Research Publications (Food Safety)

Fifteen soil and 45 vegetable samples from Detroit community gardens were analyzed for potential antimicrobial resistance contamination. Soil bacteria were isolated and tested by antimicrobial susceptibility profiling, horizontal gene transfer, and whole-genome sequencing. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing analysis was conducted on collected soil samples to determine the total bacterial composition. Of 226 bacterial isolates recovered, 54 were from soil and 172 from vegetables.

by Robert Johnston, Gaurav Dhamija, Mudit Kapoor, Praween K. Agrawal, Arjan de Wagt

Due to the biomagnifying effect in the food chains, heavy metals will cause serious harm to the food produced in paddy soil, and then threaten human health. The remediation of soil heavy metals by the addition of amendments is a common method. However, the combination of the two amendments has been less studied and its effect is unknown.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a prominent source of sugar and serves as bioenergy/biomass feedstock globally. Multiple biotic and abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, and cold, adversely affect sugarcane yield. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are components of G-protein-mediated signaling affecting plant growth, development, and stress responses. Here, we identified a GPCR-like protein (ShGPCR1) from sugarcane and energy cane (Saccharum spp.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, is one of the major species isolated from infected chronic wounds. The multidrug resistance exhibited by P. aeruginosa and its ability to form biofilms that are difficult to eradicate, along with the rising cost of producing new antibiotics, has necessitated the search for alternatives to standard antibiotics. Pyocins are antimicrobial compounds produced by P. aeruginosa that protect themselves from their competitors.

by Julie Haendiges, Gordon R. Davidson, James B. Pettengill, Elizabeth Reed, Padmini Ramachandran, Tyann Blessington, Jesse D. Miller, Nathan Anderson, Sam Myoda, Eric W. Brown, Jie Zheng, Rohan Tikekar, Maria Hoffmann Pistachios have been implicated in two salmonellosis outbreaks and multiple recalls in the U.S.

Olives from the Sigoise, Verdale, and Sevillana cultivars were elaborated as Spanish-style table olives by four Algerian factories, and the quality and food safety of the industrial table olives have been studied by the analysis of physicochemical and microbiological parameters.

Emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan member of the marine phytoplankton. This species’ capacities for carbon sequestration and sulfur mobilization make it a key player in oceanic biogeochemical cycles that influence climate on a planetary scale. Seasonal E. huxleyi blooms are abruptly terminated by viral epidemics caused by a clade of large DNA viruses collectively known as coccolithoviruses (EhVs). EhVs thereby mediate a significant part of material and energy fluxes associated with E.

The present study aimed to characterize the extended-spectrum β-lactamases and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases (ESBL/PMAβ) among Escherichia coli producers isolated from beef, pork, and poultry meat collected at retail, in Portugal. A total of 638 meat samples were collected and inoculated on selective medium for the search of E. coli resistant to 3rd generation cephalosporins.

Drought stress requires plants to adjust their water balance to maintain tissue water levels. Isohydric plants (‘water-savers’) typically achieve this through stomatal closure, while anisohydric plants (‘water-wasters’) use osmotic adjustment and maintain stomatal conductance. Isohydry or anisohydry allows plant species to adapt to different environments. In this paper we show that both mechanisms occur in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Cyanobacteria are important primary producers in temperate freshwater ecosystems. However, studies on the seasonal and spatial distribution of cyanobacteria in deep lakes based on high-throughput DNA sequencing are still rare.

The emergence of multi-drug resistant E. coli is an important matter of increasing considerable concern to global public health. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, antibiotic resistance pattern and phylogroups of E. coli isolates obtained from raw milk, vegetable salad and ground meat samples collected from Qazvin Province (Iran).

Author(s): Tianqi Zhang, Wan-Ning Lee, Yaguang Luo, Ching-Hua Huang

Author(s): Brianna C. Britton, Ibrahima Sarr, Haley F. Oliver Peanuts and peanut products are significant revenue sources for smallholder farmers in the Senegalese peanut basin. However, microbial contamination during production and storage can greatly affect market access for producers. Peanut products have emerged as possible sources of foodborne illness, encouraging discussions on international standards for peanuts.

Many natural compounds can activate the plant immunity, and for this reason, they have attracted special interest in crop disease management. Previously, we isolated from strawberry leaves an ellagitannin (HeT), which elicits plant defense responses. In this research, we investigated bioactive compounds from field-collected strawberry leaves capable of inducing defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana against a bacterial pathogen.

A newly isolated alkaline protease-producing myxobacterium was isolated from soil. The strain was identified as Pyxidicoccus sp. S252 on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The extracellular alkaline proteases produced by isolate S252 (PyCP) was optimally active in the pH range of 11.0–12.0 and temperature range of 40–50°C The zymogram of PyCP showed six caseinolytic protease bands. The proteases were stable in the pH range of 8.0–10.0 and temperature range of 40–50°C.

Abstract

by Sarah Raymond, Amy L. W. Schwartz, Robert J. Thomas, Elizabeth Chadwick, Sarah E. Perkins

Background Norovirus is a leading cause of epidemic acute gastroenteritis (AGE), with most outbreaks occurring during winter. The majority of outbreaks are caused by GII.4 noroviruses; however, data to support whether this is true for sporadic medically attended AGE are limited. Therefore, we sought to compare the clinical characteristics and seasonality of GII.4 vs non-GII.4 viruses.

The increasing occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) extended-spectrum β-lactamase- (ESBL) and/or AmpC β-lactamase- (AmpC) producing Enterobacterales in irrigation water and associated irrigated fresh produce represents risks related to the environment, food safety, and public health. In South Africa, information about the presence of ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacterales from non-clinical sources is limited, particularly in the water–plant-food interface.

Beneficial 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase-producing bacteria promote plant growth and stress resistance, constituting a sustainable alternative to the excessive use of chemicals in agriculture. In this work, the increased plant growth promotion activity of the ACC deaminase-producing Pseudomonas thivervalensis SC5, its ability to limit the growth of phytopathogens, and the genomics behind these important properties are described in detail. P.

Aspergillus flavus is a toxigenic fungal colonizer of fruits and cereals and may produce one of the most important mycotoxins from a food safety perspective, aflatoxins. Therefore, its growth and mycotoxin production should be effectively avoided to protect consumers’ health. Among the safe and green antifungal strategies that can be applied in the field, biocontrol is a recent and emerging strategy that needs to be explored.

Strawberry is a very popular fruit with a special taste, color, and nutritional value. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fragariae severely limits fruit shelf life during post-harvest storage. Use of traditional chemical fungicides leads to serious environment pollution and threatens food safety. Biocontrol is considered as a promising strategy to manage the post-harvest fruit diseases.

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen that has contributed to numerous food safety accidents worldwide, making it necessary to detect contamination at an early stage. A pair of specific primers based on the invA gene of Salmonella was designed for PCR. Target double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) from PCR was purified and denatured at high temperature to obtain target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA).

The yellow peach (Amygdalus persica), an important fruit in China, is highly susceptible to infection by Alternaria sp., leading to potential health risks and economic losses. In the current study, firstly, yellow peaches were artificially inoculated with Alternaria alternate.