Latiful Bari

University of Dhaka · Center for Advanced Research in Sciences

More than 4.5 million people nationwide have experienced diarrhea in the country’s most recent outbreak, which began on March, 2022. About 70% to 80% of patients (of whom 23% had severe diarrhea or cholera) were hospitalized. Several factors were associated with the risk for diarrhea include; unhygienic and unsafe environment, age, low educational...

Fecal Contamination in Multiple Water Samples

Planar (2D) nanomaterials are garnering broad recognition in diverse scientific areas because of their intrinsic features. Herein, bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was prepared from melamine, which was exfoliated to produce g-C3N4 nanosheets. The prepared g-C3N4 nanosheets were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic f...

In conventional preservation of hides and skins, the use of NaCl (50%) evolves enormous salinity and total dissolved solids (TDS) in soaking effluent during leather processing. Plant-based skins preservation is a sustainable solution in reducing salinity and TDS from leather industry to replace conventional curing. In this study, the application of...

The term “stress” refers to any extracellular influence that threatens the ability of microorganisms to perform their living functions. In nature, microorganisms are constantly exposed to diverse changes in temperature, oxygen, moisture, light, pH, and chemical composition. Thanks to their wide array of molecular responses that make them survive by...

Mining water quality must be monitored regularly to assess the potential impact on local water resources, surface water, and groundwater. This report determined the physicochemical, heavy metals content, and microbiological characteristics of mining drainage water and paddy field water in the surrounding area to determine the extent of pollution. T...

Raw salad vegetables are evaluated for the consumer’s perceptions on taking ready to eat fresh cut-vegetables and the effectiveness of some non-chlorine disinfectants [peracetic acid (PAA), shell powder (SP) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)] in improving the microbial safety, quality and shelf life of ready to eat fresh-cut vegetables (lettuce, carrot...

Considering the potential health hazardous effects, the distribution and deposition of heavy metals and trace elements including Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, and Pb in different tissues (skin, brain, liver, meat, and bone) of broiler and layer chickens, their feeds, litter, and eggs were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after nit...

Considering the potential health hazardous effects, the distribution and deposition of heavy metals and trace elements including Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, and Pb in different tissues (skin, brain, liver, meat, and bone) of broiler and layer chickens, their feeds, litter, and eggs were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after nit...

Bangladesh experiences a second wave of COVID-19 since March 2021, despite the nationwide vaccination drive with the ChAdOx1 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccine from early February 2021. Here, we characterized 19 nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples from COVID-19 suspect patients using genomic and metagenomic approaches. Screening for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR an...

The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major health concern worldwide in recent years. The objective of this study is to establish the larvae of the silk moth (commonly known as silkworm), Bombyx mori as an infection model to study antibacterial effect of antibiotics against Klebsiella pneumoniae. In this study, the pathogenicity of a...

Molicular diagnosis, if culture-free, is always considered as the relatively safe diagnostic tool, as a confirmatory diagnosis is possible from a minimum number of microorganisms. However, processing the specimens still requires adequate biosafety and biosecurity measures depending on the risk group of the target pathogens or pathogens supposedly b...

The present study was conducted to assess the presence of bacterial populations at the upper sub-surface water from the offshore areas near the South East Coast of Bangladesh, the northern Bay of Bengal and to evaluate their antibiotic resistance pattern. Water samples were collected from 5 stations near the South East Coast of Bangladesh, the nort...

The presence of foodborne pathogen in betel leaf represents a major threat from the public health perspective and is an important export obstacle for South East Asian countries causing huge economical loss to the betel leaf farmers. Hence, to comply with national and international food safety requirements, use of non-chlorine sanitizer and low-cost...

Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is characterized by persistent otorrhoea from the middle ear through a perforated tympanic membrane. It is regarded as one of the most important causes of hearing impairment in developing countries. In many cases, treating CSOM with antibiotics generates fears of resistance. Unlike conventional antibiotics, h...

Morbidity and mortality resulting from the consumption of microbial contaminated foods remain significant problems in modern society, and the ability to conduct epidemiological investigations and intervene in foodborne illnesses is a critical part of the existing public health infrastructure. Ensuring safe food supply is a major challenge to the fo...

A pure bacterial culture remains essential for the study of its virulence, antibiotic susceptibility, and genome sequence in order to facilitate the understanding and treatment of diseases caused by it. Culture media is of fundamental importance for most microbiological tests, to obtain pure cultures, to grow and count microbial cells, and to culti...

This study was designed to evaluate the use of non‐chlorine sanitizer in enhancing quality, microbial safety, and increased shelf life of carrots under various low‐cost packaging and storage at commercial cold storage. The study results revealed that irrespective of packaging conditions, none of the washed carrots stored in a commercial cold storag...

In this study, we estimate the proximate compositions, phytochemicals (po-lyphenol, flavonoids, flavonol, tannin, protein, carbohydrate, reducing sugar, and β carotene), antioxidant activities, vitamins, minerals, and heavy metals of the four pulses (mung, anchor, chickpea, lentils) and compare among them to find out more nutritious pulse samples....

Cytotoxic effects of menadione on normal and cytochrome c-deficient yeast cells were examined on the basis of the cell growth rate, NAD(P)H concentration, reactive oxygen production, plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity, and ethanol production. In aerobically or anaerobically cultured yeast cells, NAD(P)H concentration decreased with increasing conce...

The increasing clinical incidence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a major global health care issue. Rampant use of antimicrobials is one of the major reasons of the dramatic rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Suitable animal models are required to improve our understanding of bacterial pathogenicity, evolution and search for no...

Introduction Many emerging and reemerging pathogens have been identified as major public health threats in Bangladesh. Collection, transportation, and storage of infectious materials and management of generated waste from diagnosing those diseases require strict adherence to biosafety and biosecurity practices. Such activities in Bangladesh need su...

This study demonstrated that glucose-induced proton release from yeast cells was more sensitive to various inhibitors than cell proliferation. In this study the inhibition of glucose-induced proton release was determined on the basis of color change of pH indicator, methyl red, from pH 5 to pH6 at cell density of 2.5 × 10⁷ cells/ml. When yeast cell...

In this study, we evaluated the ability of waste shell powder (WSP) and moringa seed powder (MSP) individually or in combination to eliminate dye, heavy metal and resistant bacteria from the industrial wastewater (IWW). The presence of dyes, heavy metals, approximately 7.0 log CFU/ml of aerobic bacteria and 3.0-4.0 log CFU/ml of other pathogens inc...

Rhizobia are Gram-negative soil-inhabiting bacteria commonly found in nodules of leguminous plants. These bacteria exclusively fix atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which is convertible to urea to serve natural fertilizer to the plants. However, rhizobial microbiota of Bangladesh have been studied poorly. Here, twenty isolates were identified as R...

The national food system of Bangladesh has made substantial progress since experiencing famine in 1974, soon after independence. After the famine, the government placed a strong emphasis on policies required to attain grain self-sufficiency; since attaining self-sufficiency, the production system, policies related to it, and resulting diets have be...

The application of large quantity of foreign microbial inoculants (as biofertilizer) may create selective pressure on the existing soil microorganisms or its funa and flora, In addition, foreign microbial inoculants, may act as a predator, or can compete or suppress other beneficial microorganisms exist in soil, or may not be able to survive/adapt...

This chapter discusses Yersinia enterocolitica, a zoonotic pathogen that causes yersiniosis in humans and animals. Yersinia enterocolitica is a Gram‐negative, non‐spore‐forming, non‐toxin‐producing, rod‐shaped bacterium. It is an aerobic bacterium but can grow anaerobically and is a good competitor with other bacteria. An important property of this...

Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is a common infectious disease of middle ear; characterized by a persistent discharge through a perforated tympanic membrane. CSOM is one of the prime causes of hearing impairment in developing countries. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics for treating CSOM promotes antibiotic resistance leading to accelerated...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a simplified, low cost, pasteurization device in inactivating the diarrheal pathogens present in pond/lake/river water in order to provide safe potable water to people living in the rural areas of low resource countries. In this process, water in polyethylene bags was exposed to sunshine, wh...

The presence of undesirable heavy metals, pesticide residues, and microbial contaminants in fresh produces is a worldwide public health concern. This study was undertaken to evaluate the residual pesticides (Diazinon, Malathion, Cypermethrin, Dimethoate, Quinalphos, and Chloropyrofos), heavy metal contamination (Pb, Cd, and Cr), and microbiological...

Background. A simple, rapid, accurate, precise, and economic spectrophotometric methods for estimation of vitamin D in from food, feed, pharmaceutical and environmental samples have been developed. Method. Vitamin D has absorbance maximums at 265.0 nm, so absorbance was measured at the same wave length for the estimation of vitamin D. Absorbance is...

The excessive use of chemical preservatives is a serious problem worldwide, which necessitates the discovery of new classes of antimicrobials from other sources like herbs and spices for preservation of food and/or food products. In this study, antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) such as cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol were tested against f...

Chemical preservatives for food preservation at high concentration are hazardous for public health. The natural antimicrobials from plants, herbs and spices have been given priority as alternatives of the chemical preservatives. In this study, antibacterial activity of the essential oil (3%) from black cumin seeds was tested against five food borne...

This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial risk associated in bulk food bags manufacturing facilities and its cost‐effective way to minimize the risk. Swab samples from each step of manufacturing process was collected and microbiological analysis was done. Results showed that the bulk food bags manufacturing process was grossly contaminated...

Introduction:Recent years, industrial growth demands bulk bags with polypropylene woven fabric called– Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC) for a wide range of applications in the industry. FIBC bags are also known as Jumbo Bag, Big Bag, Tote Bag, and Bulk Sack, which are used to protect food products from outside influences and damage, to...

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila is a waterborne pathogen that enters into human through aerosol & causes respiratory diseases (e.g. pontiac fever and Legionairres’ disease). There are strong evidences that poorly maintained artificial water systems, particularly cooling towers or evaporative condensers associated with air conditioning; hot and cold...

In order to obtain ethanol, the C 4 plant stem (Sugarcane bagasse) was physically pretreated by crushing (with sieving) and ball milling prior to the enzymatic hydrolysis by Trichoderma viride and fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Experiments on the comparison of crushed bagasse samples of different mesh size (20-40, 40-60, 60-80, above 80...

Background: Bacteriocin-producing Enterococci have potential probiotic value. Enterococci possessing stable antibacterial activities were isolated from yoghurts of Bangladesh in this research. Methods: Bacteria were isolated on MRS medium and were genotyped based on partial 16S rDNA sequencing. Cultured supernatants were assessed for antibacterial...

Chlorine is the most widely used sanitizer for fresh vegetables and fruit. However, it reacts with organic matter in the produce to form highly carcinogenic trihalomethanes; consequently, chlorine use is being phased out in several countries. This research examined the feasibility of using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and calcinated calcium (CCa) in en...

This study combined the use of a non-chlorine sanitizer, precooling and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) as prestorage treatments for brinjal kept in a simple evaporative cooler (EC) or CoolBot cold storage (CS). Precooling was done by dipping the fruit in 10°C water. As non-chlorine sanitizing treatment, dipping fruit in 0.01% calcinated calciu...

Postharvest sanitization of fruit and vegetables is important in enhancing quality and food safety. In this study, five non-chlorine sanitizers, electrolyzed water (EO), electrolyzed alkaline water (EOAl), acidified sodium chlorite (ASC), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and scallop powder solution (SP), were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing r...

Guest Editorial Special Issue on New Food Processing Technologies and Food Safety Latiful Bari, Alexandru Grumezescu, Dike O. Ukuku, Gargi Dey, and Tatsuro Miyaji The microflora of foods is very significant to food producers, processors and consumers and the food manufacturers including distributors are responding to consumers’ demand for food pr...

Ready-to-eat street-vended foods are a much preferred choice by millions of consumers worldwide due to its reasonable price and ease of access. However, street-foods are now perceived to pose major public health threats as these foods are more prone to microbial contamination compare to those that are sold inside closed area and well preserved. Lis...

The present study evaluated the efficacy of using 100 mg/L sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) followed by a second wash with various organic acids in reducing natural bacterial contaminants or intentionally contaminated Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Listeria monocytogenes in shredded cabbage or bean sprouts. NaClO wash followed by a second wash with any of...

Simple and low-cost water purification method was developed using natural coagulant (moringa seed powder) and antibacterial agents (marine shell powder) followed by biosand filtration. In this study, surface water from different sources (e.g. pond, canal, lake and river) were treated with combined moringa seed powder, and shell powder (MOSP) at a r...

Calcined waste shell aggregate (CCa) is a promising non-chlorine sanitizers and 0.01% CCa was found to be effective in eliminating pathogens in various fresh produces. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of promising non-chlorine sanitizers including 0.5% (H2O2), 0.01% CCa, and/or 0.5% (CA), in enhancing the safety and quality of betel...

Presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh goat meat samples (n= 40) of Dhaka city was analyzed using conventional and molecular methods. A total of 86 presumptive E. coli O157:H7 colonies were isolated from 60% of the samples using selective agar plating method. After conventional biochemical assay followed by API 20E assay, only 11 isolates we...

Bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods prepared and sold by small businesses in middle Thailand was surveyed. The 135 samples were randomly purchased from open markets and supermarkets in Bangkok and Pathum Thani provinces during May 2013 to February 2015. The results indicated that the rate of contamination in cooked pork, chicken mea...

This study was carried out to evaluate the improvement of soil fertility and crop yield using formulated organic fertilizers in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) from October 2008 to April 2015 and the test crop was tomato, eggplant, cabbage and cauliflower. The physicochemical properties, behavior and persistence of plant beneficial microo...

Background Cow milk is considered as one of the responsible food sources contaminated with heavy metals. The objectives of the study were to assess the content of selected metals in cow milk and its associated human health risks in the food chain of Bangladesh. A total of 90 cow milk samples of Branded, Dairy and Domestically produced milk were col...

The present study was designed to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of agriculture field soil which was amended with various organic/inorganic fertilizers. In addition, each organic fertilizers were also analyzed to examine the effectiveness of the organic fertilizers in improving soil fertility. Furthermore, comparison of...

A simple and inexpensive water purification method was developed using natural coagulant (Moringa seed powder) and antibacterial agents (scallop powder) followed by bio-sand filtration. In this study, surface water from different sources (e.g. pond, canal, lake and river) treated with combined Moringa seed powder, and scallop powder (MOSP) at a rat...

The need for better control of foodborne pathogens has been of paramount importance in recent years as one of the major concerns to ensure food safety. This study was aimed to determine whether Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) derived essential oils (EOs) could be used to control Listeria monocytogenes in ground beef. W...

A series of 15 (E)-N-benzylidenebenzohydrazide analogues were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against eleven pathogenic and food-borne microbes, namely, S. aureus (G+), L. monocytogenes (G+), B. subtilis (G+), K. pneumonia (G), C. sakazakii (G), C. freundii (G), S. enterica (G), S. enteritidis (G), E. coli (G), Y. pestis (G), a...

Fate of Escherichia coli O157 cells was evaluated when inoculated into each step after production of lightly pickled Chinese cabbage. The efficacy of surface sterilization by 100 mg/L of chlorine water for 10 min on raw leaves (6.0 log CFU/g) was 2.2 log CFU/g reduction. No meaningful change of the population of E. coli O157 (3.5 log CFU/g to 1.5 l...

Significant research is done towards utilizing graphene’s unique characteristics and it is highly possible that the super conductivity and transparency of graphene might help create the next generation devices more efficient, durable and cost effective. This research is intended to create usable graphene polymer based nanocomposites for potential a...