Research Publications (Food Safety)

Mixed fruit juices were produced from the blends of orange (Citrus cinensis) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) fruit and pasteurized at 80°C for 10 min. Packaged mixed fruit juice was purchased from the open market and used as a reference sample to study the physical, chemical and sensory properties of the juices.

Jonathan M. Pitt, Simon Blankley, Krzysztof Potempa, Christine M. Graham, Lucia Moreira-Teixeira, Finlay W. McNab, Ashleigh Howes, Evangelos Stavropoulos, Virginia Pascual, Jacques Banchereau, Damien Chaussabel, Anne O’Garra

Nuriban Valero-Pacheco, Marisol Pérez-Toledo, Miguel Ángel Villasís-Keever, Adriana Núñez-Valencia, Ilka Boscó-Gárate, Bernardo Lozano-Dubernard, Horacio Lara-Puente, Clara Espitia, Celia Alpuche-Aranda, Laura C. Bonifaz, Lourdes Arriaga-Pizano, Rodolfo Pastelin-Palacios, Armando Isibasi, Constantino López-Macías

Online Ahead of Print.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are mycotoxins produced by some species of Aspergillus. In dairy cows, ingested AFB1 is metabolized into carcinogenic AFM1 which is eliminated through milk, thus posing a risk for consumer health. Here we describe the set, validation, and application of screening (ELISA) and confirmatory (HPLC) tests carried out on milk samples collected through official control of mycotoxin levels in northern Italy over a three-year period (2012–2014).

Publication date: August 2016
, Volume 66

Author(s): Samir Trabelsi, Micah A. Lewis, Stuart O. Nelson

We developed a novel selection method based on an inherently high and low phenotype of pro-inflammatory mediators and produced "high" and "low" line chickens. We have shown high line birds are more resistant to Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Eimeria tenella compared to the low line.

Escalating product recalls as a consequence of Salmonella-contaminated poultry products have resulted in detrimental economic impacts in the poultry industry. One potential long-term alternative method to Salmonella prevention is genetic selection to improve innate resistance. This study evaluated the ex vivo effects of Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) on phagocytic and bactericidal leukocyte function in turkeys from six pedigree lines (A–F).

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) is a serious infectious disease throughout the world, and a major reservoir for Salmonella is chicken. Chicken infected with Salmonella do not develop clinical disease, this may be the result of important host interactions with key virulence proteins. To study this, we inoculated chicken with mutant Salmonella Typhimurium that lacked the virulence protein AvrA (AvrA–).

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica induce an early pro-inflammatory response in chickens, but the response is short-lived, asymptomatic of clinical disease, results in a persistent colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and can transmit infections to naïve hosts via fecal shedding of bacteria. The underlying mechanisms that facilitate this persistent colonization of the ceca of chickens by Salmonella are unknown.

Poultry processing plants in the United States were surveyed on their current Campylobacter and Salmonella control practices. Following surveys, data were collected to develop a baseline for prevalence rates of Salmonella and Campylobacter; then changes in practices were implemented and evaluated for improvements in pathogen control. Surveys were sent to the plant Quality Assurance managers to determine production levels, antimicrobial interventions, and current pathogen testing practices.

Poultry meat is the major source of human campylobacteriosis, the most frequently reported zoonosis in the EU. The prevalence of Campylobacter colonization in European broiler flocks is 71%. Despite considerable efforts, there is still no effective strategy available to prevent or reduce Campylobacter colonization in broilers.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of replacing soybean meal with gelatin extracted from cow skin and corn protein concentrate as a protein source in broiler diets. Experiments were carried out as a completely randomized design where each experiment involved 4 treatments of 6 replicates and 10 chicks in each pen.

The etiological agent of necrotic enteritis (NE) is Clostridium perfringens (CP), which is an economically significant problem for broiler chicken producers worldwide. Traditional use of in-feed antibiotic growth promoters to control NE disease have resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in CP strains. Identification of probiotic bacteria strains as an alternative to antibiotics for the control of intestinal CP colonization is crucial.

The effects of lutein and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on growth performance and immune response of broiler chickens were evaluated in the presence and absence of Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immune challenge. Cobb chicks (360; 1 to 22 d of age) were used in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of CLA (0, 1, and 2%) and lutein (0 and 50 mg/kg) dietary levels. At d 8 and 15, birds were injected with BSA to assess IgY production. At d 20, birds were injected with LPS.

Yong Xue, Jon G. Wilkes, Ted J. Moskal, Anna J. Williams, Willie M. Cooper, Rajesh Nayak, Fatemeh Rafii, Dan A. Buzatu

Listeriosis is a serious foodborne infection that disproportionately affects elderly adults, pregnant women, newborns, and immunocompromised individuals. Diagnosis is made by culturing Listeria monocytogenes from sterile body fluids or from products of conception. This report describes the investigations of two listeriosis pseudo-outbreaks caused by contaminated laboratory media made from sheep blood.

Prion diseases of cattle include the classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C-BSE) and the atypical H-type BSE (H-BSE) and L-type BSE (L-BSE) strains. Although the C- and L-BSE strains can be detected and discriminated by ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays, no such test has yet been described for the detection of H-BSE or the discrimination of each of the major bovine prion strains.

A multiresidue analytical method using a modification of the “quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe” (QuEChERS) sample preparation approach combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was established and validated for the rapid determination of 69 pesticides at different levels (1–100 ng/g) in wheat and rice straws.

The present study aims at the microbiological analysis of export oriented frozen fishes, namely, Jew fish, Tongue Sole fish, Cuttle fish, Ribbon fish, Queen fish, and fish processing water and ice from a view of public health safety and international trade. Microbiological analysis includes the determination of total viable aerobic count by standard plate count method and enumeration of total coliforms and fecal coliforms by most probable number method.

Publication date: Available online 24 February 2016


Author(s): Džiuginta Jakočiūnė, Ana Herrero-Fresno, Lotte Jelsbak, John Elmerdahl Olsen

Publication date: July 2016
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 70

Author(s): Yendouban Lamboni, Jens C. Frisvad, Kerstin Hell, Anita R. Linnemann, Rob M.J. Nout, Manuele Tamo, Kristian F. Nielsen, Martinus A.J.S. van Boekel, Eddy J. Smid

Publication date: August 2016
, Volume 66

Author(s): Lijun Han, Yelena Sapozhnikova, Steven J. Lehotay

Publication date: August 2016
, Volume 66

Author(s): Nathan A. Jarvis, Corliss A. O'Bryan, Steven C. Ricke, Michael G. Johnson, Philip G. Crandall