Research Publications (Food Safety)

Fluorescence-labeled antibodies and viability indicators are routinely employed in conjunction with flow cytometry (FCM) to rapidly quantify viable target bacteria, ensuring food safety. However, the specific detection of Bacillus cereus, a prominent bacterium causing food poisoning, proves challenging because of its close phylogenetic relationship with other Bacillus species.

The concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in plasma-activated water (PAW) can be increased by increasing the input power, discharge voltage, and discharge time under a constant discharge frequency. However, knowledge regarding RONS concentration prepared under different discharge frequencies is lacking. This study investigated how decreasing the discharge frequency affects the chemical and physical properties of PAW.

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is gaining interest as a novel sanitizer for foods. However, the sanitizing efficacy of PAW varies under different conditions, and its modes of action and impacts on food quality need further investigation for it to be applied in the food industry.

Bacillus cereus is important foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning and other non-gastrointestinal infections, which could cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Phages have antibacterial potential to control this pathogen, especially antibiotic resistant ones.

Cold shock precooling with ice-water mixture (0 ± 2 °C) was innovatively utilized in this study to supposedly improve the postharvest quality of chili pepper fruit during storage at 10 ± 2 °C. The chili peppers were randomly exposed to four different treatment groups being without and with cold shock for 30 min, 60 min and 90 min.

Plant-derived alternatives to antibiotics are of great concern. The goal of this work was to enhance the Hu Zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum) extraction procedure against non-O1/O139 V. cholerae (HZE), identify the antibacterial components, analyze the mechanism of action, and investigate its potential in prawn storage.

The activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be enhanced by sodium chloride (NaCl), but whether this applies to halotolerant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, is unknown. Ten peptides with antimicrobial potential were identified from Penaeus vannamei using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and in silico analysis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate, quantify and model the survival of Salmonella in fresh-cut lettuce during washings with chlorinated water at different free chlorine concentrations (FCC, 0–150 mg/L). Individual fresh-cut lettuce samples (4 cm2) were inoculated with a Salmonella culture (ca. 4 log CFU/cm2) and washed with 100-mL solutions with different FCC for different times (0–150 s).

This study aimed to investigate the growth characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus in grilled oysters under different storage temperatures by establishing and comparing the relevant dynamic growth prediction models. The growth data of S.

This study proposes a novel qualitative and quantitative analysis method for wheat mildew degree and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by microwave detection technology combined with multi-task learning strategy. The team developed a miniaturized microwave detection device with double heterodyne mixing structure, and used this device to obtain the transmission indexes (amplitude and phase) of moldy wheat samples.

This study aimed to evaluate the preoperational cleaning process of a poultry slaughterhouse regarding microbial ecology, microorganisms indicators of hygienic-sanitary conditions, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.

This study aims to biocontrol of Bacillus cereus by Lactobacillus planetarium in Kareish cheese and yogurts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), antioxidant potentials, total flavonoids content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of L. planetarium were also estimated. Results showed that incidence of B. cereus in Kareish cheese and yogurt was 16 and 4%, respectively.

Chilled tuna fillets are easy to be contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes, which is an important risk factor for the outbreak of foodborne diseases. Nisin (NS) in combination with sesamol (SE) has showed to have the ability to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes in bacterial culture-medium, however, their bacteriostatic effect in actual food model has been not evaluated.

Hu sheep is an important sheep breed in China whose intestines are rich in probiotics. In this study, a total of fifty-nine lactic acid bacteria strains were isolated from Hu sheep feces and twelve strains were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Among them, six L. plantarum strains were selected and further evaluated for their probiotic properties. Our results suggested that L.

The role of Proteus mirabilis on food safety has not been investigated before. Three P. mirabilis strains (swupm1, swupm2 and swupm3) isolated from fresh-cut fruits were shown to vary in swarming motility, with strains swupm1 and swupm2, but not awupm3 exhibiting the characteristic bull's-eye phenotype. Strains swupm1 and swupm2 grew faster and produced stronger biofilm than swupm3.

The aim of this study was to compare the growth of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) with E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef and modified Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB). Additionally, the performance of three available models (ComBase, Huang et al. model, and Cepeda et al. model) for predicting STEC growth in ground beef was evaluated. To achieve this, eleven groups of STEC, including E.

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of black pepper essential oil (BPEO) and piperine and the effect of piperine on gene expression in a multispecies biofilm composed of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa on a polypropylene surface.

Thermal-death-time characteristics, D- and z-values of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 were investigated in peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chip cookie formulations at three moisture levels. E. faecium was shown to be more resistant than Salmonella, followed by E. coli at all water activity levels. E.

The aim of this study was to determine the growth potential (δ) of Salmonella enterica in various parts (peel, stalk, pulp, and tip) of avocado and sugar apple at different maturation stages (green, mature, and ripe) over time. In addition, physicochemical parameters of the fruits were monitored using standard methods. There were statistically significant differences in the growth potential of S.

In order to promote the application of natural photosensitizer, the photodynamic antibacterial effect of emodin combined with visible light on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were studied in this work. The results showed that emodin mediated photodynamic antibacterial activity was dependent on concentration, light time and pH.

Bacillus cereus is a common food-borne bacterial pathogen. This study was to designed the prevalence of B. cereus in Chinese sausages and evaluate its genetic diversity, toxigenic profiles, and antimicrobial resistance. Using bacteriological and biochemical detection tests, B. cereus was isolated from 12.63% (N = 49) of the total 388 samples. However, only 37 of the 49 isolates were simultaneously classified as the strictly B.

With the global transition toward carbon neutrality, zero-waste strategy, and with the emergence of bacteriophages as ubiquitous antibiotic substitutes, we developed natural polymer-based hydrogel films characterized by sustainability and biodegradability as alternative green food packaging materials. We characterized the κ-carrageenan and konjac glucomannan-based hydrogel film containing Salmonella Enteritidis phage PBSE191.

The efficacy of pulsed light (PL) for the surface decontamination of a sliced ready-to-eat cured meat product, salpicão, was studied. The surface of the slices was inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes (107 cfu/g), and then PL treatment was applied. Microbial analyses (L. monocytogenes, coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS), Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Enterobacteriaceae) were performed immediately after the treatment.

This study aimed to assess microbial contamination of the processed rice product, food contact surface, and air at workplaces in the infant rice food industry. Further, the effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) against Cronobacter sakazakii airborne and biofilm was evaluated. C. Sakazaki was detected in the grinding steps, dry room, and dry chamber, which can live in a low-water activity environment.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug-resistant pathogen generally derived from pork and other animal foods. This study investigated the antibacterial mechanism of monocaprin against MRSA and its preservation effect on pork. The results showed that monocaprin had a strong anti-MRSA activity with visible cell surface damage and a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.16 mg/mL.