Research Publications (Food Safety)

The aim of this study is to analyze and document the microbiological safety and quality of ready-to-eat foods in hospital and university canteens in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 420 ready-to-eat food products from 21 canteens were sampled in July 2018 and May 2019. The ratio of samples exceeding the unsatisfactory level for Total Plate Count (TPC) was 31%.

This study isolated Bacillus cereus from soft soybean curds and developed a dynamic model to describe the kinetic behavior of B. cereus isolates during transfer and storage. B. cereus were first isolated from soft soybean curds. A mixture of B. cereus isolates was then inoculated in soft soybean curd and the bacterial cell counts were enumerated during storage at 10-30°C. The B.

Bacillus cereus, which causes foodborne disease, is detected using selective media. However, competing flora is the most common factor preventing the correct enumeration of B. cereus on selective agars. In this study, we aimed to improve the selectivity of mannitol-yolk-polymyxin B agar (MYPA) and its modified version containing trimethoprim (mMYPA) developed in our previous study by supplementation with ceftazidime (16 μg/mL).

Consumption of seaweeds, often categorized as a superfood, is becoming popular in western countries. Algae can be marketed fresh, but are usually sold dehydrated to ensure longer shelf life. The consumption, often as ready to eat, open up possible risks for public health because of foodborne pathogens that can contaminate the raw material during harvesting or manipulation.

Bacillus cereus is one of the important foodborne pathogens that can be found in various foodstuffs; causing diarrheal and/or emetic syndromes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, pathogenic potential, and genotypic diversity of B. cereus isolated from diverse food products from markets in Cairo, Egypt. A total of 39 out of 165 food samples were positive for B.

The microbial safety concern in thermally processed extended shelf-life (ESL) refrigerated foods is associated with spore-forming pathogens such as nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum types B, E, and F. These are traditionally regarded as the target pathogens in validation of thermally processed ESL foods. Their use is restricted due to their designation as select agents. In this study, the heat resistances of spores of ten nonproteolytic C.

Sake (Japanese rice wine) has been recognized as being low-risk in terms of its microbiological safety. However, a confirmation of the food safety aspects of sake based on scientific evidence is important for establishing consumer confidence, in part because consumer concerns regarding food safety have increased.

Biofilms have a significant impact on food safety in the food industry. Many foodborne outbreaks have been associated with pathogenic strains that can form a biofilm. The present study aimed to examine the ability to form biofilms by pathogenic strains collected from retail food samples under the Official Control and Monitoring Program in Poland.

Results from monitoring of the microbiological quality of 2,721 samples of ready-to-eat cooked chicken collected between 2013 to 2017 in England were reviewed: 70% of samples were from retail, catering or manufacture and 30% were imported and collected at English ports. Samples were tested for a range of bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms. Six samples (<1%) had unsatisfactory levels of pathogens which were potentially injurious to health.

High moisture slurries used in production of table spreads may permit growth of  Staphylococcus aureus and  Bacillus cereus  and subsequent production of heat stable enterotoxin. Compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), specifically 21 CFR Part 117, Subpart B and Section 117.8 (c)(2) and (c)(3) requires a hazard analysis to determine if preventive controls are needed. In this study, growth of  S. aureus  and  B.

In dairy plants, clean-in-place (CIP) apparatus cannot be disassembled and, therefore, it is not easy to clean the inner surface of their pipes. In this study, the inhibitory effects of chemical agents on biofilms formed by three foodborne pathogens, Bacillus cereus , Escherichia coli , and Staphylococcus aureus , were evaluated in a dairy CIP system.

The microbiological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods from school cafeterias in Chongqing, China, was evaluated in comparison to a guideline published by a provincial health commission.

The impact of cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on the inactivation kinetics of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and the resulting quality changes was investigated in tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) milk (TNM). The effect of input power (39, 43, and 46 W) and treatment time (0 to 270 s) was fitted using the Weibull model to represent the microbial kinetic inactivation in the treated TNM. Inactivation efficacy increased with an increase in treatment time and input power.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 82, Issue 4, Page 691-695, April 2019.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 81, Issue 10, Page 1590-1597, October 2018.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 81, Issue 5, Page 860-869, May 2018.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 80, Issue 7, Page 1085-1089, July 2017.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 80, Issue 7, Page 1060-1065, July 2017.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 80, Issue 3, Page 502-505, March 2017.

Three important foodborne pathogens, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, are of great concern for food safety. They may also coexist in food matrices and, in the case of B. cereus and S. aureus, the resulting illnesses can resemble each other owing to similar symptoms. Therefore, their simultaneous detection may have advantages in terms of cost savings and rapidity.

This study determined the prevalence and toxin profile of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis in doenjang, a fermented soybean food, made using both traditional and commercial methods. The 51 doenjang samples tested were broadly contaminated with B. cereus; in contrast, only one sample was positive for B. thuringiensis. All B. cereus isolates from doenjang were positive for diarrheal toxin genes.

The emetic toxin cereulide, which can be produced by Bacillus cereus, can be the cause of food poisoning upon ingestion by the consumer. The toxin causes vomiting and is mainly produced in farinaceous food products. This article includes the prevalence of B. cereus and of cereulide in food products in The Netherlands, a characterization of B.