Research Publications (Food Safety)

by Charles-André Timmerman, Paul Marchal, Margaux Denamiel, Clémence Couvreur, Pierre Cresson

Botrytis rot is a serious disease of fruit and vegetables around the globe. We tested and found that frequencies above 5 kHz and mechanical vibrations and acoustic frequencies from cold‐storage devices increase the growth rate of botrytis rot, suggesting that acoustic output from storage units could promote the mold during transport, storage, or within grocery stores.

Today's consumers prefer foods that are practically prepared and ready for consumption. Therefore, global demand for the consumption of minimally processed fruits gained popularity. In this study, the use of quince (Cydonia oblonga) seed mucilage was investigated as an edible coating to extend the shelf life of mandarin fruit ready for consumption. The mucilage obtained from the quince seed extract was used for covering the mandarin slices and samples were stored at 4°C for 10 days.

Preharvest mycotoxin contamination of field-grown crops is influenced not only by the host genotype, but also by inoculum load, insect pressure and their confounding interactions with seasonal weather. In two different field trials, we observed a preference in the natural infestation of corn earworm (CEW; Helicoverpa zea Boddie) to specific maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes and investigated this observation.

Abstract

Aims

Mediterranean shrublands adjacent to urbanization experience nitrogen deposition and exotic grass invasions which likely have downstream consequences for carbon and nitrogen emissions from soils. We tested a hypothesis that soil wetting produces trace gas pulses modified by seasonal wetting history, grass litter availability, and cover type in these systems.

Produce is rapidly gaining market share worldwide. Ethylene is a gas molecule that causes detrimental changes in produce. Thus, it is crucial to reduce surrounding ethylene besides inhibiting ethylene biosynthesis to extend produce shelf life and reduce food waste. Ethylene‐removing packaging (ERP) can reduce ethylene concentration surrounding produce during transportation and commercialization.

In the current study, fresh‐cut broccoli was soaked in melatonin solution before cold storage (4°C, 95% RH) for 25 days. The results indicated that 100 µM melatonin treatment inhibited the increase of L* and b* values and retained higher hue angle, total chlorophyll content, and fresh weight during storage.

Ultrasound (US) and ozone processing allow achieving food technological aims such as the improvement of food safety and preservation. The combination of these technologies has been reported to be beneficial in inactivating microorganisms from fruits and vegetables. However, treatment conditions and mechanisms of action of these technologies can affect vegetables or fruits structure as well as their phytochemical components.

Significance and Impact of the Study: Surfactants with emulsifying bioactivity are known to be produced by Bacillus subtilis. Here, a colorimetric assay for methylene blue active substances is adapted for use in bacterial plaque to describe surfactant bioactivity, and supplemental salts of calcium during culture are shown to enrich cultured plaque for said bioactivity. Where B.

In the food supply chain, quality control has a very important role in maintaining customer confidence. In the EU, food safety aspects are strictly regulated; however, composition requirements and standard control methods are generally undefined. The rapidly increasing wild boar population has a growing market share in venison or game meat production.

BACKGROUND During the production of fresh‐cut products, crops are exposed to wounding stress, and as a stress response, phenolic antioxidants are synthesized. This stress response is elicited by extracellular adenosine triphosphate, released from wounded cells and recognized by receptors of unwounded cells. The phenolic antioxidants produced as a stress response are beneficial for human health.

Author(s): Helen Zhang, Etsuko Yamamoto, Johanna Murphy, Annie Locas

Patulin (PAT), a mycotoxin mainly produced by Penicillium expansum, is of high concern with regard to human food safety. This study examined the stability of PAT in artificially contaminated cloudy apple juice (CAJ) produced on a semi-industrial scale using an innovative technology allowing degassing and pressing under low-oxygen conditions (VaculIQ 1000).

Rhamnolipids have extensive potential applications and are the most promising biosurfactants for commercialization. The efficient and accurate identification and analysis of these are important to their production, application and commercialization. Accordingly, significant efforts have been made to identify and analyse rhamnolipids during screening of producing strains, fermentation and application processes.

The aim of our work is to investigate and compare the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content of smoked paprika produced with different technologies and originated from different locations.

The diffusion of antibiotic resistance determinants in different environments, e.g., soil and water, has become a public concern for global health and food safety and many efforts are currently devoted to clarify this complex ecological and evolutionary issue. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has an important role in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).

Postharvest losses of whole and fresh‐cut fruits and vegetables cause significant reductions in food availability and an increase in economic losses/damages. Additionally, regulatory agencies are increasingly restricting the postharvest use of synthetic chemicals. This has strengthened the need to develop environmentally friendly approaches to postharvest management, such as utilization of natural compounds, antagonist microorganisms, and treatments with abiotic stresses, among others.

• Salmonella enterica subsp.

ABSTRACT

by Akshit Puri, Kiran Preet Padda, Chris P. Chanway

Ethylene is the key regulator of sex determination in monoecious species of the family Cucurbitaceae. This hormone determines which individual floral meristems develop as female or male flowers and the female flowering transition. The sex determination genes discovered so far code for ethylene biosynthesis enzymes, but little is known about the importance of ethylene signaling components.

Fruit crops are subject to precocious fruit abscission, during which the phytohormone ethylene (ET) acts as a major positive regulator. However, the molecular basis of ET‐induced fruit abscission remains poorly understood. Here, we show that two ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3‐like (EIL) homologs in litchi, LcEIL2 and LcEIL3, play a role in ET‐activated fruitlet abscission. LcEIL2/3 were significantly upregulated in the fruit abscission zone (AZ) during the ET‐induced fruitlet abscission in litchi.

There are many critical challenges in the use of primary and secondary cultures and their biological compounds in food commodities. An alternative is the application of postbiotics from the starter and protective lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The concept of postbiotics is relatively new and there is still not a recognized definition for this term.

Background and Aims An understanding of the dynamics of the components of evapotranspiration and irrigation requirements in response to climate variation and change is essential to manage vineyards sustainably.

This work examined the influence of cultivar, tubers’ age, antibrowning agent, package atmosphere, and storage time on fresh‐cut potatoes’ (FCPs) physical, chemical, and sensory properties. Potato slices of cv.