Category Archives: Food Technology

USA – Super Bowl LV Toolkit to Prevent Foodborne Illness

Posted on February 5, 2021 by | Leave a comment

FSIS USDA

Super Bowl Food Safety

Food Safety Playbook

This toolkit is designed to help you get started with your local Super Bowl Food Safety campaign. In this toolkit you will find the materials you can use to promote safe food handling behavior during the Super Bowl.

We have organized this material to help make your outreach informative, helpful and fun. Resources include:

  • Press Release – A general press release that can be personalized by your organization to email to local news outlets, radio, newspapers and blogs
  • Talking Points
  • Blog
  • Social Media – Suggested tweets and Facebook posts are included to help spread the word about food safety during Super Bowl
  • Infographics

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Light technology kills eggshell pathogens

Posted on January 27, 2021 by | Leave a comment

KMA Land

hazegg.jpg

Pulsed ultraviolet light can be an alternative to some of the antimicrobial technologies now used in the poultry industry to kill pathogens, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University. By reducing the microbial load on eggshells, foodborne illness associated with eggs and poultry meat can be reduced while chick health is maintained.

Paul Patterson, a professor of poultry science at Penn State, said the technology has merit for commercial application. The research team applied components of standard egg processing to a conveyor and sanitized eggs in a commercial setting, he said.

In the study eggshells were inoculated with nonpathogenic bacterial strains used for research. They were treated with pulsed ultraviolet light derived from a xenon flashlamp. Eggs were exposed on a modified egg-carrying conveyor that provided complete rotation of eggs under the flashlamp.

The researchers found that pulsed ultraviolet light treatment inactivated two different microbial strains with greater energy.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Safety, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Technology

Information – Food Safety During Pregnancy

Posted on January 26, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MPI

FW20017: Food Safety During Pregnancy
Most foods and drinks are safe to consume during pregnancy. But there are some products pregnant women should be careful with or avoid. Public Health and Food Safety authorities in most OECD countries provide risk communication material related to food safety during pregnancy. Such a resource is available on the New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) website.
However, this advice was published in 2007 and was based on information available then. Since that time a range of new foods has been introduced and become popular in the diet of New Zealanders, while there is improved understanding over which foods might be a risk.
NZFS wants to ensure the food safety advice for pregnancy remains current with the latest science and dietary practices for New Zealand.It is important that food safety advice for pregnant women captures all of the foods that could be a risk, however it needs to balance this with ensuring pregnant women can maintain a varied diet and have access to the widest source of nutrition without being overly restrictive.
To achieve this a research project was commissioned to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR) to provide a scientifically robust background for updating food safety advice for pregnant women. Food safety considerations are focused on Listeria monocytogenes, Toxoplasma gondii, mercury and caffeine, as these four hazards have known specific impacts on the foetus.
Other microbiological and chemical hazards were not targeted as the risks are not pregnancy specific and food safety advice for the general public is also applicable for pregnant women. This report is restricted to food safety issues and does not cover advice on healthy nutrition during pregnancy.Maternal exposure to the microbiological hazards Listeria monocytogenes and Toxoplasma gondii is strongly linked to adverse effects on the foetus. For two other microbiological hazards, Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp., associated with adverse outcomes specific to the pregnancy period, the supporting epidemiological evidence is weaker.
The report has examined up-to-date information on these two other hazards and provided safety advice where relevant.The research examined data on complex changes in the maternal immune system that include both down regulation and up regulation of aspects of the immune system. Evidently pregnant women may be more susceptible to some infections than non-pregnant women, but no more susceptible to most types of infections. However, the complications of common infections in pregnant women can be more severe.
The main outcome of the research is an evaluation of evidence for food safety advice during pregnancy. The report included an evaluation of all food groups listed in the current New Zealand Food Safety’s guide to food safety in pregnancy. Consideration was also given to a small number of foods that were not previously evaluated in relation to pregnancy. Additional advice was proposed for these foods. NZFS agrees with the suggestion that advice should

New Zealand Food Safety Food Safety During Pregnancy be included in the guide for sprouts, recommending that these foods are not eaten unless cooked; for dried herbs recommending thorough cooking and a recommendation to not drink unpasteurised fruit juice and cider (non-alcoholic). The report confirmed that in most cases, New Zealand Food Safety’s advice on foods to eat or not eat during pregnancy are consistent with the available scientific evidence.
In a small number of instances, suggestions were made to better align the advice with the current available evidence. NZFS agrees with these suggestions and intends to expand the advice accordingly. Based on the evidence provided NZFS agrees that the current advice related to low acid soft pasteurised cheeses (e.g. Brie, Camembert, blue, ricotta, mozzarella, feta) should be strengthened to recommend that pregnant women do not eat these cheeses unless cooked.The report supports NZFS’s intention to make its advice on a range of commercial pasteurised dairy products with relatively short shelf-life less restrictive. Currently the advice is to dispose products like pasteurised milk or yoghurt after two days of opening.
The reviewed scientific evidence identified that, if that the products are refrigerated in original packaging and care is taken not to contaminate lids when using, it is safe to follow manufacturer’s advice on the package. Suggested modifications will allow pregnant women better planning of their daily diets and will also reduce unnecessary food wastage.
The report has suggested the current advice related to soft serve ice cream be reconsidered. However, NZFS’s opinion is that, given the likelihood of Listeria sloughing into the product through its processing, current advice to avoid this product during pregnancy is adequate. For some foods the scientific evidence is not currently strong enough to support specific food safety advice on these foods, although the available evidence suggests they may represent potentially emerging risk foods for pregnant women. A brief summary of such foods is provided at the end of the report. NZFS will follow up on any new scientific research related to these products.

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Posted in Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Research, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxoplasmosis

Research – Impact of a Combination of UV-C Irradiation and Peracetic Acid Spray Treatment on Brochothrix thermosphacta and Yersinia enterocolitica Contaminated Pork

Posted on January 23, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Efficient ways of decontamination are needed to minimize the risk of infections with Yersinia (Y.) enterocolitica, which causes gastrointestinal diseases in humans, and to reduce the numbers of Brochothrix (B.) thermosphacta to extend the shelf-life of meat. While many studies have focused on a single treatment of peracetic acid (PAA) or UV-C-irradiation, there are no studies about a combined treatment on meat. Therefore, in the present study, pork was inoculated with either Y. enterocolitica or B. thermosphacta, and was treated with a combination of 2040 mJ/cm2 UV-C irradiation followed by a 2000 ppm PAA spray treatment (30 s). Samples were packed under modified atmosphere and stored for 1, 7, or 14 days. The samples were examined for Y. enterocolitica and B. thermosphacta content, chemical and sensory effects, and meat quality parameters. For Y. enterocolitica, a significant reduction of up to 2.16 log10 cfu/cm2 meat and for B. thermosphacta, up to 2.37 log10 cfu/cm2 meat was seen on day 14 after UV-C/PAA treatment compared to the untreated controls.

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Posted in Brochothrix thermosphacta, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Research, Technology, Yersinia, yersinia enterocolitica

Research – Nanocrystals that eradicate bacteria biofilm

Posted on January 17, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

The COVID-19 pandemic is raising fears of new pathogens such as new viruses or drug-resistant bacteria. To this, a Korean research team has recently drawn attention for developing the technology for removing antibiotic-resistant bacteria by controlling the surface texture of nanomaterials.

A joint research team from POSTECH and UNIST has introduced mixed-FeCo-oxide-based surface-textured nanostructures (MTex) as highly efficient magneto-catalytic platform in the international journal Nano Letters. The team consisted of professors In Su Lee and Amit Kumar with Dr. Nitee Kumari of POSTECH’s Department of Chemistry and Professor Yoon-Kyung Cho and Dr. Sumit Kumar of UNIST’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.

First, the researchers synthesized smooth surface nanocrystals in which various metal ions were wrapped in an organic polymer shell and heated them at a very high temperature. While annealing the polymer shell, a high-temperature solid-state chemical reaction induced mixing of other metal ions on the nanocrystal surface, creating a number of few-nm-sized branches and holes on it. This unique surface texture was found to catalyze a chemical reaction that produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) that kills the bacteria. It was also confirmed to be highly magnetic and easily attracted toward the external magnetic field. The team had discovered a synthetic strategy for converting normal nanocrystals without surface features into highly functional mixed-metal-oxide nanocrystals.

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Posted in Biofilm, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Technology

Research – Bacteria Broadly-Resistant to Last Resort Antibiotics Detected in Commercial Chicken Farms

Posted on January 16, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Resistance to last resort antibiotics in bacteria is an emerging threat to human and animal health. It is important to identify the source of these antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria that are resistant to clinically important antibiotics and evaluate their potential transfer among bacteria. The objectives of this study were to (i) detect bacteria resistant to colistin, carbapenems, and β-lactams in commercial poultry farms, (ii) characterize phylogenetic and virulence markers of E. coli isolates to potentiate virulence risk, and (iii) assess potential transfer of AMR from these isolates via conjugation. Ceca contents from laying hens from conventional cage (CC) and cage-free (CF) farms at three maturity stages were randomly sampled and screened for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter (CRA), and colistin resistant Escherichia coli (CRE) using CHROMagar™ selective media. We found a wide-spread abundance of CRE in both CC and CF hens across all three maturity stages. Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli phylogenetic groups B2 and D, as well as plasmidic virulence markers iss and iutA, were widely associated with AMR E. coli isolates. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were uniquely detected in the early lay period of both CC and CF, while multidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter were found in peak and late lay periods of both CC and CF. CRA was detected in CF hens only. blaCMY was detected in ESBL-producing E. coli in CC and CF and MDR Acinetobacter spp. in CC. Finally, the blaCMY was shown to be transferrable via an IncK/B plasmid in CC. The presence of MDR to the last-resort antibiotics that are transferable between bacteria in food-producing animals is alarming and warrants studies to develop strategies for their mitigation in the environment. View Full-Text

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Posted in Antibacterial, Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, ESBL, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Technology

Research – Possibility, duration, and molecular predictors of sanitizer tolerance in Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on January 14, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Centre For Produce Safety

Summary

Due to concerns over bacterial tolerance to sanitizers, FDA and FSIS recommend rotating sanitizers in RTE food processing facilities to better control foodborne pathogens, in particular, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). These recommendations are nonbinding; whether Lm develops tolerance to common sanitizers remains
inconclusive and debated. Even if Lm develops tolerance through sub-lethal exposure to sanitizers, how long and how strong the tolerance can last should be considered in determining whether sanitizer rotation is needed and how often it should be applied. Lack of consensus and quantitative data on possibility and duration of sanitizer tolerance creates confusions and dilemmas, especially when sanitizer rotation presents considerable challenges in training, compliance, and cost control to the industry. This proposal describes studies to help settle the debate and fill critical knowledge gaps regarding Lm tolerance to chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds. We will measure residual sanitizer levels in produce processing facilities. We will perform laboratory assays to investigate tolerance development and persistence. We will explore machine-learning-aided tolerance prediction and identify evolutionary signals (or lack thereof) of tolerance development from whole genome sequencing data. Our results will provide the industry and regulators with scientific evidence for substantiating, better implementing, or justifiably shelving sanitizer rotational programs.

Technical Abstract

There is still no scientific consensus on whether Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) develops sanitizer tolerance. We hypothesize that development of two types of sanitizer tolerance may occur in Lm. First, short-term adaptation to sub-lethal levels of sanitizers induces acquired tolerance, which is transient and not hereditary. Second, long- term selection by sanitizers causes intrinsic tolerance, which is established in Lm populations by evolutionary changes to Lm genomes. To help settle the debate, we will test our hypothesis by distinguishing and investigating both types of tolerance in Lm using chlorine and a quaternary ammonium compound as example sanitizers.

In this study, we will survey residual sanitizer levels in a leafy green and a tomato processing facilities to evaluate if laboratory-derived sanitizer levels optimal for tolerance development are relevant to produce processors. We will assess the possibility of acquired tolerance by measuring the difference in minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) before and after sanitizer adaptation. We will study how different sanitizer levels and exposure time affect the development of acquired tolerance, including how long the tolerance can last after exposure to sanitizers. We will explore the mechanisms behind the development of acquired sanitizer tolerance by characterizing temporal shifts in Lm transcriptome throughout the duration of the tolerance.

We will assess intrinsic tolerance in a collection of 200-300 strategically selected Lm strains using high-throughput growth kinetics assays. We will search for evolutionary evidence that suggests the development of intrinsic tolerance in recent history by analyzing whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of these strains. We
will build a machine-learning classifier to predict tolerance levels and identify key tolerance predictors from WGS.

This research will provide valuable prerequisite information for determining if sanitizer rotation is necessary for preventing the development of Lm tolerance to sanitizers. Scientific data from the project will also help optimize sanitation practices to mitigate tolerance development and determine frequency for sanitizer rotation if rotation is needed.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Research, Technology

Research – Pulsed ultraviolet light technology to improve egg safety, help poultry industry

Posted on January 14, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

Salmonella Eggs Food Poisoning Food Safety

Pulsed ultraviolet light can be an effective alternative to some of the antimicrobial technologies now used by the poultry industry to kill pathogens on eggshells, according to Penn State researchers, who simulated production conditions to test the technology.

Researcher Paul Patterson, professor of poultry science, College of Agricultural Sciences, suggests the technology has merit for commercial application in the egg industry.

“This study is unique because it scaled-up and applied components of standard egg processing to a conveyor and sanitizing eggs in a commercial setting,” he said. “In the absence of water or other chemical sanitizers, this technology has the potential to achieve significant — equal or greater — microbial reductions than some currently available technologies.”

Every year in the United States, an average of 287 eggs are consumed per person, and more than 14.1 billion eggs are set in hatchery incubators to produce chicks destined for the egg and meat bird industries. By reducing the microbial load on eggs, foodborne illness outbreaks associated with eggs and poultry meat can be reduced while chick health is maintained.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Eggs, Technology

Research – An Outbreak Investigation of Scombrotoxin Fish Poisoning Illnesses in the United States Linked to Yellowfin Tuna Imported from Vietnam – 2019

Posted on January 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP) is caused by the ingestion of certain fish species with elevated levels of histamine due to decomposition. In the fall of 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was notified of 51 SFP illnesses including two hospitalizations from 11 states through consumer complaints received by FDA’s Consumer Complaint System or directly from state partners. A case was defined as an individual who experienced a histamine-type reaction after consumption of tuna imported from Vietnam and an illness onset between August 14, 2019 and November 24, 2019. A traceback investigation was initiated at 19 points-of-service (POS) to identify a common tuna source. FDA and state partners collected a total of 34 product samples throughout the distribution chain including from a case patient’s home, POS, distributors, or at the port of entry. Samples were analyzed by sensory evaluation and/or chemical testing for the presence of histamine. Cases reported exposure to tuna imported from Vietnam. The traceback investigation identified two Vietnamese firms as the sources of the tuna. Twenty-nine samples were confirmed as decomposed by sensory evaluation and/or positive for the presence of elevated levels of histamine by chemical testing. Both Vietnamese firms were placed on Import Alert. Seven U.S. firms and one Vietnamese firm initiated voluntary recalls. FDA released public communication naming the U.S. importers to help suppliers and distributors to identify the product and as a result, effectuate the foreign firm’s recall. This SFP outbreak investigation highlights the complexities of the federal outbreak response, specifically related to imported food. Imported foods present cultural considerations that need to be addressed during outbreak response when timing is critical. Furthermore, collaborating with countries where confidentiality agreements are not in place can limit information sharing and the speed of public health response efforts.

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Posted in FDA, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Scombroid, scombroid poisoning

Research – Validation of simulated commercial manufacturing of flour tortillas to control Salmonella contamination

Posted on January 2, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Salm2

This study validated a typical batch commercial flour tortilla cooking process against Salmonella contamination. Tortilla dough prepared from flour inoculated with a 7‐serovar Salmonella cocktail was pressed in a dough press (preset at 200 °F [93.3°C]) for 3 s, then heated on a griddle (preheated to 221.1°C [430 °F]) for 30, 45 or 60 s on each side, followed by ~8 min of ambient air cooling. The maximum internal temperature of tortillas during cooking was >97°C for all cooking times. The Salmonella counts in tortillas decreased >6‐log at all cooking times; however, tortillas cooked for 30 and 45 s had an undercooked appearance. The water activity and pH of cooked tortillas after 60 s of heating on both sides followed by cooling were 0.934 and 6.62, respectively. The D‐values of the Salmonella cocktail in raw tortilla dough were 22.2, 13.4, and 4.6 min at 55, 58, and 61°C, respectively, and the z‐value was 8.9°C.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella