Research Publications (Food Safety)

We compared the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from household-level producers of broiler (commercial source breeds) and local chickens in the Arusha District of Tanzania. Households were composed of a single dwelling or residence with independent, penned broiler flocks. Free-range, scavenging chickens were mixed breed and loosely associated with individual households. A total of 1,800 E.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 on bovine carcasses before and after chilling at a large slaughterhouse located in the city of Barcelona, Spain, to assess the effectiveness of dry chilling on reducing E. coli O157 contamination of carcasses. In addition, the study characterized the E. coli O157 strains isolated in terms of virulence factors, antibiotic susceptibility, and their genetic diversity.

To extend the shelf life of apples in South Korea, we evaluated the effect of gamma irradiation alone or gamma irradiation combined with fumigation on the control of postharvest decay caused by Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructigena. An irradiation dose of 1.0 kGy caused the maximal inhibition of B. cinerea and M. fructigena spore germination. The gamma irradiation dose required to reduce the spore germination by 90% was 0.76 and 0.78 kGy for B. cinerea and M. fructigena, respectively.

First, the antibacterial, antibiofilm effect and chemical composition of burdock (Arctium lappa L.) leaf fractions were studied. Then, the efficiency of burdock leaf fractions in pork preservation was evaluated. The results showed that burdock leaf fraction significantly inhibited the growth and biofilm development of Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. MICs of burdock leaf fractions on E. coli and Salmonella Typhimurium were both 2 mg/ml.

A reduced-sodium ready-to-eat (RTE) uncured turkey was manufactured with buffered dry vinegar treatments to validate the inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes and spoilage microflora and to determine the effects on sensory and quality attributes. Samples were stored at 4°C for 12 weeks, and the study was independently replicated three times. Two different five-strain inocula of L.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is an important foodborne disease worldwide, and milk and milk products are commonly associated with SFP outbreaks. The objectives of this study were to investigate the distribution of staphylococcal enterotoxin (se) genes in Staphylococcus aureus from raw cow's milk and milk products and to assess their genetic background with the spa typing method.

An effective and rapid method for the separation of bacteria from food matrix remains a bottleneck for rapid bacteria detection for food safety. Bacteria can strongly attach to a food surface or internalize within the matrix, making their isolation extremely difficult. Traditional methods of separating bacteria from food routinely involve stomaching, blending, and shaking. However, these methods may not be efficient at removing all the bacteria from complex matrices.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus can cause serious human seafoodborne gastroenteritis and even death. In this study, we isolated and characterized 208 V. parahaemolyticus strains from 10 species of commonly consumed crustaceans and shellfish available in fish markets in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, in 2014. Most of these aquatic species had not been detected previously. The results revealed an extremely low occurrence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus carrying the toxin gene trh (1.9%).

The disinfectant and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of 138 non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli strains (STECs) from food animals and humans were determined. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was moderate (39.1% of strains) in response to 15 antimicrobial agents. Animal strains had a lower AMR prevalence (35.6%) than did human strains (43.9%) but a higher prevalence of the resistance profile GEN-KAN-TET.

The objective of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance and elucidate the resistance mechanism in nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica serovars isolated from food products imported into the United States from 2011 to 2013. Food products contaminated with antimicrobial-resistant nontyphoidal S. enterica were mainly imported from Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China. PCR, DNA sequencing, and plasmid analyses were used to characterize antimicrobial resistance determinants.

During site visits of veal processors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has reported processing deficiencies that likely contribute to increased levels of veal contamination.

Asymptomatic Salmonella carriage in beef cattle is a food safety concern, and the beef feedlot environment may function as a reservoir of this pathogen. The goal of this study was to identify and isolate Salmonella and Salmonella bacteriophages from beef cattle feedlot environments in order to better understand the microbial ecology of Salmonella and identify phages that might be useful as anti-Salmonella beef safety interventions.

The objective of this study was to determine the immediate source of Escherichia coli on beef trimmings produced at a large packing plant by analyzing the E. coli on trimmings at various locations of a combo bin filled on the same day and of bins filled on different days. Ten 2,000-lb (907-kg) combo bins (B1 through B10) of trimmings were obtained from a large plant on 6 days over a period of 5 weeks.

Surface structure and biochemical characteristics of bacteria and produce play a major role in how and where bacteria attach, complicating decontamination treatments. Whole cantaloupe rind surfaces were inoculated with Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes at 107 CFU/ml. Average population size of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes recovered after surface inoculation was 4.8 ± 0.12, 5.1 ± 0.14, and 3.6 ± 0.13 log CFU/cm2, respectively.

After harvest, pistachios are hulled with mechanical abrasion and then separated in a float tank containing water; the nuts that float (~15%; floaters) and those that sink (~85%; sinkers) are dried and stored separately.

To the Editor: Carbapenems, antimicrobial drugs of last resort, are recommended only for severe community- and healthcare-associated multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. In Canada, carbapenem-resistant infection rates in hospitals remained low (<0.25 cases/1,000 patient admissions) over 5 years’ (2009–2014) surveillance (1). Carbapenemase-producing bacteria have rarely been detected in the food chain in industrialized countries.

Publication date: Available online 4 August 2016
Food and Chemical Toxicology

Author(s): Ricardo Assunção, Carla Martins, Didier Dupont, Paula Alvito

Summary

Ahmed Abdelfattah, Michael Wisniewski, Maria Giulia Li Destri Nicosia, Santa Olga Cacciola, Leonardo Schena

Marcelo Mendonça, Gustavo Marçal Schmidt Garcia Moreira, Fabricio Rochedo Conceição, Michael Hust, Karla Sequeira Mendonça, Ângela Nunes Moreira, Rodrigo Correa França, Wladimir Padilha da Silva, Arun K. Bhunia, José Antonio G. Aleixo

Competitive exclusion (CE) cultures, given as a single dose on the day of hatch, together with good hygienic practices has been shown to be a novel approach to control Salmonella in poultry. The ability of the CE product Broilact and 2 probiotics, FloraMax-B11 and Colostrum, to prevent Salmonella colonization in newly hatched chickens was evaluated employing a slightly modified Mead-model chicken assay.

Avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7, and H9 related epidemics are accountable for huge losses to the poultry and avian industry in Pakistan. Well-timed and accurate diagnosis of subtype(s) concomitant with a specific epidemic allows a margin of prophylaxis to farmers through requisite vaccination.

Publication date: 7 November 2016
, Volume 236

Author(s): María-Elena Álvarez-Suárez, Andrés Otero, María-Luisa García-López, Ghizlane Dahbi, Miguel Blanco, Azucena Mora, Jorge Blanco, Jesús A. Santos

Publication date: 7 November 2016
, Volume 236

Author(s): M. Mosquera-Fernández, P. Sanchez-Vizuete, R. Briandet, M.L. Cabo, E. Balsa-Canto

Publication date: December 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 74

Author(s): Long-Feng Wang, Jong-Whan Rhim