Research Publications (Food Safety)

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of type of milk, fermentation time, temperature, and stirring conditions on the antibacterial activity of fermented milk by kefir grains. All fermentation conditions had a significant effect on the antibacterial activity of kefir samples against four bacteria, except for the effect of temperature on the diameter of the inhibition zone of Shigella dysenteriae.

This study was conducted to reveal the genotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility, and biofilm formation of Bacillus cereus isolated from powdered food products in China. Five hundred powdered food samples were collected from five provinces in China: 100 samples each of powdered infant formula (PIF), soy milk powder (SMP), lotus root powder (LRP), walnut powder (WP), and rice flour (RF).

Author(s): Vivek K. Bajpai, InWha Park, Imran Khan, Fanar Hamad Alshammari, Pradeep Kumar, Lei Chen, MinKyun Na, Yun Suk Huh, Young-Kyu Han, Shruti Shukla

ABSTRACT

Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous endospore‐forming bacterium, which mainly affects humans as a food‐borne pathogen. B. cereus can contaminate groundwater used to irrigate food crops. Here, we examined the ability of the emetic strain B. cereus F4810/72 to survive abiotic conditions encountered in groundwater. Our results showed that vegetative B. cereus cells rapidly evolved in a mixed population composed of endospores and asporogenic variants bearing spo0A mutations.

Emerging strains of Bacillus cereus, traditionally considered a self-limiting foodborne pathogen, have been associated with anthrax-like disease in mammals, including humans. The strains have emerged by divergent evolution and, as exchange of genetic material in the Bacillus genus occurs naturally, it is possible that further isolates will be identified in the future. The strains vary in their genotypes and phenotypes, combining traits of both B. cereus and B. anthracis species.

Author(s): Davide Porcellato, Siv Borghild Skeie, Hilde Mellegård, Marte Monshaugen, Stine Aanrud, Bjørn-Arne Lindstedt, Marina Aspholm

Aims To determine if antibiotics associated with conventional pig farming have a direct role in altering the populations of key soil micro‐organisms isolated from piggery environments with and without exposure to antibiotics. Methods and Results Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp.

Aims Diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is important in various diseases from hospital‐acquired infections to foodborne diseases. This work reports two new luminescent affiprobes for specific detection of S. aureus. Methods and Results To develop advanced luminescent affiprobes, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was flanked by single and double repeats of ZpA963 affibody using molecular biology studies.

Author(s): Patrick Owusu-Ansah, Xiaojie Yu, Richard Osae, Abdullateef Taiye Mustapha, Rong Zhang, Cunshan Zhou

Author(s): Zahra H. Mohammad, Larry Payton, Sujata A. Sirsat

Aims Bacillus cereus sensu lato (B. cereus sl) is a complex group of closely related bacteria, which are commonly present in the natural environment and food products. These organisms may cause food poisoning and spoilage as well as opportunistic infections. Thus far, their resistance to selected antibiotics has been explored only in part, especially in the context of strain source. Therefore, our goal was to compare the resistance of B.

Freshly prepared pastes from blanched mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are highly perishable and prone to microbial and chemical changes upon storage due to their high water activity, near–neutral pH, and their rich nutrient profile. Their shelf life is short unless preservation methods are used.

Biofilms have a significant impact on food safety in the food industry. Many foodborne outbreaks have been associated with pathogenic strains that can form a biofilm. The present study aimed to examine the ability to form biofilms by pathogenic strains collected from retail food samples under the Official Control and Monitoring Program in Poland.

Bacillus cereus is a common and ubiquitous foodborne pathogen with an increasing prevalence rate in dairy products in China. High and unmet demands for such products, particularly milk, raise the risk of B. cereus associated contamination. The presence of B. cereus and its virulence factors in dairy products may cause food poisoning and other illnesses. Thus, this review first summarizes the epidemiological characteristics and analytical assays of B.

The quest for potent alternatives to the currently used antimicrobials is urged by health professionals, considering the rapid rise in resistance to preservatives and antibiotics among pathogens. The current study was initiated to search for novel and effective bacteriocins from food microbes, preferably lactic acid bacteria (LAB), for potential use as preservatives.

by Tetsuji Aoyagi, Kengo Oshima, Shiro Endo, Hiroaki Baba, Hajime Kanamori, Makiko Yoshida, Koichi Tokuda, Mitsuo Kaku

Food companies should comply with the requirements of a zero‐waste concept to adapt to the circular economy requirements. In fruit companies, usually seeds are discarded without proper utilization and extraction of the bioactive compounds. Fruit seeds are sources of chemical compounds that can be extracted, studied, and applied in high value‐added products.

Results from monitoring of the microbiological quality of 2,721 samples of ready-to-eat cooked chicken collected between 2013 to 2017 in England were reviewed: 70% of samples were from retail, catering or manufacture and 30% were imported and collected at English ports. Samples were tested for a range of bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms. Six samples (<1%) had unsatisfactory levels of pathogens which were potentially injurious to health.

Bacterial microorganisms which are latent in in vitro cultures can limit the efficiency of in vitro methods for the conservation of genetic resources. In this study we screened 2,373 accessions from the in vitro sweetpotato germplasm collection of the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru for bacteria associated with plantlets in tissue culture through a combination of morphological methods and partial 16S rDNA sequencing.

Bacillus cereus is one of the most important foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, which can lead to gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal diseases. However, the potential risk of B. cereus in aquatic products in China has not been comprehensively evaluated yet. In this study, a total of 860 aquatic samples from three types of retail aquatic products were collected from 39 major cities in China from 2011 to 2016.

by Jiajun Li, Wanqiang Li, Zhenhua Wang, Abdul Khalique, Junrui Wang, Miao Yang, Xueqin Ni, Dong Zeng, Dongmei Zhang, Yan Zeng, Qihui Luo, Bo Jing, Kangcheng Pan

Eudragit RS100 nanoparticles containing Baccharis dracunculifolia DC essential oil (N‐EO) was developed by the nanoprecipitation method. N‐EO presented an average diameter of 151.6 nm, zeta potential (ζ) of +51.7 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 99.4%. The antibacterial activity of N‐EO and free essential oil (EO) was evaluated in BHI broth against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Enteritidis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible synergistic interactions on antibacterial and antioxidant efficacy of two plant essential oils (EOs) Eucalyptus caesia Benth and Dracocephalum multicaule Montbr & Auch in vitro and in pear slices.

Incidences of heat stress due to the changing global climate can negatively affect the growth and yield of temperature-sensitive crops such as soybean variety, Pungsannamul. Increased temperatures decrease cro...