Research Publications (Food Safety)

This study aimed to evaluate and model the antimicrobial action of different concentrations of Croton blanchetianus essential oil (CBEO) on the behavior of six bacterial species in vitro. CBEO extraction was performed by hydrodistillation and characterized by CG-MS.

New therapeutic strategies for clinical Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection are urgently needed due to the generation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Inhibition of bacterial virulence has been increasingly regarded as a potential and innovative strategy for the development of anti-infection drugs. Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS) represents a key virulence factor in S.

mBio, Ahead of Print. For decades, the remote island nation of Samoa (population ~200,000) has faced endemic typhoid fever despite improvements in water quality, sanitation, and economic development. We recently described the epidemiology of typhoid fever in Samoa from 2008 to 2019 by person, place, and time; however, the local Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) population structure, evolutionary origins, and genomic features remained unknown.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Ahead of Print. Frequent outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium infection, in both animal and human populations and with the potential for zoonotic transmission, pose a significant threat to the public health sector. The rapid emergence and spread of more invasive multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Salmonella further highlight the need for the development of new drugs with effective broad-spectrum bactericidal activities.

Mechanism characterization on cross protection between different stresses is important for microbial intervention optimizations to ensuring food safety. In our previous work, ethanol adaptation was found to induce cross-protection against freezing stress in Salmonella Enteritidis. The current work aimed to uncover the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon using proteomic and mutagenic techniques.

The objective of the present study was to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, food spoilage Bacillus subtilis, an industrial milk product isolate, and spore-forming Paenibacillus in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) bovine milk and non-dairy, plant-based beverages (coconut, almond, cashew) stored at chilled and ambient temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C or 20 °C).

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium monophasic variants (Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:) has increased dramatically, causing human salmonellosis and colonization in pigs. With a difference to S. Typhimurium, the monophasic variants of S. Typhimurium lose the gene cassettes encoding the second phase flagellin.

Winter savory (Satureja montana L.) is a well-known spice and medicinal plant with a wide range of activities and applications. Two subspecies of S. montana, subsp. montana and subsp. variegata, were used for the preparation of seven different extracts: steam distillation (essential oil (EO) and hydrolate (HY)), subcritical water (SWE), ultrasound-assisted (UAE-MeOH and UAE-H2O), and microwave-assisted (MAE-MeOH and MAE-H2O) extraction.

Foodborne disease caused by pathogenic bacteria remains a great threat to public health throughout the world. Herein, a colorimetric assay was developed for rapid and selective detection of Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) based on Fe/4Cu-metal organic framework nanorods (Fe/4Cu-MOF).

The trend of feeding dogs and cats with raw pet food claiming health benefits, poses health concerns due to the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. High pressure processing (HPP) allows the non-thermal inactivation of microorganisms, preserving the nutritional characteristics with minimal impact on organoleptic traits of food.

The present study describes creating an attenuated Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) strain with reduced endotoxicity to prevent fowl typhoid. The strain was attenuated by deleting the lon, cpxR, and rfaL virulence-related genes. Endotoxicity was reduced by deleting the pagL open reading frame and replacing it with the lpxE gene derived from Francisella tularencis.

Salmonella spp. is one of the leading causes of foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Salmonella spp. has been associated with a variety of food sources, particularly egg products. They can enter into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state in response to harsh stress. VBNC cells still retain membrane integrity and metabolic activity, which may pose health risks. However, the formation mechanism and resuscitation ability of VBNC cells are not understood.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most common food poisoning pathogens and the main cause of diarrheal diseases in humans in developing countries. The increased Salmonella resistance to antimicrobials has led to the search for new alternatives, including natural compounds such as curcumin, which has already demonstrated a bactericidal effect; however, in Gram-negatives, there is much controversy about this effect, as it is highly variable.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Enhanced Salmonella surveillance programmes in poultry were implemented in all European Member States, with minimum prevalence targets for a list of targeted serotypes to safeguard food and public health.

Low moisture foods (LMFs) have traditionally been recognized as safe for consumption, as most bacteria require higher water content to grow. However, outbreaks due to LMF foods are increasing, and the microbial pathogen Salmonella enterica is frequently implicated. S. enterica can survive in LMFs for years, but few serovars have been studied, and the mechanisms which underlie this longevity are not well understood. Here, we determine that S. enterica serovars S. Tennessee, S. Anatum, and S.

Background Salmonella enterica is among the major burdens for public health at global level. Typing of salmonellae below the species level is fundamental for different purposes, but traditional methods are expensive, technically demanding, and time-consuming, and therefore limited to reference centers.

Wheat flour contaminated with Salmonella or Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been linked to foodborne outbreaks and recalls. The survival of five strains of rifampicin-resistant Salmonella and STEC on wheat berries was evaluated during tempering (hydration). Wheat berries were inoculated with Salmonella (cocktail) or STEC (individual strains or cocktail) and dried at ambient conditions for 24 h.

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are important foodborne pathogens which are threatened to human health seriously.

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been studied to inactivate bacteria in some powder foods. In this study, a 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF system was used to pasteurize Salmonella in black fungus (Auricularia auricula) powder. The effects of different conditions (initial aw, electrodes gaps, particle sizes) on RF heating rate and uniformity were investigated.

Salmonella and Escherichia coli are important foodborne pathogens, forming bacterial biofilms that contribute to their virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and survival on surfaces. Broad lytic phages are promising alternatives to conventional technologies for pathogen biocontrol and reducing biofilms. Herein, we isolated and characterized a novel polyvalent phage STP55 that not only lyse some serotypes of Salmonella, but also some E. coli strains.

Poultry on the European market is offered primarily as fresh meat and is usually sold at the retail level packed under either a modified atmosphere (MAP) or vacuum. Packaging is meant to retain product quality during retail offering and influences microbiological changes during storage.

Tomatoes are a valuable crop consumed year-round. Ripe fruit is picked for local sale while tomatoes intended for transit may be harvested at late mature green or breaker stages when fruit firmness preserves quality. In this study we evaluated tomato cultivar (cv.) ‘BHN602’ association with three Salmonella serotypes and cv. ‘Nyagous’ with S. Newport using fruit at two ripeness stages. Counts of S. Javiana and Typhimurium were higher from red ripe fruit surfaces of ‘BHN602’, and S.

The development of innovative antibacterial drugs against foodborne pathogens has led to an interest in novel materials such as nanomaterials. The unique features of nanomaterial qualify it for use as an antibacterial treatment. Noble metals and metal oxide nanoparticles, such as silver and magnetite nanoparticles, have been shown to be effective antibacterial medications against a range of microorganisms.

Macrophages play an essential role in the process of recognition and containment of microbial infections. These immune cells are recruited to infectious sites to reach and phagocytose pathogens. Specifically, in this article, bacteria from the genus Mycobacterium, Salmonella and Escherichia, were selected to study the directional macrophage movement towards different bacterial fractions.

Phages are uniquely suited for bacterial detection due to their low cost and ability to recognize live bacteria. Herein, our work establishes the proof-of-concept detection of Salmonella in orange juice based on a phage-mediated portable magnetic relaxation switching (MRS) biosensor.