Research Publications (Food Safety)

The impact of the protease from Staphylococcus carnosus on the structural characteristics, hydrolysis and flavour development of pork myofibrillar protein (MP) and sarcoplasmic protein (SP) were assessed. Hydrolysis altered the surface hydrophobicity and secondary structure of MP and SP, as measured by surface hydrophobicity, intrinsic fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectra.

The incidence of foodborne diseases ranks at the forefront of the total incidence of various diseases. High-specificity and high-sensitivity detection and reporting of foodborne pathogens have become the core of preventing and solving food safety problems.

The continuous increase in the heavy metals concentration in the soil due to anthropogenic activities has become a global issue. The chromium, especially hexavalent chromium, is highly toxic for living organisms due to high mobility, solubility, and carcinogenic properties.

Most motile bacteria utilize the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) to construct the flagellum, which is a supramolecular motility machine consisting of basal body rings and an axial structure. Each axial protein is translocated via the fT3SS across the cytoplasmic membrane, diffuses down the central channel of the growing flagellar structure and assembles at the distal end.

At present, foodborne diseases (FBDs) caused by bacteria are gradually increasing every year, and the development of new antibiotics is an urgent necessity for human beings. To find novel antibacterial compounds, three sponge-derived fungal strains (SCSIOS02F40, F46, and F49) were investigated. As a result, Alternaria sp.

Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague, a deadly infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths throughout history. Obtaining iron from the host is very important for bacterial pathogenicity. Y. pestis possesses many iron uptake systems. Yersiniabactin (Ybt) plays a major role in iron uptake in vivo and in vitro, and in virulence toward mice as well. FyuA, a β-barrel TonB-dependent outer membrane protein, serves as the receptor for Ybt.

Plectasin is a promising and potent antimicrobial peptide isolated from the fungus Pseudoplectania nigrella which has been heterologously expressed in various hosts. In this study, a four-copy cassette of plectasin was constructed via 2A peptide assembly to further increase its expression level in recombinant Pichia pastoris.

Stryphnodendron adstringens is a medicinal plant that has a broad spectrum of action, including antibacterial activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of S. adstringens alone and in combination with potassium sorbate (PS) against foodborne bacteria.

Pork head meat may harbor Salmonella and contaminate other carcass byproducts during harvest and fabrication. A large pork processing plant in the United States was sampled bimonthly for 11 months to determine the concentration, prevalence, seasonality, serotype diversity, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica isolated from cheek meat and head trim of swine carcasses.

The aim of the present study was the determination of Listeria monocytogenes , competitive microbiota, microbial hygiene indicators and physico-chemical parameters in the typical Mediterranean Style fermented sausages “Salsiccia Sarda” . A batch of “Salsiccia Sarda” (25 samples) naturally contaminated by L. monocytogenes and vacuum packaged after 24 days of ripening was included in the study.

by Andrew J. Van Alst, Lucas M. Demey, Victor J. DiRita Vibrio cholerae respires both aerobically and anaerobically and, while oxygen may be available to it during infection, other terminal electron acceptors are proposed for population expansion during infection. Unlike gastrointestinal pathogens that stimulate significant inflammation leading to elevated levels of oxygen or alternative terminal electron acceptors, V.

Microbial risk assessment is a valuable tool to provide scientific evidence to control food safety. Therefore, this study evaluated the risk of foodborne illness caused by Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat (RTE) salad products and economic impact. The prevalence of S.

Salmonella is an important foodborne pathogen that is widely distributed in foods of animal origin. Salmonella strains (n = 246) were identified from 1178 pork samples collected in Jiangsu, China. The most predominant Salmonella serovars in pork and slaughterhouse environment were S. London (49.13%, 85/173) and S. Rissen (53.42%, 39/73), respectively.

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to exhibit antimicrobial and anti-virulent properties against bacterial pathogens. Specific FFAs, such as lauric acid (LA; C12:0), exert both effects against the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes: at low levels, LA acts to inhibit the activity of the virulence regulator PrfA, whereas at higher levels, LA inhibits bacterial growth. Deletion of prfA is known to promote tolerance toward antimicrobial FFAs, suggesting that the response of L.

Heavy metal resistant bacteria play an important role in the metal biogeochemical cycle in soil, but the benefits of microbial oxidation for plants and soil have not been well-documented. The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of two Bacillus spp. to alleviate the antimony (Sb) toxicity in plants, and, then, to propose a bioremediation method for Sb contaminated soil, which is characterized by environmental protection, high efficiency, and low cost.

Salmonella enterica is one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the United States and worldwide, with nearly one-third of the cases attributed to contaminated eggs and poultry products. Vaccination has proven to be an effective strategy to reduce Salmonella load in poultry.

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) is a foodborne pathogen that adversely affects the health of both animals and humans. Since poultry is a common source and carrier of the disease, controlling ST infection in chickens will have a protective impact on human health.

The inactivation kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes during High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) treatments was studied in a purple smoothie based of fresh fruit and vegetables. Pressure intensity studied was 300, 350, 400 and 450 MPa. Untreated samples were used as control. Furthermore, the effects on quality attributes (sensory, total soluble solids content, colour, titratable acidity, pH, vitamin C and total phenolics content) were also monitored.

Cronobacter sakazakii, as a most important foodborne pathogen in powdered infant formula (PIF), can cause diseases with high mortality in infants and young children, and has become a key monitoring target in dairy industry. In this study, a visual detection strategy based on DNAzyme and asymmetry recombinase polymerase amplification (aRPA) was developed for monitoring C. sakazakii in PIF.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major food-borne pathogen and the leading cause of seafood-associated enteric infections worldwide. In addition, imprudent use of antibiotics has contributed to increasing antibiotic resistance in V. parahaemolyticus. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel control strategies to reduce V.

Metabolomics based on the mass spectrometry approach can serve as a platform to detect pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. However, the accurate quantification of biomarkers with lower molecular weight based on mass spectrometry is generally limited by isotope-labeled standards and complicated protocols, which is not conducive to large-scale applications.

Foodborne illness constitutes a substantial health and economic burden on society, and most cases are believed to be due to mishandling of food practices. This study aimed to establish the relationship between food handling practices and Campylobacter contamination in commercial restaurant kitchens. The handling practices of chefs during chicken preparation were observed and recorded.

Salmonella enterica is capable of entering the interior of leafy greens and establishing in the apoplastic area, a phenomenon known as internalization. The ability of internalized bacteria to evade common disinfection practices poses a well-established risk. Our aim was to study the effect of: i) inoculum size and ii) prior adaptation of Salmonella to sublethal stresses, on the internalization of the pathogen in four leafy vegetables.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen with high mortality in young children, elderly persons, pregnant women, and immune-compromised individuals. Most human listeriosis cases are associated with four serotypes (1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c and 4b) within lineages I and II. The intracellular metabolic changes in L. monocytogenes from different lineages and serotypes remain unclear.

This study aimed to determine Salmonella enterica occurrence along the soybean meal production chain (raw material, in-processing samples, final products, and in the environment of five processing plants), characterize the isolates, and assess the survival of Salmonella Se