Research Publications (Food Safety)

This study investigated the determination of 207 pesticides in hot pepper powder and found patterns of pesticide use by production from five regions, detecting a total of 50 pesticides. The LOD, LOQ and recoveries of pesticides were 0.08–2.53, 0.25–7.60 μg kg−1, and 81.0–132.1%, respectively. The Horrat values ranged from 0.07 to 1.97. A total of 50 residual pesticides were detected in 963 hot pepper powder samples.

β-Lactam is one of the widely used veterinary drugs, but simultaneous analytical methods for β-lactam on various animal foods have not been established. In this study, we aimed to detect 34 β-lactam antibiotics simultaneously in livestock samples (beef, pork, chicken, egg, and milk) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS).

Combined antibacterial effect of Origanum essential oils and antibiotics against multiresistant foodborne Salmonella in Morocco. Abstract The present study aims to assess the antibacterial activity of endemic Moroccan Origanum essential oils (Origanum elongatum and Origanum compactum) alone and in association with antibiotics against multidrug resistant foodborne Salmonella. The well diffusion and microdilution procedures were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity.

We demonstrated for the first time that Salmonella enterica Typhimurium can form dry surface biofilms (DSB) on surfaces. Mean reduction in viable cells recovered from Salmonella Typhimurium DSB following treatment with water (A and C) or the most efficacious disinfectant formulation (B and D) tested from a panel of candidates, with or without a subsequent wiping step. Contact times used were as per manufacturer's instructions.

Bacillus cereus is a foodborne pathogen that widely exists in various food products. In this study, a new B. cereus phage, named Z3, was isolated from the soil and characterized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed that Z3 had an icosahedral head and a retractable tail, belonging to myxovirus. The double-stranded linear DNA of Z3 was 159,116 bp in length with a CG% content of 39.96%.

The pork production chain is an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. This study identified and characterized integrons in Salmonella isolates from a Brazilian pork production chain and associate them with their antibiotic resistance pattern. A total of 41 whole-genome sequencing data of nontyphoidal Salmonella were analyzed using PlasmidSPAdes and IntegronFinder software.

Background

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a significant protozoan pathogen among food animals. Despite the threat to public health by T. gondii infections, there’s limited understanding of its seroprevalence and trends in food animals across mainland China. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infections among swine, sheep, goats, chickens, and cattle in mainland China from 2010 to 2023.

Methods

Ralstonia solanacearum, the bacterium that causes bacterial wilt, is a destructive phytopathogen that can infect over 450 different plant species. Several agriculturally significant crop plants, including eggplant, tomato, pepper, potato, and ginger, are highly susceptible to this plant disease, which has a global impact on crop quality and yield. There is currently no known preventive method that works well for bacterial wilt.

There is great concern about the risk posed by the consumption of food contaminated with aflatoxins (AF), produced mostly by Aspergillus strains, that can also be found in dry-fermented meat products (DFMPs). The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of meat starter culture (SC), frequently used for fermentation in the meat industry, on A.

The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Campylobacter has reinforced its status as a foodborne pathogen of significant public health concern. Resistant Campylobacter is typically transferred to humans via the consumption of contaminated animal products, particularly poultry. The genes associated with antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter spp. are poorly understood.

Vibrio harveyi is a ubiquitous, bioluminescent marine bacterium that causes vibriosis in both marine vertebrates and invertebrates, leading to significant losses in the global aquaculture industry. Pathogenic Vibrio spp. evade host defensive mechanisms by using different strategies.

Lycium barbarum L., also known as goji berry, is popular in China and across the world as both a food and a medicine. The pervasive use of chemical pesticides has led to widespread contamination of raw goji berries, although the impacts of pesticide contamination on goji berry-derived products have not yet been thoroughly characterized.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding conserved molecules with lengths varying between 18-25nt. Plants miRNAs are very stable, and probably they might have been transferred across kingdoms via food intake. Such miRNAs are also called exogenous miRNAs, which regulate the gene expression in host organisms.

Cooked, uncured meat products packaged under reduced oxygen packaging conditions require the control of anaerobic and facultative anaerobic pathogens if they are held at temperatures greater than 3°C at retail or consumer level. The objective of this study was to determine the inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum in cooked, uncured shredded turkey and pork formulated with synthetic or clean label antimicrobials.

This study investigated the cross-contamination dynamics of biofilms preformed on stainless steel (SS) coupons on chicken skin and chicken meat by modeling surface-to-food transfer by contact and surface-to-food transfer in fluids. Additionally, mono-, dual-, and multi-species biofilms were examined to understand the effects of environmental conditions on biofilm-forming abilities.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is one of the top Salmonella serovars annually linked to poultry production and corresponding human illnesses. Because of this, vaccination of commercial poultry against Salmonella Typhimurium has been a focal point in recent years. There are several commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium vaccines available for use in poultry production.

Multiple pathogenic types or serotypes restrict treatment for colibacillosis. In addition, rising antibiotic resistance has heightened public awareness to prevent and control pathogenic Escherichia coli. The bacteriophage is a viable technique to treat colibacillosis as an alternative to antibiotics.

Salmonella, which is widely distributed in nature, is an important zoonotic pathogen affecting humans, livestock, and other animals. Salmonella infection not only hinders the development of livestock and poultry-related industries but also poses a great threat to human health.

The presence of microbial pathogens in ready-to-eat produce represents a serious health problem. The antibacterial activity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & Perry) essential oils (EOs) was determined toward food-borne pathogens by agar disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays.

Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), a prevalent cause of foodborne infection, induces significant changes in the host transcriptome and metabolome. The lack of therapeutics with minimal or no side effects prompts the scientific community to explore alternative therapies. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of a probiotic mixture comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus 1.3251) and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum 9513) against S.

Abstract Background Campylobacter is the most common food‐borne pathogen in the European Union. In 2018, the crude incidence rate in Ireland was 63.6 per 100,000 population. Chicken is considered an important source of infection for humans. In 2015, the Campylobacter Stakeholders' Group (CSG) was established to reduce Campylobacter contamination levels in Irish broiler flocks.

Abstract This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a blend of citric acid and hydrochloric acid (CP), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), and sulfuric acid (SA) against Salmonella and mesophilic aerobic plate counts (APC) on chicken hearts and livers. Samples were inoculated with a five‐serovar cocktail of Salmonella at ca.

The study investigated Salmonella prevalence and antibiotic resistance profiles in various raw chicken products, analysing 293. Among the samples, 38.22% contained Salmonella, with Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium identified in 4.46% and 0.89% of isolates, respectively. Whole genome sequencing revealed distinct clones and antibiotic resistance patterns, underscoring the importance of ongoing Salmonella monitoring in Turkish poultry production for food safety and public health.

Background

Heavy metal pollution has become a global problem, which urgently needed to be solved owing to its severe threat to water ecosystems and human health. Thus, the exploration and development of a simple, cost-effective and environmental-friendly technique to remove metal elements from contaminated water is of great importance. Algae are a kind of photosynthetic autotroph and exhibit excellent bioadsorption capacities, making them suitable for wastewater treatment.

CrAssphages are human gut bacteriophages with potential use as an indicator of human fecal contamination in water and other environmental systems. We determined the prevalence and abundance of crAssphages in water, food, and fecal samples and compared these estimates with the prevalence of norovirus. Samples were tested using two crAssphage-specific qPCR assays (CPQ056 and TN201-203) and for norovirus using TaqMan realtime RT-PCR.