Category Archives: Food Technology

Ingenta Studies – High Pressure E.coli/Campylobacter – Essential Oils E.coli/Salmonella

Ingenta High Pressure

This study evaluated the high pressure inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, and poultry meat spoilage organisms. All treatments were performed in aseptically prepared minced poultry meat. Treatment of 19 strains of C. jejuni at 300 MPa and 30°C revealed a large variation of pressure resistance.

Ingenta Essential Oils

The efficacy of cinnamaldehyde and Sporan for reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on spinach leaves was investigated. Spinach leaves were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7, air dried for ca. 30 min, and then immersed in a treatment solution containing 5 ppm of free chlorine, cinnamaldehyde, or Sporan (800 and 1,000 ppm) alone or in combination with 200 ppm of acetic acid (20%) for 1 min or with water (control).

Lettuce Coring Knives – E.coli O157:H7

Ingenta

This study was undertaken to examine the effect of ultrasound in combination with chlorine on the reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 populations on lettuce coring knives. Two new coring devices designed to mitigate pathogen attachment were fabricated and evaluated.

Twitter and Food Safety Alerts – USDA

USDA 

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) launched a series of Twitter feeds that will provide state-specific, food safety alerts to consumers. Followers of these Twitter accounts will receive alerts about recalls of meat, poultry and processed egg products in their state, as well as information on how to protect their food supply during severe weather events.

Food Safety Ireland and EFSA – Norovirus Collaboration

FSAI

 Norovirus is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in Europe.  The virus is readily transmitted from person to person so outbreaks can easily become large, as shown in the outbreak that occurred in a Dublin Hotel just before Christmas.  In this instance, around 580 people reported illness after attending events in the hotel.  Food and water can also be sources of norovirus infection when they are either contaminated with faecal matter or cross-contaminated by food handlers.

A major issue for the Authorities and the industry in Ireland surrounds decisions regarding the safety of oysters when they are found to contain norovirus genome copies but are nevertheless compliant with all applicable control requirements.  In this context the FSAI requested advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the public health risks associated with establishing standards for noroviruses in oysters.

EFSA concluded that norovirus is highly infectious and low doses can result in disease.  However, it noted that the amount of virus detected in oysters linked to human illness could vary greatly.  It also concluded that norovirus genetic material was frequently detected in European oysters even when they complied with existing control standards.

The opinion went on to recommend that risk managers should consider establishing an acceptable limit for norovirus in oysters that are intended to be harvested and placed on the market in the EU.

Baby Food Global Industry Guide

Food and Drink Europe

Baby Food: Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Baby Food industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis on a global, regional and country basis.

CDC – Advice Raw Sprouts

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The most recent outbreak of food borne illness linked to raw sprouts is a restaurant-based outbreak of E. coli O26 associated with consumption of raw clover sprouts served on sandwiches at certain Jimmy John’s locations in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Like other restaurant chains and some large food retailers, Jimmy John’s has now removed sprouts from its menu offerings because of the inherent risk of pathogen contamination in this area of fresh produce.

Mobile Phone Detection of E.coli?

Bites

Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new cell phone–based fluorescent imaging and sensing platform that can detect the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli in food and water. The engineers combined antibody functionalized glass capillaries with quantum dots (semiconductors often used for medical imaging) as signal reporters to specifically detect E. coli particles in liquid samples using a lightweight, compact attachment to an existing cell-phone camera.

Hot Air and Infrared – Salmonella Control – Almonds

Food Quality News

US food safety researchers are exploring the combined use of infrared and hot air as a tool in the pasteurisation of almonds – a method to prevent potential Salmonella contamination.

 

Vibrio – Behaviour in Response to Temperature Study

Bites 

Pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in prawn has been a major cause of saefood-borne infection outbreaks. An understanding of its behavior in prawn helps ensure safety of the seafood consumption. The objective of this investigation was to understand the pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus behavior in non-sterile prawn in a laboratory and frozen food factory as responding to temperature. The behavior was observed in a laboratory. It was found that in the laboratory this pathogen grew in a temperature range of 15 to 44 °C but died in -20 to 10 °C. The primary Baranyi and modified Gompertz models excellently explained the pathogenic growth and death characteristics, respectively. The effects of temperature on the primary-model parameters were well described by the Kohler, Ratkowsky, asymptotic and non-linear Arrhenius models. The behavior of the pathogen was also observed in a freezing process line. The pathogen responded to temperature in a similar manner to that in the laboratory results although the actual line process involved more influencing factors. Therefore, the laboratory results of temperature effect on the pathogen behavior can provide a good guideline of safety for process design and control of the seafood. The response similarity was beneficial in the information usage of pathogen behavior in prawn which was satisfactorily interchangeable between these two environments.
Highlights
► V. parahaemolyticus, problematic pathogen, grew in prawn at ≥15°C but died at ≤10°C. ► The pathogen in laboratory and frozen factory showed a similar response to temperature. ► The pathogen behavior in laboratory can be a guideline of process-line design for safety. ► The primary and secondary models of growth and death prediction were identified.

Report at Food Control Science Direct

Novel Coated Films Activity Against Listeria and Salmonella

Wiley Online Library

A novel type of environmentally friendly packaging with antibacterial activity was developed from lauric arginate (LAE)-coating of polylactic acid (PLA) films after surface activation using a corona discharge. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-based analysis of the LAE/PLA films confirmed the successful coating of LAE on the PLA surface. The mechanical properties of the LAE/PLA films with different levels of LAE-coating (0% to 2.6%[w/w]) were essentially the same as those of the neat PLA film. The antibacterial activity of the LAE/PLA films against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) was confirmed by a qualitative modified agar diffusion assay and quantitative JIS Z 2801:2000 method. Using the LAE/PLA film as a food-contact antimicrobial packaging for cooked cured ham, as a model system, suggested a potential application to inhibit L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium on ham with a 0.07% (w/w) LAE coating on the PLA when high transparency is required, as evidenced from the 2 to 3 log CFU/tested film lower pathogen growth after 7 d storage but even greater antibacterial activity is obtained with a LAE coating level of 2.6% (w/w) but at the cost of a reduced transparency of the finished product. This article shows how we can simply develop functional green packaging of PLA for food with effective and efficient antimicrobial activity by use of LAE coating on the surface via corona discharge.