Research Publications (Food Safety)

The diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in maternal milk and feces from Thai mother-infants pairs were revealed through nested PCR-DGGE. LAB species residing in maternal milk drawn from each individual demonstrated high uniqueness, yet shared similarity to her infant. Multiple strains of L. plantarum, L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus, L. mucosae, L.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of chitosan on the antibacterial efficacy of 405 nm LED illumination against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut melons. The antibacterial efficacy of LED illumination (a total dose of 1.3 kJ/cm2) with or without chitosan (0.5 and 1.0 %) against these three pathogens was determined at 4 and 10 °C, respectively.

In the present study, the distribution of Escherichia coli O157:H7 was investigated in fresh-cut lettuce by simulating a commercial process at a pilot plant scale with different initial inoculum levels. A deterministic approach was used to derive a potential Food Safety Objective (FSO) for the studied pathogen. The experimental outcomes, together with literature data, were used to develop a probabilistic exposure model for E.

Microbiology Resource Announcements, Ahead of Print. The genome sequences of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain 380-94, which was isolated from a 1994 dry-cured salami outbreak, and a stronger Congo red-binding variant, RV06, were determined using long-read sequencing technology and de novo assembly. Both strains possessed one chromosome and one plasmid. Strain RV06 possessed a 4,769-bp deletion in the rcs region.

Consumers are becoming vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian due to the factors such as a healthy lifestyle, and growing environmental concerns. Circumstances like this have cumulatively driven the global nuts and dried fruits market. Thereby, this study aims to review two nuts (almond and cashew nut) in terms of processing effect on their quality attributes, nutritional value, phytochemical composition, and significant health advantages.

Recent outbreaks linked to contaminated leafy greens underline the need for identifying effective natural approaches to improve produce safety at pre-harvest level. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been evaluated as biocontrol agents in food products.

The topic of bacteriophage as an alternative to antibiotics to control pathogenic bacteria has attracted attention. Here, a novel virulent Salmonella bacteriophage JNwz02 capable of cross-infecting E. coli O157:H7 was isolated and characterized. The complete genome of JNwz02 was composed of 114390 bp double-stranded DNA molecules encoding 164 open reading frames (ORFs) with a G + C content of 40.22%.

The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model describing the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in carrot juice treated with Thymbra capitata essential oil combined with mild heat treatment and stored at different temperatures. The viable count method was used to investigate the effect of the treatment on bacterial survival, and the response surface methodology was used to develop a statistical model fitting the data.

Transmission of foodborne pathogens by plants, especially shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, has become a public health concern for ready-to-eat products. Due to the patchy distribution of foodborne pathogens on commodities, random sampling before processing and following packaging cannot reliably exclude presence of pathogenic microbes. Robust, cost-effective, and reliable methods for monitoring pathogenic E.

The emergence of mobile colistin resistant gene (mcr-1) in Enterobacteriaceae has become a global public health concern. Dissemination of the mcr-1 gene through conjugation of bacteria associated with food may occur. This research investigated the transfer frequency of the mcr-1 gene among Escherichia coli in liquid media and during growth of mung bean sprouts. The donor strain E.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a pathogen that commonly causes foodborne illness and represents a health hazard to consumers. The combined use of synergistic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a promising way to improve the microbiological safety of foods. In this study, we detected the synergistic interactions between thanatin and BF-15a3 to reduce their usage and obtain more efficient antibacterial activity.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that has become a serious global concern for food safety. Despite the application of different traditional biocontrol methods in the food industry, food borne disease outbreaks linked to this organism remain. Due to their high specificity, lytic bacteriophages are promising antimicrobial agents that could be utilized to control pathogens in foods.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are food-borne pathogens that can cause severe symptoms for humans. Raw milk products are often incriminated as vehicule for human STEC infection. However, raw milk naturally contains molecules, such as the milk fat globule membrane and associated proteins, that could inhibit pathogen adhesion by acting as mimetic ligands.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O121 is among the top six non-O157 serogroups that are most frequently associated with severe disease in humans. While O121:H19 is predominant, other O121 serotypes have been frequently isolated from environmental samples, but their virulence repertoire is poorly characterized.

Fresh food products can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in various agricultural environments. Potting soil is sterilized by heat sterilization and then reused. This study evaluated the effects of three sterilization methods (non-sterilized, pasteurized, and sterilized) on the survival of pathogenic bacteria in potting soil during storage for 60 days at 5, 15, 25, and 35 °C.

Eucalyptus citriodora oil (ECO) has excellent antibacterial properties, but its application is limited due to its volatility and lack of antimicrobial targeting properties. Zinc ions are metal ions on which the active center of metalloproteinases depend and have antibacterial functions. This study aimed to prepare nanoparticles against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E.

Fully deacetylated quaternary chitosan (DQCTS) was prepared by replacing the carboxyl group of chitosan with a quaternary ammonium salt. The DQCTS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The antimicrobial activity of DQCTS was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) methods and time-kill assay.

by Anil K. Persad, Gireesh Rajashekara, Jeffrey T. LeJeune Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is estimated to cause over two million cases of human disease annually. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the largest livestock producer and consumer of sheep and goat meat in the Caribbean, however, the potential role of these animals in the epidemiology of STEC infections has not been previously described.

This study investigated the effect of non-isothermal treatments with different heating rates (HRs) on inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 in various heating media. E.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7- contaminated pork and production environments, are often a major source of foodborne outbreaks. This study evaluated the inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 on artificially contaminated raw pork loins using lytic bacteriophage (phage) and lactic acid (LA). Pork samples were inoculated with 106 CFU/mL of E. coli O157:H7 cocktail and stored at 4 °C for 30 min for the initial surface attachment.

Widespread multidrug antimicrobial resistance in emerging pathogens has led to a renewed interest in phage therapy as an alternative or supplement to traditional small molecule drugs. The primary limiting factors of phage therapy deployment rest in the narrow host range specificity of phage as well as a poor understanding of many phages’ unintended downstream effects on host physiology and microbiota as well as on adverse pathogen evolution.

Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Volume 46, Issue 10, October 2022. The study investigated the effects of acidic water (sodium bisulfate, SBS/lactic acid, LA) tempering (alone) and in combination with heat treatment on the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O121 and O26 load of wheat and its impact on wheat flour quality.

In order to develop strategies for preventing biofilm formation in the dairy industry, a deeper understanding of the interaction between different species during biofilm formation is necessary. Bacterial strains of the P. fluorescens group are known as the most important biofilm-formers on the surface of dairy processing equipment that may attract and/or shelter other spoilage or pathogenic bacteria. The present study used different strains of the P.

Foodborne illnesses are being reported everyday; thus, there is an obvious need for faster and sensitive methodologies to detect foodborne pathogens in order to assure the safeness of foods. In the present study, the detection of L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and E. coli O157 was performed combining a multiplex short enrichment of 7 h in Tryptic Soy Broth, with a colorimetric LAMP-based naked-eye detection.

For molecular detection of foodborne pathogens to be effective, an efficient technique for bacterial DNA concentration is required. Solid phase reversible immobilization (SPRI) paramagnetic beads can concentrate DNA from foods containing low amounts of bacteria because of their highly specific DNA-binding capacity.