Research Publications (Food Safety)

Eckner, Karl F. et al. Leafy greens, including fresh herbs, have repeatedly been involved in outbreaks of foodborne disease. Although much effort has been put into studying leafy greens and products such as head lettuce and baby leaves, less is known about fresh leafy herbs, such as basil. The goal of this study was to investigate the survival of Salmonella on basil plants and in pesto.

Cladis, Dennis P. et al. Total mercury was measured via thermal decomposition amalgamation atomic absorption spectroscopy in the muscle tissue of 82 swordfish originating in the Pacific Ocean and was found to range from 228 to 2,090 ppb. The relationships between total mercury concentration and the size of the fish (i.e., length and weight) were analyzed.

Pei, Donghui et al. Lentinus edodes is one of the most popular edible mushrooms in the market. However, it contains heavy metals that are poisonous to humans even at trace concentrations. The concentrations and bioconcentration factors of five heavy metals in cultivated L. edodes in Chengdu were studied, and the potential health risks to local residents associated with the cultivated L. edodes consumption were evaluated.

Hu, Jia-Wei et al. In this study, we investigated the differences in histamine accumulation between blue scad and chub mackerel and methods of inhibiting histamine-forming bacteria and controlling histamine accumulation in fish. The free histidine contents in blue scad and chub mackerel were 1.45 and 2.75 mg/g, respectively.

Kogkaki, Efstathia A. et al. The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of two nontoxigenic Aspergillus section Nigri species (Aspergillus tubingensis and Aspergillus japonicus) to influence the in vitro ochratoxin A (OTA) production of three toxigenic Aspergillus carbonarius isolates (Ac-28, Ac-29, and Ac-33) from Greek vineyards of different geographical areas.

Du, Lihui et al. Gastrointestinal probiotics are important members of intestinal microflora in both healthy animals and human beings, and these bacteria may reduce the risk of infection caused by certain opportunistic pathogens through exclusive inhibition, competition, and displacement. The lp_1643 protein on the cell surface of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFSI was assumed to possess a mucus-binding capability.

Liang, Mingyan et al. Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), one of the most common foodborne diseases, results from ingestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in foods. In our previous studies, we found that SEA and SEG were two predominant SE proteins produced by milk-acquired S. aureus isolates. Here, a tandemly arranged multiepitope peptide (named SEAGepis) was designed with six linear B-cell epitopes derived from SEA or SEG and was heterologously expressed.

Janzen, Timothy W. et al. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, has the capacity to form highly resilient spores as part of its life cycle. The potential for the dissemination of these spores using food as a vehicle is a huge public health concern and, hence, requires the development of a foodborne bioterrorism response approach.

Humblot, Mathilde J. P. O. et al. Listeria monocytogenes is a serious pathogen capable of extensive survival under frozen storage.

Kramer, B. et al. The objective of this study was the determination of the efficiency of pulsed light (PL) treatments for the decontamination of endive salad and mung bean sprouts, as well as the assessment of quality changes in relation to discoloration and alteration of respiration activity. Produce samples were artificially inoculated with two bacterial test strains Escherichia coli (DSM 498) and Listeria innocua (DSM 20649) and exposed to PL at different energy doses.

Syne, Stacey-Marie et al. A total of 480 samples of locally produced processed meats, including chicken franks, chicken bologna, and bacon from brands A and B, was collected from 8 supermarkets across the island of Trinidad over a 1-year period and subjected to a range of microbiological analyses. The results showed that 54.2, 0.4, and 1.7% of the samples exceeded recommended limits for aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Listeria spp.

Brar, Pardeepinder K. et al. Cocktails of lawn-collected cells were used to determine the survival of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of raw peanut and pecan kernels. Kernels were inoculated with mixtures of four to five strains at 3 or 6 log CFU/g, dried at room temperature, and then stored at −24 ± 1, 4 ± 2, and 22 ± 1°C for 28 or 365 days.

Hadjilouka, Agni et al. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in rocket and cucumber samples by deterministic (estimation of a single value) and stochastic (estimation of a range of values) approaches.

Erickson, Marilyn C. et al. Salmonella is a microorganism of concern on a global basis for raw shrimp. This research modeled the impact of vapor thymol concentration (0, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/liter), storage temperature (8, 12, and 16°C), and modified atmosphere condition (0.04 as in the natural atmosphere and 59.5% CO2) against the growth behavior of a Salmonella cocktail (six strains) on raw shrimp.

Zhou, Siyuan et al. Salmonella is a microorganism of concern on a global basis for raw shrimp. This research modeled the impact of vapor thymol concentration (0, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/liter), storage temperature (8, 12, and 16°C), and modified atmosphere condition (0.04 as in the natural atmosphere and 59.5% CO2) against the growth behavior of a Salmonella cocktail (six strains) on raw shrimp.

Lublin, Avishai et al. Contaminated table eggs are considered a primary source of foodborne salmonellosis globally. Recently, a single clone of Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis emerged in Israel and became the predominant serovar isolated in poultry. This clone is currently the most prevalent strain in poultry and is the leading cause of salmonellosis in humans.

Smith, Danielle F. et al. Salmonella is able to survive in low-moisture environments and is known to be more heat resistant as product water activity (aw) decreases. However, it is unknown how rapidly the resistance changes if product aw is altered rapidly, as can occur in certain processes. Therefore, the objective was to determine the effect of rapid product desiccation or hydration on Salmonella thermal resistance.

Koohmaraie, Mohammad et al. The contamination of raw ground beef by Escherichia coli O157:H7 is not only a public health issue but also an economic concern to meat processors. When E. coli O157:H7 is detected in a ground beef sample, the product lots made immediately before and after the lot represented by the positive sample are discarded or diverted to lethality treatment. However, there is little data to base decisions on how much product must be diverted.

Narváez-Bravo, Claudia et al. The objective of the study was to characterize virulence genes and subtype Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O157:H(−) isolates obtained from a vertically integrated feedlot slaughter plant in Mexico. A total of 1,695 samples were collected from feedlots, holding pens, colon contents, hides, and carcasses. E.

The development of analytical methods to detect aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in foodstuffs and its metabolites in human biological samples is useful for risk assessment. The latter methodology, i.e. the measurement of AFB1 biomarkers, has become important to assess human aflatoxin exposure.

In the presented study, the content of lead in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) samples was examined. Rainbow trout were purchased in Prague (Czech Republic), Lodz (Poland) and Bratislava (Slovakia) from local fish shops and supermarkets belonging to popular chain stores. First, method for quantitative lead determination was developed with very good results (R