Research Publications (Food Safety)

Total bacterial count (TBC) is a tool used to assess milk quality and is associated with not only the initial sample contamination but also the sample storage time and temperature. Several countries have reported milk samples with a high TBC, and the influence of TBC on milk preservation remains unclear.

Three important foodborne pathogens, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, are of great concern for food safety. They may also coexist in food matrices and, in the case of B. cereus and S. aureus, the resulting illnesses can resemble each other owing to similar symptoms. Therefore, their simultaneous detection may have advantages in terms of cost savings and rapidity.

We report on a case of listeriosis in a patient who probably consumed a prepackaged romaine lettuce–containing product recalled for Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Although definitive epidemiological information demonstrating exposure to the specific recalled product was lacking, the patient reported consumption of a prepackaged romaine lettuce–containing product of either the recalled brand or a different brand.

Turkey skin is used as a source of fat in finished ground turkey products. Salmonella-contaminated skin may potentially disseminate this pathogen to ground turkey. The objective of this study was to determine and compare Salmonella levels (presence and numbers) associated with the skin of turkey parts (i.e., drumstick, thigh, and wing). Over a 10-month period, 20 turkey flocks expected to be highly contaminated with Salmonella based on boot-sock testing data of turkey houses were sampled.

A 3-year comprehensive analysis of aflatoxin contamination in peanut butter was conducted in Zambia, sub-Saharan Africa. The study analyzed 954 containers of 24 local and imported peanut butter brands collected from shops in Chipata, Mambwe, Petauke, Katete, and Nyimba districts and also in Lusaka from 2012 to 2014. For analysis, a sample included six containers of a single brand, from the same processing batch number and the same shop.

This study was conducted to develop a multiplex reverse transcription (RT) PCR for the detection of Anisakis allergens and to investigate the relationship between allergen profiles and anisakid larvae isolated from Scomber japonicus, Trichiurus lepturus, and Conger myriaster in Korea. The species of Anisakis was determined using Anisakis pegreffii–specific PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Outbreaks of foodborne illness caused by Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes in England associated with meat pie consumption were detected in 2012. To obtain baseline data for pies unrelated to outbreaks, 862 samples of ready-to-eat meat pies were collected at retail or from catering facilities in England in 2013 and examined to enumerate food-poisoning bacteria and indicator organisms using Organization for Standardization (ISO) methods for Listeria spp. including L.

Zoonotic bacteria such as Campylobacter, Listeria, and Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli have been found in bulk tank milk in many countries, and the consumption of raw milk has been implicated in outbreaks of disease in New Zealand. Fecal contamination at milking is probably the most common source of pathogenic bacteria in bulk tank milk. Raw milk was collected from 80 New Zealand dairy farms during 2011 and 2012 and tested periodically for Campylobacter, E.

Whole and cut cantaloupes have been implicated as vehicles in foodborne illness outbreaks of norovirus, salmonellosis, and listeriosis. Preparation methods that minimize pathogen transfer from external surfaces to the edible tissue are needed. Two preparation methods were compared for the transfer of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2, murine norovirus, and Tulane virus from inoculated cantaloupe rinds to edible tissue and preparation surfaces.

The 2011 listeriosis outbreak attributed to whole cantaloupe involved several genetically distinct strains of serotypes 1/2a and 1/2b that had not been previously reported in invasive listeriosis outbreaks. Here we investigated the potential of strains from the 2011 cantaloupe outbreak to adhere, survive, and grow on cantaloupe rind and flesh and in juice extracted from cantaloupe at different temperatures (4, 8, and 25°C).

A total of 160 samples of poultry (80), pork (40), and beef (40) preparations (red sausages, white sausages, hamburgers, meatballs, nuggets, minced meat, escalope, and crepes) were tested in northwestern Spain to determine the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). VRE were detected in 38 (23.8%) samples (37.5% of poultry, 15.0% of pork, and 5.0% of beef samples). One strain per food sample was further characterized.

This study analyzed the behavior of Clostridium perfringens in individual ingredients and tamales containing different pathogen concentrations upon exposure to different temperatures and methods of cooking, storage, and reheating. In ground pork, C. perfringens cells were inactivated when exposed to 95°C for 30 min. Three lots of picadillo inoculated with 0, 3, and 5 log CFU/g C. perfringens cells, respectively, were exposed to different storage temperatures.

An outbreak of listeriosis in England affecting 14 people between 2010 and 2012 and linked to the consumption of pork pies was investigated. All 14 individuals were older than 55 years, 12 were men, and 10 reported the presence of an underlying condition. All were resident in or had visited either of two English regions and were infected with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes.

We investigated the effects of deep-frying or oven cooking on inactivation of Shiga toxin–producing cells of Escherichia coli (STEC) in meatballs. Finely ground veal and/or a finely ground beef-pork-veal mixture were inoculated (ca. 6.5 log CFU/g) with an eight-strain, genetically marked cocktail of rifampin-resistant STEC strains (STEC-8; O111:H, O45:H2, O103:H2, O104:H4, O121:H19, O145:NM, O26:H11, and O157:H7).

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the microbiological risk of pork and chicken by-products by enumerating indicator bacteria (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli) and identifying pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic isolates was determined, and molecular subtyping was performed using automated repetitive sequence–based PCR (rep-PCR). Pork and chicken by-products were collected from 10 processing plants.

Numerous antimicrobial chemicals are currently utilized as processing aids with the aim of reducing pathogenic bacteria on processed poultry carcasses. Carryover of active sanitizer to a carcass rinse solution intended for recovery of viable pathogenic bacteria by regulatory agencies may cause false-negative results. This study was conducted to document the potential carryover effect of five sanitizing chemicals commonly used as poultry processing aids for broilers in a postchill dip.

Despite the increasing popularity of sprouted chia and flax seed powders, no data have been reported on their intrinsic physicochemical properties and background microflora. Here, we report the moisture content, water activity, pH, and fatty acid methyl ester and bacteriological profiles of 19 sprouted chia and flax seed samples, 10 of which were associated with an outbreak of salmonellosis in Canada and the United States.

An outbreak of listeriosis in late 2014 and early 2015 associated with caramel apples led to questions about how this product became a vector for Listeria monocytogenes. This investigation aimed to determine information about the survival and growth of L. monocytogenes in both fresh apples and caramel apples, specifically examining the effects of site and level of inoculation, inoculum drying conditions, and storage temperature. At a high inoculation level (7 log CFU per apple), L.

Publication date: November 2016
, Volume 69

Author(s): A.K. Bækbo, J.V. Petersen, M.H. Larsen, L. Alban

Publication date: October 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 72

Author(s): M. Soazo, L.M. Pérez, G.N. Piccirilli, N.J. Delorenzi, R.A. Verdini

Publication date: October 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 72

Author(s): Juliana Abigail Leite, Fabrício Luiz Tulini, Fernanda Barbosa dos Reis-Teixeira, Leon Rabinovitch, Jeane Quintanilha Chaves, Nathalia Gonsales Rosa, Hamilton Cabral, Elaine Cristina Pereira De Martinis

Publication date: October 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 72

Author(s): Zahra Javidi, Seyed Fakhreddin Hosseini, Masoud Rezaei

Publication date: November 2016
, Volume 69

Author(s): Meng Xiao Feng, Geng Nan Wang, Kun Yang, Hui Zhi Liu, Jian Ping Wang

Publication date: Available online 6 May 2016


Author(s): Mohamed Rhouma, Francis Beaudry, Ann Letellier

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