Research Publications (Food Safety)

This study aimed to develop a combination of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and real-time PCR (qPCR) techniques to detect and analyze Salmonella spp. (SAL), Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157: H7) in meat samples quickly and accurately. Bacteria-specific immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) were prepared from carboxyl magnetic beads and affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies using a novel magnetic bead activator.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Volume 132, Issue 2, Page 1467-1478, February 2022. Aims The biological events occurring during human digestion help to understand the mechanisms underlying the dose–response relationships of enteric bacterial pathogens.

Leafy green vegetables are a common source of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157) foodborne illness outbreaks. Ruminant animals, primarily cattle, are the major reservoir of STEC O157. Epidemiological, traceback and field investigations were conducted to identify potential outbreak sources. Product and environmental samples were tested for STEC.

Escherichia coli O157:H7, the causative agent of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans, generates a effective harm to community health because of its high pathogenicity. A real-time recombinase-aided amplification (rRAA) is an emerging method for nucleic acid detection.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are foodborne pathogens that cause hemolytic uremic syndrome and fatal infant diarrhea, respectively, but the characterization of these bacteria from imported food in China are unknown.

Introduction The objectives of this study were to evaluate the synergistic antimicrobial effect of ultraviolet A (UVA) and malic acid (MA) combination treatment against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes on spinach and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the synergistic antimicrobial effects. Methods The cocktail of three pathogens was inoculated on the spinach leaves.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Hummus is a popular dip in the Middle East region prepared by mixing the boiled chickpeas with tahini and other ingredients, and because its consumption has increased world-wide some notoriety has developed following an increase in the incidence of hummus-related illness outbreaks and recalls.

This study assessed the acid-adaptation of pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli in orange juice and the microbial resistance to the subsequent UV-C radiation treatment. Nine Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and one strain of a non-pathogenic surrogate E. coli were used in this study. Each E.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of 0.5 or 1% (w/w) chitosan and 1% (w/w) garlic against Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in hummus dip stored at 4, 10, or 25°C for 28, 21, or 7 days, respectively.

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are common etiological agents of food borne illnesses and outbreaks, most often caused by consuming contaminated beef products, followed by raw vegetables and dairy products. Patients infected with E. coli O157 are more likely hospitalized than patients infected with non-O157 STEC, making E. coli O157 an important target for microbiological interventions.

This study evaluated the microbiological contamination of fresh-cut produce in Korea. A total of 108 fresh-cut vegetables and fruits were surveyed for the aerobic mesophilic (AM) count, aerobic psychrophilic (AP) count, total coliform, generic Escherichia coli, yeast and mold, and foodborne pathogens. AM counts ranged from 1.00 to 7.36 log CFU/g, and AP counts showed very similar results as AM counts. For total coliform and generic E.

Resistance to antibiotics is one of the most critical health problems in the world. Therefore, finding new treatment methods to be used as alternatives to antibiotics has become a priority for researchers. Similar to phages, certain products containing antimicrobial components, such as molasses, are widely used to eliminate resistant bacteria.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli are an important pathogen causing food poisoning. The rapid detection of viable E. coli O157 in vegetables and fruits at single-cell level is critical because of the low infective dose of this pathogen. In this study, an immunomagnetic flow cytometry (IMFC)-based method was developed to detect E. coli O157 in lettuce and strawberries inoculated with 1 CFU/25 g.

Non-O157 Shiga toxin (stx)–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is recognized as an important human diarrheal pathogen. Cattle are the principal reservoirs of STEC, although other animals can be carriers. Humans are mainly infected by consuming contaminated drinking water or food. This study aimed to evaluate the virulence potential of isolated bovine non-O157 STEC to humans in Xinjiang.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have more than 470 serotypes. The well-known STEC O157:H7 serotype is a leading cause of STEC infections in humans. However, the incidence of non-O157:H7 STEC serotypes associated with foodborne outbreaks and human infections has increased in recent years. Current detection and serotyping assays are focusing on O157 and top six (“Big six”) non-O157 STEC serogroups.

This study investigated the persistence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on the surface of leafy greens, and penetration into intercellular spaces through stomatal pores. This was done by determining the role of leafy green-mimicking microgrooves (normal and fully open stomata and micro-sized crevices) and the roles of pore size and orientation on proliferation of E. coli. Microgroove-embedded microfluidics were fabricated using soft-lithography.

In this study, the antibacterial activities of thyme essential oil nanoemulsions (TEON) prepared by ultrasonication (US) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) were evaluated via minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), 

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView.

Journal of Food Safety, Volume 41, Issue 6, December 2021.