Category Archives: Food Technology

Research – Mitigation of Salmonella in Ground Pork Products through Gland Removal in Pork Trimmings

Posted on October 22, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Bio-mapping studies conducted in pork harvest and fabrication facilities have indicated that Salmonella is prevalent and mitigations are needed to reduce the pathogen in trim and ground products. Salmonella can be isolated from the lymph nodes and can cause contamination in comminuted pork products. The objective of this study was to determine if physically removing topical and internal lymph nodes in pork products prior to grinding would result in the mitigation of Salmonella and a reduction in indicators in the final ground/comminuted products. In total, three treatment groups were assigned in a commercial pork processing facility as follows: (1) untreated control, (2) topical (surface) glands removed before grinding, and (3) topical, jowl, and internal lymph nodes and glands removed before grinding. Indicator microorganisms were determined using the BioMérieux TEMPO® system and the quantification of Salmonella was performed using the BAX® System Real-Time Salmonella SalQuant® methodology. The removal of lymph nodes located on the topical and internal surfaces and in the jowl significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the presence of Salmonella and also reduced the presence of indicator organisms according to this study. Briefly, 2.5-Log CFU/sample of Salmonella was initially observed in the trim samples, and the ground samples contained 3.8-Log CFU/sample of Salmonella. The total numbers were reduced to less than 1-Log CFU/sample in both trim and ground products. This study indicates a need for lymph node mitigation strategies beginning prior to harvest, in order to prevent contamination in further-processed pork products.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Research, Salmonella, Technology

Research – Anti-Biofilm Activity of Laurel Essential Oil against Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Posted on October 7, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a primary seafood-associated pathogen that could cause gastroenteritis. It can attach to various surfaces and form a biofilm, which poses serious threats to food safety. Hence, an effective strategy is urgently needed to control the biofilm formation of V. parahaemolyticus. Laurel essential oil (LEO) is used in food, pharmaceutical and other industries, and is commonly used as a flavoring agent and valuable spice in food industries. The potential antibiofilm effects of LEO against V. parahaemolyticus were examined in this study. LEO obviously reduced biofilm biomass at sub-inhibitory concentrations (SICs). It decreased the metabolic activity and viability of biofilm cells. Microscopic images and Raman spectrum indicted that LEO interfered with the structure and biochemical compositions of biofilms. Moreover, it also impaired swimming motility, decreased hydrophobicity, inhibited auto-aggregation and reduced attachment to different food-contact surfaces. RT-qPCR revealed that LEO significantly downregulated transcription levels of biofilm-associated genes of V. parahaemolyticus. These findings demonstrate that LEO could be potentially developed as an antibiofilm strategy to control V. parahaemolyticus biofilms in food industries.

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Posted in Biofilm, essential oils, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Hurdle Technology, Research, Technology, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Research – A smart package for monitoring food contamination

Posted on July 30, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Advanced Science News

Governments perform sanitary checks at different points of the food production chain to reduce the risks of foodborne illnesses. The reference method to detect food pathogens is culture, which verifies pathogens’ presence by testing their ability to grow under optimal conditions. However, this method is laborious and slow (it can take a week for bacteria and longer for fungi) as it requires sampling at the production site, shipping samples to the laboratory, and analyzing them using specialized equipment and trained personnel.

To address these limitations, Associate Professor Tohid Didar and colleagues from McMaster University in Canada joined their efforts. They designed a smart device, which they named lab-in-a-package, that can sense dangerous levels of bacteria quickly and without even opening the package.

In this work, they designed a sensor specific for Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), a species of Salmonella most commonly associated with chicken and other poultry products. With lab-in-a-package, the team successfully detected S. Typhimurium in contaminated chicken on site, with high sensitivity and specificity, and in real-time.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Research, Salmonella

Taiwan – 23 suffer Salmonella poisoning at shaved ice restaurant in south Taiwan

Posted on July 19, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A shaved ice restaurant in Kaohsiung City has been ordered to suspend operations and pay a NT$300,000 (US$9,600) fine after 23 customers sought medical treatment for salmonella poisoning.

A woman surnamed Huang (黃) broke the news on PTT, saying that she and 12 family members went to a shaved ice shop on Liuhe Road on July 12, reported Liberty Times. After eating the shaved ice, 11 family members felt unwell and had symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and bloody stools, while her son was hospitalized for treatment.

On July 14, the Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health conducted an inspection of the premises and found that the floor was damaged and dirty and a trash can was not covered. The health department conducted on-site testing of the shaved ice toppings, shaved ice, and samples from the surfaces of the shaved ice equipment.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Technology, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella

Research – Student develops a sensor that can detect when food has spoiled

Posted on July 10, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A graduate student at Southern Methodist University (SMU), has developed a miniature pH sensor that can detect when food has spoiled in real-time.

The 2-millimeter long and 10-millimeter wide flexible pH sensor is designed to be incorporated into food packaging, such as plastic wrapping. Traditional pH meters are too bulky to be included in every package of food to monitor freshness in real-time.

“The pH sensors we developed work like a small wireless radio-frequency identification device – similar to what you find inside your luggage tag after it has been checked at airports or inside your SMU IDs. Every time a food package with our device passes a checkpoint, such as shipping logistics centers, harbors, gates, or supermarkets’ entrances, they could get scanned and the data could be sent back to a server tracking their pH levels,” Khengdauliu Chawang, graduate student and lead creator of the device, said.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Spoilage, Food Technology, Research, Technology

Research – Bactericidal efficacy and mechanism of alkaline electrolyzed water co-action with acidic electrolyzed water on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

Posted on June 8, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Abstract

Here, the bactericidal efficacy and mechanism of action of the combination of alkaline electrolyzed water (AlEW) and acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm were investigated, in comparison with single AcEW or AlEW treatment. The mature P. aeruginosa biofilm was formed at 120 h of cultivation. The number of bacteria in the P. aeruginosa biofilm decreased by 7.87 and 2.51 Lg CFU/mL after single AcEW and single AlEW treatment for 8 min, while the sterilization rate reached 92.2% and 33.1%, respectively. The group of AcEW (7 min) co-action with AlEW (1 min) had a P. aeruginosa sterilization rate of 85%. The AlEW (3 min) co-action with AcEW (5 min) treatment showed the best bactericidal efficacy. With this treatment, the sterilization rate achieved 94.4%, and the extracellular protein, polysaccharide, and DNA were degraded with the ratios of 70.8%, 77.7%, and 70.5%, respectively. Thus, AlEW exhibited a major washing effect, which can destroy the biofilm structure of extracellular polymers to a certain extent, while AcEW displayed a significant bactericidal effect. These results suggest that the AlEW co-action with AcEW treatment may be a promising candidate suitable for bacterial biofilm sterilization.

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Posted in Biofilm, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Technology

Research – Effect of Ultra-High-Pressure Homogenization Processing on the Microbiological, Physicochemical, and Sensory Characteristics of Fish Broth

Posted on January 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

The effect of ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) treatments at 300 MPa at inlet temperatures (Ti) between 45 and 75 °C on the microbiological, physical, and sensorial characteristics of fish broth was evaluated. Before the application of UHPH treatments, different fish broth formulations were tested, selecting the formula with the best organoleptic and nutritional characteristics and the lowest cost, containing 45% monkfish heads and rock fish in the same proportion. The microbiological shelf-life of fish broth during cold storage at 4 and 8 °C was extended by a minimum of 20 days by applying UHPH treatments at inlet temperatures (Ti) between 45 and 65 °C. Fish broth UHPH-treated at Ti = 75 °C was microbiologically sterile during storage at 4 °C, 8 °C, and room temperature. Fish broth UHPH-treated was physically stable, significantly reducing the particle size. Color showed higher luminosity and lower yellowness as the inlet temperature increased. In fish broth UHPH-treated at Ti = 75 °C, selected for its microbiological stability, no differences were observed in the nutritional composition, antioxidant activity, and sensorial perception compared to untreated fish broth. Hence, UHPH treatments showed to be an alternative to preserving fish broth with an improved microbiological shelf-life and good sensorial characteristics.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Technology, UHPH

Research – Evaluation of the Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in Chicken Fillets and Its Bio-Control Using Different Seaweed Extracts

Posted on December 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

This study aims to assess the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in chicken fillets and to control its growth using various lyophilized seaweed extracts (i.e., Halimeda opuntia (HO), Actinotrichia fragilis, and Turbinaria turbinata) by an agar disk diffusion assay in vitro. Results showed that prevalence of S. aureus in breast and thigh samples reached of 92% and 84%, respectively. Lyophilized HO extract was the only seaweed that showed the antibacterial activity against S aureus with a significant difference at p < 0.05. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of HO extract was 1.5%, with an inhibition zone of 8.16 ± 0.73 mm. Regarding 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, IC50 was recorded at 55.36 μg/mL, whereas cytotoxic IC50 of the lyophilized HO extract on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was 33.7 µg/mL; a higher IC50 of HO extracts permits their use as a safe food additive in meat products. Moreover, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids compounds recorded 20.36 ± 0.092 and 16.59 ± 0.029 mg/mL, respectively. HPLC analyses of phenolic compounds profiles exhibited many bioactive substances and the higher ratio was daidzein with 10.84 ± 0.005 µg/mL and followed by gallic acid with a value of 4.06 ± 0.006 µg/mL. In a challenge study, chicken fillet (CHF) experimentally inoculated with S. aureus (ST) and treated with the lyophilized HO algal extract at 4% and 6% (CHF/ST/HO) showed a complete reduction of S. aureus count on the 6th and 4th days in chicken fillet stored at 4 °C, respectively. Moreover, CHF/ST/HO at 4% and 6% of HO extract enhanced the sensory attributes of grilled un-inoculated chicken fillet. Thus, lyophilized HO extracts are promising antibacterial and antioxidant candidates in the chicken meat industry.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Staphylococcal Toxin, Staphylococcus aureus

Research – Emerging Method to Protect Food Crops from Carcinogenic Aflatoxins

Posted on December 25, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety.Com

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS) are using a bioplastic coating to naturally shield seeds from Aspergillus, a type of fungi that produces aflatoxin. Exposure to aflatoxins is a food safety issue due to the compound’s carcinogenic and other harmful effects.

In the U.S., Southern agriculture is most affected by aflatoxins, as hot, dry conditions promote Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin production. Recent science has shown, however, that the Midwestern Corn Belt may be increasingly affected in the near future due to climate change. Corn is highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, as are seeds, nuts, feed, stored grain, and other important crops.

The new method for mitigating aflatoxin contamination of crops involves coating seeds with a protective, innocuous strain of Aspergillus, delivered via a mixture of biodegradable, corn starch-based bioplastic and biochar. The competitive Aspergillus strain found in the coating prevents aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus from infecting the seed, and other components of the mixture create a physical barrier that prevents contamination.  

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Aflatoxin B1, Aspergillus, Aspergillus Toxin, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Management, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Technology

Research – Identification of Genetic Markers for the Detection of Bacillus thuringiensis Strains of Interest for Food Safety

Posted on December 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), belonging to the Bacillus cereus (Bc) group, is commonly used as a biopesticide worldwide due to its ability to produce insecticidal crystals during sporulation. The use of Bt, especially subspecies aizawai and kurstaki, to control pests such as Lepidoptera, generally involves spraying mixtures containing spores and crystals on crops intended for human consumption. Recent studies have suggested that the consumption of commercial Bt strains may be responsible for foodborne outbreaks (FBOs). However, its genetic proximity to Bc strains has hindered the development of routine tests to discriminate Bt from other Bc, especially Bacillus cereus sensu stricto (Bc ss), well known for its involvement in FBOs. Here, to develop tools for the detection and the discrimination of Bt in food, we carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 286 complete genomes of Bc group strains to identify and validate in silico new molecular markers specific to different Bt subtypes. The analyses led to the determination and the in silico validation of 128 molecular markers specific to Bt, its subspecies aizawai, kurstaki and four previously described proximity clusters associated with these subspecies. We developed a command line tool based on a 14-marker workflow, to carry out a computational search for Bt-related markers from a putative Bc genome, thereby facilitating the detection of Bt of interest for food safety, especially in the context of FBOs.

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis , Bt, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Technology