Research Publications (Food Safety)

This study evaluated Listeria monocytogenes cross-contamination between inoculated fruits, waxing brush, and uninoculated fruits during apple wax coating and investigated the fate of L. monocytogenes on wax-coated apples introduced via different wax coating schemes. There were 1.8–1.9 log10 CFU/apple reductions of L.

Salmonella contamination of poultry remains a food safety challenge for broiler processors. The objectives of this study were to measure the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions in commercial broiler processing plants to reduce Salmonella and to assess changes in the Salmonella serovars before and after the chilling process.

Salmonella enterica is a ubiquitous and multi-host pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Outbreaks of foodborne salmonellosis continue to occur, highlighting the need for additional interventions.

It was investigated the microbial protection of corn tortilla, traditional Mexican food with high acceptance, for food safety.

Some water disinfection treatments, such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide, used in the fresh-cut industry to maintain the microbiological quality of process water (PW), inactivate bacterial cells in the water but they also lead to the induction of an intermediate state between viable and non-viable known as viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state.

The importance of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. as a food-borne pathogen continues to increase and there is a great need for rapid quantitative results in routine diagnostics. However, currently, only the culture-based ISO method is authorized for use in the context of official food control. The present study therefore aimed to assess the suitability of a qPCR method for a rapid quantitative determination of Campylobacter spp.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for contamination of Ethiopian dairy products with Campylobacter. A total of 912 dairy food samples were collected from establishments of 682 study participants that were interviewed.

Routine monitoring of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments are time-consuming necessities to ensure food safety. Alternative rapid diagnostic methods for pathogen detection are increasingly used, but often demand specialized equipment, making them unsuitable for on-site testing.

Under stressful conditions, bacteria can enter viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state to survive. VBNC cells lost ability to grow on routine culture medium but are still alive and may revive in suitable conditions. The revived cells can consume nutrients or produce toxins, leading to food spoilage or human illness, posing great risk to food safety and public health.

Aflatoxins are strong carcinogenic and mutagenic fungal metabolites, and aflatoxin contamination is a critical issue in agriculture and food production. Natural flavonoids can suppress aflatoxin biosynthesis; however, the structure–activity relationship remains unclear.

The objective of the present study was to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, food spoilage Bacillus subtilis, an industrial milk product isolate, and spore-forming Paenibacillus in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) bovine milk and non-dairy, plant-based beverages (coconut, almond, cashew) stored at chilled and ambient temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C or 20 °C).

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium monophasic variants (Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:) has increased dramatically, causing human salmonellosis and colonization in pigs. With a difference to S. Typhimurium, the monophasic variants of S. Typhimurium lose the gene cassettes encoding the second phase flagellin.

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) have been found as the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in all age groups and are significantly correlated with the consumption of shellfish. In this study, the contamination of HuNoVs in shellfish was estimated through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies on the contamination of HuNoVs in shellfish were searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library from January 2000 to August 2021.

The trend of feeding dogs and cats with raw pet food claiming health benefits, poses health concerns due to the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. High pressure processing (HPP) allows the non-thermal inactivation of microorganisms, preserving the nutritional characteristics with minimal impact on organoleptic traits of food.

Foodborne norovirus (NoV) outbreaks linked to leafy greens are common due to a lack of efficient strategies to prevent NoV spread from contaminated surfaces. We previously found that Sphingobacterium sp. SC015 in lettuce phyllosphere expresses histo-blood group antigen (HBGA)-like substances in soluble extracellular polymeric substances (SEPS) that contribute to NoV adherence on lettuce.

An enterocin whey solution, obtained by growing Enterococcus faecalis L2B21K3 and L3A21K6 in sweet whey – enterocin whey solution (EWS), was incorporated into gelatin/glycerol films that were tested for the control of Listeria monocytogenes. The films containing enterocins produced by either strain (EWS L2 and EWS K6 films) were shown to serve as a suitable matrix for bacteriocin release, preserve the anti-listerial activity for up to 90 days.

Salmonella spp. is one of the leading causes of foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Salmonella spp. has been associated with a variety of food sources, particularly egg products. They can enter into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state in response to harsh stress. VBNC cells still retain membrane integrity and metabolic activity, which may pose health risks. However, the formation mechanism and resuscitation ability of VBNC cells are not understood.

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria in multi-species biofilms in food manufacturing facilities have been suspected to be the cause of cross-contamination leading to foodborne illness. We studied if cafeteria kitchen-associated bacterial isolates can have any protective effect on E. coli O157:H7 in biofilm against extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)-degrading enzymes and sodium hypochlorite.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of hepatitis E. Some of the rise in hepatitis E infection in China may be linked to undercooked pork. In this study, we established a reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) method to detect HEV in raw pork livers. The detection limit of the assay for HEV RNA was as low as 1.81 copies/μL.

The burden of foodborne illness has a negative effect on public health, but also in countries' economy. Melissa officinalis is an aromatic plant known for its biological properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. This work highlighted M. officinalis essential oil's antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity against L.

A longitudinal study was conducted in five conventional broiler farms during a 2-year period to determine the dynamics of Campylobacter infection in a warm climate region (north-eastern Spain). Weekly sampling of 63 flocks was performed upon one-day-old chick placement, including animal and environmental samples. Campylobacter spp. detection was assessed by culture and non-culture methods.

Photocatalysts, including titanium dioxide (TiO2), have attracted much attention in food safety for controlling foodborne pathogens. However, the study of the photocatalytic activity on various food-surrounding media and the factors that affect the efficacy of photocatalytic inactivation is incomplete. In this study, to inactivate foodborne pathogens in food-surrounding environments, TiO2-based photocatalysts with ultraviolet A (UVA, 365 nm) and visible light (VIS, 405 nm) were employed.

Conventional protocols for the detection of Campylobacter from foods are laborious and time-consuming. This research describes an alternative procedure (EMRT-PCR) for the detection of Campylobacter from food by combining ISO 10272–1:2017 enrichment in Bolton broth (BB) with a multiplex real-time (MRT-) PCR assay. Species differentiation was done by targeting C. jejuni (mapA), C.

Plants influence epiphytic bacterial associations but Salmonella enterica colonizes crop plants commensally, raising the possibility of human foodborne illness, but the factors that mediate human pathogen-plant associations remain understudied. We evaluated whether any changes in leaf tissue and surface metabolomes with kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala group) development and in response to drought modulated Salmonella leaf association.

Carvacrol is a natural antimicrobial with excellent antimicrobial properties against several foodborne pathogens. Encapsulation can increase carvacrol stability and solubility, and mask its pronounced odor. Mucilages have been studied as wall material for nanoparticles due to their high retention capacity of bioactive compounds and ease of chemical modifications to improve their stability.