Research Publications (Food Safety)

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of two sanitizing agents (chlorine and PAA) in reducing (both spoilage and pathogenic) microorganisms and in reducing disinfection by-products ( DBPs) in the washing stage of three types of minimally processed vegetables: Iceberg lettuce, carrots and baby leaves. These fresh-cut products are consumed uncooked and, hence, a proper sanitation is essential in preventing food-borne illness outbreaks.

Wood ash as a soil amendment has gained wide spread acceptance in the recent years as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, although information regarding the effects of its application on maize growth and yield in the context of climate change and increasing drought severity is lacking till date.

New Zealand (NZ) has a high rate of reported campylobacteriosis cases. Cross-contamination in home kitchens during poultry handling is considered to be the main factor in campylobacteriosis transmission. The main aim of this study was to measure NZ consumers' food safety awareness and self-reported food safety practices associated with handling raw poultry. This study will contribute to the existing knowledge to explain the reasons behind the increase of campylobacteriosis incidents.

Food labeling is one approach to encourage safe, healthy, and sustainable dietary practices. Consumer buy and pay preferences to specially labeled food products (e.g., USDA Organic, Raised Without Antibiotics, and Locally Raised) may promote the adoption of associated production practices by food producers.

The confirmation of honey authenticity is an ongoing challenge.

by Alan Barrett, Leslie Brown

by Julia Stuhlträger, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Ottmar Kullmer, Marcel M. Janocha, Roman M. Wittig, Kornelius Kupczik

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate whether soil clay content, cultivar and seasonal variation have any effect on soil CO2 emission rates and leaf CO2 assimilation rates in a drip-irrigated commercial Citrus sinensis orchard.

by Gabriela Andrade de Oliveira, Carla Heloisa de Faria Domingues, João Augusto Rossi Borges

The demand for animal protein has increased considerably worldwide, especially in China, where large numbers of livestock and poultry are produced. Antibiotics have been widely applied to promote growth and prevent diseases.

One path toward identifying effective and easily accessible antifungals is to repurpose commonly used drugs. Amiloride, a widely used diuretic, inhibits different isoforms of Na+/H+ exchangers, Na+ channels, and Na+/Ca2+ exchangers. Here, we found that amiloride had poor antifungal activity against isolates of Cryptococcus prompting the examination of the amiloride analog, HMA [5-(N,N-hexamethylene)amiloride].

Emerging and fugitive contaminants (EFCs) can be introduced into the food chain through plants, particularly crop plants, and have threatened food safety and human health. The method for determination of volatile EFCs in plant tissues remains challenging.

Cattle are a reservoir for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), zoonotic pathogens that cause serious clinical disease. Scotland has a higher incidence of STEC infection in the human population than the European average. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and epidemiology of non-O157 serogroups O26, O103, O111, and O145 and Shiga toxin gene carriage in Scottish cattle.

by Paolo Salazar-Mendoza, Ivan Peralta-Aragón, Ladislao Romero-Rivas, Jordano Salamanca, Cesar Rodriguez-Saona

Microbial drinking water quality in premise plumbing systems (PPSs) strongly affects public health. Bacterial community structure is the essential aspect of microbial water quality. Studies have elucidated the microbial community structure in cold tap water, while the microbial community structures in hot tap and shower water are poorly understood.

Antibiotics have improved the length and quality of life of people worldwide and have had an immeasurable influence on agricultural animal health and the efficiency of animal production over the last 60 years. The increased affordability of animal protein for a greater proportion of the global population, in which antibiotic use has played a crucial part, has resulted in a substantial improvement in human quality of life.

Author(s): Yingshu He, Ruixi Chen, Yan Qi, Joelle K. Salazar, Shimei Zhang, Mary Lou Tortorello, Xiangyu Deng, Wei Zhang

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contamination levels of some classes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in free-range hen eggs and to estimate the related human dietary exposure in a Site of National Interest (SNI), characterized by a serious state of environmental pollution (Bussi sul Tirino area, central Italy).

This study was conducted to characterize carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from fresh vegetables in Japan. Two K. pneumoniae isolates (AO15 and AO22) and one A. baumannii isolate (AO22) were collected from vegetables in the city of Higashihiroshima, Japan, and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, conjugation experiments, and complete genome sequencing using Illumina MiniSeq and Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platforms.

Tomato is subject to several diseases that affect both field- and greenhouse-grown crops. To select cost-effective potential biocontrol agents, we used laboratory throughput screening to identify bacterial strains with versatile characteristics suitable for multipurpose uses.

Microbiomes are integral to viticulture and winemaking – collectively termed winegrowing – where diverse fungi and bacteria can exert positive and negative effects on grape health and wine quality. Wine is a fermented natural product, and the vineyard serves as a key point of entry for quality-modulating microbiota, particularly in wine fermentations that are conducted without the addition of exogenous yeasts.

Our climate is projected to change gradually over time. Mycotoxin occurrence in cereal grains is both directly and indirectly related to local weather and to climate changes. Direct routes are via the effects of precipitation, relative humidity, and temperatures on both fungal infection of the grain and mycotoxin formation. Indirect routes are via the effects of the wind dispersal of spores, insect attacks, and shifts in cereal grain phenology.

by Iraide Artetxe-Arrate, Igaratza Fraile, Jessica Farley, Audrey M. Darnaude, Naomi Clear, Naiara Rodríguez-Ezpeleta, David L. Dettman, Christophe Pécheyran, Iñigo Krug, Anaïs Médieu, Mohamed Ahusan, Craig Proctor, Asep Priatna, Pratiwi Lestari, Campbell Davies, Francis Marsac, Hilario Murua

The aim of the study was to assess human norovirus and feline calicivirus (FCV) surface free energy, hydrophobicity, and ability to interact with fresh foods and food-contact surfaces.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is widely used for the preservation of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. But many commercial polymeric films are limited to MAP applicability due to a low gas permeability of these films. Laser perforation is a novel method to provide micropores that raises gas permeability.