Research Publications (Food Safety)

Microbiology and Immunology, Accepted Article. Clostridium botulinum causes infant and adult intestinal botulism by colonizing in the intestine and producing botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Antimicrobial agents are not currently used for treatment due to the potential facilitation of BoNT production and bacterial cell lysis, which releases toxins into the intestinal lumen.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and transmission characteristics of New Delhi metallo β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Escherichia coli from ducks in Guangdong, China. In this study, a total of 28 NDM-producing E. coli isolates were recovered from 88 unduplicated diseased duck samples (31.8%) from veterinary clinics in Guangzhou, Foshan, Qingyuan, and Huizhou. Two variants, blaNDM−1 and blaNDM−5, were detected and the latter was present in 89.6% of the isolates (25/28).

Campylobacter spp. are the most frequent agent of human gastroenteritis worldwide, and the spread of multidrug-resistant strains makes the clinical treatment difficult. The current study presents the resistome analysis of 39,798 Campylobacter jejuni and 11,920 Campylobacter coli genomes available in public repositories.

The use of probiotics and antifungal capabilities of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from different niches is a strategy to prepare functional cultures and biopreservatives for food/feed industries. In the present study, LAB strains isolated from an Indian traditional fermented food, Pozha, were evaluated for their probiotic properties and biocontrol potential.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L)) is a monocotyledon, herbaceous, of the Bromeliad family. Côte d’Ivoire is the leading supplier of fresh pineapple to the European market. For reasons of sanitary quality and also because of the deterioration under the action of several factors of the marketable quality of the fruits, pineapple suffers a slump in the European market. To deal with the problem of fruit deterioration under the action of microorganisms, phytosanitary products are used.

Author(s): Franco Pedreschi, Alicia Ferrera, Andrea Bunger, Fernanda Alvarez, Nils L. Huamán-Castilla, María S. Mariotti-Celis

The effect of ultrasound (480 W, 40 kHz) on the leaching of reducing sugars during the water soaking of potatoes slices (60, 70 and 80 °C- 1, 8 and 15 min) was investigated to reduce the formation of acrylamide (AA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in potato chips.

Author(s): Miaojia Xie, Fengguang Zhao, Yaping Zhang, Yong Xiong, Shuangyan Han

Author(s): Umaya Suganthi R, Y.C. Vijayalakshmi, V. Sejian

Author(s): Thayane R.B. Farias, Elenilson G. Alves Filho, Lorena M.A. Silva, Edy S. De Brito, Sueli Rodrigues, Fabiano A.N. Fernandes

OfChi-h, a lepidopteran-exclusive glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18) chitinase from the agricultural insect pest Ostrinia furnacalis, is a promising molecular target candidate for pest control and management. Berberine (BER), a traditional Chinese medicine, binds to a wide variety of glycosyl hydrolases via an identical mechanism, showing potential as a pesticide lead compound. In this work, we found that BER was a moderate inhibitor of OfChi-h with a Ki of 16.1 μM.

Peppermint essential oil (Peo) is an efficient antifungal agent, and 2.0 μL of Peo per milliliter culture medium can completely inhibit the mycelium growth and spore germination of Geotrichum citri-aurantii.

This study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of electrokinetics to remediate two identical soft kaolinite clay slurries with a water content of 70%. The first slurry was contaminated with copper at a concentration of 150 mg/kg of dry soil and the second with cadmium at the same concentration. The tests were performed in four identical electrokinetic columns (two for the electrokinetics tests and two for control) with a volume capacity of 14 L.

Predation is known to play a prominent role in maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning. Despite metals being known to potentially affect predation in aquatic ecosystems, few studies have been conducted, so far, with the aim of evaluating this interplay. In the present study, the effects of four metal salts (copper, cadmium, mercury, and manganese) on the feeding rates and food preference of the dragonfly Tramea cophisa and of the ostracod Chlamydotheca sp.

The growing bacterial resistance to available β-lactam antibiotics is a very serious public health problem, especially due to the production of a wide range of β-lactamases. At present, clinically important bacteria are increasingly acquiring new elements of resistance to carbapenems and polymyxins, including extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), carbapenemases and phosphoethanolamine transferases of the MCR type.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims
The study aims to identify a novel plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), which contributes to promoting growth and reducing cadmium (Cd) concentration in rice under Cd-contaminated conditions.

Background

Author(s): Carmen Tamariz-Angeles, Gabriela D. Huamán, Edson Palacios-Robles, Percy Olivera-Gonzales, Alberto Castañeda-Barreto

Author(s): Bolei Yang, Li Li, Hairong Geng, Chenxi Zhang, Gang Wang, Shuo Yang, Sheng Gao, Yueju Zhao, Fuguo Xing

Author(s): Kunyi He, Tong Bu, Shuang Zhao, Feier Bai, Meng Zhang, Yongming Tian, Xinyu Sun, Mengna Dong, Li Wang

Author(s): Lu Li, Fuhong Sun, Qun Liu, Xiaoli Zhao, Kang Song

The Hexi Corridor is the main commodity grain base in northwest China and plays a special role in ensuring food security in northwest China. However, the multiple pollution transport pathways of PAHs and complex and co-existing potential pollution sources around the study areas require a combination of pollution status, source identification, and risk assessment to explore pollution distribution and potential risks.

It was previously demonstrated that predatory bacteria are able to efficiently eliminate Gram-negative pathogens including antibiotic-resistant and biofilm-associated bacteria. In this proof-of-concept study we evaluated whether two species of predatory bacteria, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Micavibrio aeruginosavorus, were able to alter the survival of Gram-negative pathogens on the ocular surface.

by Pavan Patel, Brendan J. O’Hara, Emily Aunins, Kimberly M. Davis

by Sharianne Suepaul, Karla Georges, Chandrashekhar Unakal, Filip Boyen, Jamie Sookhoo, Khalil Ashraph, Anisah Yusuf, Patrick Butaye

by Iftekhar Bin Naser, Tushar Ahmed Shishir, Shah Nayeem Faruque, M. Mozammel Hoque, Anamul Hasan, Shah M. Faruque