Dr. Ting Zhou

Image Ting Zhou
Research Scientist

Fungal Pathogens and Toxins Related to Food Safety

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
93 Stone Rd W, Guelph, ON N1G 5C9

Current research and/or projects

The current research is in the field of food safety and focuses on exploring and investigating cost-efficient green technologies to mitigate fungal hazards and mycotoxin contaminations in human food and animal feed. His research team has discovered beneficial bacterial strains that possess outstanding capabilities to detoxify mycotoxins, such as vomitoxin (DON) and patulin, and to diminish their bio-toxicity. State-of-the-art methods are being developed nowadays in his laboratory to pan out the mechanisms/bacterial enzymes responsible for mycotoxin detoxifications. Dr. Zhou keeps taking a leading role in mycotoxin research and his innovative biodetoxification technology has led to fruitful collaborations with food and feed processing industries and is being developed for commercial applications in deterring or eliminating risks associated with mold growth/mycotoxin presence in agricultural commodities.

Research and/or project statements

  • Mitigation of Fusarium mycotoxins in food production chain by biodetoxificati​on
  • Control of the mycotoxin patulin in food through biodetoxification
  • Toxicity assessments of novel bacterial metabolites of mycotoxin zearalenone and the bacteria presenting the metabolism
  • The application of the deoxynivalenol bioconversion system to detoxify the mycotoxin in grains and DDGs
  • Characterization and enhanced release of bioactives in pulse/grain processing by-products for novel functional food ingredients with greater bioavailability and health benefits

Professional activities / interests

  • Development of microbial and enzymatic detoxifications for mitigation of fungal toxins (mycotoxins) in food and feed
  • Detection and control of mycotoxins with biological, physical and chemical approaches during storage and processing
  • Occurrence and control of toxin producing fungi in fruit and grains with biological agents and natural antimicrobials
  • Microbial fermentation

Education and awards

Ph.D. Plant Pathology, McGill University, 1991

Key publications

  1. Lepp, D., Y. Zhu, X.-Z. Li, L. Clairmont, J. Tang, R. Bobb and T. Zhou (2022). Metagenomic analysis of microbial consortia exhibiting deoxynivalenol (DON) de-epoxidase activity. 71st Annual Conference of the Canadian Society of Microbiologists. Guelph, ON, Canada, June 26-29.

    2022 - View publication details

  2. Zhong, L., Carere, J., Mats, L., Lu, Z., Lu, F., Zhou, T. (2021). Formation of glutathione patulin conjugates associated with yeast fermentation contributes to patulin reduction. Food Control, [online] 123 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107334

    2021 - View publication details

  3. Wang, W., Zhu, Y., Abraham, N., Li, X.Z., Kimber, M., Zhou, T. (2021). The ribosome-binding mode of trichothecene mycotoxins rationalizes their structure—activity relationships. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, [online] 22(4), 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms22041604

    2021 - View publication details

  4. Carere, J., Hassan, Y.I., Lepp, D., Zhou, T. (2018). The identification of DepB: An enzyme responsible for the final detoxification step in the deoxynivalenol epimerization pathway in devosia mutans 17-2-E-8. Frontiers in Microbiology, [online] 9(JUL), http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01573

    2018 - View publication details

  5. Zhu, Y., Hassan, Y.I., Shao, S., Zhou, T. (2018). Employing immuno-affinity for the analysis of various microbial metabolites of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. Journal of Chromatography A, [online] 1556 81-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2018.04.067

    2018 - View publication details

  6. Hassan, Y.I., He, J.W., Perilla, N., Tang, K.J., Karlovsky, P., Zhou, T. (2017). The enzymatic epimerization of deoxynivalenol by Devosia mutans proceeds through the formation of 3-keto-DON intermediate. Scientific Reports, [online] 7(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07319-0

    2017 - View publication details

  7. Zhou, T. 2017. A comprehensive understanding of deoxynivalenol detoxification through epimerization by Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8. 39th Mycotoxin Workshop, June, 19th-21st 2017, Bydgoszcz, Poland

    2017 - View publication details

  8. Tannous, J., Snini, S.P., El Khoury, R., Canlet, C., Pinton, P., Lippi, Y., Alassane-Kpembi, I., Gauthier, T., El Khoury, A., Atoui, A., Zhou, T., Lteif, R., Oswald, I.P., Puel, O. (2017). Patulin transformation products and last intermediates in its biosynthetic pathway, E- and Z-ascladiol, are not toxic to human cells. Archives of Toxicology, [online] 91(6), 2455-2467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00204-016-1900-y

    2017 - View publication details

  9. Zhou, T. 2017. Understanding of deoxynivalenol detoxification through epimerization by Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8. International Seminar of Basic Techniques on Grain Storage and Transportation. May 20, Changchun, China.

    2017 - View publication details

  10. Yan Zhu, Yousef I. Hassan, Dion Lepp, Suqin Shao, and Ting Zhou, 2017. Strategies and methodologies for developing microbial detoxifications to mitigate mycotoxins. Toxins. DOI: 10.3390/toxins9040130

    2017 - View publication details

  11. Ahad, R., Zhou, T., Lepp, D., Pauls, K.P. (2017). Microbial detoxification of eleven food and feed contaminating trichothecene mycotoxins. BMC Biotechnology, [online] 17(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12896-017-0352-7

    2017 - View publication details

  12. Ahad, R., Zhou, T., Lepp, D., Pauls, K.P. (2017). Draft genome sequence of Citrobacter freundii strain A47, resistant to the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. Genome Announcements, [online] 5(11), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.00019-17

    2017 - View publication details

  13. Shen, H.-S., Shao, S., Chen, J.-C. and Zhou, T. (2017), Antimicrobials from Mushrooms for Assuring Food Safety. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, 16: 316–329. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12255

    2017 - View publication details

  14. Lepp, D., Hassan, Y.I., and Zhou, T. (2016). "Comparative genomics of Devosia isolates involved in the biotransformation of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (http://asmmicrobe.org/images/AbstractsUpdated.pdf).", ASM Microbe 2016, Boston, USA, 16-20 June, 2016, Poster Presentation LB008. (Abstract)

    2016 - View publication details

  15. Hassan, Y.I. and Zhou, T. (2016). Countering mycotoxins with bacteria and enzymes. All About Feed, May 2016 (Mycotoxins: Detection and control), pages 33-34. http://www.allaboutfeed.net/Special-focus/Mycotoxin-special-2016/.

    2016 - View publication details

  16. Tsao, R. and Zhou, T. (2016). "An integrated approach to patulin reduction in food.", World Mycotoxin Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, 6-10 June, 2016, pp. 71. (Abstract)

    2016 - View publication details

  17. Zhou, T. (2016). "Recent advances in microbial and enzymatic detoxification of mycotoxins – epimerization of deoxynivalenol.", World Mycotoxin Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, 6-10 June, 2016, pp. 80-81. (Abstract)

    2016 - View publication details

  18. Hassan, Y.I., Li, X.-Z., Zhu, H., and Zhou, T. (2016). "Deoxynivalenol epimerization: an effective route for detoxification with potential agricultural and industrial applications.", World Mycotoxin Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, 6-10 June, 2016, Poster Presentation, pp. 152. (Abstract)

    2016 - View publication details

  19. Ioi, D., Zhou, T., Marcone, M.F., and Tsao, R. (2016). "Resistance of mycotoxins and fungi to commercial processing in apple and tomato products.", World Mycotoxin Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, 6-10 June, 2016, Poster presentation, pp. 137-138. (Abstract)

    2016 - View publication details

  20. Guan, W., Zhang, J., Yan, R., Shao, S., Zhou, T., Lei, J., Wang, Z. (2016). Effects of UV-C treatment and cold storage on ergosterol and Vitamin D2 contents in different parts of white and brown mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Food Chemistry, [online] 210 129-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.04.023

    2016 - View publication details

Contact

Research facility

Guelph Research and Development Centre
93 Stone Road West
Guelph, ON N1G 5C9
Canada

Expertise

Agriculture›Agri-Food
Agriculture›Biocontrol›Fungi
Food›Agriculture
Food›Chemistry›Toxins
Health›Animal›Microbiology›Fungus

Affiliations

  • Special Graduate Faculty, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph
  • Special Graduate Faculty, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph
  • Special Graduate Faculty, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph

Language

English