Research Publications (Food Safety)

When exposed to nutrient or non-nutrient germinants, individual Bacillus spores can return to life through germination followed by outgrowth. Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy, and either differential interference contrast or phase contrast microscopy were used to analyze the slow dipicolinic acid (DPA) leakage (normally ~20% of spore DPA) from individual spores that takes place prior to the lag time, Tlag, when spores begin rapid release of remaining DPA.

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography using positive electrospray ionization and quadrupole orbital ion trap high-resolution mass spectrometry was evaluated for analyzing mycotoxins in finished cereal and nut products. Optimizing the orbital ion trap mass analyzer in full-scan mode using mycotoxin-fortified matrix extracts gave mass accuracies, δM, of <±2.0 ppm at 70 000 full width at half maximum (FWHM) mass resolution (RFWHM).

Publication date: March 2015
, Volume 101
Author(s): Oleksandr Tokarskyy , Keith R. Schneider , Adrian Berry , Steven A. Sargent , Aswathy Sreedharan

Publication date: Available online 9 January 2015

Author(s): Zhihong Zhang , Wenting Liu , Hengyi Xu , Zoraida P. Aguilar , Nagendra P. Shah , Hua Wei

Publication date: June 2015
, Volume 52
Author(s): Hande Kaya-Celiker , P. Kumar Mallikarjunan , Archileo Kaaya

Publication date: June 2015
, Volume 52
Author(s): Jose Ignacio Ruiz de Galarreta , Ana Butrón , Amaia Ortiz-Barredo , Rosa Ana Malvar , Amando Ordás , Arsenio Landa , Pedro Revilla

In this study, the growth of Arcobacter butzleri in poultry was evaluated as a function of storage temperature (5, 22.5, and 40°C), pH (5, 7, and 9), and NaCl concentration (0, 4, and 8%). A predictive model was developed using the absorbance-based response surface methodology to describe the growth rate.

Publication date: 15 June 2015
, Volume 177
Author(s): Marlena K. Sheridan , Ryan J. Elias

Publication date: 1 June 2015
, Volume 176
Author(s): Agnieszka Dudkiewicz , Alistair B.A. Boxall , Qasim Chaudhry , Kristian Mølhave , Karen Tiede , Peter Hofmann , Thomas P.J. Linsinger

Eischeid, Anne C. et al. Real-time PCR has been used widely in numerous fields. In food safety, it has been applied to detection of microbes and other contaminants, including food allergens. Interest in rapid (fast) cycling real-time PCR has grown because it yields results in less time than does conventional cycling. However, fast cycling can adversely affect assay performance.

Mormann, Sascha et al. The transfer of human norovirus (hNV) to food via contaminated surfaces is highly probable during food production, processing, and preparation. In this study, the tenacity of hNV and its cultivable surrogates feline calicivirus (FCV) and murine norovirus (MNV) on two common nonporous surface materials at two storage temperatures was directly compared.

Moscoso, S. et al. Previously, we reported the use of quinolones in broiler chickens resulted in residues in retail poultry meat obtained from nine districts in the Santiago Province of the Dominican Republic. Residues in poultry products are a concern due to consumer allergies and the potential to develop antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Arsi, K. et al. Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide. It is common in poultry, and human infections are often associated with consumption of contaminated poultry products. One strategy to reduce Campylobacter colonization in poultry is the use of oral probiotics, but this produces variable results, possibly because the probiotics are destroyed in the stomach's acidic environment.

Wood, Jayde L. et al. Increased consumer demand for fresh leafy produce has been paralleled by an increase in outbreaks and illness associated with these foods. Presently, data on the microbiological quality and safety of produce harvested in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia is lacking.

Wheeler, Sarita Raengpradub et al. Although serotype O157:H7 remains the pathogenic Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) of primary concern worldwide, some focus in the United States has shifted to six particular non-O157 STEC serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145). Some of these serogroups have also emerged as concerns elsewhere around the world, including Europe. The objective of this work was to compare commercial detection methods with the U.S.

Norton, D. M. et al. Surveillance data indicate that handling of food by an ill worker is a cause of almost half of all restaurant-related outbreaks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code contains recommendations for food service establishments, including restaurants, aimed at reducing the frequency with which food workers work while ill. However, few data exist on the extent to which restaurants have implemented FDA recommendations.

Kosa, Katherine M. et al. Salmonella and Campylobacter cause an estimated combined total of 1.8 million foodborne infections each year in the United States. Most cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or with cross-contamination. Between 1998 and 2008, 20% of Salmonella and 16% of Campylobacter foodborne disease outbreaks were associated with food prepared inside the home. A nationally representative Web survey of U.S.

Hajeb, Parvaneh et al. High-quality fish oil for human consumption requires low levels of toxic elements. The aim of this study was to compare different oil extraction methods to identify the most efficient method for extracting fish oil of high quality with the least contamination. The methods used in this study were Soxhlet extraction, enzymatic extraction, wet reduction, and supercritical fluid extraction.

Montanhini, Maike Taís Maziero et al. This study aimed to determine the effect of temperature and period of postharvest storage on the microbiological quality and shelf life of raw mangrove oysters, Crassostrea brasiliana. A total of 150 dozen oysters were collected directly from the points of extraction or cultivation in southern Brazil, and in the laboratory, they were stored raw at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C for 1, 4, 8, 11, and 15 days.

Zhu, Ruiyu et al. The effect of a strain of marine yeast Rhodosporidium paludigenum on postharvest blue mold and patulin accumulation in apples and pears stored at 23°C was evaluated. The occurrence and severity of apple and pear decay caused by Penicillium expansum were significantly inhibited by R. paludigenum.

Yu, L. S. et al. A method for detection of flumethrin residue in honey by high-performance liquid chromatography was established. After n-hexane–dichloromethane (4:6, vol/vol) extraction, the honey samples were concentrated by rotary evaporation, purified by an Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction column, and detected using a UV detector at 267 nm.

Marshall, Kristin M. et al. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sporulation temperature on the resistance of Clostridium botulinum type A spores of strains 62A and GiorgioA to thermal and high pressure processing (HPP). Spore crops produced in Trypticase–peptone–glucose–yeast extract broth at four incubation temperatures (20, 27, 37, and 41°C) were harvested, and heat resistance studies were conducted at 105°C (strain 62A) and 100°C (strain GiorgioA).

Pouillot, Régis et al. The Interagency Risk Assessment—Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in Retail Delicatessens provides a scientific assessment of the risk of listeriosis associated with the consumption of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods commonly prepared and sold in the delicatessen (deli) of a retail food store. The quantitative risk assessment (QRA) model simulates the behavior of retail employees in a deli department and tracks the Lm potentially present in this environment and in the food.

Xu, Yunfeng et al. Pomegranate rind is rich in tannins that have remarkable antimicrobial activities. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a tannin-rich fraction from pomegranate rind (TFPR) on Listeria monocytogenes virulence gene expression and on the pathogen's interaction with human epithelial cells. Growth curves were monitored to determine the effect of TFPR on L. monocytogenes growth.

Liu, Nancy T. et al. Biofilm-forming bacteria resident to food processing facilities are a food safety concern due to the potential of biofilms to harbor foodborne bacterial pathogens. When cultured together, Ralstonia insidiosa, a strong biofilm former frequently isolated from produce processing environments, has been shown to promote the incorporation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 into dual-species biofilms. In this study, interactions between E. coli O157:H7 and R.