Listeria monocytogenes in cheeses from France in Belgium
Listeria monocytogenes in crumbled blue cheese from Denmark in Portugal and Spain
Listeria Monocytogenes in leverkaas from Belgium in the Netherlands and Spain
Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. in frozen chicken mid wings from Poland in Lithuania
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, RASFF
Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC/STEC) in frozen organic herb mix from France
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Toxin, RASFF, STEC, STEC E.coli
Ochratoxin A in nutmeg from Indonesia in the Netherlands
Ochratoxin A in shelled sunflower seeds from China, packaged in Denmark in Poland
Ochratoxin A in Turkish chopped dried figs in the Netherlands
Ochratoxin A in dried figs from Turkey in Germany
Posted in Aspergillus Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hazrd, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mold Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Ochratoxin A
The aims of this research were to evaluate the effectiveness of a phage cocktail at reducing seven Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups on different food matrixes: mung bean sprouts (MBP), lettuce, and mung bean seeds (MBS) and to test the phage cocktail effectiveness to reduce E. coli O157 on Romaine and iceberg lettuce. To study the effect of the type of food matrix on the STEC phage cocktail effectiveness, a mixture of seven highly sensitive STEC strains designated as phage propagation strains (PPS) were used to adulterate Romaine lettuce, MBP, and MBS matrixes at a concentration of 105 logs CFU/g. A subsample of the treated MBS was germinated to assess STEC survival. Recovered STEC strains were confirmed using latex agglutination and PCR. To test the phage cocktail effectiveness to reduce E. coli O157:H7 on Romaine and iceberg lettuce, a mixture of four STEC strains (different than phage propagation strains, non-PPS) at both low (103 CFU/g) and high (105 CFU/g) concentrations were used to spike the samples in scaled up trials for the purpose of potential commercialization. Phage treatments including a combination of STEC phage cocktail and chlorinated water treatment were then applied to lettuce in a simulated scaled-up trial. STEC was assessed on the treated samples at different storage time and temperatures (0, 24, 48, and 72 hr at 2, 10 and 25°C). In the food matrix trial, the combination of STEC phage cocktail and chlorinated water-reduced PPS (p < 0.001) STEC on lettuce by 2.1 log10 CFU/g and on MBP by 2.2 log10 CFU/g. However, isolates from all 7 STEC serogroups remained viable after phage treatment in both lettuce and MBP; particularly those associated with serogroup O111, O121, O103, and O145, while only a few colonies of serogroup O26, O45, and O157 were detected. Lettuce adulterated with low levels of 4 non-PPS E. coli O157:H7 (103 CFU/g) achieved a reduction of 2.6–3.2 logs. While a reduction 1.7–2.3 logs was achieved by the phage cocktail when lettuce was inoculated with 105 CFU/g. Overall phage performance was more effective at 2 and 10°C and improved over storage time up to 72 hr. However, for MBS, the phage cocktail was not able to kill any of the STEC populations as all of them recovered during germination.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Serotype, STEC, STEC E.coli
Communication from the FASFC
Product: Sesame cream – EXTRA Tahine from the Mira brand.
Problem: Possible presence of Salmonella.
The FASFC is today recalling consumers of the product “sesame cream – EXTRA Tahine” from the Mira brand.
This recall follows a notification via the RASFF system (European Food and Feed Rapid Alert System) due to the possible presence of Salmonella.
The AFSCA asks not to consume this product and to bring it back to the point of sale where it was purchased.
Product description:
Name: sesame cream – EXTRA Tahine
Brand: Mira
Expiry date (BDD): 16/12/2023
Batch number: 003
Weight: 18kg
The product was sold via various points of sale in Belgium.
For further information, you can contact the FASFC contact point for consumers: 0800/13.550 or pointdecontact@afsca.be .
Posted in afsca, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Salmonella
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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes
Outbreaks of Salmonellosis have been traced to contaminated tomato. The produce production environment poses a risk for Salmonella contamination; however, little is known about the effects of pest management practices on Salmonella during production. The study objective was to evaluate pesticide application on the inactivation of Salmonella on tomato leaves. Thirty greenhouse-grown tomato plants were inoculated with S. enterica serovars Newport or Typhimurium. Inoculation was performed by dipping tomato leaves in an 8-log CFU/mL Salmonella suspension with 0.025% (vol/vol) Silwet L-77 surfactant for 30 s, for a starting concentration of 6–7 log CFU/mL. Plants were treated with one of four pesticides, each with a different mode of action [acibenzolar-S-methyl, copper-hydroxide, peroxyacetic acid (PAA), and streptomycin]. Pesticides were applied at manufacturers’ labeled rate for plant disease management with water as a control treatment. Salmonella was enumerated at 0.125 (3 h), 2, 6, and 9 days post-inoculation (dpi), and counts log-transformed. Growth of Salmonella was not observed. At 2 dpi, PAA and streptomycin significantly reduced surface Salmonella concentrations of inoculated tomato leaves (0.7 and 0.6-log CFU/g, respectively; p ≤ 0.05), while significant Salmonella log reduction occurred in the ground tomato leaves after copper hydroxide treatment (0.8-log CFU/g; p ≤ 0.05), compared to the control. No significant differences in Salmonella populations on tomato leaf surface and in ground leaves were observed from 2 to 9 dpi, regardless of pesticide application. These findings suggest single in-field pesticide applications may not be an effective mitigation strategy in limiting potential Salmonella contamination. Future research, including multiple in-field pesticide applications, or pesticide use in combination with other mitigation strategies, may offer intriguing management practices to limit possible preharvest contamination.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Salmonella
Posted in E.coli, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, LAB, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, UV Microbiology, UV-C
Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacterial Spores, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Spores
Posted in bacteriocins, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Raw Milk
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