Category Archives: Uncategorized

USA – Taco Bell Hepatitis A Exposure in Chilhowie, Virginia

Posted on May 10, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

Dr. Karen Shelton, director of the health district said in a statement, “Individuals who ate food from Taco Bell in Chilhowie during that time and who have not been previously vaccinated for hepatitis A or have not previously had the disease are recommended to receive the hepatitis A vaccine. This may help prevent, or lessen the severity of, illness. The vaccine works best if given within 2 weeks of exposure and may not prevent infection with Hepatitis A for all, but it can help protect many who have been exposed.”

According to the Health Department, the Taco Bell has been cooperating with this investigation and has been compliant with safe food handling practices. The restaurant was sanitized and all employees have been offered hepatitis A vaccinations.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus, Virus Vaccination

Research – Poland, poultry and Salmonella

Posted on May 10, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

Poultry Med

A series of reports from RASFF (the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed):
-Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (present /25g) in chilled turkey meat from Poland in Poland (Notification date: 30/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken breasts from Poland in Slovakia (28/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken quarters from Poland in Slovakia (24/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken legs from Poland in Lithuania (24/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken wings from Poland in Lithuania (24/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken quarters from Poland in Lithuania (24/4/2020)
-Salmonella enterica ser. Newport (3 out of 5 samples /50g) in frozen chicken breast fillets from Poland in Romania (24/4/2020)

Is this the quality of Europe’s largest poultry producer?

I have to agree most of the products are being sold to other eastern European countries although Italy was included in this weeks alerts.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, Uncategorized

UK – Morrisons recalls Market Street Living Herbs because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on May 10, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

FSA

Morrisons has taken the precautionary step of recalling Market Street Living Herbs because the products might contain Listeria monocytogenes.

Product details

Morrisons Market Street Living Basil
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Large Living Basil
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Chives
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Coriander
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Large Living Coriander
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Dill
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Flat Parsley
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Mint
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Parsley
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Morrisons Market Street Living Thyme
Batch description	All products purchased between 03 May and 09 May 2020

Risk statement

The products listed above might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Symptoms caused by this organism can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. Some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

Action taken by the company

Morrisons is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the products. Please see the attached notice.

Customer notice: Morrisons Market Street Living Herbs

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, fsa, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

Research – Enhanced elimination of Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin by sequential exposure to ultrasound and peroxyacetic acid

Posted on May 10, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

The present study investigated the effects of combined ultrasound (37 kHz, 380 W for 5 min) and peroxyacetic acid (PAA; 50–200 ppm) treatment on the reduction of Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin. Ultrasound was not sufficient to inactivate S. Typhimurium (0.48 log CFU/g reduction) or C. jejuni (0.25 log CFU/g reduction), whereas PAA significantly (p < .05) reduced S. Typhimurium (0.93–1.59 log CFU/g reduction) and C. jejuni (0.77–1.52 log CFU/g reduction). However, maximum reductions of 2.21 and 2.08 log CFU/g were observed for S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni, respectively, for combined treatment with 5 min of ultrasound and 200 ppm PAA. Our results indicate that a combination of ultrasound treatment for 5 min and 200 ppm PAA was more effective in reducing S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni compared to the individual treatments, without significantly affecting the color or texture of the chicken skin, thus, demonstrating its potential to increase the microbial safety during poultry processing.

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

Research -The impacts of tomato residuum extract with Arabic gum and dill essential oil on the shelf life improvement of trout fillets stored at chilly condition

Posted on May 10, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of tomato residuum extract (TRE) dipping and Arabic gum (AG) coating enriched with dill essential oil (DEO) on the shelf life extension of refrigerated trout fillets. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the main constituents of DEO were alpha‐phellandrene (30.17%), limonene (28.31%), and carvone (21.31%). Antioxidant activities of acetone, ethanol, methanol, cold, and hot water extracts of tomato residuum were examined using reducing power and 2,2‐azinobis‐3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid assays in maceration, ultrasound, and combined ultrasound and maceration extraction methods. The strongest antioxidant activities were found in the ultrasound‐assisted extraction with ethanol 50%. Thiobarbituric acid, total volatile basic nitrogen, and peroxide values indicated that TRE 3%–AG–DEO 2% and TRE 6%–AG–DEO 2% treatments could significantly (p ≤ .05) extend the shelf life of the fillets. Also, sensory evaluation showed that TRE along with DEO had significant (p ≤ .05) pleasant effects on the sensory characteristics of the fillets. It was concluded that TRE dipping along with AG coating containing DEO could be a suitable alternative for the synthetic preservative in the refrigerated trout fillets.

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

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Chilled Chuck Rolls – Chicken Legs – Chicken Wings- Black Pepper – Betel Leaves – Sesame Seeds – Chicken Fillets – Chicken Breast -Chicken Quarters – Minced Turkey Meat – Turkey Breast – Chicken Thighs – Chicken Kebab – Whitish Sesame Seeds – Kaffir Lime Leaves

Posted on May 9, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in chilled chuck rolls from Ireland in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken legs from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (in 4 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken wings from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in frozen salted chicken fillets with added water from Hungary in Italy

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Newport (in 5 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken breast from Poland in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken quarters from Poland Slovakia

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in chilled minced turkey meat from Poland, via Latvia in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Saintpaul (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled turkey breasts from Poland in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper (Piper) from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken thighs from Hungary in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in whitish sesame seeds from Sudan in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (in 3 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled skinless chicken thighs from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) and Salmonella enterica ser. Newport (presence /25g) in in chilled turkey legs from Poland used to produce frozen turkey kebab in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken legs from Poland used to produce frozen chicken kebab in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken breast fillets from Ukraine, via the Netherlands in Finland

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken wings from Poland in Italy

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken thighs from Poland in Italy

RASFF – Salmonella (4,5:12:l,v:x /25g) in frozen chicken meat from France in France

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in kaffir lime leaves from South Africa in Switzerland

RASFF – Escherichia coli (58000 CFU/g) and Salmonella (1 out of 5 /25g) in betel leaves from Sri Lanka in the UK

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, RASFF, Salmonella, Salmonella in Black Pepper, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella Sesame Seeds, Uncategorized

Research – Protective shield: How pathogens withstand acidic environments in the body

Posted on May 9, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

Science Daily

Certain bacteria, including the dangerous nosocomial pathogen MRSA, can protect themselves from acidic conditions in our body and thus ensure their survival. Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have now elucidated an important mechanism in this process. A transport protein involved in cell wall biosynthesis plays a key role, they report in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

Each year, thousands of patients in Swiss hospitals become infected with dangerous pathogens that can hardly be controlled with antibiotics. The methicillin-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA for short, is particularly feared among the multi-resistant nosocomial germs. It can cause severe wound, respiratory and urinary tract infections and life-threatening sepsis. This is aggravated by the fact that MRSA causes chronic infections.

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

RASFF Alerts -Aflatoxin – Groundnut Kernels – Dried Figs

Posted on May 9, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 4.3 / B1 = 6.5 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled groundnut kernels from India in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 16.4; Tot. = 26.8 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 29; Tot. = 43 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from India in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 10; Tot. = 36 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 75.3; Tot. = 83.3 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in the Netherlands

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Posted in Aflatoxin, 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, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, RASFF, Uncategorized

RASFF Alert- High Bacterial and Enterobacteriaceae – Short Pig Intestines

Posted on May 9, 2020 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – high bacterial count (8.3x10E8 CFU/g) and high count of Enterobacteriaceae (4.9x10E6 CFU/g) in frozen short pig intestines from Poland unfit for human consumption (untreated) in Germany