Research Publications (Food Safety)

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a public health concern due to its zoonotic transmission to human, being pigs a highly recognized reservoir. We previously demonstrated HEV genotype 3 infections in pig herds from the highest commercial active region from Argentina. Here, we present a case of acute symptomatic hepatitis E in an elderly man with occupational exposure to pigs who referred regular consumption of pork and sausages.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, EarlyView. Every year, agrifood activities generate a large amount of plant byproducts, which have a low economical value. However, the valorization of these byproducts can contribute to increasing the intake of dietary fibers and reducing the environmental pollution. This review presents an overview of a wide variety of agricultural wastes applied in the formulation of different food products and sustainable packaging.

Environmental Microbiology, EarlyView. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants threatening ecosystems and human health. Here, we isolated and characterized a new strain, Hydrogenibacillus sp. N12, which is a thermophilic PAH-degrader. Strain N12 utilizes naphthalene as a sole carbon and energy source above 60°C and co-metabolizes many other PAHs as well.

To date, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have been widely used in precision agriculture (PA) for crop monitoring and crop spraying, allowing farmers to increase the efficiency of the farming process, meanwhile reducing environmental impact. However, to spray pesticides effectively and safely to the trees in small fields or rugged environments, such as mountain areas, is still an open question.

Listeria monocytogenes continues to be a food safety challenge owing to its stress tolerance and virulence traits. Several listeriosis outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of contaminated ready-to-eat food products. Numerous interventions, including nisin application, are presently employed to mitigate against L. monocytogenes risk in food products. In response, L. monocytogenes deploys several defense mechanisms, reducing nisin efficacy, that are not yet fully understood.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a common toxin in dairy products that causes acute and chronic human health disorders. Thus, the development of a rapid and accurate AFM1 detection method is of vital importance for food safety monitoring. This work was to develop a novel electrochemical aptasensor for sensitive and specific determination of AFM1.

Dairy cows can be reservoirs of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella that pose serious public health risks to humans. The study was designed to examine the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella isolates from dairy heifer calves and adult lactating cows in the pasture-based system of Australia. A total of 838 animals (328 heifer calves and 510 lactating cows) from 22 farms were sampled.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus and its biofilm formation have been challenging to control in milk and dairy industries. Biofilms formed by Staph. aureus may result in the failure of antibacterial agents and disinfectants to penetrate the biofilm in an attempt to control contamination. Novel natural antibacterial agents are required to combat MDR bacteria and biofilms.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Escherichia coli exhibits strong multidrug resistance (MDR) to ampicillin and third-generation cephalosporins. This study examined the occurrence, antimicrobial susceptibility, and molecular genetic features of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from three commonly consumed minced meat varieties, namely pork, chicken, and beef. In total, 150 samples were collected from 10 local markets in Thailand. ESBL-producing E.

The objectives for this study were to (1) describe the pathogen profile in quarters from cows with clinical mastitis and in cows with subclinical mastitis in southeastern Australia; and (2) describe antimicrobial susceptibility among isolated pathogens. As a secondary objective, we aimed to compare antimicrobial resistance prevalence in pathogens isolated from clinical and subclinical mastitis samples.

Psychrotolerant gram-negative bacteria introduced as post-pasteurization contamination (PPC) are a major cause of spoilage and reduced shelf life of high-temperature, short-time pasteurized fluid milk.

Author(s): Bruna Torres Furtado Martins, João Luiz de Meirelles, Wellington Pine Omori, Rafael R. de Oliveira, Ricardo Seiti Yamatogi, Douglas Ruben Call, Luís Augusto Nero

Author(s): Lihan Huang, Zhen Jia, Cheng-An Hwang

Listeria monocytogenes is a potentially fatal foodborne pathogen. Its growth in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods must be strictly controlled to protect public food safety. This study was conducted to define the growth and no-growth boundary of L. monocytogenes with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), sodium lactate (NaL), sodium diacetate (NaDiAc), sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium nitrite (NaNO2), and pH as control factors.

Author(s): Wenbing Wang, Qianling Dong, Hao Qiu, Hui Li, Yitao Mao, Yiming Liu, Tiantian Gong, Minghui Xiang, Yuan Huang, Chen Wang, Rixia Zan

Author(s): Esmaeel Alipour, Fatemeh Mirzae Bolali, Sheida Norouzi, Afsaneh Saadatirad

Author(s): Mengxiao Song, Md. Iqbal Hossain, Soontag Jung, Daseul Yeo, Zhaoqi Wang, Ae Min, Ziwei Zhao, Sunho Park, Changsun Choi

Author(s): Yong-Wei Xiong, Yu-Jie Feng, Tian Wei, Xiang Zhang, Lu-Lu Tan, Jin Zhang, Li-Min Dai, Hua-Long Zhu, Guo-Xiang Zhou, Wei-Bo Liu, Zi-Qi Liu, Xiao-Feng Xu, Lan Gao, Cheng Zhang, Qing Wang, De-Xiang Xu, Hua Wang

Author(s): Hong Ma, Yilin Yang, Fengyue Yin, Xiong-Fei Zhang, Jianhao Qiu, Jianfeng Yao

Atrazine (ATZ) is an agricultural pesticide for controlling field weeds. ATZ accumulates in many crops, posing high risks to crop production and food safety. Characterizing one of the novel rice MT genes named Oryza sativa atrazine-responsive methyltransferase (OsARM) showed that the expression of OsARM was associated with DNA demethylation (hypomethylation) in its promoter region.

The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is a Gram-positive, immobile, non-spore bacterium, with catalase and positive coagulase, among other characteristics. It is responsible for important infections caused in the population and for hospital infections. Because of that many strategies are being developed to combat the resistance of microorganisms to drugs, in recent times, chalcones have been studied for this purpose.

Bacillus cereus foodborne intoxications and toxicoinfections are on a rise. Usually, symptoms are self-limiting but occasionally hospitalization is necessary. Severe intoxications with the emetic Bacillus cereus toxin cereulide, which is notably resistant heat and acid during cooking, can cause acute liver failure and encephalopathy.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the causative agents of a potentially lethal paralytic disease targeting cholinergic nerve terminals. Multiple BoNT serotypes exist, with types A, B and E being the main cause of human botulism. Their extreme toxicity has been exploited for cosmetic and therapeutic uses to treat a wide range of neuromuscular disorders.

Identifying patients who can gain minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in active motor function in the affected upper extremity (UE) after a botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection for post-stroke spasticity is important. Eighty-eight participants received a BoNT-A injection in the affected UE. Two outcome measures, Fugl–Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Motor Activity Log (MAL), were assessed at pre-injection and after 24 rehabilitation sessions.

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria causing intractable and even fatal infections are a major health concern. Resistant bacteria residing in the intestinal tract of healthy individuals present a silent threat because of frequent transmission via conjugation and transposition. Plasmids harboring quinolone resistance genes are increasingly detected in clinical isolates worldwide.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Medicine food homologous (MFH) plants provide therapeutic and health care effects through diet. Thus, a risk assessment system for hazardous ingredient residues is urgently required to ensure their safe use.