فصلنامه ایمنی زیستی
سال هشتم شماره 2 (زمستان 1394)

Nanotechnology, the science of manipulating of materials with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers, has been developed in various categories of science and industries and settled in everyday life of people. Over the last years, there has been an increase in awareness of the potential risks associated with manufactured nanomaterials. Hazards of free nanoparticles in manufactured products as well as their unknown effects and unpredictable reactions with biological molecules are of the most important concerns. Along with the mentioned hazards, easy bioavailability and their unusual toxicokinetic also make the nanoparticles a potential hazard for human health. In this article we discuss the potential toxic effects and the methods of toxicological studies of nanoparticles, in order to establish and revise the related regulations and standards needed for risk assessment and safety evaluation of nanoproducts, prior releasing to the market.

The pollution with increased human activity and industrial development is increasing every day around the world. The pollution is generated by contaminants such as organic compounds and inorganic compounds containing heavy metals. There are various chemical and physical methods to remove these contaminants. But scientists due to high cost, incomplete removal of contaminants, environmental destruction and erosion by these methods, to study and development of biological techniques have made. A type of bioremediation methods is use of plants to clean up organic contaminants and minerals in water, soil and air. The remediting is done through complex mechanisms in plants. Today, the science of genetic engineering by using the genes in plants with the potential to clean-up or accumulation, they can produce transgenic plants with resistance to higher concentrations of pollutants. In this paper, according to previous studies, mechanisms of plants in removing of various contaminants and genetic engineering advances in the production of transgenic plants with phytoremediation potential is revised.

Oils extracted from colza have high nutrition quality. Cultivation of modified species with low level of undesired components, have been developed recently in Iran. Rapeseed species modified by genetic engineering have been cultivated all around the world. In current study, recombinant genes have been detected in seven species of colza which are used in oil industries. Moreover, fatty acid profiles of oils extracted from these seeds have been analyzed. DNA extracted by CTAB method, and quality of the extracted DNAs were assessed by PCRs with chloroplast tRNA primer. Presence of transgenic colza were assessed with three gene sequences of CaMv 35s promoter, NOS terminator and nptII marker. The results showed that NOS terminator and CaMv 35s promoter sequences found in none of samples, while the 215 bp electrophoretic band due to PCR product of nptII sequence has seen in four seeds out of seven samples. Analysis of fatty acid profiles showed that GM modification has no effect on lipid content of samples.

Nowadays, the seafood industry encounter new challenges in which products are more complex and processes requires strict control during processing, storage and distribution. Concept HACCP can increase confidence of safety product of shrimp and confidence in shrimp industry. In addition, it can produce motivation to develop country’s exports and food safety control system. This investigation is going to indicate HACCP operation in different field of shrimp processing and functions of main principles of HACCP in Iran. Furthermore, this work will study confidence of safety seafood in an operating framework of HACCP system.

Biofunctional molecules are those compounds that control characteristics of organisms such as growth, metamorphosis, homeostasis, aggregation and reproduction. Insect secretions contain endocrine hormones (for example brain hormone & juvenile hormone) and exocrine secretion (for example pheromones & defensive secretion). Thus, juvenile and anti-juvenile hormones could be used as insect growth regulations. Pyrethrins are the active substance of pyrethrums (kind of flower). Insects can also be control by pyrethrins, the same synthetic compounds, and anti-Feedants. Naturally occurred plant hormones are auxin, gibberellins, cytokinin, brassinosteroids, ethylene, abscisic acids that regulate plant growth. In addition, plants are known to produce antimicrobial compounds named phytoalexins as defense substances when attacked by pathogenic micro-organisms. In this article, we investigate the introduction, preparation, and performance of insect and plant growth regulations in the life of insects and plants in the environment.

Nuclear technology in medicine, food security, agriculture, nanobiotechnology and estimation of erosion and sedimentation of soil are examples from the applications of nuclear technology in life science and biotechnology. However widespread use and commercial production of these two fields require public awareness and gaining the trust and confidence of people toward the products with radioactive substances; but the combination of nuclear technology and life science has opened new peaceful windows into the treatment of diseases, reducing mortality, improving crop's quality, and also new research applications.

Bio-fertilizers are one of the best modern tools for agriculture. It is a gift of our modern agricultural science. Biofertilizers are applied in the agricultural field as a replacement to our conventional fertilizers. Should be noted that these fertilizers are not as effective as chemical fertilizers. So, farmers often try to use chemical fertilizers in the field for crop development. But obviously the chemical fertilizers are not environment friendly. They are responsible for water, air and soil pollution and can spread cancer causing agents. Moreover, they may destroy the fertility of the soil in a long run. Scientists have developed Biofertilizers to prevent pollution and to make this world healthy for everybody in a natural way. Bio-fertilizer contains microorganisms which promote the adequate supply of nutrients to the host plants and ensure their proper development of growth and regulation in their physiology. Living microorganisms are used in the preparation of bio-fertilizers. Only those microorganisms are used which have specific functions to enhance plant growth and reproduction. There are different types of microorganisms which are used in the bio-fertilizers. Bio-fertilizer being essential components of Organic farming play vital role in maintaining long term soil fertility and sustainability. This paper describes the concept of bio- fertilizers, the challenges and solutions to improve its use. The. results of several studies in this field, are presented and analyzed.

One of the biotechnology applications in food industry is production of microbial exopolysaccharides. That are used as additives these microbial metabolites are high molecular weight polymers composed of reducing sugars that produced during the growth cycle by various strains of lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus. The exact role of microbial exopolysaccharides depends on structural unit and environmental conditions of producing microorganisms that protect food from against environmental stresses. Diversity in structure and composition of microbial exopolysaccharides in comparison to animal and plant polymers is the main superiority of these metabolites. To date, the exact function of microbial exopolysaccharides remained relatively unknown and by increasing researches for isolation and identification of these metabolites and newly applications of microbial exopolysaccharides, these compounds can be used as reproducible source in food industries. Microbial exopolysaccharides have also numerous applications in pharmaceuticals, paint, biotechnology and petrochemical. The most important applications in of these product food industry including thickener, causing the gel, hygroscopic properties and emulsifiers stabilizer that will be discussed briefly in this article.

Biological risks are classified into two categories; biosecurity and biosafety risks. Biosecurity is considered as a series of precautionary measures for reduction of biological risks such as outbreaks infectious diseases in humans and animals, diseases related to agricultural products, preventing quarantined pests and invasive alien species. The most important subcategory of biosecurity is laboratory biosecurity. The release of anthrax microbes in the United States and foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom are examples of non-compliance with the principles of biosecurity. The Security Council Resolution 1540 in 2004 and World Health Assembly resolution 58/29 in 2005 were international efforts for the ratification of biosecurity rules. The most important biosecurity challenges are as follows; lack of coordination between politicians and bioscience scientists, lack of proper legislation, poor management, inadequate training of employees and technicians, selection of inefficient and improper staff and scientists and de novo production of dangerous organisms through direct mutagenicity by terrorists. It is not only the biosecurity which is not prioritized in Iran but also debates such as the risks of genetic engineering (transgenic plants) are prioritized that non-documented statements about the risks of these plants are presented unfairly and without enough information, while all the related discussions in this field is raised in precautionary predictions debate.

In food production systems, plant biosecurity is a state of preparedness that ensures a safe, affordable, and available supply of food and feed. At present, many nations lack the food production capacity to feed their existing and projected populations. They are dependent upon international aid programs and trade of plants and plant products to compensate for food deficits. Consequently, global food security is, in part, dependent upon effective plant biosecurity strategies and appropriate infrastructure at the national and international levels. There are many general threats to plant systems that put plant biosecurity at risk, including global trade of plants and plant products, climate change, population growth and landscape exploitation. It is extremely important to increase international cooperation on biodefense to protect agricultural and food systems worldwide. Without effective plant biosecurity programs to protect the world’s natural plant systems, the ecosystem services that they provide to support humans will decline, thus compromising the development of sustainable societies.