ABSTRACT : Although pesticide treatments are commonly used to protect breadseed poppy plants against diseases, insects, and weeds, the knowledge on an occurrence of pesticide residue in this crop and the associated dietary exposure to these contaminants remains limited. Of the 404 pesticides that were analyzed, 50 different pesticides were detected in quantifiable concentrations in poppy seeds during the five-year monitoring study. The most frequently detected pesticide residues included fungicides (prothioconazole-desthio, tebuconazole, azoxystrobin and fluopyram) and insecticides (acetamiprid, pirimiphos-methyl and thiacloprid). A decrease in several pesticide findings (e.g., chlorpyrifos-methyl, cyproconazole, and thiacloprid) was noted due to the EU's decision to withdraw them. Of the 530 samples analyzed, only 66 (i.e., 13%) of them were free of quantifiable residues. Due to the high number of samples (121 samples) that exceeded the maximum residue levels established in Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, this food commodity should be included in pesticide residue monitoring programs. The acute and chronic risk assessments indicate that the potential dietary intake of pesticide residues from poppy seeds is below the health-based guidance values (i.e., ARfD and ADI). The results of this study highlight the need for an understanding of the relationship between Czech poppy seed production practices and food safety standards. • Pesticide treatments are common practice in breadseed poppy cultivation. • Poppy seed samples were found to contain residues of 50 different pesticides. • Fungicides and insecticides were the most frequently detected pesticide residues. • Presence of pesticide residues in poppy seeds is an important EU legislative issue.

Dry-aging of beef under controlled temperature, humidity and airflow reshapes the surface microbiota and may influence biogenic amine (BA) accumulation. In this study, culture-based enumeration, 16S rRNA gene profiling of combined crust + inner meat, and validated HPLC quantification of BAs were integrated to track safety- and quality-relevant changes over 60 days. Sequencing showed Pseudomonadota and Bacillota consistently >95% of reads; communities were dominated by Pseudomonas , Brochothrix and Psychrobacter , with Acinetobacter rising at mid-aging. Alpha diversity peaked at day 35 (Shannon 1.33 → 2.12; overall P = 0.0225; day 35 vs day 1, adjusted P = 0.0069) and became heterogeneous by day 60. Culture confirmed a surface-led, aerobic succession: crust counts increased and Pseudomonas reached 5.6 log CFU/g at day 60, whereas inner-muscle counts declined across groups; pathogens were not detected. In the inner meat, cadaverine rose from non-detectable to 31 ± 37 mg/kg at day 60 P < 0.001), spermine peaked at day 35 (52 ± 14 mg/kg; P < 0.001), while histamine remained <5 mg/kg and other BAs showed no significant change. All inner-meat BAs remained below commonly cited concern ranges, though late-stage variance indicates sporadic hot spots, likely reflecting diffusion from the crust and proteolysis-enabled precursor supply. Integrating microbes and metabolites identified two ecological–metabolic tendencies linking psychrotrophic genera with polyamines or diamines. In practice, day 35 emerges as a quality “sweet spot,” whereas approaching day 60 warrants tighter surface management and targeted monitoring of pseudomonads, Enterobacteriaceae and cadaverine/putrescine. • Time-resolved profiling of biogenic amines at days 1, 35, and 60. • Culture plus 16S rRNA metagenomics profiled dry-aged beef microbiota. • Surface succession: Pseudomonas, Brochothrix, Psychrobacter. • Inner-meat histamine stayed <5 mg/kg; cadaverine rose by day 60. • Day 35 marked peak diversity and quality with modest BA levels. • Culture microbiology and 16S agreed; pathogens were not detected throughout.

The authentication of commercial herbal products such as herbal teas and infusions is essential to ensure consumer safety and product integrity. In this study, 100 commercial herbal infusions, including 94 single-species products and six polyherbal formulations, were analysed using DNA barcoding ( matK and rbcL ) and ITS2 metabarcoding. Moreover, the performance of two custom reference databases (NCBI and BOLD) was compared in ITS2 metabarcoding. DNA extraction was successful for 94 samples, while six single-species products failed to amplify any of the tested barcodes. Among the 88 remaining single-species samples, ITS2 showed the highest amplification success (100 %), outperforming the barcodes rbcL (94 %) and matK (84 %). Sanger sequencing confirmed the labelled species in 69.3 % of cases with rbcL and 48.9 % with matK . While 63 samples would be considered authentic solely based on barcoding (i.e., if either rbcL or matK matched the label), ITS2 metabarcoding revealed that many of these contained additional undeclared species, indicating that barcoding alone overestimated product authenticity. Of the 85 samples successfully analysed by ITS2 metabarcoding, only 27 (32 %) fully matched their label, while 58 (68 %) contained either additional undeclared species or complete substitutions. Several products contained undeclared species in significant proportions, indicating potential economic adulteration. Analysis of mock-mixtures demonstrated that ITS2 metabarcoding can approximate ingredient proportions, though recovery bias may occur. Overall, the results revealed (i) the importance of curated and comprehensive databases, with a higher number of species being identified by NCBI database, (ii) the superior sensitivity of ITS2 metabarcoding, and (iii) the widespread mislabelling in commercial herbal products. • The authenticity of 100 commercial herbal infusions was evaluated. • Results from two approaches, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, were compared. • Two custom reference databases (NCBI and BOLD) were developed for ITS2 metabarcoding. • ITS2 metabarcoding revealed a high level of adulteration (68 %). • ITS2 allowed the detection of fungal contaminants in some samples.

Crustaceans are one of the major triggers of food allergies and can be found as hidden allergens. A sandwich ELISA and lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) were developed and validated to detect crustaceans by identifying prawn tropomyosin. Both methods could detect crustacean protein in complex food matrices spiked with prawn extract at levels of 1.25 and 5 μg/g, respectively, with high recoveries (59%-98%). Crustacean protein was also identified in model thermally processed foods (sausages, croquettes, and broth) containing prawn at levels of 1.25 and 10 μg/g using ELISA and LFIA. Among 63 basic ingredients analyzed, cross-reactivity was observed with mollusks, enabling their detection. ELISA and LFIA could detect 0.1 and 1.0 μg of crustacean protein on contact surfaces, respectively. Both tests proved to be robust. Laboratory and on-site analysis using these immunoassays can support allergen management strategies, helping to prevent unnecessary precautionary labelling. • Immunoassays can detect traces of crustaceans. • Immunoassays can detect several crustacean species. • Antibodies also have cross-reactivity with mollusks, allowing their detection. • ELISA and LFIA detect 1.25 and 10 μg/g of crustacean protein in thermally processed incurred food. • Rapid test detects 1.0 μg of crustacean protein on working surfaces.