Research Publications (Food Safety)

The apple‐, carrot‐, and hibiscus‐based edible films containing carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde showed antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on organic leafy greens in sealed plastic bags. All three types of 3% carvacrol‐containing films reduced E. coli O157:H7 population by about 5 log CFU/g at day 0. The 1.5% carvacrol‐containing films reduced E. coli O157:H7 population by 1–4 logs CFU/g at day 7.

The current study demonstrated that SEU promoted the proinflammatory activity of macrophage via upregulation of AIF‐1 expression. The expression of AIF‐1 was inferred by RNAi and the interference abolished the increase of cell proliferation and inflammatory cytokine TNFα, IL6 secretion.

Boning of dry‐cured hams involves additional handling which increases the risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This work studies the ability of E‐beam to eliminate this pathogen from boned dry‐cured ham (BDH). The destruction kinetics of four L. monocytogenes strains (S2, S4‐2, S12‐1, and S7‐2) and L. innocua NCTC 11288 as a surrogate were determined at doses up to 3 kGy. L. innocua and L. monocytogenes S4‐2 were the most radioresistant (D‐value = 0.55 kGy).

The combined effect of the 222‐nm krypton‐chlorine (KrCl) excilamp and ohmic heating for the inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple juice was investigated in this study. When ohmic heating and a KrCl excilamp were applied to apple juice simultaneously, the reduction level of E.

Enzymatic treatment is capable of removing the biofilm matrix so that the subsequent disinfection can be more effective. Abstract Bacterial biofilms are highly difficult to control, hence significant economic resources have been allocated to develop strategies to eradicate them. This study evaluated the effect of an enzymatic treatment to be used as a cleaning product to control the presence of biofilms.

Concentration of free chlorine before and after 15 min of exposure to washing water added of lettuce residues for each sodium hypochlorite treatment. Abstract Salmonella spp. is one of the main lettuce pathogens and should be inactivated during the disinfection of these vegetables before consumption. In minimally processed vegetable industries, residues of organic matter can prevent the inactivation of this pathogen by disinfectants.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) mixed with various concentrations of Shirazi thyme (ST), sage, and cumin seed (CS) extracts separately. Then pistachio kernels (PK) contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (Af) were coated with each extract and the Af mycelium and generated aflatoxins measured after 3, 5, and 7‐days at 20°C.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides strains isolated from kimchi were shown to be effective probiotics for inhibiting Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation more than 40‐fold. The cell‐free supernatant from the L. mesenteroides culture also decreased Listeria biofilms. This study indicates that kimchi probiotics can be applied to repress Listeria biofilm contamination on surfaces at food processing facilities.

The aim of this work was to collect relevant input data for integration into Monte‐Carlo simulation using 10,000 iterations to obtain quantitative estimates of exposure and associated risk to Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella. Higher prevalence rates of S. aureus (54.9 vs. 28.3%) and Salmonella (12.9 vs. 11.1%) were observed for raw milk distributed via collection milk collection centers (MCC) compared to those via dairy farms (DF). Prevalence found for S.

Graphical overview of the incidence and characterization of Aspergillus section Flavi in raw materials and finished feed in Algeria and their ability to produce aflatoxins, cyclopyazonic acid and ochratoxine A. Abstract In Algeria, little information is available on the population structure of Aspergillus section Flavi in raw materials and resultant animal feeds.

Sand filter‐UV‐C treatment for irrigation water. Abstract Surface irrigation water is a food safety risk due to susceptibility to contamination and varying turbidity that affects chlorination efficacy. Effectiveness of a combined high‐throughput, commercially available sand filter and UV‐C system to inactivate Escherichia coli (K12, and attenuated O157:H7) in simulated irrigation water of varying turbidity and actual irrigation water was investigated.

Bacteriophages are a potential agent for the biocontrol of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli in milk. Stability and activity of bacteriophages may increase the safety of dairy products. Additionally, phages can successfully reduce bacterial biofilm on the food processing surface. Abstract Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli is a common foodborne pathogen which transmission includes dairy products.

High prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to drugs of critically/highly importance of human and veterinary medicine was observed among the recovered Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, circulating over the different stages of poultry in India. Upward trend in AMR rates was observed in poultry‐retail shops than in poultry‐farms. Multi‐drug resistance was observed in >90% of all the isolates.

Yogurt is a health food with notable market production and demand. Because of this, we conducted a study on prominent commercial brands of yogurts in Pakistan for microbial content and the probiotic potential of the contained lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in the context of their label claims. All contained viable LAB, but the numbers (cfu g−1) varied considerably. Three of the products made explicit probiotic claims, but LAB from these displayed no probiotic attributes per WHO‐FAO guidelines.

Graphical overview of the monitoring and risk assessment of fipronil in eggs. Abstract In 2017, an outbreak regarding the release to the market of contaminated eggs with fipronil, alerted all EU authorities as to monitor and take relevant measures. In Greece, a total of 40 samples of poultry fat and eggs taken from the primary production (poultry farms) were analyzed, as to investigate the occurrence of fipronil residues.

This article review the emerging trends in the spread, distribution, and epidemiology of Listeria species in foods, water, human, animals, and different environments in the Southern African sub‐region based on the appraisal of scholarly articles available online.

Spot map showing areas of sample collection from Delhi‐NCR. Abstract Fresh fruits and vegetables contaminated with microbial pathogens can cause outbreaks of food poisoning and other enteric diseases if consumed raw. The objective of the present study was to determine the bacterial contamination and antibiotic resistance in fresh produce sold in Delhi, India.

Dendrogram analysis of ERIC& REP fingerprints of ESBL producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Abstract Klebsiella species have been at the center of attention over the recent years due to its role in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance and is not only associated with nosocomial but also with food related infections worldwide. In this study, out of 336 samples of animal intestinal and foods of animal origin screened, 99 samples were found to harbor Klebsiella spp.

Growth behavior of Salmonella (A–E) and Shigella (F–J) in tomato–cucumber, modified tomato–cucumber, tahini tomato–cucumber, coleslaw, and toum sauce salads, respectively, stored for 5 days at 4, 10, and 24°C. Abstract This study evaluated the behavior of Salmonella and Shigella (5–6 log CFU/g) in tomato–cucumber (TC) salad without additives (control), TC with 1.0% lemon juice and 0.5% salt, TC with 10% wt/wt tahini, coleslaw, and toum sauce at 4, 10, or 24°C for 5 days.

Plantaricins are natural antimicrobial peptides produced by Lactobacillus plantarum strains. Plantaricin bacteriocins belong to the Bacteriocin class I and II, they have relatively low molecular weights. Most of them have a bactericidal effect against many pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria that is, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lactobacillus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

In this work, the photodynamic bactericidal effect of Rose Bengal (RB), combined with green LED light, against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium, was investigated. The interaction of RB concentration and illumination time was evaluated using a response surface methodology, and a second‐order polynomial empirical model was adjusted to the experimental data. The derived model predicted the combined influences of these factors on S. aureus and S.

46% of raw and 14% of ready‐to‐eat vegetable samples from Arusha city were contaminated with pesticide residues from the groups of organophosphates pyrethroids and organochlorines. Washing of vegetables twice or more and changing the washing water after each use (p = .01) or peeling (p = .008) was significantly associated with a reduction of pesticide residues in them.

This study aimed to assess the microbial contamination associated with the traditional processing of fresh pork into grilled pork in Benin. Sixty meat samples (fresh and processed pork) were randomly collected from different processing/selling sites, and the main foodborne microorganisms were sought. About 16.7% of samples exceeded the acceptable limit of <7.0 Log10 CFU g−1 recommended by the Health Protection Agency for AMB.

This study investigated the occurrence of shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC), thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in Swedish dairy milk. A total of 302 inline milk filters were analyzed. Salmonella was not isolated from any filters. Polymerase chain reaction screening detected thermotolerant Campylobacter in 30.5% of the milk filters analyzed and it was isolated from 12.6% of filters.

The microbial population of kefir made from Korean kefir grain was profiled via next‐generation sequencing technology at the species level. Interestingly, Acetobacter fabarum was the second most predominent bacteria in kefir. We isolated Acetobacter fabarum DH1801 strain and revealed its potent and broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria. This could contribute to the anti‐contamination and probiotic attributes of Korean kefir.