Category Archives: Research

Research – Antimicrobial efficacy of cinnamaldehyde, chitosan and high pressure processing against Cronobacter sakazakii in infant formula

Posted on August 8, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

This study investigated the antimicrobial efficacy of trans‐cinnamaldehyde (TC) and chitosan (CH) along with high pressure processing (HPP) against Cronobacter sakazakii in infant formula. HPP, with or without TC, and CH, was applied to reconstituted powdered infant formula with C. sakazakii . Microbiological and sensory analyses, pH, protein oxidation, and emulsion stability of each sample were determined. C. sakazakii was totally inactivated by HPP (600 MPa for 5 min), TC (0.05%) and CH (1%) combination after 4, 6, and 2 weeks of storage at 7, 23, and 45°C, respectively. All HPP treatments exhibited a minimum of 5.5 log CFU/ml reduction while the highest reductions with non‐HPP treatments were 2.1, 1.1, and 3.7 log CFU/ml at 7, 23, and 45°C storage, respectively. Although TC exhibited a cinnamon‐like taste, overall sensory attributes were not significantly different from the control samples. Remarkable deformation and damage in C. sakazakii cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy after the application of HPP and bioactive compounds.

Leave a comment

Posted in Chronobacter sakazakii, Cronobacter sakazakii, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, Research, Technology, Uncategorized

Research – New technology creates hard metal surfaces that kill bacteria

Posted on August 8, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A treatment to infuse hardened metal surfaces with naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides has been developed by researchers at Purdue University.

In other words, the Purdue research team’s technology can create hard metal surfaces that kill bacteria trying to attach to it.

David Bahr, team leader and professor of materials engineering at Purdue, said this technology applies primarily to food processing and cutting surfaces, which can be especially vulnerable to bacteria growth because of the materials and surface designs.

This technology can reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria to food from other foods, cutting boards, utensils, etc. This is especially true when handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood, as placing them on the same hard surface as already cooked or ready-to-eat foods and fresh produce can spread harmful bacteria.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, cross contamination, food contamination, Food Microbiology Research, microbial contamination, Research, Uncategorized

Vietnam – Vietnam reports more food poisoning deaths in 7 months

Posted on August 5, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Xinhuanet

HANOI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — In the first seven months of this year, 1,209 people in Vietnam suffered from food poisoning, of whom 19 died, according to the country’s Preventive Health Department on Tuesday.

In the same period last year, 1,372 people were affected by food poisoning, of whom nine died.

The country has detected some 37,800 dengue fever cases in the seven-month period, including three fatalities, 295 cases of virus encephalitis infection including seven fatalities, and 9,243 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Meanwhile, diphtheria has recently spread in central highlands provinces, with 100 cases of infection and three fatalities nationwide as of July 16, said the department, noting that Dak Nong province alone reported 30 cases and two deaths, the highest number among localities.

Vietnam currently has 210,547 HIV carriers, of whom 97,027 have become AIDS patients. To date, 98,948 people in the country have died of AIDS-related diseases, the department said. Enditem

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Survival of Salmonella Enterica in Low Moisture Military Ration Products

Posted on August 2, 2020 by | Leave a comment

DTIC

Non-typhoidal Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen that has one of the highest incidences of hospitalizations and deaths. The foodborne illness symptoms can include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The high incidence of foodborne illness coupled with a large number of outbreaks in commercial low moisture foods LMF such as peanut butter prompted Army researchers to investigate S. enterica survivability in LMF rations. The majority of LMF are not cooked prior to consumption so contamination at the time of manufacture could lead to illness when consumed by the soldier. In addition, military rations are prepositioned and can be stored for up to 3 years at various climate conditions therefore, this study evaluated various storage temperatures to simulate conditions in the field. LMF products in this study were chosen based on categories outlined by Institute of Food Safety and Health peanut butter, mocha desert bar, dehydrated egg, chocolate protein drink and cran-raspberry first strike bar. Previous studies identified potential synergistic effect on S. enterica survival in high fat, low water activity foods such as peanut butter. This experiment expanded on these predictions and evaluated foods with varying compositions which undergo unique storage requirements prior to consumption.

Leave a comment

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

Research -Inactivation of Salmonella on black peppercorns using an integrated ultraviolet-C and cold plasma intervention

Posted on August 1, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

A nonthermal process that applies ultraviolet (UV)–C and helium cold plasma (CP) simultaneously (UV-CP) has been investigated as an intervention technology to inactivate Salmonella on black peppercorns. The optimum CP treatment voltage and UV-CP treatment time for inactivating Salmonella on black peppercorns were predicted using a model equation as 9.7 kV and 22.1 min, respectively, which non-thermally inactivated Salmonella by 3.7 log CFU/g. UV-CP treatment yielded a stronger bactericidal activity than UV treatment alone, without inducing photoreactivation. In addition, UV-CP-induced reactive species similar to those found in individual UV and CP treatments. Furthermore, UV-CP treatment caused a profound deformation of Salmonella morphology and a greater extent of DNA damage than UV or CP treatment did alone. UV-CP treatment did not alter the color or 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity; however, it lowered the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and piperine concentration in the peppercorns. The findings of this study demonstrate the potential application of UV-CP treatment for decontamination of black peppercorns.

Leave a comment

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

Research – Survival and inactivation of human norovirus GII.4 Sydney on commonly touched airplane cabin surfaces

Posted on August 1, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Click to access publichealth-07-03-046.pdf

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is one of the leading causes of acute gastroenteritis globally.
HuNoV outbreaks have been recently reported during air travels. Contaminated surfaces are known as a critical transmission route at various settings. The aim of this study was to provide key information about the survival and the decontamination of HuNoV on three commonly touched airplane cabin surfaces.
In this study, we monitored the survival of HuNoV on seat leather, plastic tray table, and
seatbelt for 30 days, with and without additional organic load (simulated gastric fluid). The efficacy of two EPA registered anti-norovirus disinfectants were also evaluated. Results showed that HuNoV was detected at high titers (>4 log10 genomic copy number) for up to 30 days when additional organic load was present. Both tested disinfectants were found highly ineffective against HuNoV when the surface was soiled.
The study showed that when the organic load was present, HuNoV was highly stable and
resistant against disinfectants. Findings from this study indicated that appropriate procedures should be developed by airline companies with the help of public health authorities to decrease passengers’ exposure risk to HuNoV.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Norovirus, Research, Uncategorized, Virus

Norway – Norway records slight decline in foodborne outbreaks

Posted on July 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of foodborne outbreaks in Norway declined slightly this past year from 2018, according to the country’s public health agency.

In 2019, 223 outbreaks from all sources were reported with 5,401 cases of disease. This was the same level of outbreaks as in 2018, but there was an increase in cases because of a large waterborne outbreak in Askøy municipality in 2019.

Campylobacter jejuni was detected in patients and drinking water in June 2019. In total, 2,000 patients were estimated. Contamination was suspected to have been caused after heavy rainfall.

The number of notified foodborne outbreaks decreased from 52 in 2018. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet) reported that 46 outbreaks were because of suspected food or waterborne infections in 2019. They affected more than 2,700 people with a range of two to 2,000. More than 150 outbreaks were registered in health institutions and 20 were classed as “other.”

Leave a comment

Posted in Campylobacter, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Research, Uncategorized

Iceland – Screening for pathogenic microorganisms in meat on the market 2019

Posted on July 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

MAST

Screening for pathogenic micro-organisms in meat on the Icelandic market shows that the microbiological condition is generally good for salmonella and campylobacter. Shigatoxin-producing E. coli  (STEC) is detected in the flesh of Icelandic sheep, which is an indication that STEC is part of the natural flora of sheep. Surveillance of salmonella and Campylobacter in the early stages of the food chain is strong in Iceland. 

The Ministry of Industry and Innovation and the Food Administration, in collaboration with the municipal health inspectorate, organized sampling in 2019 of the most common pathogenic meat microorganisms on the market. The five largest health control areas in the country took care of the sampling. 

Samples were taken of domestic and foreign meat in supermarkets in the most populous areas of the country. The purpose of the sampling was to screen for pathogenic micro-organisms in products when the consumer receives them, and the sampling therefore took place in retail stores. 

Salmonella was not detected in unfrozen chicken meat. Campylobacter was detected in small quantities in 3 samples of frozen chicken meat. Salmonella was not detected in beef. Salmonella ( Salmonella Kedougou) was detected in one sample of domestic pork. Distribution was stopped and the meat was withdrawn from the market and recalled from consumers. In 22% of samples of sheep meat, STEC was diagnosed as malignant, of which E. coli was carried in 14% of the samples. The results of a report on screening for pathogenic bacteria in meat on the 2019 market are discussed in more detail .

A similar screening was carried out in Iceland for the first time in 2018, and the government has decided to continue increased monitoring of pathogenic microorganisms in fresh meat on the market at least this year. 

Leave a comment

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

UK – Report into international foodborne disease rates published

Posted on July 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

FSA

A report published by the FSA has found it is not possible to compare foodborne disease rates effectively between countries. This is due to the hugely different methodologies and recording systems employed.

Researchers compared the ways different countries estimate how many people suffer from food poisoning each year, in an effort to determine whether these rates can be reliably compared.

The study, commissioned by the FSA and carried out by Public Health England, uncovered three broad approaches used globally:

  1. Prospective cohort studies – a sample population is recruited in advance, then report weekly on any symptoms of illness and may also submit samples so specific causes can be determined.
  2. Surveillance pyramid studies – an estimation of the number of cases missed through under-diagnosis and under-reporting, by using multipliers to extrapolate from laboratory confirmed illnesses.
  3. Retrospective cross-sectional surveys – a representative sample of the population is contacted and asked about their symptoms in the recent past.

Countries need to calculate foodborne disease estimates due to under-reporting, as not everyone who suffers from infectious intestinal disease (IID) will seek medical help and those who do will not always get a confirmed diagnosis. The data can then inform a country’s own food policy and prioritisation of resources.

Researchers concluded that the UK is using the most accurate approach available (prospective cohort studies).

FSA Head of science, evidence and research, Rick Mumford, said:

“The report concludes that attempting to accurately compare different countries’ foodborne disease rates is an almost impossible task. The only way you could attempt this would be for different countries to have the same type of study with the exact same study specifications, over the same time period. Even then, differences in underlying surveillance data available in each country could cause issues, particularly in terms of determining what proportion of IID cases are due to food.

“We have a much greater understanding of the different approaches taken across the globe and will continue to look and learn from this.”

Read the full report here.

FSA EXPLAINS

Rick Mumford, Head of Science, Evidence & Research Directorate, has provided an analysis of the report and what it means for comparing international food standards (Opens in a new window).

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, food handler, 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 Testing, Food Toxin, fsa, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Salmonella Evolves: New Dangerous Strains Pose Increased Risk for Food Producers, Manufacturers, and the Patrons Who Consume Their Products

Posted on July 30, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning News

Salmonella Evolves: New Dangerous Strains Pose Increased Risk for Food Producers, Manufacturers, and the Patrons Who Consume The Food They Produce

Scientists at the University of Delaware have found new strains of Salmonella that are not able to be washed off of infected plants, such as leafy greens and other vegetables. By entering through a plants stomates, the microscopic holes in plant’s leafs that open and close during the gas exchange process, the Salmonella bacteria evades the plants immune system response and is able to freely infect the plant. Typically, plant bacteria and fungi infect plants because they have the enzyme necessary to open closed stomates. Salmonella is a bacterial disease that typically infects humans, not plants, and does not have the enzyme necessary to open stomates.  Salmonella usually only infects plants topically during growing and harvesting, often occurring during the picking and transportation process from farms to stores.  Most times the contamination of these fruits and vegetables is through direct contact with infected feces or water infected with feces. Because the Salmonella is only on the plant’s surface, the surface level infection can be removed by washing plants with soap and water, effectively ejecting the Salmonella bacteria from the plant and making it safe to eat

Leave a comment

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