Category Archives: Food Microbiology Research

Research – Fully automated E. coli and Enterococci monitoring

Posted on May 26, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Envirotech

Rather than enduring the tedious procedure associated with the microbiological procedure in which bacteria colonies are left to grow and are then counted, the ColiMinder technology, which is sold and marketed in the UK by QCL (QuadraChem Laboratories Ltd), operates by taking a direct measurement of the sampled target organisms’ specific metabolic activity. ColiMinder provides fully automated, real-time microbiological measurements thereby offering users a continuous overview of water quality, therefore enabling quick and decisive reactions to contamination events. The live measurement data is highlighted on a dedicated website and users receive automatic notifications via SMS and email.

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Posted in E.coli, Enterococcus, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Research, Technology

Research – Global commodity chains: The numerous stations to greater feed and food safety

Posted on May 25, 2024 by | Leave a comment

BFR

How can the origin of foodborne disease outbreaks be identified and traced? How is information on the history of food and feed collected, processed and used for risk assessment? And which role does artificial intelligence play for food safety in global commodity chains? These are some of the questions that will be addressed during the international conference “Global commodity chains from a risk assessment perspective” from 27 to 29 May 2024. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), which has been working on the topic of global commodity chains for a long time, is the organiser of this event and is offering a platform for (inter)national experts to learn from each other. “Analysing global commodity chains and their dynamics is of central importance for consumer health protection. Thanks to regular exchanges with national and international stakeholders, the BfR is gathering more and more knowledge about global commodity chains and their risks for feed and food safety”, says BfR president Professor Dr Dr Dr h.c. Andreas Hensel. The event will focus on innovative techniques and digital solutions for integrating data and knowledge about hazards, exposures and technologies in global commodity chains.

Programme and registration: https://www.bfr-akademie.de/english/gwk2024.html

Over the three days of the conference, international experts from the fields of feed and food chains, digitalisation and consumer health protection will come together to exchange views on current developments. The aim is to develop visions for improved risk assessment along the feed and food chain. The importance of the topic of commodity chains will be considered from different perspectives.

Nine different sessions will focus on topics such as traceability, fraud, food safety, early warning, technologies, analytical methods and classification systems along the global supply chain. Participants from all over the world will give presentations and share their knowledge.

The conference will be opened by guest perspectives of representatives of authorities from France (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail, ANSES) and South Korea (National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, NIFDS). The exchange between the BfR and the two partner institutions takes place every two years on specific key topics of risk assessment, this year as part of the commodity chain conference.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Safety, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology Risk, Online Food Safety, Research

Exposure assessment of Bacillus cereus introduced into reconstituted milk production in China

Posted on May 25, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is one of the common food-borne pathogens in humans and has a high tolerance to the environment. Considering the high lethal temperature of B. cereus spores, it is difficult to be effectively killed by common pasteurization methods, resulting in a certain amount of residual spores in milk. In this paper, a quantitative risk assessment model of B. cereus was constructed to assess the risk of introducing B. cereus in the production of reconstituted milk based on the collected detection data of B. cereus contamination in Chinese milk powder. As a result, it is found that B. cereus is relatively seriously polluted on the pipeline from mixing tank to UHT sterilization (with a mean concentration of 5.17 log cfu) in the production process of reconstituted milk. This study provides a theoretical basis for formulating B. cereus contamination control measures in the production of reconstituted milk related products.

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Food Microbiology Research, Research

Research – New test developed to rapidly detect seafood pathogen

Posted on May 25, 2024 by | Leave a comment

New Food Magazine

Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences researchers have developed a rapid detection method for seafood pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of foodborne illness from seafood.

The new platform, leveraging recombinant polymerase amplification (RPA) and the CRISPR/Cas12a system combined with an immunochromatographic test strip (ICS), offers a low-cost, simple and visually intuitive solution for the rapid detection of this pathogen in seafood.

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Posted in CRISPR, Food Microbiology Research, recombinant polymerase amplification (RPA), Research, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

 Italy – Liver salami – Salmonella

Posted on May 23, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Salute

Brand : Salumificio Ciccarelli

Name : Liver salami

Reason for reporting : Recall due to microbiological risk

Publication date : 21 May 2024

Documentation

Documentation

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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 Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Salmonella

Research – Comparison of Three Air Sampling Methods for the Quantification of Salmonella, Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), Coliforms, and Generic E. coli from Bioaerosols of Cattle and Poultry Farms

Posted on May 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

Recent fresh produce outbreaks potentially associated with bioaerosol contamination from animal operations in adjacent land highlighted the need for further study to better understand the associated risk. The purpose of this research was to evaluate three sampling methods for quantifying target bacterial bioaerosols from animal operations. A dairy cattle and poultry farm located in Georgia, U.S. were visited six times each. Air was collected for 10 min using: 2-stage Andersen impactor with and without mineral oil overlay and impingement samplers. Sampling devices were run concurrently at 0.1, 1, and 2 m heights (n = 36). Andersen samplers were loaded with CHROMagar™ Salmonella, CHROMagar™ STEC, or Brilliance™ coliforms/E. coli. The impingement sampler contained buffered peptone water (20 mL) which was vacuum filtered through a 0.45 µm filter and placed onto the respective media. Plates were incubated at 37 ℃ for 48 h. PCR confirmation followed targeting ttr for Salmonella and stx1, stx2, and eae genes for STEC. No significant differences were found among methods to quantify coliforms and E. coli. Salmonella and STEC bioaerosols were not detected by any of the methods (Limit of detection: 0.55 log CFU/m3). E. coli bioaerosols were significantly greater in the poultry (2.76–5.00 log CFU/m3) than in the cattle farm (0.55–2.82 log CFU/m3) (p < 0.05), and similarly distributed at both stages in the Andersen sampler (stage 1:>7 μm; stage 2: 0.65–7 μm particle size). Sampling day did not have a significant effect on the recovery of coliforms/E. coli bioaerosols in the poultry farm when samples were taken at the broiler house exhaust fan (p > 0.05). A greater and constant emission of coliforms and E. coli bioaerosols from the poultry farm warrants further investigation. These data will help inform bioaerosol sampling techniques which can be used for the quantification of bacterial foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms for future research.

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Posted in Bioaerosol, Coliforms, E.coli, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Research, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, Technology

Research – Destruction of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium in Microwave-cooked Soups

Posted on May 21, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

Single serving (i.e. 200 ml) portions of tomato soup, vegetable soup, and broth inoculated with Escherichia coli or Salmonella typhimurium at about 107 organisms/ml were exposed to 915 MHz microwaves. After various timed exposures the temperature of the top, middle, and bottom regions as indicated by changes in previously positioned assemblies of temperature sensitive paper strips were noted and aliquots were removed from the same regions for standard plate count determination of survivors. For any given exposure time, the temperature of the middle region was warmest; that of the bottom, intermediate; and the temperature of the top, coolest. Despite the relative temperatures of the regions, however, the consistent finding was that, for any exposure time, the closer the sampled organisms were to the top, the lower their level of survival. In terms of temperature, it was noted that organisms in the top had declined to a given level of survival at a temperature lower than the temperature corresponding to the same survival level in the middle or bottom soup regions. These data suggest that the heat generated during the microwave exposure alone is inadequate to fully account for the nature of the lethal effects of microwaves for microorganisms.

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Posted in E.coli, Food Microbiology Research, Research, Salmonella

Research – Inactivation of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in apple juice using pulsed light

Posted on May 21, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

We aimed to investigate the effect of pulsed light (PL) on inactivating Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in apple juice, the mechanism behind the inactivation, and the resultant effects on the quality of the juice. Our results showed that PL had a good inactivation effect on both spores and vegetative cells of A. acidoterrestris in apple juice, with a reduction of 3.5 ± 0.1 and 2.1 ± 0.1 log CFU/mL, respectively, following 3 s of treatment. This effect was better when lower concentrations of apple juice and lower liquid layer depths were used. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the morphology and structure of A. acidoterrestris spores did not change significantly before and after treatment. When we compared the dipicolinic acid (DPA) release rate and death rate of the spores, we hypothesized that PL might have damaged the cortical proteins on A. acidoterrestris that are associated with the resistance of the spores, thus leading to their death. However, TEM revealed that the cell membranes of vegetative cells of A. acidoterrestris were intact and smooth before the treatment, but significantly wrinkled afterward. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the main targets of PL on A. acidoterrestris vegetative cells were: amide I on the proteins, nucleic acids [adenine(A) and guanine (G), in particular] and DNA (O–P–O‾ stretching) structures, and lipids (C–H2 deformation). The PL treatment increased the sugar content significantly, while having little to no effect on the other basic physicochemical parameters of apple juice.

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Posted in Alicyclobacillus, Bacterial Spores, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Pulsed Light, Research, Technology

Research – Rapid detection of the source of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in Switzerland through routine interviewing of patients and whole-genome sequencing

Posted on May 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

SMW

In summer 2022, 20 patient-derived L. monocytogenes serotype 4b sequence type 388 strains were found to belong to an outbreak cluster (≤10 different alleles between neighbouring isolates) based on core genome multilocus sequence typing analysis. Geographically, 18 of 20 outbreak cases occurred in northeastern Switzerland. The median age of patients was 77.4 years (range: 58.1–89.7), with both sexes equally affected. Rolling analysis of the interview data revealed smoked trout from a local producer as a suspected infection source, triggering an on-site investigation of the production facility and sampling of the suspected products by the responsible cantonal food inspection team on 15 July 2022. Seven of ten samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes and the respective cantonal authority ordered a ban on production and distribution as well as a product recall. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office released a nationwide public alert covering the smoked fish products concerned. Whole-genome sequencing analysis confirmed the interrelatedness of the L. monocytogenes smoked trout product isolates and the patient-derived isolates. Following the ban on production and distribution and the product recall, reporting of new outbreak-related cases rapidly dropped to zero.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria Smoked Fish, outbreak, Research

Research – Inactivation mechanism of phenyllactic acid against Bacillus cereus spores and its application in milk beverage

Posted on May 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Phenyllactic acid (PLA) as a natural phenolic acid exhibits antibacterial activity against non-spore-forming bacteria, while the inhibitory effect against bacterial spore remained unknown. Herein, this study investigated the inactivation effect of PLA against Bacillus cereus spores. The results revealed that the minimum inhibitory concentration of PLA was 1.25 mg/mL. PLA inhibited the outgrowth of germinated spores into vegetative cells rather than germination of spores. PLA disrupted the spore coat, and damaged the permeability and integrity of inner membrane. Moreover, PLA disturbed the establishment of membrane potential due to the inhibition of oxidative metabolism. SEM observations further visualized the morphological changes and structural disruption caused by PLA. Besides, PLA caused the degradation of DNA of germinated spores. Finally, PLA was applied in milk beverage, and showed promising inhibitory effect against B. cereus spores. This finding could provide scientific basis for the application of PLA against spore-forming bacteria in food industry.

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacterial Spores, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Phenyllactic Acid, Research, Technology