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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 201 - 225 of 2785

  1. Characterization of a lytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage vB_PaeP_ASP23 and functional analysis of its lysin LysASP and holin HolASP

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • In this study, we isolated a lytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage (vB_PaeP_ASP23) from the sewage of a mink farm, characterized its complete genome and analyzed the function of its putative lysin and holin. Morphological characterization and genome annotation showed that phage ASP23 belonged to the Krylovirinae family genus Phikmvvirus, and it had a latent period of 10 min and a burst size of 140 pfu/infected cell. In minks challenged with P.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  2. The mobile gene cassette carrying tetracycline resistance genes in Aeromonas veronii strain Ah5S-24 isolated from catfish pond sediments shows similarity with a cassette found in other environmental and foodborne bacteria

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Aeromonas veronii is a Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitously found in aquatic environments. It is a foodborne pathogen that causes diarrhea in humans and hemorrhagic septicemia in fish. In the present study, we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to evaluate the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence genes found in A. veronii Ah5S-24 isolated from catfish pond sediments in South-East, United States.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  3. Ferric quinate (QPLEX) inhibits the interaction of major outer membrane protein (MOMP) with the Lewis b (Leb) antigen and limits Campylobacter colonization in broilers

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni colonizes hosts by interacting with Blood Group Antigens (BgAgs) on the surface of gastrointestinal epithelia. Genetic variations in BgAg expression affects host susceptibility to C. jejuni. Here, we show that the essential major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of C.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  4. Investigating the effect on biogenic amines, nitrite, and N-nitrosamine degradation in cultured sausage ripening through inoculation of Staphylococcus xylosus and lactic acid bacteria

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Introduction

      Microbial inoculants can reinvent the value and edible security of cultured sausages. Various studies have demonstrated that starter cultures made up of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Staphylococcus xylosus (known as L-S) isolated from traditional fermented foods were used in fermented sausage manufacturing.

      Methods

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  5. Exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria enhanced Pb immobilization and influenced the microbiome composition in rhizosphere soil of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.)

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Lead (Pb) contamination of planting soils is increasingly serious, leading to harmful effects on soil microflora and food safety. Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are carbohydrate polymers produced and secreted by microorganisms, which are efficient biosorbent materials and has been widely used in wastewater treatment to remove heavy metals. However, the effects and underlying mechanism of EPS-producing marine bacteria on soil metal immobilization, plant growth and health remain unclear.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Heavy Metals
  6. Characterization of the Staphylococcus xylosus methylome reveals a new variant of type I restriction modification system in staphylococci

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Restriction modification (RM) systems are known to provide a strong barrier to the exchange of DNA between and within bacterial species. Likewise, DNA methylation is known to have an important function in bacterial epigenetics regulating essential pathways such as DNA replication and the phase variable expression of prokaryotic phenotypes. To date, research on staphylococcal DNA methylation focused mainly on the two species Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  7. Development of a food preservative from sea buckthorn together with chitosan: Application in and characterization of fresh-cut lettuce storage

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The purpose was to create a novel composite food preservative for fresh-cut lettuce using flavonoids and chitosan from sea buckthorn leaves (SBL). Sea buckthorn leaves were extracted with ethanol as the extraction solvent and ultrasonic-assisted extraction to obtain flavonoid from sea buckthorn leaf crude (FSL), and then the FSL was secondarily purified with AB-8 resin and polyamide resin to obtain flavonoid from sea buckthorn leaf purified (FSL-1).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Produce Safety
      • Fresh Cut
      • Leafy Greens
  8. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains recovered from bovine carcasses in Uruguay

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Introduction

      Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that cause food-borne diseases in humans. Cattle and derived foodstuffs play a known role as reservoir and vehicles, respectively. In Uruguay, information about the characteristics of circulating STEC in meat productive chain is scarce. The aim was to characterize STEC strains recovered from 800 bovine carcasses of different slaughterhouses.

      Methods

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
      • Escherichia coli O157:H7
  9. An integrated transcriptome and microbial community analysis reveals potential mechanisms for increased immune responses when replacing silybum marianum meal with soybean meal in growing lambs

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Silybum marianum meal is a by-product that remains silymarin complex and is perceived as a potential-protein source. The potential and its mechanism of silybum marianum meal as a protein supplement in ruminants were evaluated by testing the growth performance, biochemical parameters, cytokine levels, gut transcriptome and microbial community profiles.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  10. Exopolysaccharide-producing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strains isolated from kefir as starter for functional dairy products

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by lactic acid bacteria are molecules of great interest for the dairy food industry. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei CIDCA 8339, CIDCA 83123, and CIDCA 83124 are potentially probiotic strains isolated from kefir grains whose EPS-production on MRS broth is dependent on incubation temperature. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of fermentation temperature on the characteristics of EPS produced in milk by L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  11. Metabolomics-based response of Salmonella to desiccation stress and skimmed milk powder storage

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The strong survival ability of Salmonella in low-moisture foods (LMFs) has been of public concern, and is considered a threat to people’s health. Recently, the development of omics technology has promoted research on the molecular mechanisms of the desiccation stress response of pathogenic bacteria. However, multiple analytical aspects related to their physiological characteristics remain unclear. We explored the physiological metabolism changes of S.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  12. Biogenic nanosilver bearing antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities and its potential for application in agriculture and industry

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Introduction

      Due to the increasing resistance of bacteria and fungi to antimicrobials, it is necessary to search for effective alternatives to prevent and treat pathogens causing diseases in humans, animals, and plants. In this context, the mycosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are considered as a potential tool to combat such pathogenic microorganisms.

      Methods

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  13. Comparative genomics of Bacillus cereus sensu lato spp. biocontrol strains in correlation to in-vitro phenotypes and plant pathogen antagonistic capacity

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Bacillus cereus sensu lato (Bcsl) strains are widely explored due to their capacity to antagonize a broad range of plant pathogens. These include B. cereus sp. UW85, whose antagonistic capacity is attributed to the secondary metabolite Zwittermicin A (ZwA).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Bacillus cereus
  14. Potential of desiccation-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in growth augmentation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under drought stress

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and physiology are adversely affected due to limited water availability. However, desiccation-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (DT-PGPR) are potential candidates that can overcome the negative impacts of water stress.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Bacillus cereus
  15. Effects of the addition of leucine on flavor and quality of sausage fermented by Lactobacillus fermentum YZU-06 and Staphylococcus saprophyticus CGMCC 3475

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Methyl-branched aldehydes, especially 3-methylbutanal, have been reported to be perceived either as a malty or as a nutty/chocolate-like aroma and were considered an important flavor contributor in fermented meat products. Decomposition of leucine (Leu) by branched-chain amino acid transaminase (BACT) is a crucial step in the metabolism of Leu to 3-methylbutanal.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  16. Management of take-all disease caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici in wheat through Bacillus subtilis strains

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the second largest grain crop worldwide, and one of the three major grain crops produced in China. Take-all disease, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) infection, is a widespread and devastating soil-borne disease that harms wheat production. At present, the prevention and control of wheat take-all depend largely on the application of chemical pesticides.

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
      • Pesticide residues
  17. Physicochemical property, volatile flavor quality, and microbial community composition of Jinhua fatty ham and lean ham: A comparative study

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The physicochemical property, volatile flavor compounds, and microbial community structure of Jinhua fatty ham (FH) and lean ham (LH) were investigated and compared by high-throughput sequencing and HS-GC-IMS. Results showed that FH had higher pH and slightly lighter and yellower color than LH.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  18. Prevalence and contamination patterns of Listeria monocytogenes in Pleurotus eryngii (king oyster mushroom) production plants

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen that is well-known for its high mortality rate upon infection. In recent years, the edible mushroom has also been found to be an important source of L. monocytogenes, but the contamination sources in Pleurotus eryngii (the king oyster mushroom) were unclear. In this study, a total of 203 edible mushrooms and environmental samples from four P. eryngii production plants were obtained. As a result, 29 samples (14.3%) were positive for L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  19. Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus C1 effectively inhibits Penicillium roqueforti: Effects of antimycotic culture supernatant on toxin synthesis and corresponding gene expression

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Recently, consumers are increasingly concerned about the contamination of food by molds and the addition of chemical preservatives. As natural and beneficial bacteria, probiotics are a prospective alternative in food conservation because of their antimycotic activities, although the mechanism has not been explained fully at the level of metabolites.

      • Natural toxins
      • Mycotoxins
  20. Observations supporting hypothetical commensalism and competition between two Campylobacter jejuni strains colonizing the broiler chicken gut

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is the most prevalent bacterial foodborne pathogen in humans. Given the wide genetic diversity of C. jejuni strains found in poultry production, a better understanding of the relationships between these strains within chickens could lead to better control of this pathogen on farms. In this study, 14-day old broiler chickens were inoculated with two C.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  21. Evaluation of the efficacy of the antimicrobial peptide HJH-3 in chickens infected with Salmonella Pullorum

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • As a promising substitute for antibiotics, increasing attention has been given to the clinical application of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In this study, the mode of action of the HJH-3 against Salmonella Pullorum was investigated. The structure and properties of HJH-3 were examined in silico, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined to evaluate its antimicrobial spectrum. The time-kill kinetics of HJH-3 was determined.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  22. Fermented table olives from Cyprus: Microbiota profile of three varieties from different regions through metabarcoding sequencing

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The knowledge about the microbial diversity of different olives varieties from diverse regions in the Mediterranean basin is limited. This work aimed to determine the microbial diversity of three different fermented olive varieties, collected from different regions in Cyprus, via Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  23. Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation as an alternative approach to inhibit the growth of Cronobacter sakazakii by fine-tuning the activity of CpxRA two-component system

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen primarily found in powdered infant formula (PIF). To date, it remains challenging to control the growth of this ubiquitous bacterium. Herein, antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) was first employed to inactivate C. sakazakii. Through 460 nm light irradiation coupled with hypocrellin B, the survival rate of C. sakazakii was diminished by 3~4 log.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Cronobacter
  24. Effects of waste milk feeding on rumen fermentation and bacterial community of pre-weaned and post-weaned dairy calves

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of waste milk with antibiotic residue on rumen fermentation and rumen bacterial composition of dairy calves during pre-weaned and post-weaned periods. A total of 24 Holstein male calves (43.4 ± 0.93 kg body weight, mean ± standard error) were allocated into four blocks based on birth date. Dairy calves were supplied 100% milk replacer (MR, n = 8), 50% milk replacer mixed with 50% waste milk (MM, n = 8), or 100% waste milk (WM, n = 8).

      • Chemical contaminants
      • Antibiotic residues
  25. Whole-genome sequencing reveals genomic characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from food in China

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Introduction Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterium that could persist in food and food processing environments for a long time. Understanding the population structure and genomic characterization of foodborne L. monocytogenes is essential for the prevention and control of listeriosis. Methods A total of 322 foodborne L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes