{"id":15756,"date":"2026-03-24T09:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=15756"},"modified":"2026-03-24T09:21:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:21:12","slug":"cegfsd-scientists-tackle-plant-animal-pest-challenges-to-boost-food-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/cegfsd\/cegfsd-scientists-tackle-plant-animal-pest-challenges-to-boost-food-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"CEGFSD scientists tackle plant, animal pest challenges to boost food safety"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Dr.
Dr. Simon Zebelo is training Congolese scientists on toxin detection in peanuts and maize at the PCi lab in Kinshasa, DRC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dr. Simon Zebelo of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is leading international efforts to strengthen food safety systems, pest management, and scientific capacity through research, training, and global collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His work is supported by the Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) at UMES, which is funded by USDA-NIFA and led by Dr. Moses Kairo, the principal investigator and director of the Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Stephan Tubene serves as associate director of CEGFSD and principal investigator of the USDA-NIFA 1890 Capacity Building Grant (CBG), which supports capacity-building initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Caleb Nindo, professor and director of Graduate Programs, further contributes by strengthening global research partnerships and graduate training. Together, these coordinated efforts address animal and plant pests and diseases challenges that cross borders, enhance research capacity, agricultural best practices, and the safety and security of global food systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reducing contamination in maize and peanuts<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"University
University of Maryland Eastern Shore professors Simon Zebelo and Salina Parveen present awards after a training session at Kinshasa Plant Clinic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Drs. Zebelo, Salina Parveen and Stephan Tubene, all UMES professors, along with their colleagues Dr. Lyna Mukwa, who serves as Kinshasa Plant Clinic (PCi) director, and Dr. Marie-Claire Yandju, a UNIKIN professor, visited the Kinshasa Plant Clinic and the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the trip, they led specialized training focused on detecting aflatoxins, harmful toxins produced by fungi that frequently contaminate staple crops, such as maize and peanuts, in tropical environments. These toxins pose serious health risks and represent a major obstacle to food safety, public health and agricultural trade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern detection methods and strengthened surveillance approaches were introduced to help scientists, laboratory technicians and students identify contamination risks early in the food supply chain. Through hands-on laboratory training, participants learned internationally recognized laboratory techniques, proper sample handling, analytical procedures and quality assurance practices essential for reliable food safety monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaborations with local scientists helped assess contamination risks associated with staple crops entering urban markets. This ongoing work aims to identify critical points in the supply chain where contamination is most likely to occur, particularly during postharvest drying, handling and storage of corn and peanuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides this effort, Zebelo is introducing practical and accessible solutions (including improved drying techniques, better storage practices and routine screening methods) that have strong potential to significantly reduce contamination risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These activities are helping build local capacity and are expected to support smallholder farming systems by promoting affordable and lasting approaches to improving food safety and protecting public health along the food supply chains, including international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting Against Mango Fruit Flies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n
\"Sarine
Sarine Anyango, an ICIPE technician, prepares mango fruit samples for laboratory experiments on mango fruit fly oviposition. These studies support the UMES\u2013ICIPE collaboration to develop environmentally sustainable pest management strategies for smallholder mango farms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Strengthening research capacity in pest management is paramount, particularly for mango fruit flies, one of the most destructive pests affecting fruit production in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Damage
Severely infested mango fruit collected from a mango field in Kitui, Kenya, showing advanced internal breakdown characterized by larval feeding tunnels and tissue liquefaction. Multiple larvae (likely Bactrocera dorsalis and\/or Ceratitis cosyra) are visible within the pulp, indicating heavy infestation and loss of market quality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Through collaborative work in Kenya with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and international partners, including the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), research on environmentally friendly strategies to monitor and manage mango fruit flies is being conducted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work focuses on developing innovative approaches using semiochemical-based tools and integrated pest management strategies to protect mango production while reducing reliance on conventional pesticides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These activities contribute to building long-term scientific capacity and empowering local institutions to address agricultural challenges affecting food security and economic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These initiatives reflect the mission of the Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense at University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the USDA-NIFA 1890 Capacity Building Grant program, which supports research, education and international collaboration to address critical food safety and agricultural challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the leadership of Dr. Moses T. Kairo, Tubene and Dr. Caleb Nindo, and the international engagement of UMES, JKUAT, PCi and UNIKIN faculty, UMES is strengthening global partnerships, supporting scientific training and advancing innovative solutions to protect food systems in the U.S. and abroad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By strengthening laboratory capacity, advancing pest management research, and empowering scientists and institutions through international collaboration, Zebelo\u2019s work is helping to build safer, more robust, and more resource-conscious food systems. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Simon Zebelo of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is leading international efforts to strengthen food safety systems, pest management, and scientific capacity through research, training, and global collaboration.  His work is supported by the Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) at UMES, which is funded by USDA-NIFA and…Read more CEGFSD scientists tackle plant, animal pest challenges to boost food safety<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2245,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":63,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cegfsd"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15756"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}