ABSTRACT
Food adulteration is an enduring concern to date, and its detection and food authentication are some of the major approaches which can eradicate adulteration. This article reviews modern analytical techniques which are currently used for optimization and identification of adulterants. The Analytical techniques reviewed are distributed in three sections- Computer vision, Spectral and spectral Imaging techniques, and Electrical Techniques. Computer vision is a very advanced technique, allowing the analysis of several parameters with accurate and precise results. The hazardous effect of adulteration and future challenges and impacts are briefly discussed. The Previous decade is considered to be a massive success for food adulterant detection as it involved a chemometrics study. The use of chemometrics with analytical techniques is briefly discussed. Chemometrics is the science of extracting information from the chemical system by data-driven means. The inevitability of food in perspective to the current COVID-19 pandemic is very strong and authenticated food is a prior requirement. Copyright © 2022 Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Aside from specific environmental conditions, poor agricultural practices contribute to mold and thus the mycotoxin contamination of crops. This study investigated Bangladeshi farming households' (i) awareness of and experience with mold contamination of food crops; (ii) knowledge and awareness of the timing, causes, and consequences of mold and mycotoxin contamination; and (iii) knowledge of the recommended agricultural practices for controlling and preventing mold contamination of food crops. A survey was conducted with 1280 households in rural areas of Habiganj district, Bangladesh. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated, and mixed-effects linear regression analyses were performed to examine associations between household characteristics and overall knowledge scores. The awareness of mold contamination of food crops was very high (99%; 95% CI: 98-100%) and a shared experience among households (85%; 95% CI: 80-88%). Yet, the majority (80%; 95% CI: 76-84%) demonstrated a low level of knowledge of the timing, causes, and preventive practices regarding mold contamination of crops. Knowledge scores were similar over demographic groups and better for households with more arable land. The findings suggest a generally insufficient knowledge of the conditions that favor mold contamination and the measures for preventing mold contamination of food crops. These findings underline the need for tailored interventions to promote good agricultural practices and reduce mold contamination of food crops.