Research Publications (Food Safety)

The risk of outbreaks associated with strawberries consumption has led to the evaluation of different antimicrobial strategies. The effect of disinfectants, i.e. chlorine (100 and 200 mg L−1), peracetic acid (40 and 80 mg L−1), lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide (2.5 and 5%), on strawberries contaminated with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Thompson during 2 min and stored at different times at two temperatures (20 and 4 °C) was studied.

Preliminary investigation showed a notable disparity in the browning of Golden Nectarine (GN) and Chun Xue (CX) during postharvest storage and pulping. Elucidating these underlying mechanisms might bring novel avenues for browning inhibition. To achieve this objective, GN and CX were stored at 25°C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity for 6 days, and then the biochemical changes were investigated.

Foodborne illness linked to fruit and vegetables poses a major challenge to public health and horticulture production. Processed lettuce has been implicated in recurrent outbreaks of pathogenic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection. We hypothesized that plant defenses elicited by mechanical injury may effect STEC inhibition in cut leaves.

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is a widely favored horticultural crop renowned for its unique taste and flavor. To develop an accurate predictive model for strawberry freshness, colorimetric data, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were investigated in fully ripe 'Jukhyang' and 'Merry Queen' strawberries. Data measurements were conducted after 0, 4, 8, and 12 days of cold storage (10 °C, 79% RH).

Granulation is a serious physiological disorder in citrus fruit, which impairs the fruit quality and causes economic losses to the citrus industry. ‘Harumi’ ((Citrus unshiu × C. sinensis) × C. reticulate), a mandarin-type variety, is prone to granulation, especially after long-term storage.

Brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola is one major disease in harvested peach fruit. Natural volatile compounds (VOCs) produced by antagonistic microorganisms have good biocontrol effects on postharvest fungal diseases.

Food safety and sustainability have recently emerged as the key drivers of fresh horticultural produce supply and consumption.

Apple is classified as a climacteric fruit, characterized by a rapid surge in ethylene levels at the onset of ripening. However, there is significant variation in the degree and timing of ripening and softening among different apple cultivars. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit softening and the associated changes in cell wall integrity is crucial for improving fruit quality and extending shelf life.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary metabolite produced primarily by the genus Aspergillus sp. sections Circumdati and Nigri.

To preserve quality features and ensuring availability of fresh fruit on the market, apples need to be stored after harvest. The low temperature applied during storage, beside avoiding important fruit loss, can also promote the development of serious chilling injury disorders, such as superficial scald. One of the strategies largely employed to prevent the development of this phenomenon is the control of the storage atmosphere by lowering down the oxygen concentration.

Postharvest losses related to dry rot can reach 60% during long-term storage of potato tubers.

Since the early characterization of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AsA) as a major antioxidant molecule that human beings are unable to synthesize de novo, the discovery of adequate natural sources of AsA, as well as its elevation and preservation in fruit and vegetables through the entire food chain, has become a cutting-edge research topic in plant science as well as in 

Aflatoxin, with higher toxicity, is widely found in grains such as peanut and corn. This study proposes an unsupervised learning method to detect aflatoxin based on deep spectral features.

Foreign materials (FMs) in fresh-cut vegetables are a huge concern for the fresh-cut industry since they affect product safety and quality. Therefore, effective methods of detecting FMs in industrial processing operations are urgently required. In this study, three hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques (VNIR, SWIR, and fluorescence) were investigated to distinguish the FMs from seven common fresh-cut vegetables.

The antifungal activity of Bacillus cereus (B8W8) was investigated against major post-harvest fungal pathogens affecting citrus and apples fruits namely Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Geotrichum citri-aurantii, Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea, Monilinia laxa and Monilinia fructigena.

Botrytis cinerea is one of the most important postharvest pathogens causing economical loss in blackberry. To control B. cinerea effectively with safe agent, optimal allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) concentration was determined. Freshly harvested blackberries were placed in a plastic container and treated with AITC at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 μL L-1 for 12 h at 4 °C, and then stored for 14 d at 4 °C and 80 % relative humidity.

Blueberry surface color is determined in large part by anthocyanin pigments and is one of the most important quality traits influencing consumer preference. Postharvest changes in fruit surface color and phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins, have been reported in blueberries; however, the relationships between these changes had not yet been investigated.

As an apple fruit rot disease related fungus, Alternaria spp. could bring severe hazardous risk to apple fruits during postharvest storage. In this research, cold treatment is investigated for inhibition of Alternaria infection and related mycotoxins production during postharvest storage of apple. Morphology results show that cold treatment could inhibit Alternaria rot in inoculated apple samples.

Ras GTPases belong to one of the small G proteins, which regulate morphology and growth of filamentous fungi. However, whether Ras GTPases are involved in the biological process of Penicillium expansum remains unclear. In this study, RasA and RasB gene knockout mutants of P.

After harvest at horticultural maturity, X-ray computed tomography was used for the non-destructive determination of internal defects occurring in chestnuts during storage. An image processing pipeline was established to accurately identify various types of defective chestnuts. Severely defective chestnuts, with a complete loss of eating quality, were accurately identified by their gray scale value from volume and porosity analyses.

Current methods of preserving fruit and vegetables are costly with accompanying health risks from preserver residue.

Softening of apple fruit depends on maturity at harvest and a range of orchard and environmental factors. We investigated seasonal effects on ‘Royal Gala’ storage performance independent of maturity and separate from potential orchard effects. In two consecutive seasons, fruit were harvested at four times: very early (H1), early (H2), commercial (H3) and late (H4), and were cold-stored at 0.5 °C for 100 d followed by a shelf-life period.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of humidity on the gaseous ozone inactivation of Salmonella enterica on grape tomatoes, and on the ozone-induced changes in fruit quality.

RacA is a signaling molecule of the small GTPase family that regulates fungal morphology and cellular function and activates NADPH oxidase (Nox) transmit signaling molecules. In this study, we performed subcellular localization analysis of RacA in P. expansum and by fusion expression of RacA with GFP, we found that RacA was mostly localized in the cytoplasm and organelle membranes.

Listeria monocytogenes can grow under conditions at which fresh-cut fruit are stored, whereas Salmonella spp. has been associated with a number of outbreaks related to such products. It is therefore necessary to find products capable of reducing microbial counts while maintaining quality of the product. In this regard, ferulic acid (FA) has shown antimicrobial, antioxidant and many physiological functions in humans.