Research Publications (Food Safety)

Shelled sweet corn kernels are prone to microbial contaminationmaking it highly perishable and unsafe. In freshly shelled kernels, total aerobic plate count, yeast mold count and presumptive coliforms were ∼8, 7 and 4 log cfu/g, respectively. IMViC (indole-methyl red-Voges–Proskauer [VP]-citrate) analysis confirmed the presence of opportunistic pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes.

The antibacterial activity and total phenolicTP) content of Agaricus bisporus stipes were assessed using solvent and water extracts to determine its bioactivity. Extraction methods included accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and hot water followed by membrane concentration. Water extract from ASE had the highest TP of 1.08 gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW) followed by ethanol at 0.61 mg GAE/g DW and 0.11 mg GAE/g DW for acetone.

Caprylic acidCA) was evaluated for reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on fresh produce. Spinach, romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce were inoculated with a cocktail of five E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella strains, air dried for 30 min and then dipped in CA (10, 25 and 50 ppm) or chlorine (50 ppm) for 60 s. Treated leaves were analyzed for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella following treatment and during storage at 4C for 14 days.

In this studythe chemical composition of Pulicaria gnaphalodes essential oil was evaluated by gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Among the 34 components, alpha-pinene (32.2%) and 1–8-cineole (10.9%) were the major components. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oil and aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts from Pu. gnaphalodes against some bacteria and fungi were investigated.

This paper reports on the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on the formation of biogenic aminesBAs) in shredded cooked chicken breast fillet packed in modified atmosphere stored at 4C. The samples were grouped as follows: T1 (packed under atmospheric air), T2 (vacuum packaged), T3, T4, T5, T6 and T7 (packaged under modified atmosphere with 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90% CO2, respectively, and total volume completed with N2).

Sprouts have been implicated in several outbreaks of salmonellosis in the United Stateswhere the seeds are thought to be the primary source of contamination. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of growth temperatures of Salmonella and storage temperatures of alfalfa seeds on heat inactivation of the pathogen on seeds.

The present study investigated the effect of sumacSWE) and barberry water extracts (BWE) on microbial growth and chemical changes in ground sheep meat during refrigerated storage. The meat samples were explored for changes in total viable count (TVC), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), coliforms, yeasts and Listeria monocytogenes populations as well as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, metmyoglobin (metMb), pH value and sensory quality.

Ginger oleoresin was extracted from ginger rhizomesZingiber officinale) using acetone. The high-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed gingerol to be the major compound of the oleoresin and accounted to 12.8 ± 0.5%. The oleoresin comprised rich fraction of 52.4 ± 0.6 mg GAE/g and exhibited 77.66 ± 0.8% antioxidant activity.