Research Publications (Food Safety)

In the last 10 years, many atypical novel members of Brucella species have been reported, including several Brucella inopinata‐like strains in wild‐caught and “exotic” amphibians from various continents. In 2017, a strain of Brucella was isolated for the first time in animals from a French farm producing frogs – Pelophylax ridibundus – for human consumption, and identified as B. microti‐like.

Controlling the free chlorine (FC) availability in wash water during sanitization of fresh produce enhances our ability to reduce microbial levels and prevent cross‐contamination. However, maintaining an ideal concentration of FC that could prevent the risk of contamination within the wash system is still a technical challenge in the industry, indicating the need to better understand wash water chemistry dynamics.

The present study investigated the effect of three selected phenolics, gallic acid (GA), tannic acid (TA), and quercetin (Q), on heated egg white proteins. Results revealed that mixing phenolics with egg white before heat treatment at different temperatures (56°C–89°C) for 3, 10, and 20 min, leads to a limitation on the formation of aggregates and a weak loss of solubility as compared to egg white heated without phenolics.

In Turkey, legislation reduced the salt content in fresh cheeses from 10% to 6.5% in dry matter (DM). This study investigated the effect of salt reduction on the fate of acid‐ and salt‐adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as the textural quality of recombined nonfat cheese. The cheese was manufactured using milk protein concentrate (85% protein) and skim milk powder (35% protein).

Packaging is an intermediary product between producers and consumers. The most important role of packaging is to ensure the highest quality and safety of packaged products and to extend their shelf life. Given that microbiological contamination is a problem for manufacturers and consumers due to the fact that it reduces the quality of packaged products and poses a health risk, this work describes solutions related to antimicrobial packaging.

Honey, pineapple, chilli pepper, and onion extracts were investigated for their ability to inhibit enzymatic browning in sweet potatoes. Honey had the highest inhibition (41.39%–48.0%), comparable with l‐ascorbic acid. Heated onion extract increased polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inhibition by 2.5‐fold when 4‐methylcatechol was used as substrate. However, percentage inhibition decreased drastically (7.42%–19.67%) when heated pineapple extract was used.

Chemical stability is critical for maintaining the shelf life of foods, and strategies for controlling chemical deterioration should be investigated. This project evaluated the effects of iron and ultraviolet (UV) light on chemical stability using rebaudioside A degradation as a model reaction. Iron, citrate, and UV light exposure negatively affected the storage stability of rebaudioside A.

The current study evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of Carica papaya pulp and seeds methanol (MeOH) extracts on mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified 10 active constituents in C. papaya seed MeOH extract and 10 compounds in C. papaya pulp MeOH extract. The experimental animals were divided into negative control (G1) group, positive control (G2) group, pulp extract treated (G3) group, and seed extract treated (G4) group.

Heme iron overload has been implicated as the main cause of the increased risk of cancer due to the consumption of red meat. However, fish and shellfish, teas, and spices contain up to five times more iron than red meat. There is insufficient evidence that iron intake in dietary red meat is the primary causal factor for colorectal cancer.

In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of exogenous stress factors (sodium chloride as osmotic stressor, hydrogen peroxide as an inducer of oxidative stress, white light irradiation, and low temperature) on the biosynthesis of carotenoids and lipids by red yeast (Rhodotorula glutinis, R. mucilaginosa, and R. gracilis) during cultivation in media containing potato wastewater and glycerol.

ABSTRACT Salmonellae represent one of the most common bacterial infection reagents in both humans and animals. For detection and epidemiological elucidation of Salmonella infections, determination of Salmonella serotypes and differentiation between different Salmonella isolates is crucial.

Objectives

To describe the molecular characteristics of beta-lactamases in bloodstream-infection Escherichia coli isolated from elderly patients, and to determine the genotypic patterns of blaCMY–2 and blaADC–162.

Methods

Electronic waste (e-waste) has caused a severe worldwide pollution problem. Despite increasing isolation of degradative microorganisms from e-waste contaminated environments, the mechanisms underlying their adaptive evolution in such habitats remain unclear. Sphingomonads generally have xenobiotic-degrading ability and may play important roles in bioremediation.

Acrylamide is formed during baking in some frequently consumed food products. It is proven to be carcinogenic in rodents and a probable human carcinogen. Thus, the food industry is working to find solutions to minimize its formation during processing.

Two garlic-derived compounds, Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate (PTS) and Propyl Propane Thiosulfinate (PTSO), were examined for their efficacy against mycotoxigenic Fusarium species (F. graminearum, F. langsethiae, F. verticillioides).

The ability to produce enterohemolysin is regarded as a potential virulence factor for enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and is frequently associated with severe human diseases such as hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The responsible toxin, which has also been termed EHEC-hemolysin (EHEC-Hly, syn.

Peanuts are widely consumed in many local dishes in southeast Asian countries, especially in Malaysia which is one of the major peanut-importing countries in this region. Therefore, Aspergillus spp. and aflatoxin contamination in peanuts during storage are becoming major concerns due to the tropical weather in this region that favours the growth of aflatoxigenic fungi.

The diffusion of Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL)–positive methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a health problem in Algeria. The objectives of the study were to investigate the global distribution of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and MRSA isolates in different ecological niches in this country. In total, 2246 samples were collected from humans, livestock, wild animals, pets, food products and the aquatic environment, from 12 Algerian provinces.

Shiga toxin-producing enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen. Baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxylflavone), a flavone isolated from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis, is considered as a potential antibacterial agent to control foodborne pathogens.

Chronic Migraine (CM) is a disabling neurologic condition with a severe impact on functioning and quality of life. Successful therapeutic management of patients with CM is complex, and differences in therapeutic response could be attributable to genetically determined factors, sensitivity to pharmacological treatment, psychosocial and relational factors affecting the patient’s compliance and approach on the therapeutic treatment.

Cladosporium species are endophytic fungi that grow on organic matter and are considered food contaminants. The anti-microbial and anti-tumor naphthoquinones fusarubin (FUS) and anhydrofusarubin (AFU) were isolated using column chromatography from a Cladosporium species residing inside Rauwolfia leaves. The impact of FUS and AFU on cell growth was assessed in acute myeloid leukemia (OCI-AML3) and other hematologic tumor cell lines (HL-60, U937, and Jurkat).

Clostridium perfringens type A causes gas gangrene characterized by myonecrosis and development of an effective therapy for treating affected patients is of clinical importance. It was recently reported that the expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is greatly up-regulated by C. perfringens infection. However, the role of G-CSF in C. perfringens-mediated myonecrosis is still unclear. Here, we assessed the destructive changes in C.

Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular facultative pathogen that causes listeriosis, a foodborne zoonotic infection. There are differences in the pathogenic potential of L. monocytogenes subtypes and strains. Comparison of the genome sequences among L. monocytogenes pathogenic strains EGD-e and F2365 with nonpathogenic L. innocua CLIP1182 and L.

Mycotoxins are ubiquitous and unavoidable harmful fungal products with the ability to cause disease in both animals and humans, and are found in almost all types of foods, with a greater prevalence in hot humid environments.

Brevetoxins are produced by dinoflagellates such as Karenia brevis in warm-water red tides and cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. They bind to voltage-gated sodium channels at neurotoxin receptor 5, making the channels more active by shifting the voltage-dependence of activation to more negative potentials and by slowing the inactivation process. Previous work using photoaffinity labeling identified binding to the IS6 and IVS5 transmembrane segments of the channel α subunit.