Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have made a major breakthrough in agricultural biotechnology, focusing on using nanotechnology to combat E. coli contamination in rice crops. This discovery, led by Hamidreza Sharifan and his team, offers promising solutions for improving food safety and tackling bioterrorism threats.
The research focuses on developing advanced methods to detect and mitigate the effects of pathogens, particularly E. coli, which poses a significant threat to global food systems. The team, which included Daisy Wilson, a Ph.D. student in environmental science and engineering, and Valeria Gonzalez, a senior student in forensic sciences, have done groundbreaking work in the field of biofortification and the application of nanoparticles to reduce microbial contamination.
“We interned as a team at the Department of Homeland Security,” Wilson said The gold diggerthe student newspaper of UTEP. “It was led by Dr. Sharifan, and he mentored me and Valeria this summer.”
The research focused on the use of zinc oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles, which the team found to be highly effective at inhibiting the growth of E. coli. According to Gonzalez, the nanoparticles disrupted the bacteria’s cell membranes and metabolic processes, allowing them to outperform traditional ionic forms such as magnesium sulfate and zinc sulfate.
“These nanoparticles significantly inhibited the growth of E. coli by disrupting cell membranes and metabolic processes,” Gonzalez said in an interview with The gold digger. “We compared these to ionic forms such as magnesium sulfate and zinc sulfate and found that the nanoparticles performed better than the ionic forms in preventing bacterial growth.”
This discovery could have far-reaching implications for the agricultural sector and food safety standards, providing a new layer of protection against microbial contamination. In addition to their work with nanoparticles, the team investigated the resilience of Mexican brown rice, which showed remarkable resistance to bacterial growth due to its high content of essential minerals and bioactive compounds.
The team’s study highlights how integrating nanotechnology into agricultural practices could revolutionize food safety by reducing contamination risks and increasing crop resilience. Dr. Noting the potential policy implications of this work, Sharifan said: “Regulators could consider nanofortification as part of agricultural practices, which could increase resilience against such threats.”
While challenges remain, such as optimizing sterilization processes and ensuring the consistent application of nanoparticles, the team is confident that their research will have a lasting impact on food safety protocols.
This groundbreaking work marks UTEP’s first collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, further establishing the university as a key player in agricultural biotechnology research.
For more details, read The prospectusR’s story here.
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