Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have made a major breakthrough in agricultural biotechnology, focusing on the use of 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 addressing bioterrorism threats.
The research centers on the development of 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 includes Daisy Wilson, a Ph.
D. student in environmental science and engineering, and Valeria Gonzalez, a senior undergraduate in forensic science, conducted groundbreaking work in biofortification and nanoparticle application to reduce microbial contamination. “We got an internship with the Department of Homeland Security as a team,” Wilson told The Prospector , UTEP’s student newspaper.
“It was led by Dr. Sharifan, and he mentored myself and Valeria for the summer.” The research focused on the use of zinc oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles, which the team found to be highly effective in inhibiting E.
coli growth. According to Gonzalez, the nanoparticles disrupted the cell membranes and metabolic processes of the bacteria, outperforming traditional ionic forms like magnesium sulfate and zinc sulfate. “These nanoparticles significantly inhibited E.
coli growth by disrupting the cell membranes and metabolic processes,.