Category Archives: Uncategorized

Australia – Koryo Food Pickled clams – Hepatitis A

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FSANZ

Koryo Food Pickled clams

180g

Product information

Koryo Food Co. is conducting a recall of the above product. The product has been available for sale at Independent Korean/Asian Grocery Stores in NSW.

Date markings

Use By dates 191119 and 281119

Pickled clams

Problem

The recall is due to possible microbial  (Hepatitis A virus) contamination.

Food safety hazard

Food products contaminated with Hepatitis A virus may cause illness if consumed.

Country of origin

Produced in Australia from imported ingredients

What to do​

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

For further information please contact:

Koryo Food Co.
02 9718 9545

Related links:

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, FSANZ, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus

Australia – Byul Mi salted clams – Hepatitis A

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FSANZ

Product information

Byul Mi Kim Chi is conducting a recall of Byul Mi Kim Chi Salted Clams, 150g. The product has been available for sale at Korean Grocery Shops in NSW.

Date markings

Best Before 31/OCT/19 to 31/DEC/19

Kim Chi salted clams

Problem

The recall is due to possible microbial (Hepatitis A virus) contamination.

Food safety hazard

Food products contaminated with Hepatitis A virus may cause illness if consumed.

Country of origin

Produced in Australia from imported ingredients.

What to do​

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice. and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

For further information please contact:

Byul Mi Kim Chi
0410 596 688

Related links:

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, FSANZ, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus

Australia – Flagstaff foods frozen meals – Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FSANZ

Date published: 20 September 2019

Product information

The Flagstaff Group Limited T/A Flagstaff Fine Foods is conducting a recall of the following frozen meals, all 360g:

Chicken Schnitzel with Gravy, Use By 17/07/2020; 24/07/2020; 25/07/2020; 05/08/2020; 06/08/2020; 18/08/2020; 13/08/2020; 27/08/2020; 03/09/2020
Lamb Chop, Use By 17/02/2020; 18/07/2020; 25/07/2020; 30/07/2020; 06/08/2020; 18/08/2020; 20/08/2020; 22/08/2020; 27/08/2020; 09/09/2020; 12/09/2020
Honey Mustard Beef, Use By 28/07/2020; 25/08/2020
Pork in BBQ Sauce, Use By 25/07/2020; 18/08/2020
Apricot and fig chicken, Use By 15/08/2020
Vienna Schnitzel, Use By 22/07/2020; 05/08/2020; 18/08/2020; 29/08/2020; 10/09/2020
Pork, Apple and Cranberry Casserole, Use By 12/08/2020; 01/09/2020
Roast Beef, Use By 21/07/2020; 25/07/2020, 01/08/2020, 06/08/2020, 18/08/2020, 22/08/2020, 29/08/2020, 05/09/2020 and 12/09/2020

The products have been available for sale at Meals on Wheels and community organisations in NSW, ACT, QLD and SA.

Flagstaff frozen meals

Problem

The recall is due to potential microbial (Listeria monocytogenes) contamination.

Food safety hazard

Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems.

Country of origin

Australia

What to do​

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund.

For further information please contact:

The Flagstaff Group Limited T/A Flagstaff Fine Foods
(02) 4272 0280
www.flagstaffgroup.com.au

Related links:

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

Canada- Updated Food Recall Warning – Various brands of pâtés, mousses, terrines and rillettes recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, September 12, 2019 – The food recall warning issued on August 30, 2019 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Les Spécialités Prodal (1975) Ltée is recalling various brands of pâtés, mousses, terrines and rillettes from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume and distributors, retailers and food service establishments should not sell or use the recalled products described in the link above.

The following products have been sold in Ontario and Quebec. This product has been sold clerk-served from retail counters up to and including September 12, 2019, with or without a label. Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased the affected product are advised to contact their retailer.

Première moisson Country-style pâté

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

Korea – KCDC pegs salted clam as culprit behind Hepatitis A rise

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Korea Biomed

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that it has confirmed that contaminated fermented shellfish was the main culprit behind the hepatitis A outbreak this summer.

The KCDC came to the conclusions after conducting an in-depth epidemiological investigation.

The agency randomly sampled 270 of the 2,178 hepatitis A patients, diagnosed between July 28 and August 24, and surveyed whether they consumed fermented shellfish this summer. It found that 42 percent of the patients had eaten fermented shellfish during the incubation period.

KCDC also found that 80.7 percent of the 26 patients diagnosed with hepatitis A in August also ate fermented shellfish, while discovering Hepatitis A virus genes in 11 batches out of the 18 batches collected after the outbreak.

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

USA -General Mills Recalls Five Pound Bags of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour – E.coli O26

Posted on September 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FDA

General Mills announced today a voluntary national recall of five-pound bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour with a better if used by date of September 6, 2020. The recall is being issued for the potential presence of E. coli O26 which was discovered during sampling of the five-pound bag product. This recall is being issued out of an abundance of care as General Mills has not received any direct consumer reports of confirmed illnesses related to this product.

This recall only affects this one date code of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour five-pound bags. All other types of Gold Medal Flour are not affected by this recall.

Consumers are asked to check their pantries and dispose of the product affected by this recall. Consumers who have had to discard products covered by this recall may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103 or visit www.generalmills.com/flourExternal Link Disclaimer.

Guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to warn that consumers should refrain from consuming any raw products made with flour. E. coli O26 is killed by heat through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling products made with flour. All surfaces, hands and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough.

This voluntary recall includes the following code date currently in stores or consumers’ pantries:

Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5LB Flour
Package UPC 016000 196100
Recalled Better if Used by Date 06SEP2020KC

Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. E. coli O26 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Any consumers concerned about an illness should contact a physician. Anyone diagnosed by a physician as having an illness related to E. coli O26 is also urged to contact state and local public health authorities.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O26, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

Research – Modelling the interaction of the sakacin-producing Lactobacillus sakei CTC494 and Listeria monocytogenes in filleted gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) under modified atmosphere packaging at isothermal and non-isothermal conditions

Posted on September 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Highlights

•

L. sakei CTC494 inhibited L. monocytogenes growth in sea bream fillets during chilled and moderate abuse temperature storage.

•

L. sakei CTC494 did not increase deterioration of filleted sea bream at an initial level of ≤4 log cfu/g.

•

L. sakei CTC494 showed potential as bioprotective culture for fish products.

•

An approach from broth to food was developed for modelling microbial interaction.

•

Models simulated the bioprotective effect of L. sakei CTC494 on L. monocytogenes in sea bream.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to quantitatively evaluate the effect of Lactobacillussakei CTC494 (sakacin-producing bioprotective strain) against Listeria monocytogenesin fish juice and to apply and validate three microbial interaction models (Jameson, modified Jameson and Lotka Volterra models) through challenge tests with gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) fillets under modified atmosphere packaging stored at isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. L. sakei CTC494 inhibited L. monocytogenes growth when simultaneously present in the matrix (fish juice and fish fillets) at different inoculation ratios pathogen:bioprotector (i.e. 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3). The higher the inoculation ratio, the stronger the inhibition of L. monocytogenes growth, with the ratio 1:3 yielding no growth of the pathogen. The maximum population density (Nmax) was the most affected parameter for L. monocytogenes at all inoculation ratios. According to the microbiological and sensory analysis outcomes, an initial inoculation level of 4 log cfu/g for L. sakei CTC494 would be a suitable bioprotective strategy without compromising the sensory quality of the fish product. The performance of the tested interaction models was evaluated using the Acceptable Simulation Zone approach. The Lotka Volterra model showed slightly better fit than the Jameson-based models with 75–92% out of the observed counts falling into the Acceptable Simulation Zone, indicating a satisfactory model performance. The evaluated interaction models could be used as predictive modelling tool to simulate the simultaneous behaviour of bacteriocin-producing Lactobacillus strains and L. monocytogenes; thus, supporting the design and optimization of bioprotective culture-based strategies against L. monocytogenes in minimally processed fish products.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Lactobacillus saki, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized

Research – Inactivation of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 in a selection of low moisture foods

Posted on September 17, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Highlights

•

Pathogens or surrogate survived well in samples during storage (21 days at 16 °C).

•

Heat resistance did not change significantly throughout the storage period.

•

Viability of pathogens or surrogate was adequate for inactivation/validation studies.

•

E. faecium NRRL B2354 was a suitable surrogate in tested products except confectionery.

•

Pathogens were inactivated by heating to 112 °C solid foods in sealed thermal cells.

Abstract

The aims of this study were to obtain data on survival and heat resistance of cocktails of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and the surrogate Enterococcus faecium(NRRL B-2354) in four low moisture foods (confectionery formulation, chicken meat powder, pet food and savoury seasoning) during storage before processing. Inoculated samples were stored at 16 °C and cell viability examined at day 0, 3, 7 and 21. At each time point, the heat resistance at 80 °C was determined. The purpose was to determine a suitable storage time of inoculated foods that can be applied in heat resistance studies or process validations with similar cell viability and heat resistance characteristics. The main inactivation study was carried out within 7 days after inoculation, the heat resistance of each bacterial cocktail was evaluated in each low moisture food heated in thermal cells exposed to temperatures between 70 and 140 °C. The Weibull model and the first order kinetics (D-value) were used to express inactivation data and calculate the heating time to achieve 5 log reduction at each temperature.

Results showed that the pathogens Salmonella and L. monocytogenes and the surrogate E. faecium NRRL B-2354, can survive well (maximum reduction < 0.8 log) in low moisture foods maintained at 16 °C, as simulation of warehouse raw material storage in winter and before processing. The D80 value of the pathogens and surrogate did not significantly change during the 21 day storage (p > 0.05). The inactivation kinetics of the pathogens and surrogate at temperatures between 70 and 140 °C, were different between each organism and product. E. faecium NRRL B-2354 was a suitable Salmonella surrogate for three of the low moisture foods studied, but not for the sugar-containing confectionery formulation. Heating low moisture food in moisture-tight environments (thermal cells) to 111.2, 105.3 or 111.8 °C can inactivate 5 log of Salmonella, L. monocytogenes or E. faecium NRRL B-2354 respectively.

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Posted in Enterococcus, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Research – Comparison of pH effects on ohmic heating and conventional heating for inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in orange juice

Posted on September 16, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Highlights

•

Effect of pH on ohmic heating compared to conventional heating was investigated.

•

Adjusting pH has significant effect on the heating rate of ohmic heating.

•

Unusual tendency of pathogen inactivation was identified in ohmic heating.

•

Quality aspects of samples were not severely degraded regardless of pH.

Abstract

The objective of the current study is to identify the influence of acidity on ohmic heating compared to conventional heating for inactivation of food-borne pathogensin orange juice. For conventional heating, the heating rate was not significantly different (P > 0.05) regardless of pH and pathogens were inactivated more effectively at lower pH. However, different patterns were observed for ohmic heating. Although temperature and electrical conductivity were not greatly affected by lowering pH, temperature increased more rapidly with increasing pH due to higher electrical conductivity. Also, the inactivation patterns were significantly different (P < 0.05) from conventional heating. While Salmonella Typhimurium was inactivated most rapidly at pH 2.5, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes were inactivated most rapidly at pH 4.5. When pathogens were exposed to each heating method at a fixed temperature, additional effects of ohmic heating were not observed. Also, the overall quality of orange juice subjected to ohmic heating was not greatly affected at any pH level. Therefore, increasing as well as lowering pH can also be considered effective ways to optimize pasteurization of orange juice when using ohmic heating. The different characteristics of ohmic heating compared to conventional heating indicate the necessity of a new approach.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pathogen, pathogenic, Salmonella, Technology, Uncategorized

Research – Antibiotic resistant phenotypes of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from fresh and fermented milk in parts of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Posted on September 15, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Academic Journals

Abstract

This work was aimed at determining the occurrence and antibiogram of Staphylococcus aureusisolated from fresh and fermented milk samples in parts of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 180 samples comprising of fresh raw milk, bulk milk, nono, and kindirmo were collected over a period of 6 months (May to October, 2017). Standard microbiological procedures were employed in the isolation, identification, characterisation, and determination of the antibiogram of S. aureus from the milk samples. Characterisation of the S. aureus isolates was by morphological, biochemical characteristics using conventional methods, Microgen® STAPH-ID kits. Confirmed isolates were tested for susceptibility or resistance to a panel of 11 commonly used antibiotics using the agar disc diffusion technique. Out of the 180 milk samples examined, 9 S. aureus were isolated giving a prevalence of 5.0%. The occurrence of S. aureus was higher in nono (12.1%) and kindirmo (10.6%) than in fresh raw milk (5.9%). The high occurrence of S. aureus in nono disproved the assertion that fermented foods are not good media for the survival and growth of S. aureus. The antibiotic susceptibility profile of the S. aureus isolates indicated all of the nine isolates were completely resistant to cefoxitin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. The isolates were moderately resistant to erythromycin (22.2%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (22.2%), and tetracycline (44.4%). Five antibiotic resistance patterns were recorded among the isolates. All of the isolates had a multiple antibiotics resistance (MAR) index of 0.3 and above, an indication of possible antibiotic misuse in the areas studied.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, Antimicrobials, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Staphylococcus aureus, Uncategorized