Research Publications (Food Safety)

In-home or food service antimicrobial treatment options for fresh produce are limited. Hot water treatments for whole (unpeeled) produce have been proposed but data to support this practice for onions are not available. Separate cocktails of rifampin-resistant Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes , or Salmonella were cultured on agar and suspended in sterile water.

Foodborne diseases remain a global public health challenge worldwide. The European surveillance system on multistate foodborne outbreaks integrates elements from public and animal health, and the food chain for the early detection, assessment, and control. This review aims to describe the significant outbreaks that occurred in Europe in the last decade.

Given the importance of strain variability to predictive microbiology and risk assessment, the present study aimed to quantify the magnitude of strain variability in growth and thermal inactivation kinetics behaviors after acid adaptation. Thirty-three Listeria monocytogenes strains were exposed to acid-adapted tryptic soy broth with yeast extract and nonacid-adapted TSB-YE (pH 7.0) for 20 hours.

Processes based on generating vapor phase hydroxyl-radicals or chlorine-radicals were developed for inactivating Listeria monocytogenes on mushrooms without negatively affecting quality. Antimicrobial radicals were generated from the UV-C degradation of hydrogen peroxide or hypochlorite and ozone gas.

The aim of this study is to analyze and document the microbiological safety and quality of ready-to-eat foods in hospital and university canteens in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 420 ready-to-eat food products from 21 canteens were sampled in July 2018 and May 2019. The ratio of samples exceeding the unsatisfactory level for Total Plate Count (TPC) was 31%.

Ubiquity of Listeria monocytogenes in the environment impacts the food industry and presents concerns for frozen food facilities. This study determined the prevalence and numbers of Listeria species and L. monocytogenes on raw produce arriving at frozen food facilities. Raw produce was collected using multi-level blinding protocols to ensure anonymity of participants and avoid traceback. Five raw vegetables were selected: corn, carrots, green beans, peas, and spinach.

L. monocytogenes causes relatively few outbreaks linked to whole fresh produce but triggers recalls each year in the US. There are limited data on the influence of wet vs. dry methods on pathogen growth on whole produce. A cocktail of five L. monocytogenes strains that included clinical, food, or environmental isolates associated with foodborne outbreaks and recalls was used. Cultures were combined to target a final wet inoculum concentration of 4-5 log CFU/mL.

This study aimed to investigate the inactivation of foodborne pathogens and the quality characteristics of fresh chicken breasts after Ultraviolet-C light-emitting diode (UVC-LED) treatment. Fresh chicken breasts were separately inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes at an initia population of 6.01, 5.80, and 6.22 log 10 CFU/cm 2 , respectively, then were treated by UVC-LED at 1000 to 4000 mJ/cm 2 .

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic bacterium associated with RTE meat products sold at the retail level.

Listeriosis, a foodborne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes , has relatively low incidence, but a substantial mortality rate, particularly in immunocompromised populations. Because of the known risk of L. monocytogenes and other pathogens in produce, immunocompromised individuals are often placed on neutropenic diets that exclude fresh produce. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate several kitchen-scale treatments as potential interventions to reduce L.

Science-based guidance employed at eight small and very small state and federally inspected ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry processors across Michigan was assessed. Data was collected to determine the current level of sanitary control methods used for reducing Listeria in the processing environment and compared interactions with the facility microbial results. A checklist was created to assess the current recommended sanitary control methods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S.

Growth on solid media as sessile cells is believed to increase the desiccation tolerance of Salmonella enterica . However, the reasons behind increased resistance have not been well explored. In addition, the same effect has not been examined for other foodborne pathogens such as pathogenic Escherichia coli or Listeria monocytogenes . The purpose of this research was two-fold: first, to determine the role of oxygenation during growth on the desiccation resistance of S. enterica , E.

Here, a Bacillus strain, UTK D1-0055, is described that was isolated from a laboratory environment. It was of interest as it demonstrated antilisterial activity. The genome was sequenced, which identified the strain as Bacillus altitudinis, and a high-quality complete annotated genome was produced. Additionally, the taxonomy of this and related species was evaluated, including B. aerophilus, B. pumilus, B. safensis, B. stratosphericus, and B.

Consumption of seaweeds, often categorized as a superfood, is becoming popular in western countries. Algae can be marketed fresh, but are usually sold dehydrated to ensure longer shelf life. The consumption, often as ready to eat, open up possible risks for public health because of foodborne pathogens that can contaminate the raw material during harvesting or manipulation.

The number of farmers markets registered by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has seen a significant increase, jumping from 1,755 in 1994 to 8,771 in 2019. Microbial studies have found evidence that produce sold at farmers can yield higher microbial counts than their retail counterparts; however, no previous literature explored the efficacy of microbial (bacteria and virus) persistence on a variety of different farmers market fomites over a 2-month period.

Outbreaks of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) infections have historically been associated with contaminated deli meats, but recent outbreaks have been linked to produce. To date, avocados have not been identified as the source of any outbreaks of L. monocytogenes infections in the United States, but avocado samples have yielded strains that were closely related genetically to clinical L. monocytogenes isolates.

Public health and regulatory agencies worldwide sequence all Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) isolates obtained as part of routine surveillance and outbreak investigations. Many of these entities submit the sequences to the NCBI Pathogen Detection (NCBI PD) database, which groups the Lm isolates into SNP clusters based on a pairwise SNP difference threshold of 50 SNPs.

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a persistent public health concern in the United States and is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness. Cross-contamination of L. monocytogenes is common in delis (between contaminated and uncontaminated equipment, food and hands) and likely plays a role in the associated with retail deli meats. In 2012, EHS-Net conducted a study to describe deli characteristics related to cross-contamination with L. monocytogenes.

This study evaluated the potential impact of environmental factors and harvesting practices on microbial load of macadamia nuts. Three farms located in the main macadamia nut production regions including Mbombela (A), Barberton (B) and White River (C) areas in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa were sampled over a ,rtwo-year period. A total of 264, irrigation water (54), soil (30) and macadamia nut (180) samples were collected and evaluated for microbial concentrations.

Wine and alcoholic apple cider are commonly back-sweetened with unpasteurized juice to produce fresh, natural, and palatable sweetened alcoholic beverages. Foodborne pathogens may be introduced from unpasteurized juice into alcoholic beverages through this back-sweetening process. Although pathogens generally do not survive under low pH conditions or high alcohol environment, the die-off of these pathogens has not been established to ensure the safety of the products.

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes lives as a saprophyte in nature and can adhere to and grows on surfaces as diverse as leaves, sediment, and stainless steel. To discern the mechanisms used by L. monocytogenes for attachment and growth on various surfaces, we studied interactions between the pathogen on lettuce and stainless steel. A panel of 24 strains (23 of Listeria monocytogenes and 1 L.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products, such as deli ham, can support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) which can cause severe illness in immunocompromised individuals. The objectives of this study were to validate a miniature ham model (MHM) against the ham slice method and screen antimicrobial combinations to control LM on ham using response surface methodology (RSM) as a time- and cost-effective high-throughput screening tool.

Environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments is key for ensuring the safety of ready-to-eat foods. For sampling, swabs are often hydrated with a wetting or transport medium which may contain neutralizers and other ingredients. After swabbing the environment, the swabs may then be transported or shipped cold to an off-site laboratory for testing, ideally within 48 h.

This study investigated the presence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) for the first time in two types of unpasteurized fresh cheese produced in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. We tested for this pathogen along with the others to broaden the study of microbiological quality in a total of 60 samples of cheese, 30 fresh and 30 adobera, which were collected from six artisanal cheese factories (ACF).

Biopreservatives are clean-label ingredients used to control pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in ready-to-eat foods including cheese. The efficacies of six commercial biopreservatives in controlling L.