Research Publications (Food Safety)

Abstract Free‐living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are infected by various bacteria in nature, and thus bacteria can protect themselves from adverse environmental conditions. Contrary to this ameba–bacteria relationship whether Acanthamoeba has antibacterial effects on bacteria is the different aspect of the relationship between these microorganisms. In this study, we investigate various Acanthamoeba strains have antibacterial effects on various Staphylococcus strains.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) enterotoxins have aroused great concern to food safety owing to its increased risk of food poisoning. The current research aimed to investigate the anti-virulence mechanisms of phloretin against S. aureus in terms of toxin activity and gene expression.

Protocatechualdehyde (PA) is a phenolic acid present in many plants and has many biological activities. Herein, the antagonistic effects and the action mechanism of PA against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were studied. The results showed that PA had both significant antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities against MRSA. Additionally, PA had synergy with ampicillin against MRSA.

The outcome of bacterial infection management relies on prompt diagnosis and effective treatment, but conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be slow and labor-intensive. Therefore, this study aims to predict phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility of selected beta-lactam antimicrobials in the bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae from different beta-lactamase resistance genotypes.

Background. Coliform, Salmonella, and Shigella are among the most encountered bacteria in raw milk. This study is aimed at determining the extent of coliform, Salmonella, and Shigella bacteria in raw milk and vendor hygiene practices at Asella town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, from March 1 to 30, 2022. Methods. In this study, 210 milk vendors were included; each vendor provided a 50 ml sample of raw milk. Bacteria were isolated and identified using standard bacteriological techniques.

Campylobacter is among the most frequent agents of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe and is primarily linked to the consumption of contaminated food. The aim of this study was to assess genomic diversity and to identify antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of 155 Campylobacter isolated from broiler carcasses (neck skin samples) in a large-scale Swiss poultry abattoir over a three-year period.

Abstract Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) represents a significant challenge in the field of shrimp aquaculture. This disease is primarily caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains harbouring the pVA1 plasmid encoding the PirAvp and PirBvp toxins. To combat this epidemic and mitigate its devastating consequences, it is crucial to identify and characterize the receptors responsible for the binding of these pathogenic toxins.

Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in poultry and pork meat. Summary The aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. in chicken, duck, quail, turkey and pork meat, including the antibiotic resistance of isolated strains. A total of 184 meat samples were collected from different retailers in La Rioja (Spain). The presence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes were detected in 24.46% and 10.32% of the meat samples respectively.

Abstract BACKGROUND Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), a widely distributed global foodborne pathogen primarily linked with contaminated chicken meat, poses a significant health risk. Lowering this pathogen abundance in poultry meat is challenging but essential. This study assessed the impact of lactobacillus‐fermented rapeseed meal (LFRM) on broilers exposed to C. jejuni contaminated litter, evaluating growth performance, Campylobacter levels, and metagenomic profile.

Rural and small-scale chicken farming is a major source of income in most African countries, and chicken meat is an important source of nutrients. However, chicken meat can be contaminated with Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp., pathogens with a high reported burden of foodborne illnesses. Therefore, it is essential to control these pathogens in chicken meat.

Biopreservation is an approach consisting of using microorganisms as protective cultures and/or their metabolites to optimize the microbiological quality and shelf life of food by ensuring safety or reducing food waste. Biopreservation strain selection pipelines mainly focus on inhibition strength to identify strains of interest. However, in addition to inhibition strength, inhibition activity must be able to be expressed despite significant variations in food matrix properties.

Abstract (−)‐Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) has been shown antibacterial activity against Campylobacter jejuni; however, the relevant antibacterial mechanism is unknown. In this study, phenotypic experiments and RNA sequencing were used to explore the antibacterial mechanism. The minimum inhibitory concentration of EGCG on C. jejuni was 32 µg/mL. EGCG‐treated was able to increase intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and decline bacterial motility.

Gaseous ozone treatment, recovery and counting of microbial cells inoculated on stainless steel. Abstract The aim of this work was to evaluate the resistance of two pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Senftenberg), and three airborne food‐spoiling filamentous fungi (Hyphopichia burtonii, Penicillium nordicum, and Aspergillus brasiliensis ATCC 16404) to gaseous ozone on stainless steel.

S. aureus of cheese exhibited a lower theoretical minimum temperature (Tmin). Significant variations in the maximum population density (Ymax) among dairy products at the same temperature. Factors influencing D values were smaller than strain variability. Summary Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent foodborne pathogen causing Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) in dairy products. This study estimated S.

An efficient in vitro protocol was introduced for the conservation of Nepeta asterotricha, a vulnerable and endangered medicinal species found in the central of Iran for the first time. Growth, phytochemical, and biological traits of in vitro regenerated plant (RP) and acclimated plant (AP) were compared to the mother plant (MP). In addition, the genetic stability of AP was assessed by using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that contaminates food-processing environments and persists within biofilms on equipment, thus reaching final products by cross-contamination. With the growing demand for clean-label products, the search for natural antimicrobials as biopreservants, such as bacteriocins, has shown promising potential.

Campylobacter spp. are significant zoonotic agents, which cause annually millions of human cases of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. Their inclusion in biofilms on abiotic surfaces seems to play a pivotal role in their survival outside of the host, growth, and spread.

Abstract Vibrio harveyi is commonly found in salt and brackish water and is recognized as a serious bacterial pathogen in aquaculture worldwide. In this study, we cloned the ferric uptake regulator (fur) gene from V. harveyi wild‐type strain HA_1, which was isolated from diseased American eels (Anguilla rostrata) and has a length of 450 bp, encoding 149 amino acids. Then, a mutant strain, HA_1‐Δfur, was constructed through homologous recombination of a suicide plasmid (pCVD442).

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate and unveil the positive impact of biofloc culture on Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection of Pacific white shrimp by reducing quorum sensing (QS) and virulence gene expression and enhancing shrimp's immunity. The shrimp with an average body weight of 0.50 ± 0.09 g were reared in containers with a volume of 2.5 L, 21 units, and a density of 20 shrimp L−1.

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading foodborne bacterial pathogen that causes human gastroenteritis worldwide linked to consumption of undercooked broiler livers. Application of bacteriophages during poultry production has been used as an alternative approach to reduce contamination of poultry meat by Campylobacter. To make this approach effective, understanding the presence of the bacteriophage sequences in the CRISPR spacers in C.

The gut microbial communities interact with the host immunity and physiological functions. In this study, we investigated the bacterial composition in Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp’s gut and rearing water under different host (developmental stage: juvenile and adult; health status: healthy and diseased) and environmental factors (temperature 25 °C and 28 °C; and light intensity: low and high).

Anaerobic in vitro fermentation is widely used to simulate rumen kinetics and study the microbiome and metabolite profiling in a controlled lab environment. However, a better understanding of the interplay between the temporal dynamics of fermentation kinetics, metabolic profiles, and microbial composition in in vitro rumen fermentation batch systems is required.

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes biofilms represent a continuous source of contamination, leading to serious food safety concerns and economic losses. This study aims to develop novel nisin‐loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) functionalized with DNase I and evaluate its antibiofilm activity against L. monocytogenes on food contact surfaces. Nisin‐loaded CSNPs (CS‐N) were first prepared by ionic cross‐linking, and DNase I was covalently grafted on the surface (DNase‐CS‐N).

Considering Salmonella transmission occurs through several routes in integrated broiler operations, control of nontyphoidal Salmonella in commercial farms is essential. This study aimed to compare the distribution of persistent Salmonella serovars in environments and dead chickens between 5 major integrated broiler operations in Korea.

In this study, a type of luminescent porous coordination network-224 (PCN-224) in alkaline conditions was synthesized with the dramatic fluorescence enhancement by 20.4 times, which was explained by the fact that the decrease of Zr4+ content in alkaline conditions resulted in the partial recovery of the electron cloud density of 4,4′,4′′,4′′′-(Porphine-5,10,15,20-tetrayl) tetrakis(benzoic acid) (TCPP).