion and brain function.

2024 Heliyon 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between environmental pollutants and gut microbiota: A review connecting the conventional heavy metals and the emerging microplastics

This review examines how environmental pollutants, including both heavy metals and microplastics, interact with gut bacteria in humans and animals. The authors found that these pollutants can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota, which may contribute to various health problems, and that gut bacteria can also transform pollutants in ways that change their toxicity.

2025 Environmental Research 13 citations