Research Publications (Food Safety)

Between 2018 and 2019, 309 environmental and food samples were collected from two industrial cheese-making plants located in Sardinia, in order to investigate Y. enterocolitica presence and to characterize the isolates. Y. enterocolitica isolates were further compared with isolates detected during a previous investigation from sheep and goat raw milk samples. Y.

Root vegetables, which are in close contact with soil, are particularly vulnerable to soil contamination or decay as they can be contaminated from multiple sources, including primary production and processing. This study investigated effective washing conditions to reduce the microbial contamination of potatoes by using soaking and shaking in the washing process.

The major pathogen associated with eggs is Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) and chlorine washing is the most widely used for sanitization. Microbubble, a novel technique and able to operate in large quantity, has been presented to be an alternative method.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most dangerous diseases of durum wheat. This hemibiotrophic pathogen transitions from the biotrophic phase, during which it penetrates host tissues and secretes trichothecenes, to the necrotrophic phase which leads to the destruction of host tissues. Yeasts applied to spikes often reduce mycotoxin concentrations, but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.

Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen which has been implicated in many outbreaks of foodborne diseases. This study evaluated the effects of gastric acidity and gastric digestion time of adults, L. monocytogenes strain and food type on the survival of L. monocytogenes under simulated stomach conditions of adults in in vitro gastric models with dynamic pH changes occurring throughout the exposure.

Zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 infections are the predominant cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe, mostly associated with the consumption of HEV contaminated pork meat. In this study we looked at the HEV RNA positivity rate of pork meat products readily available from Belgian supermarkets and evaluated the overall HEV consumer exposure in a Belgian context.

High-pressure processing (HPP) has emerged in the food industry as an alternative to thermal juice preservation treatments, with its appeal being its assurance of safety for products with nutritional and sensory qualities similar to those of fresh food. However, HPP remains to be fully understood, particularly regarding hazards and process validation to mitigate microbiological risks.

We characterized the distribution and diversity of antimicrobial-resistance Salmonella enterica isolated from a poultry production chain in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with special attention to ciprofloxacin and multidrug resistance (MDR). S.

Salmonella is commonly found on broiler chickens during processing. This study investigates the Salmonella detection method that reduces the necessary time for confirmation, by collecting surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) spectra from bacteria colonies, applied to a substrate of biopolymer encapsulated AgNO3 nanoparticles.

This study was conducted to determine the overall genetic diversity, as well as prevalence and mechanisms of resistance to quinolone antibiotics of 178 Campylobacter jejuni isolated from humans, cattle, dogs, and chickens in Turkey. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and E-test were performed for genotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, respectively.

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that pork products may be vehicles for the transmission of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) to humans. The severe morbidity associated with STEC infections highlights the need for research to understand the growth behavior of these bacteria in pork products. Classical predictive models can estimate pathogen growth in sterile meat.

The surfaces of poultry slaughterhouse equipment are significant sources of contamination with Pseudomonas strains, which leads to spoilage of poultry meat during subsequent refrigerated storage. In this study, Pseudomonas strains with high biofilm-forming ability were isolated from different surfaces of the poultry slaughterhouse equipment, identified based on molecular data, and characterized their biofilm-forming ability.

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of foodborne bacterial disease. Animal-borne foods are considered the primary sources of Salmonella transmission to humans. However, genomic assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence of Salmonella based on one health approach remains obscure in China.

Prenylated isoflavonoids can be extracted from plants of the Leguminosae/Fabaceae family and have shown remarkable antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive food-borne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. Promising candidates from this class of compounds are glabridin and 6,8-diprenylgenistein. This research aimed to investigate the potential of glabridin and 6,8-diprenylgenistein as food preservatives against L. monocytogenes.

Lincomycin is widely used in respiratory and gastrointestinal infection in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Campylobacter members are vital foodborne pathogens causing campylobacteriosis, and the resistance to lincosamides is seldom reported. To date, only the rRNA methyltransferase Erm(B) has been confirmed to be associated with lincosamides resistance in Campylobacter.

Foodborne Salmonella enteritidis infections place human health at risk, driven by regular outbreaks and individual cases by different contaminated food materials. This study was conducted to characterize and employ a single bacteriophage as a potential biocontrol agent. Phage Rostam was isolated, characterized and then applied as biocontrol agent against S. enteritidis in liquid whole eggs and eggshell.

Cryptosporidium is the causative agent of cryptosporidiosis, which results, among others, in profuse diarrhoea. Transmission to humans occurs via the faecal-oral route directly by contact with infected hosts or indirectly by waterborne or foodborne routes. For the latter, parasite transmission is closely linked to the oocyst's ability to persist and survive in food matrices.

This article describes the outline and organisation of the validation of three multiplex PCR methods for species identification and/or confirmation of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. The three PCR methods were validated against the reference method described in the EN ISO standard 10,272:2017.

Lysin EN4 is a peptidoglycan-degrading enzyme. Like other lysins against Gram-negative bacteria, EN4 requires cell-wall destabilizing agents, such as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) to facilitate it to the peptidoglycan layer. This study aimed to use EN4 in reducing Salmonella in chilled and thawed raw chicken meat. However, the use of EDTA is limited to some types of foods. An alternative to EDTA was explored.

Recent outbreaks linked to contaminated leafy greens underline the need for identifying effective natural approaches to improve produce safety at pre-harvest level. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been evaluated as biocontrol agents in food products.

Fresh vegetables are closely associated with foodborne disease outbreaks; however, systematic analysis of the microbiological quality of fresh vegetables and molecular information on foodborne pathogens in fresh produce are poorly reported in China.

As a human foodborne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes can cause severe human listeriosis and develop resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced from all kingdoms of life and regarded as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Jelleine-I is an AMP identified from honeybees royal jelly. In this study, we explored the activity and action mechanism of Jelleine-I against L. monocytogenes.

The purpose of this study was to conduct challenge studies in raw pork by strictly following all aspects of the 2014 EURL technical guidance document for conducting shelf-life studies on Listeria monocytogenes. Growth potential was assessed on three batches of self-cut pork chops and one batch of in-house prepared pure minced pork without any additives in air and MAP (70 % O2/30% CO2) packaging.

The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model describing the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in carrot juice treated with Thymbra capitata essential oil combined with mild heat treatment and stored at different temperatures. The viable count method was used to investigate the effect of the treatment on bacterial survival, and the response surface methodology was used to develop a statistical model fitting the data.

Intrinsic characteristics of fresh produce, such as pH, water activity, acid content and nutrient availability are critical factors in determining the survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). In this study, sterile fresh produce juice was used to analyze Lm growth potential among 14 different commodities and to identify physicochemical characteristics in those juices that affect Lm growth.