Research Publications (Food Safety)

Staphylococcus aureus is an important and leading cause of foodborne diseases worldwide. Prompt detection and recall of contaminated foods are crucial to prevent untoward health consequences caused by S. aureus. Helix loop-mediated isothermal amplification (HAMP) is an exciting recent addition to the array of available isothermal-based nucleic acid amplification techniques. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a HAMP assay for detecting S.

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the effect of N‐carbamylglutamate (NCG) on the piglets’ growth performance and immune response, and unravel their mechanisms. In a 2 × 2 factorial design including diet (with or without NCG) and immunological challenge (saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)), 24 piglets were randomly distributed to four groups. After being fed a basic diet or a NCG‐supplemented diet for 21 days, piglets were administered LPS or saline intraperitoneally.

Introduction

Dandelion (Pugongying) is one of the most frequently used Chinese herbs for treating lactational mastitis (LM). Pugongying granules, a patented medication primarily comprised of dandelion extract, have been approved by CFDA for LM treatment in China. The aims of this study were to investigate the etiology of LM and the mechanism by which Pugongying granules decrease LM symptoms, with a particular focus on the microbial communities found in breastmilk.

Methods

Listeria monocytogenes clonal complex 7 (CC7), belonging to lineage II, is the most common subtype among clinical listeriosis isolates in Norway, and is also commonly found in Norwegian food industry and outdoor environments. In the present study, the relative prevalence of CCs among clinical isolates of L. monocytogenes in European countries during 2010–2015 was determined.

by Lijuan Bao, Hao Sun, Yihong Zhao, Lianjun Feng, Keyi Wu, Shan Shang, Jiawen Xu, Ruping Shan, Shiyu Duan, Min Qiu, Naisheng Zhang, Xiaoyu Hu, Caijun Zhao, Yunhe Fu Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) has been demonstrated to promote the development of mastitis, one of the most serious diseases in dairy farming worldwide, but the underlying mechanism is unclearn.

Shikonin has been used in food production because of its potent bacteriostatic activity and colorability, but it is limited to be widely used because of its poor water solubility. The aim of this study was to prepare shikonin @ chitosan nanoemulsion (NS) to improve the solubility of shikonin and evaluate its antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the effect on storage quality of a pork food model.

Abstract The fast envelope stress responses play a key role in the transmission and pathogenesis of Yersinia enterocolitica, one of the most common foodborne pathogens. Our previous study showed that deletion of the waaF gene, essential for the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core polysaccharides, led to the formation of a truncated LPS structure and induced cell envelope stress.

Abstract Feathers become hazardous pollutants when deposited directly into the environment. The rapid expansion of the poultry industry has significantly increased feather waste, necessitating the development of new ways to degrade and utilize feathers.

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most relevant mastitis pathogens in dairy cattle, and the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes presents a significant health issue in both veterinary and human fields. Among the different strategies to tackle S.

This study aimed to develop a mixed starter of Limosilactobacillus fermentum YZU-06 and Staphylococcus saprophyticus CGMCC 3475 isolated from Jinhua ham for enhancing the production of branched-chain flavor compounds from pork myofibrillar protein.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) remains a frequent cause of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of contaminated hen eggs. Such a food–pathogen association has been demonstrated epidemiologically, but the molecular basis for this association has not been explored. Comparative genomic analysis was implemented to decipher the phylogenomic characteristics, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence potential of eggs-associated SE.

Melanin is a brown-black pigment with significant roles in various biological processes. The tyrosinase enzyme catalyzes the conversion of tyrosine to melanin and has promising uses in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. This research aims to purify and immobilize the tyrosinase enzyme from Pseudomonas sp. EG22 using cellulose-coated magnetic nanoparticles.

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesIn the last decade, the incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls connected with wheat flour and flour‐based goods infected with enteric bacteria such as Salmonella has grown. This study investigated the activity of sodium bisulfate (SBS) as an antibacterial agent against four different serovars of Salmonella enterica.FindingsThe dose‐dependent, anti‐Salmonella concentration of SBS revealed a minimum inhibitory activity (MIC) of 0.32%.

Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is of global concern for food safety as the listeriosis-causing pathogen is widely distributed in the food processing environments, where it can survive for a long time. Frozen vegetables contaminated with L. monocytogenes were recently identified as the source of two large listeriosis outbreaks in the EU and US.

Commercial cheese brines are used repeatedly over extended periods, potentially for years, and can be a reservoir for salt-tolerant pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. The objective of this study was to determine the inactivation of L. monocytogenes in cheese brines treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (0, 50, and 100 ppm) at holding temperatures representing manufacturing conditions.

Microbiology Resource Announcements, Ahead of Print. Genome sequencing of highly virulent Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Javiana strain FARPER-220 (ST-1674) isolated from broiler chickens in Peru revealed multiple virulence factors, antibiotic resistance genes, and invasion-related subcategories. The results provide insights into the potential importance of this strain in causing infections in various animals.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing threats to public health. It contributes to over a million deaths a year currently and by 2050 it is expected to cause more annual death than cancer. The swine industry has taken important steps to address the AMR crisis by phasing out the use of antimicrobial growth promoters.

Immune system activation redirects dietary nutrients to defense mechanisms, thereby impairing growth performance of pigs. Supplementing pigs with functional amino acids (AA) such as Met, Thr and Trp was shown to support the immune system and reduce the negative effects on growth. However, pigs respond differently to immune stressors which increase herd variability.

Aim  Campylobacter is the leading bacterial pathogen that causes foodborne illnesses worldwide. Pasture farming is regarded as an important source of agricultural production for small farming communities. Consumer preference for pasture-raised animal products has increased; however, there is a paucity of information on the microbiological quality of pasture-raised poultry products.

This study aimed to identify coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) species from 21 samples of clandestine Minas Frescal cheese, investigate the potential for deterioration in psychrotrophic and mesophilic conditions, verify the toxigenic potential of Staphylococcus aureus, and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of toxigenic S. aureus.

In addition to oligosaccharides, proteins (e.g., immunoglobulins), lipids, vitamins, and other nutrients vital for piglet health, sow’s milk contains bacteria believed to be important in gut health. Therefore, certain sow milk isolates with potentially beneficial properties may be of interest for use as probiotic strains.

We applied metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the metabolic pathway and ruminal bacterial taxa associated with divergent residual body weight (BW) gain phenotype in crossbred beef steers. A group of 108 crossbred growing beef steers (average BW = 282.87 ± 30 kg) were fed a forage-based diet for a period of 56 d in a confinement dry lot equipped with GrowSafe intake nodes to determine their residual body weight gain (RADG) phenotype.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hemp varieties and cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations on in vitro ruminal microbiota diversity and abundance relative do alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Two ruminally cannulated Angus steers were used as inoculum donors for in vitro incubation.

Abstract The mucus layers of fish serve as the main interface between the organism and the environment. They play an important biological and ecological role. The current study focuses on Nile tilapia epidermal mucus reared under different commercial feeds (coded A and B) and environments (biofloc technology and earthen pond systems). Crude protein levels in feed A and B were 30% and 28%, respectively.

Anti-interleukin (IL)-10 may preserve broiler performance during coccidiosis by diminishing Eimeria spp. host-evasion but has not been evaluated during secondary Clostridium perfringens challenge (necrotic enteritis). Early Salmonella Typhimurium inoculation is implemented in some models to improve repeatability—a potential confounder due to Salmonella using similar IL-10 host evasion pathways.