Research Publications (Food Safety)

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has adversely affected public health worldwide, causing an economic burden on many countries. Fresh vegetables are reported as a source of HAV infections during production, harvesting, and distribution, which cause the emergence of foodborne illnesses.

Insufficient protein and fat hydrolysis capacity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) limit the flavor formation of fermented sausage. Bacillus is known for its substantial expression of proteases and lipases.

Contamination of infant formula with Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) can cause fatal infections in neonates. Phages have emerged as promising antibacterial agents for food safety, but their effectiveness may be limited by thermal processing. In this study, we isolated 27 C. sakazakii phages from environmental water samples and selected LPCS28 due to its broad lysis spectrum.

The objective of this study is to explore the antibacterial action modes and virulence-inhibitory effects of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) against Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AITC against vegetative cells of Cp 13124 was 0.1 μL/mL, and the time-kill kinetics analysis revealed that AITC could significantly suppress the growth of Cp 13124.

International travel and the globalization of food supplies have increased the risk of epidemic foodborne infections. Salmonella strains, particularly non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS), are major zoonotic pathogens responsible for gastrointestinal diseases worldwide.

The worldwide consumption of ready-to-eat seafood products has steadily increased due to a range of health benefits. However, depending on the handling or cutting process of raw fish, ready-to-eat sashimi can be exposed to microbiological risks that can lead to foodborne infection by marine pathogens.

This study evaluated the effect of simultaneous irradiation with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)-amalgam lamp and near-infrared radiation (NIR) to inactivate foodborne pathogens in black peppercorn (Piper nigrum) while monitoring its piperine content and color.

The health problems caused by foodborne pathogens of raw oysters have been widely concerned.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main microorganisms that contaminate dairy products and pickled foods, and has a great impact on economy and human health. GdmH-related proteins, as important functional units widely present in Staphylococcus species, have not been reported in S. aureus so far. In this study, we identified a gdmH-related gene, named ghl.

Bacteriophages, bacterial viruses, are now being re-highlighted as one of the promising alternative antimicrobial agents to control bacterial pathogens in various fields, including the food industry. However, wild-type (WT) phages isolated from nature are vulnerable to external stresses such as heat, limiting the usability of phages in thermal processing.

In this study, a superheated steam (SHS) system was constructed to inactivate Bacillus cereus endospores on the surface of black pepper, and continuous and pulsed treatment was applied to compare sporicidal effects. Additionally, inactivation mechanisms were analyzed to investigate the differences between pulsed and continuous SHS treatments.

The aim of this work was to estimate the effects of three recombinant peroxidases (rPODs) on the degradation of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in a model solution and were applied in milk and beer to study the AFM1 degradation. Besides, the contents of AFM1 in model solution, milk and beer were evaluated, and the kinetic parameters of rPODs were determined (Michaelis-Menten constant - Km and maximal velocity - Vmax).

Fresh-cut produces are often consumed uncooked, thus proper sanitation is essential for preventing cross contamination. The reduction and subsequent growth of Salmonella enterica sv Thompson were studied in pre-cut iceberg lettuce washed with simulated wash water (SWW), Sodium hypochlorite (SH, free chlorine 25 mg/L), and peroxyacetic acid (PAA, 80 mg/L) and stored for 9 days under modified atmosphere at 9, 13, and 18 °C.

Pulsed light (PL) technology has a good effect on the control of fungi in postharvest fruit. In this present work, PL inhibited the growth of Aspergillus carbonarius in a dose-dependent manner, the mycelial growth decreased by 4.83 %, 13.91 % and 30.01 % at a fluence of 4.5 J·cm−2 (PL5), 9 J·cm−2 (PL10) and 13.5 J·cm2 (PL15), respectively. When inoculated with PL15 treated A.

Iceberg lettuce among leafy vegetables is susceptible to contamination with foodborne pathogens, posing a risk of food microbial safety. Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a highly lethal pathogen that can survive and proliferate on leafy vegetables. In this paper, the contamination stage, attachment site, internalization pathway, proliferation process, extracellular substance secretion and virulence factors expression of L.

Aflatoxins are the mycotoxins that contaminate food and feed and pose health hazards to humans and animals. Here, Bacillus albus YUN5 was isolated from doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and examined for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) degradation capabilities. The highest degradation of AFB1 (76.28 ± 0.15%) and AFG1 (98.98 ± 0.00%) was observed in the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of B.

Thermal processing is the most frequently used method to destruct bacteria in food processing. However, insufficient thermal processing may lead to the outbreak of foodborne illness. This study combined thermal processing with thermostable phage to prevent food contamination. The thermostable phages were screened which can retain activity at 70 °C for 1 h.

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.

Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii), a food-borne pathogen, can infect neonates, elderly and immunocompromised populations with a high infection and mortality rate. However, the specific molecular mechanism of its motility, biofilm formation, cell adhesion, and desiccation resistance remains unclear, and flagellum hook associated protein (FlgK), a main component of the flagellar complex, may be an important determinant of its virulence and desiccation resistance.

Pulp breakdown is the main reason for the reduction of fruit quality. However, there are relatively few studies on small molecule metabolites based on the pulp breakdown of dragon fruit. In this study, four dragon fruit cultivars were comparatively analyzed during pulp breakdown.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen causing serious public health problems. Nisin is a natural antimicrobial agent produced by Lactococcus lactis and widely used in the food industry. However, the anti-L. monocytogenes efficiency of nisin might be decreased due to natural or acquired resistance of L. monocytogenes to nisin, or complexity of the food environment.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen whose survival in food processing environments may be associated with its tolerance to desiccation. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in desiccation stress have received little attention in S. aureus. Here, some potential genes related to desiccation stress were determined in S. aureus by the transposon random mutagenesis approach.

Rapid and sensitive quantitative detection methods are required to monitor and detect Salmonella throughout the food supply chain and early prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks. In this study, a magnetic microbead enzyme-linked immunoassay (MELISA) based on phage receptor binding protein was developed for rapid enrichment and detection of Salmonella in complex food matrices.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effect and mechanism of cinnamaldehyde on Bacillus cereus spores in ready-to-eat beef. The colour difference and texture of the ready-to-eat beef supplemented with cinnamaldehyde did not differ greatly from the colour and texture of the blank beef. However, cinnamaldehyde has an effective antibacterial effect on the total number of bacterial colonies and B. cereus spores in ready-to-eat beef.

Scallops are delicious and healthy, but their filter feeding habits make them vulnerable to ingesting and accumulating toxic chemicals from the environment, resulting in food safety issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of steaming process on the concentration, distribution and bioaccessibility of cadmium (Cd) in Chlamys farreri tissues.