Category Archives: fungi

Research -Efficient Reduction of Food Related Mould Spores on Surfaces by Hydrogen Peroxide Mist

Posted on December 29, 2020 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

CDC Mould

The aim of the study was to evaluate the fungicidal effect of a H2O2 mist generating system for disinfection of spores of six food-related moulds (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Geotrichum candidum, Mucor plumbeus, Paecilomyces variotii, and Penicillium solitum) dried on stainless steel. Exposure to H2O2 mist for 2 or 4 h lead to >3 log reduction in mould spores in the majority of the tests. The presence of the soils 2% skim milk or 3% BSA did not significantly alter the fungicidal effect, while the presence of raw meat juice had an adverse fungicidal effect against Penicillium and Mucor in two out of three tests. Fungicidal suspension tests with liquid H2O2 confirmed the effectiveness of H2O2 on reducing the mould spores. Both the surface test and the suspension test indicated that P. variotii is more resistant to H2O2 compared to the other moulds tested. The study shows the efficiency of H2O2 mist on reducing food-related mould spores on surfaces. View Full-Text

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Posted in antifungal, Aspergillus, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, fungi, microbial contamination, Microbiology, mold, Mold Toxin, Mould Toxin, Moulds

UK – Diageo Great Britain recalls Guinness Draught 0.0% because of possible presence of mould

Posted on November 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

FSA

Diageo Great Britain has taken the precautionary step of recalling Guinness Draught 0.0%, (non-alcoholic), due to the possible presence of mould in the products.

Product details

Guinness Draught 0.0%
Pack size 440ml Can 6×4 pk
Best before 09 August 2021, 17 August 2021, 24 August 2021

Risk statement

This product may contain mould. Mould does not usually cause food poisoning, however, the FSA would advise against consuming visibly mouldy foods because the presence of mould might make the food unsafe.

Action taken by the company

Diageo Great Britain is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice.
Consumer Notice: Guinness Draught 0.0(Opens in a new window)

Our advice to consumers

If you have bought the above product do not consume it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought, for a full refund. Alternatively, contact the Diageo consumer careline on 0345 601 4558 or consumercare.gbandireland@diageo.com

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Spoilage, Food Testing, fsa, fungi, mold, Moulds

RASFF Alert – Mycotoxin – Fumonsins – Corn Flour

Posted on April 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – fumonisins (3048 µg/kg – ppb) in corn flour from Germany in Belgium

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Posted in food contamination, 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 Testing, Food Toxin, Fumonsins, fungi, Fusarium Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

Research – Bacteria killed by new light-activated coating

Posted on March 7, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

To stop the spread of disease, it could be used to coat phone screens and keyboards, as well as the inside of catheters and breathing tubes, which are a major source of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

The most well known HCAIs are caused by Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). They commonly occur during in-patient medical or surgical treatment, or from visiting a healthcare setting and pose a serious health threat, making them a key priority for the NHS to address*.

The research, published today in Nature Communications, is the first to show a light activated antimicrobial coating successfully killing bacteria in low intensity, ambient light (300 Lux), such as that found in wards and waiting rooms. Previously, similar coatings needed intense light (3,000 Lux), like that found in operating theatres, to activate their killing properties.

The new bactericidal coating is made of tiny clusters of chemically modified gold embedded in a polymer with crystal violet — a dye with antibacterial and antifungal properties.

 

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Posted in antifungal, Clostridium difficile, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, fungi, microbial contamination, Microbiology, MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, Uncategorized

UK – Class 2 Medicines Recall: Paracetamol 500mg Tablets, 1 x 1000 PL 04077/0001 (MDR 13-04/19) – Fungal Contamination

Posted on June 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Gov.uk

M & A Pharmachem is recalling the above batches because a small number of pots from each batch have been found to contain discoloured tablets due to fungal contamination.

The fungi have been identified as Penicillium citrinium and Penicillium brevicompactum. It is unlikely that any affected tablets will have got to patient level as the discolouration is noticeable on opening affected packs.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, fungi, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium citrinium, Pharmaceutical Testing, Uncategorized

Research – Antifungal Effect of Camellia Seed Cake Extract on Aspergillus flavus

Posted on February 27, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Aspergillus flavus is a well-known, widespread fungus that contaminates a great number of crops used for human and animal consumption, but previous study showed that camellia seed cake was not susceptible to A. flavus. This study was designed to evaluate the antifungal effect of the active substance in camellia seed cake on the growth and production of aflatoxins of A. flavus. Eighty percent methanol extracts of camellia seed cake showed greater activity than that of 80% ethanol, ethyl acetate, and pure water against A. flavus. The filtrate from the 80% methanol extract was extracted with ethyl acetate and saturated n-butanol; among the extracts, the n-butanol phase exhibited strong inhibitory activity against A. flavus. The inhibitory zone diameter increased from 15.25 mm at 25 mg/mL concentration up to 22.00 mm at 100 mg/mL concentration. The mycelial dry weight was reduced significantly from 0.16 g at 25 mg/mL to 0.11 g at 100 mg/mL, whereas the aqueous and ethyl acetate phases exhibited weak antifungal activity and no activity, respectively. In addition, the n-Butanol phase inhibited the production of aflatoxin B1 effectively, caused mycelia deformity, and reduced the production of conidia. n-Butanol extract of camellia seed cake exhibited apparent antagonistic effect on the growth and aflatoxin production of A. flavus. The concentration of 100 mg/mL worked best. This study provides a scientific basis for further study of its inhibiting mechanism.

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Posted in antifungal, Aspergillus, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Spoilage, Food Technology, Food Testing, fungi, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

RASFF Alert – Mould -Infant Formula

Posted on August 24, 2018 by | Leave a comment

kswfoodworld food safety poisoning

RASFF-fungi in infant formula from the Netherlands in the Netherlands

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, fungi, mold, Moulds, Uncategorized