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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 51 - 75 of 2797

  1. Diverse Listeria monocytogenes in-house clones are present in a dynamic frozen vegetable processing environment

    • International Journal of Food Microbiology
    • Listeria (L.monocytogenes is of global concern for food safety as the listeriosis-causing pathogen is widely distributed in the food processing environments, where it can survive for a long time. Frozen vegetables contaminated with L. monocytogenes were recently identified as the source of two large listeriosis outbreaks in the EU and US.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  2. Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes by hydrogen peroxide addition in commercial cheese brines

    • Journal of Food Protection
    • Commercial cheese brines are used repeatedly over extended periods, potentially for years, and can be a reservoir for salt-tolerant pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. The objective of this study was to determine the inactivation of L. monocytogenes in cheese brines treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (0, 50, and 100 ppm) at holding temperatures representing manufacturing conditions.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  3. Innovative Combined Technology with Encapsulated EVOO and Infrared Processing Against Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in Breaded Poultry Products

    • Food and Bioprocess Technology
    • The high Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes risk in poultry products reinforces the urgent need for new technologies with high antimicrobial effects. In that sense, a combined technology consisting of encapsulated extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) during chicken nugget breading combined with infrared processing was hereby studied at three levels (experiments). The high in vitro EVOO antimicrobial activity (up to 74%), which was 1.2-fold higher against L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  4. Microbiological hazards associated with the use of water in the post‐harvest handling and processing operations of fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and herbs (ffFVHs). Part 1 (outbreak data analysis, literature review and stakeholder questionnaire)

    • EFSA Journal
    • Abstract The contamination of water used in post‐harvest handling and processing operations of fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables and herbs (ffFVHs) is a global concern. The most relevant microbial hazards associated with this water are: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., human pathogenic Escherichia coli and enteric viruses, which have been linked to multiple outbreaks associated with ffFVHs in the European Union (EU). Contamination (i.e.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  5. Prior freezing impact on the growth kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes in hot dog sausages

    • Food Control
    • Listeria monocytogenes adapts to low-temperature environments and grows rapidly at room temperature. This bacterium is associated with several foodborne outbreaks due to cold chain breaks, particularly ready-to-eat foods such as sausages. The present study evaluated how frozen storage (-10 °C) for 30 and 90 days of hot dog sausages influences the bacterial growth kinetics between 7 and 30 °C under isothermal conditions. L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  6. Comparison of Listeria monocytogenes alternative detection methods for food microbiology official controls in Europe

    • International Journal of Food Microbiology
    • Listeriosis remains one of the most severe foodborne diseases regarding mortality rate. L. monocytogenes can grow under stressful conditions and contaminate various food categories. Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 modified on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs includes either qualitative or quantitative food safety criteria on L. monocytogenes and mentions EN ISO 11290-1 Standard as the reference detection method.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  7. Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity of Listeria monocytogenes in Pig Slaughterhouses in Korea

    • Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
    • Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that has variable subtypes associated with human listeriosis and occurs in food and processing environments. This study was conducted to provide the genetic and phenotypic characterization of L. monocytogenes in pig carcasses and environments of slaughterhouses in Korea. A total of 22 L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  8. Application of multi-functional lactic acid bacteria strains in a pilot scale feta cheese production

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Feta cheese is the most recognized Greek Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product in the world. The addition of selected autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains to cheese milk as adjunct cultures is gaining more attention, since they can impact the nutritional, technological and sensory properties of cheeses, as well as improve the safety of the product.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  9. A comprehensive investigation of protein expression profiles in L. monocytogenes exposed to thermal abuse, mild acid, and salt stress conditions

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Preventing L. monocytogenes infection is crucial for food safety, considering its widespread presence in the environment and its association with contaminated RTE foods. The pathogen's ability to persist under adverse conditions, for example, in food processing facilities, is linked to virulence and resistance mechanisms, including biofilm formation. In this study, the protein expression patterns of two L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  10. Combined effects of cold and acid on dual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Listeria monocytogenes under simulated chilled beef processing conditions

    • Food Microbiology
    • Interactions across bacterial species boundaries are usually influenced by environmental stresses, yet little has been evaluated regarding multifactorial stresses on the fate of dual-species biofilm formation in food industry.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  11. A comprehensive review of the applications of bacteriophage-derived endolysins for foodborne bacterial pathogens and food safety: recent advances, challenges, and future perspective

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Foodborne diseases are caused by food contaminated by pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, and Clostridium, a critical threat to human health. As a novel antibacterial agent against foodborne pathogens, endolysins are peptidoglycan hydrolases encoded by bacteriophages that lyse bacterial cells by targeting their cell wall, notably in Gram-positive bacteria due to their naturally exposed peptidoglycan layer.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  12. Essential Oil Vapors Assisted Plasma for Rapid, Enhanced Sanitization of Food-Associated Pathogenic Bacteria

    • Food and Bioprocess Technology
    • Antimicrobial treatment procedures are often applied during produce post-harvest processing and storage as a complementary measure to reduce the potential risk of foodborne illness. Herein, we investigate the feasibility and efficacy of utilizing essential oil vapor–assisted plasma treatments to sanitize lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes. These fresh produce items are often associated with foodborne illnesses. Additionally, potatoes were chosen to introduce topography diversity into the study.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  13. Fate of osmotically adapted and biofilm Listeria monocytogenes cells after exposure to salt, heat, and liquid smoke, mimicking the stresses induced during the processing of hot smoked fish

    • Food Microbiology
    • The study aimed to investigate the response of osmotically adapted and detached biofilm Listeria monocytogenes cells following sequential stresses that occur during the processing of hot smoking, such as heating and smoke application. Thermal resistance of L. monocytogenes was significantly affected by previous osmotic adaptation of the cells. D60oC-values of osmotically adapted L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  14. Evaluation of low‐energy x‐rays as an alternative to chlorine washing to control internalized foodborne pathogens in lettuce

    • Journal of Food Safety
    • Low‐energy x‐rays can be used to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms in fresh produce, but the efficacy of this process against internalized bacteria in leafy greens has not yet been reported. Low‐energy x‐ray irradiation at 1.5 kGy reduced the internalized pathogens by an average of 4.86 log CFU/g in iceberg lettuce without affecting product quality.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  15. Influence of myoglobin on the antibacterial activity of carvacrol and the binding mechanism between the two compounds

    • Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
    • Abstract Background Myoglobin (MB), a pigmentation protein, can adversely affect the antibacterial activity of carvacrol (CAR) and weaken its bacteriostasis effect. This study aimed to clarify the influence of MB on the antibacterial activity of CAR and ascertain the mechanism involved in the observed influence, especially the interaction between the two compounds.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  16. Survival strategies of Listeria monocytogenes to environmental hostile stress: biofilm formation and stress responses

    • Food Science and Biotechnology
    • Listeria monocytogenes is a critical foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis and threatens public health. This pathogenic microorganism forms a transmission cycle in nature, food industry, and humans, expanding the areas of contamination among them and influencing food safety. L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  17. Environmental persistence of Listeria monocytogenes and its implications in dairy processing plants

    • Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
    • Abstract Listeriosis, an invasive illness with a fatality rate between 20% and 30%, is caused by the ubiquitous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Human listeriosis has long been associated with foods. This is because the ubiquitous nature of the bacteria renders it a common food contaminant, posing a significant risk to the food processing sector.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  18. Characterization of microbial ecology, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella sp. on equipment and utensil surfaces in Brazilian poultry, pork, and dairy industries

    • Food Research International
    • This study aimed to evaluate the level of counting by indicator microorganisms, identify the microbial ecology, detect Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella sp., and determine the presence of virulence genes and biofilm formation. A total of 480 samples were collected from the surfaces of the equipment and utensils using sterile swabs for the detection of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella sp.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  19. Processing and preservation of apple juice by pulsed electric fields combined with cinnamon essential oils: Exploring the effect of synergism

    • Journal of Food Safety
    • Processing of apple juice supplemented with cinnamon essential oils in three different concentrations and processed by pulsed electric field by increased treatment time provided inactivation of endogenous and pathogenic bacteria without adversely affecting the physical, and bioactive properties with an increase in ΔH in thermal properties.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
      • Escherichia coli O157:H7
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  20. Phenotypic and genomic analyses of bacteriocin-producing probiotic Enterococcus faecium EFEL8600 isolated from Korean soy-meju

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Enterococcus faecium is a prevalent species found in fermented soybean products, known for its contributions to flavor development and inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms during fermentation. This study aims to provide comprehensive phenotypic and genomic evidence supporting the probiotic characteristics of E. faecium EFEL8600, a bacteriocin-producing strain isolated from Korean soy-meju.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  21. Antibacterial properties of peptides from chia (Salvia hispanica L.) applied to pork meat preservation

    • Journal of Food Science
    • Abstract Chia‐derived peptides might represent a novel alternative to conventional preservatives in food. Despite the antibacterial potential of these molecules, their food application is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate chia‐derived peptides' antibacterial and antibiofilm potential in food preservation.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  22. Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat meat products from Zambia: phenotypical and genomic characterization of isolates

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • The contamination of ready to eat foods (RTE) products due to Listeria monocytogenes could compromise the products safety becoming a great risk for the consumers. The high presence of L. monocytogenes in RTE products has been described worldwide, but few data are available about these products from African countries. The aims of this study were to report the presence of L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  23. Development of a novel visual assay for ultrasensitive detection of Listeria monocytogenes in milk and chicken meat harnessing helix loop-mediated isothermal amplification (HAMP)

    • Food Control
    • Listeria monocytogenes causes foodborne listeriosis, which is an important food safety and public health problem. Monitoring them in the food chain using simple and affordable methods is of paramount importance to avoid untoward consequences.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  24. Exploring the Multifaceted Potential of a Peptide Fraction Derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Metabolism: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

    • Antibiotics
    • The rising demand for minimally processed, natural, and healthier food products has led to the search for alternative and multifunctional bioactive food components. Therefore, the present study focuses on the functional proprieties of a peptide fraction derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Salmonella
  25. Application of combined essential oils and bacteriocins encapsulated in gelatin for bio‐preservation of meatballs

    • Journal of Food Safety
    • Gelatin‐based encapsulation of Cinnamon EOs and bacteriocins is a practical application to extend the shelf‐life of meatballs. The antibacterial and antioxidant activity of encapsulated formulation has been evaluated. This new method can be used in industry for biopreservation of meat.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes