ijerph-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Impacts of Soil Pollution on Food Safety

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 6388

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Interests: soil pollution; heavy metals; soil magnetism; ecological agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Soil pollution presents a major threat to global health, food security and agricultural productivity. Municipal solid waste and industrial waste, artificial chemicals, fossil fuel and mining activities are the leading contributors to the pollution of soils. Soil contamination can reduce the yield of grain significantly. It can also cause skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and breathing disorders, as well as many other health-related problems. This is why food security and nutrition have become emerging issues worldwide. 

The research fields regarding food safety mainly include adverse impacts of soil pollution on food production, local diseases related to soil contamination, agriculture and mulnutrition, and toxic impacts on the soil-plant ecosystems through pesticides and other pollutants such as heavy metals. 

In this Special Issue, we would like to gather articles that raise awareness about the growing challenges of food safety. Research Papers, Brief and Case Reports, Study Protocols, and Systematic Reviews would be all taken into consideration. 

Prof. Dr. Xuefeng Hu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soil pollution
  • contaminants
  • food security
  • human health

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 3149 KiB  
Article
Using Mathematical Models to Study the Influences of Different Ratios of Chemical Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium on the Content of Soluble Protein, Vitamin C, and Soluble Sugar in Melon
by Shuangxi Li, Zhaohui Zhang, Juanqin Zhang, Xianqing Zheng, Hanlin Zhang, Haiyun Zhang, Yue Zhang, Naling Bai and Weiguang Lv
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010283 - 24 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1424
Abstract
The current fertilizer recommendations for melon plantation have many limitations and exhibit deficiencies regarding future development. Therefore, in this study, the optimal quantities of fertilizer, in terms of the effects of single factors and interaction effects, are studied. There were significant interaction effects [...] Read more.
The current fertilizer recommendations for melon plantation have many limitations and exhibit deficiencies regarding future development. Therefore, in this study, the optimal quantities of fertilizer, in terms of the effects of single factors and interaction effects, are studied. There were significant interaction effects between N and P, N and K, P and K; the contents of soluble protein, vitamin C (Vc), and soluble sugar in melon could be improved using the optimal fertilization ratios. The optimal ratio of N:P:K was 2.33:1:3.85, with the amounts of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively, being 157.5, 67.58, and 260.38 kg/hm2, yielding 8.73 g/kg of soluble protein in melon. The optimal ratio of N:P:K was 2.03:1:3.36, with amounts of N, P2O5, and K2O being 157.50, 77.40, and 260.38 kg/hm2, respectively, yielding 25.32 g/kg Vc content in melon. Finally, the optimal ratio of N:P:K was 1.53:1:3.36, with the amounts of N, P2O5, and K2O being 118.07, 77.40, respectively, and 260.38 kg/hm2, yielding 13.34% soluble sugar content in melon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Soil Pollution on Food Safety)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 972 KiB  
Article
Nitrate Quantification in Fresh Vegetables in Shanghai: Its Dietary Risks and Preventive Measures
by Fan Luo, Xiao-Juan Yan, Xue-Feng Hu, Li-Jun Yan, Ming-Yang Cao and Wei-Jie Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14487; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114487 - 4 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1680
Abstract
To investigate nitrate and nitrite content in fresh vegetables, 264 samples were randomly collected in the farmers’ markets in Shanghai, Southeast China. The results indicate that 25.0% of the fresh vegetables were critically or more contaminated by nitrate [>1440 mg/kg FW (Fresh weight)]. [...] Read more.
To investigate nitrate and nitrite content in fresh vegetables, 264 samples were randomly collected in the farmers’ markets in Shanghai, Southeast China. The results indicate that 25.0% of the fresh vegetables were critically or more contaminated by nitrate [>1440 mg/kg FW (Fresh weight)]. Generally, leafy vegetables were more highly enriched in nitrate than root-tuber and fruit vegetables. About 22.6% of the leafy vegetables had a nitrate content exceeding the limit for edible permission (>3000 mg/kg FW). Nitrite content in the fresh vegetables was all within the safe level (<1 mg/kg FW). It was estimated that the daily nitrate intake through eating vegetables in Shanghai exceeded the WHO/FAO allowable limit. The field experiment indicated that the hyper-accumulation of nitrate and nitrite in the vegetables was mainly attributed to the excessive application of chemical fertilizers. The maxima of nitrate and nitrite in the vegetables were attained one week after applying chemical fertilizer, and thus they cannot be picked for dietary use. Applying organic manure can effectively lower the risk of nitrate and nitrite contamination in vegetables. The old leaves and leaf petioles were more easily enriched in nitrate due to their weaker metabolic activity. Vegetables with high nitrate content had a high risk of nitrite toxicity during storage due to the biological conversion of nitrate into nitrite, which is easily triggered by suitable temperature and mechanical damage processing. Therefore, fresh vegetables should be stored by rapid cooling and in undamaged forms to prevent nitrite accumulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Soil Pollution on Food Safety)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3564 KiB  
Article
γ-Polyglutamic Acid Production, Biocontrol, and Stress Tolerance: Multifunction of Bacillus subtilis A-5 and the Complete Genome Analysis
by Naling Bai, Yu He, Hanlin Zhang, Xianqing Zheng, Rong Zeng, Yi Li, Shuangxi Li and Weiguang Lv
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7630; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137630 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2153
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis A-5 has the capabilities of high-molecular-weight γ-PGA production, antagonism to plant pathogenic fungi, and salt/alkaline tolerance. This multifunctional bacterium has great potential for enhancing soil fertility and plant security in agricultural ecosystem. The genome size of B. subtilis A-5 was 4,190,775 [...] Read more.
Bacillus subtilis A-5 has the capabilities of high-molecular-weight γ-PGA production, antagonism to plant pathogenic fungi, and salt/alkaline tolerance. This multifunctional bacterium has great potential for enhancing soil fertility and plant security in agricultural ecosystem. The genome size of B. subtilis A-5 was 4,190,775 bp, containing 1 Chr and 2 plasmids (pA and pB) with 43.37% guanine-cytosine content and 4605 coding sequences. The γ-PGA synthase gene cluster was predicted to consist of pgsBCA and factor (pgsE). The γ-PGA-degrading enzymes were mainly pgdS, GGT, and cwlO. Nine gene clusters producing secondary metabolite substances, namely, four unknown function gene clusters and five antibiotic synthesis gene clusters (surfactin, fengycin, bacillibactin, subtilosin_A, and bacilysin), were predicted in the genome of B. subtilis A-5 using antiSMASH. In addition, B. subtilis A-5 contained genes related to carbohydrate and protein decomposition, proline synthesis, pyruvate kinase, and stress-resistant proteins. This affords significant insights into the survival and application of B. subtilis A-5 in adverse agricultural environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Soil Pollution on Food Safety)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop