Research Publications (Food Safety)

Sharp, Natasha J. et al. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is considered a high-priority agent that may be used in a food-related terrorist attack because it can be contracted by ingestion and it also forms spores with heat and chemical resistance. Thus, novel surveillance methodologies to detect B. anthracis on adulterated foods are important for bioterrorism preparedness. We describe the development of a phage-based bioluminescence assay for the detection of B.

Fan, Xuetong et al. Mesquite pod flour produced from nitrogen-fixing trees of the Prosopis species has a unique aroma and flavor that is preferred by some consumers. Due to the presence of wildlife, grazing domestic animals, and insects, the pods have a high potential of being contaminated with human pathogenic bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus.

King, Amanda M. et al. Organic acids and sodium nitrite have long been shown to provide antimicrobial activity during chilling of cured meat products. However, neither purified organic acids nor NaNO2 is permitted in products labeled natural and both are generally avoided in clean-label formulations; efficacy of their replacement is not well understood.

Liu, Fang et al. The effect of NaCl stress (0 to 8%, wt/vol) on the growth and tyramine production in two Enterococcus faecalis strains was examined during culture time. The growth of E. faecalis was inhibited by the increase in NaCl concentration, but tyramine production was unaffected. Tyramine accumulated rapidly during the logarithmic phase of the strains, and the final tyramine levels were approximately 800 μg/ml.

Ceylan, Erdogan et al. Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8042 and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 were investigated as potential surrogates for Salmonella serovars using thermal death time kinetics in products such as dry pet foods. The D-values of P. acidilactici ATCC 8042, E.

Porto-Fett, Anna C. S. et al. We evaluated the efficacy of potassium levulinate (KLEV; 0.0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%) with and without a blend of potassium propionate (0.1%) and potassium diacetate (0.1%) (KPD) versus a blend of potassium lactate (1.8%) and sodium diacetate (0.125%) (KLD) for inhibiting Listeria monocytogenes on commercially prepared, uncured turkey breast during refrigerated storage.

Luo, Ke et al. This study was conducted to develop a predictive model to estimate the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh pork during storage at constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C). The Baranyi model was fitted to growth data (log CFU per gram) to calculate the specific growth rate (SGR) and lag time (LT) with a high coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.98). As expected, SGR increased with a decline in LT with rising temperatures in all samples.

Barlow, Robert S. et al. Antimicrobial agents are used in cattle production systems for the prevention and control of bacteria associated with diseases. Australia is the world's third largest exporter of beef; however, this country does not have an ongoing surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in cattle or in foods derived from these animals.

Anderson, Kimberly M. et al. PCR-based typing methods, such as repetitive sequence–based PCR (rep-PCR), may facilitate the identification of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) by serving as screening methods to reduce the number of isolates to be processed for further confirmation.

Paoli, George C. et al. Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) is an important group of foodborne pathogens in the United States and worldwide. Nearly half of STEC-induced diarrheal disease in the United States is caused by serotype O157:H7, while non-O157 STEC account for the remaining illnesses. Thus, the U.S.

Ulbrich, Carson J. et al. The efficacy of chemical antimicrobials for controlling Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella during production of marinated nonintact beef products was evaluated using nonpathogenic surrogates. Boneless beef strip loins were inoculated with either approximately 5.8 or 1.9 log CFU/cm2 (high and low inoculation levels, respectively) of nonpathogenic rifampin-resistant E. coli.

Ng, Kamela Charmaine S. et al. Food poisoning outbreaks and livestock mortalities caused by Salmonella enterica are widespread in the Philippines, with hogs being the most commonly recognized carriers of the pathogen. To prevent and control the occurrence of S. enterica infection in the country, methods were used in this study to isolate and rapidly detect, differentiate, and characterize S.

Annous, Bassam A. et al. Foodborne outbreaks have been associated with the consumption of fresh sprouted beans. The sprouting conditions of mung bean seeds provide optimal conditions of temperature and relative humidity for any potential pathogenic contaminant on the seeds to grow. The lack of a kill step postsprouting is a major safety concern. Thus, the use of a kill step on the seeds prior to a sprouting step would enhance the safety of fresh sprouts.

Kim, Dong-Hyeon et al. Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens is an indicator microorganism for kefir and a key factor in kefir grain formation and kefiran production. We designed a novel real-time PCR primer and probe set, LKF_KU504, for the rapid detection of L. kefiranofaciens. In inclusivity and exclusivity tests, only 14 L. kefiranofaciens strains were positive among 61 microorganisms, indicating 100% sensitivity and specificity.

Ward, Michelle et al. Contaminated produce causes approximately 1 million cases of foodborne illness and 1 billion dollars in damages to the U.S. economy annually. The environmental conditions, especially weather, that influence the inoculation, proliferation, and dispersal of microbial load on produce are not well understood.

Mejía-Garibay, Beatriz et al. In this study, we characterized the essential oil (EO) of black mustard (Brassica nigra) and quantified its antimicrobial activity, when applied by direct contact into the liquid medium or by exposure in the vapor phase (in laboratory media or in a bread-type product), against the growth of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, or Penicillium citrinum. Allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) was identified as the major component of B.

Palumbo, Jeffrey D. et al. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and is a potential contaminant of a wide variety of food products. To determine the incidence of OTA contamination in dried fruits and tree nuts, retail packaged and bulk raisins, dates, figs, prunes, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts were collected from small and large supermarkets in seven areas of the United States between 2012 and 2014.

Chang, Susen et al. Alicyclobacillus spp. is of significance to the fruit juice industry due to the production of guaiacol. Studies on Alicyclobacillus regarding guaiacol focus mainly on novel ways to detect guaiacol or evaluate guaiacol-producing potential of isolated Alicyclobacillus. Basic studies on factors that induce or affect the production of guaiacol and the conversion pathway of vanillic acid to guaiacol are not available.

Hammons, Susan R. et al. Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes an estimated 1,591 cases of illness and 255 deaths annually in the United States, the majority of which are attributed to ready-to-eat deli meats processed in retail delis. Because retail delis distribute product directly to consumers, rapid methods to validate cleaning and sanitation are needed to improve retail food safety.

Koseki, Shigenobu et al. Under osmotic stress, bacterial cells uptake compatible solutes such as glycine-betaine to maintain homeostasis. It is unknown whether incompatible solutes exist that are similar in structure to compatible solutes but have adverse physiological effects on bacterial physiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate solute incompatibility of various amino acids against bacterial growth.

Jeon, Se Hui et al. The present study examined 469 commercially available fermented alcoholic beverages (FABs), including beer (draft, microbrewed, and pasteurized), fruit wine (grape and others), refined rice wine, and yakju (raw and pasteurized).

Bogantes, Esteban Valverde et al. In recent years, emerging pathogens have received special attention due to their consequences for public health. Given that Arcobacter has been isolated in Costa Rica from commercial meat poultry samples, the aim of this research was to determine its isolation frequency from laying hens, broilers, ducks, and geese and to compare two types of samples, namely, cloacal swabs and stool collection.

Donado-Godoy, Pilar et al. Salmonella Paratyphi B dT+ variant (also termed Salmonella Java) and Salmonella Heidelberg are pathogens of public health importance that are frequently isolated from poultry.

Reyes-Rodríguez, Nydia E. et al. Meat of bovine origin is one of the major vehicles in the transmission of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) to human consumers. This pathogen can produce serious human illness, including bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The aim of the current study was to characterize E. coli isolates (mainly VTEC strains) belonging to several serotypes in samples from cattle carcasses and feces of three municipal slaughter plants from Mexico State.

Jacxsens, L. et al. A consumer survey was organized in Spain and Belgium to obtain consumption data and to gain insight into consumer handling practices for fresh vegetables consumed raw or minimally processed (i.e., heads of leafy greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and precut and packed leafy greens) and fruits to be consumed without peeling (i.e., apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, other berries, fresh juices, and precut mixed fruit).