Category Archives: Microbiology

Research – Eliminating viruses in our food with cranberries and citrus fruit

Posted on February 29, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

Fresh produce is a major vehicle for noroviruses, a group of viruses that are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in developed countries. However, the viruses are quite resistant to cold pasteurization treatments such as irradiation, which are used to destroy bacteria, moulds, parasites, and insects. The irradiation process uses gamma rays or X-rays to destroy these viruses but at the dose needed to eliminate them, it can affect the physicochemical properties of fresh produce.

Professor Monique Lacroix, a researcher at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), has developed an edible coating based on cranberry juice and citrus extract that makes noroviruses more sensitive to gamma irradiation, making it possible to eliminate them while preserving the quality of food, all without risk to consumers.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Food Virus, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Norovirus, Research, Technology, Uncategorized, Virus

RASFF Alert – Suspicion of Bacterial Contamination – Canned Sardines

Posted on February 28, 2020 by | Leave a comment

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RASFF – suspicion of bacterial contamination (swollen cans) in canned sardines from Morocco in the UK

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Posted in bacterial contamination, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, food recall, Food Safety, Food Spoilage, Food Temperature Abuse, microbial contamination, Microbiology, RASFF, Uncategorized

RASFF Alert- Animal Feed – Salmonella – Palm Kernel Cakes

Posted on February 28, 2020 by | Leave a comment

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RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Ruiru (presence) in palm kernel cake from Indonesia, via Germany

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Posted in Animal Feed, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, RASFF, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Research – Carbon dioxide as a novel indicator for bacterial growth in milk

Posted on February 22, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Human milk spoils due to bacterial, yeast, or mold contamination. Current domestic methods of assessing milk spoilage are subjective or rely on time and temperature‐based guidelines. A key unmet food safety need remains the objective assessment of human milk spoilage. Experiments were conducted using a simplified human milk spoilage model based on goat’s milk as a human milk surrogate, spiked with a single bacterial strain (Staphylococcus epidermidis), in which pH and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration were measured along with bacteria count over 160 hr. Bacteria count correlated highly with CO2 but not with pH. A 0.21% CO2 concentration threshold could be defined for milk spoilage (correlating to a bacteria count threshold of 105 CFU/ml), with sensitivity and specificity above 84%. These findings suggest that CO2 measurement is a promising method to detect S. epidermidis growth in milk which merits further investigation for the objective and quantitative assessment of milk spoilage.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Uncategorized

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Salmonella – Dog Chews – Organic Soya Bean Cake – Straw

Posted on February 21, 2020 by | Leave a comment

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RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in dog chews from Poland in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Tennessee (presence /25g) in organic soybean cake from India in Finland

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (presence /25g) in straw from France in Luxembourg

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Posted in Animal Feed, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, Salmonella, Salmonella Dog Food, Uncategorized

USA -FDA Cautions Pet Owners Not to Feed One Lot of Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Frozen Raw Pet Food Due to Salmonella

Posted on February 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

FDA

 

Fast Facts

  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets one lot of Aunt Jeni’s Home Made frozen raw pet food after a sample collected from a store in the District of Columbia tested positive for Salmonella.
  • The product is Aunt Jeni’s Home Made All-Natural Raw Turkey Dinner Dog Food, 5 lb. (2.3 kg), lot 175331 NOV2020.
  • If you have any of the affected Aunt Jeni’s Home Made product, stop feeding it to your pet, throw it away, and sanitize surfaces that may have come in contact with the product.
  • FDA is issuing this alert because this lot of Aunt Jeni’s Home Made frozen raw pet food represents a serious threat to human and animal health. Because the product is sold and stored frozen, FDA is concerned that people may still have it in their possession.
  • Salmonella can affect both human and animal health. People with symptoms of Salmonella infection should consult their health care providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of Salmonella infection.

 

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, raw pet food, Salmonella, Salmonella Dog Food, Uncategorized

Information – Controlling Legionella on Ships, Ferries & Maritime Vessels

Posted on February 18, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Legionella Control

This expert guide from our water safety specialists looks at the control of legionella on ships, ferries and other maritime vessels. The guide considers the water safety risks that can arise on-board different vessels, the need to consider dry dock safety, why a detailed risk assessment and Water Safety Plan are essential, and concludes by outlining the potential consequences following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

When we hear about outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, we tend to associate them with scenarios that occur on land – in hotels, hospitals, leisure centres etc. However, there are similar opportunities for Legionella bacteria to grow and spread at sea too. Ships, ferries, cruise liners and other maritime vessels of all shapes and sizes can be affected, and as such must take suitable precautions to make sure their water systems are safe for those who use them or are exposed to them.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Legionella, Legionnaires’ disease, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Research -Persistent contamination of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus at a broiler farm in New Zealand

Posted on February 18, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Intensive poultry production due to public demand raises the risk of contamination, creating potential foodborne hazards to consumers. The prevalence and microbial load of the pathogens Campylobacter, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli was determined by standard methods at the farm level. After disinfection, swab samples collected from wall crevices, drinkers, and vents were heavily contaminated, as accumulated organic matter and dust likely protected the pathogens from the disinfectants used. The annex floor also showed high microbial concentrations, suggesting the introduction of pathogens from external environments, highlighting the importance of erecting hygiene barriers at the entrance of the main shed. Therefore, pathogen control measures and proper application of disinfectants are recommended as intervention strategies. Additionally, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was evaluated as a quantification tool. qPCR showed limitations with samples containing low microbial counts because of the low detection limit of the method. Thus, bacterial pre-enrichment of test samples may be necessary to improve the detection of pathogens by qPCR.

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Posted in Campylobacter, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Uncategorized

Research – Effects of coating pistachio kernels with mixtures of whey protein and selected herbal plant extracts on growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus and prevention of aflatoxin during storage

Posted on February 17, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) mixed with various concentrations of Shirazi thyme (ST), sage, and cumin seed (CS) extracts separately. Then pistachio kernels (PK) contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (Af) were coated with each extract and the Af mycelium and generated aflatoxins measured after 3, 5, and 7‐days at 20°C. The ST, sage, and CS had two major antioxidants of thymol (~27%) and carvacrol (~41%), α‐thujone (~28%) and camphor (~14%), and cumin‐aldehyde (~21%) and safranal (~20%), respectively. While the Af mycelium diameter on PK without extract became >90 mm within 3 days, it was shrunk after 7 days when the WPC‐coated PK had 4,000 ppm ST extract. When ST concentrations increased in WPC‐coated PK linearly, the Af growth and aflatoxins production decreased logarithmically. No aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) detected in PK after 9 days when the extract concentrations of ST, sage, and CS in WPC reached, respectively to 5,000, 4,500, and 6,500 ppm. Sage extract had significantly (p < .01) the highest TPC (lowest IC50) and preventing power for aflatoxin generation in comparison with ST and CS extracts. The PK will be safe and healthy if the extract concentration of sage, ST, and CS exceed 950, 1,400, and 1,700 mg/kg, respectively.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Aspergillus, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, Food Toxin, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Research, Uncategorized

USA – FDA alert warns pet owners of Salmonella contamination in raw food

Posted on February 17, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The FDA is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pet’s certain Aunt Jeni’s Home Made frozen raw pet food “as it poses a serious threat to consumer and animal health” because of Salmonella Infantis contamination.

The Salmonella was discovered in January when the FDA collected one retail sample of Aunt Jeni’s Home Made Turkey Dinner Dog Food.  The Salmonella was also found to be resistant to multiple antibiotic drugs.

Salmonella in pet food is a threat to human and animal health because pets can get sick from this pathogen and can also be carriers of the bacteria and pass it on to their owners without appearing to be ill. People can also get sick from handling the contaminated pet food, or touching surfaces that have had contact with the contaminated food.

The Product:

  • Aunt Jeni’s Home Made All-Natural Raw Turkey Dinner Dog Food, 5 lb. (2.3 kg), lot 175331 NOV2020.

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Posted in Animal Feed, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, raw pet food, Salmonella, Uncategorized