Italian Journal of Food Safety最新文献

This abstract book contains the abstracts presented at the 7th Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

This study aimed to characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Costa Rican agro-industrial waste and explore their bioprotective potential against Salmonella in yogurt. A total of 43 LAB isolates were identified using the 16S rRNA region. In vitro inhibition of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli was determined. A total of 15 of the 43 isolates showed a good to strong antimicrobial effect against at least two pathogens. A total of 14 selected isolates were evaluated for antibiotic resistance, gelatinase, and hemolytic activity. The bioprotective effect of the most promising strain, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus, was assessed against Salmonella sp. during yogurt fermentation. All the isolates were resistant to vancomycin and showed variable degrees of susceptibility to other antibiotics. All of the isolates were negative for gelatinase, and 5 isolates had no hemolytic activity. A significant inhibitory effect of L. pentosus_58(6)-2I (p<0.05) against Salmonella during fermentation was found, but pathogen reduction was limited to 0.611 log CFU/mL.

This study tested 32 carcasses of control-culled wild boars in a subalpine area of Northern Italy between May and November 2021, delivered to three approved game meat establishments. Carcasses and organs were submitted to the detection of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria spp., and Listeria monocytogenes; carcass surfaces were also sampled for microbial counts [total viable count (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococci]. Campylobacter spp. was detected with high prevalence (90.9%) in the caecum as well as Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes (37.5% and 25%, respectively), whereas only one animal harbored Salmonella spp. (3.8%). A low contamination rate was detected on the carcasses for Campylobacter spp. and Listeria spp. High mean TVC, Enterobacteriaceae, and E. coli counts were detected on the carcasses (5.90, 4.83 and 2.54 Log CFU/cm2, respectively). Animal sex and weight exerted a weak effect on bacterial counts; the same was observed for the culling/sampling interval. Moderately higher counts were detected in animals culled with high (>15°C) environmental temperatures. Animals shot in the abdomen showed higher counts for all the parameters except for Staphylococci, and an increasing count of enteric bacteria was observed when considering head/neck, shoulder, chest, and abdomen locations. A significant difference among the plants was observed, independently from the other factors, thus stressing the importance of the application of hygiene procedures in approved game meat establishments to limit carcass contamination.

The growing demand for transparency in the food industry has led to significant advancements in meat traceability. Ensuring the authenticity and origin of meat products is critical for consumer trust, public health, and compliance with regulations. This paper reviews recent innovations in meat traceability, with a focus on blockchain technology as a novel approach to ensuring traceability. Additionally, advanced methods for verifying meat authenticity and origin, such as isotope fingerprinting, DNA analysis, and spectroscopic methods, are discussed. The role of voluntary certification schemes in enhancing traceability and authenticity verification in the meat industry is also explored. The findings highlight the importance of integrating cutting-edge technologies and certification schemes to build a robust and transparent meat supply chain.

There is an increasing trend among food business operators to use natural flavorings in meat preparation to reduce microbial spoilage and extend the shelf life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the use of natural flavoring mixtures in meat preparation, the possible presence of additives in natural flavorings, and the assessment of any transfer of additives contained in natural flavorings into experimentally prepared beef burgers. Based on a preliminary survey conducted as part of the study, approximately 87% of establishments used natural flavoring mixtures in meat preparation. The same natural mixtures used by local industries were added to minced meat in order to produce experimental hamburgers. Citric acid was found in both natural flavoring mixtures ranging from 1760 mg/kg to 92,731 mg/kg and experimental burgers ranging from 57 mg/kg to 2248 mg/kg. Ascorbic acid was present in all natural flavoring mixtures from 260 mg/kg to 98,858 mg/kg but was recovered in three burgers up to 1075 mg/kg. Acetic acid was found in three flavoring mixtures (range 23,539-77,421 mg/kg) and transferred to three treated burgers (range 3063-3202 mg/kg). Nitrite was never found in hamburgers and only once in a natural flavoring mixture at a dose of 26 mg/kg, whereas nitrate was found in some natural flavoring mixtures up to 788 mg/kg but never in hamburgers. The study has raised some critical issues about the appropriate and conscious use of natural flavorings and the possible inadequate meat preparation labeling in the Umbria region.

Biotic stress significantly challenges the global citrus industry. Major post-harvest issues include diseases caused by Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Geotrichum citri-aurantii, Alternaria alternata, and Phytophthora citrophthora. The negative impact of chemical fungicides on the environment and health necessitates eco-friendly alternatives. This study examines the effectiveness of sodium, potassium, and calcium silicates against common citrus diseases. In vitro tests evaluated mycelial growth inhibition using silicate concentrations from 0 to 10,000 ppm after 7 days at 25°C. Sodium silicate showed the highest efficacy, completely inhibiting P. digitatum and P. italicum at 2000 ppm. Potassium and calcium silicates achieved 100% inhibition against Penicillium spp. at a concentration of 1%. In vivo tests on Sidi Aissa clementines assessed the preventive and curative effects of 1, 2, and 6% silicate salt solutions. Sodium silicate prevented 41% of brown rot, 72% of sour rot, and 100% of green mold at 6%. Calcium silicate at 6% significantly reduced blue mold and black rot by 32% and 74%, respectively. Sodium silicate was most effective in curative treatments, suggesting its potential as a pre- or post-harvest spray to control P. digitatum, P. italicum, and G. citriaurantii.

Fresh meat is highly perishable, presenting challenges in spoilage mitigation and waste reduction globally. Despite the efforts, foodborne outbreaks from meat consumption persist. Biopreservation offers a natural solution to extend shelf life by managing microbial communities. However, challenges include the effective diffusion of bacteriocins through the meat matrix and the potential inhibition of starter cultures by bacteriocins targeting closely related lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB, predominant in meat, produce bacteriocins - small, stable peptides with broad antimicrobial properties effective across varying pH and temperature conditions. This review highlights the recent advances in the optimization of bacteriocin use, considering its structure and mode of action. Moreover, the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques for bacteriocin screening, including novel bioengineering methods, are described. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the modes of application of bacteriocins toward the preservation of fresh, cured, and novel meat products.

In 2022, the number of foodborne outbreaks in Europe increased by 43.9%, highlighting the need to improve surveillance systems and design outbreak predictive tools. This review aims to assess the scientific literature describing wastewater surveillance to monitor foodborne pathogens in association with clinical data. In the selected studies, the relationship between peaks of pathogen concentration in wastewater and reported clinical cases is described. Moreover, details on analytical methods to detect and quantify pathogens as well as wastewater sampling procedures are discussed. Few papers show a statistically significant correlation between high concentrations of foodborne pathogens in wastewater and the occurrence of clinical cases. However, monitoring pathogen concentration in wastewater looks like a promising and cost-effective strategy to improve foodborne outbreak surveillance. Such a strategy can be articulated in three steps, where the first one is testing wastewater with an untargeted method, like shotgun metagenomic, to detect microorganisms belonging to different domains. The second consists of testing wastewater with a targeted method, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction, to quantify those specific pathogens that in the metagenomic dataset display an increasing trend or exceed baseline concentration thresholds. The third involves the integrated wastewater and clinical data analysis and modeling to find meaningful epidemiological correlations and make predictions.

In the PRIMA project ArtiSaneFood, the microbiological parameters of several artisanal cheeses produced in the Mediterranean area have been quantified. In this pilot study, we selected four of these artisanal cheese products from Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco to investigate and compare their microbiomes in terms of taxonomic composition, presence of reads of foodborne pathogens, as well as virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes. Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus were the most represented genera in the Portuguese and Spanish cheeses, Streptococcus in the Italian cheese, and Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Escherichia, and Citrobacter in the Moroccan products. The correlation analysis indicated a negative association between the abundance of some lactic acid bacteria (i.e., Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Leuconostoc) and foodborne pathogenic genera, like Escherichia and Salmonella. The analysis of pathogen abundance, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes showed a strong clusterization based on the cheese type, confirming that the presence of potential human health risk determinants was higher in the artisanal products derived from unpasteurized milk that underwent spontaneous fermentation.

Salmonellosis is a significant public health concern in Saudi Arabia, with various serovars of Salmonella causing outbreaks and infections. The disease's clinical presentation includes common symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, with potential complications in severe cases. Diagnosing salmonellosis in Saudi Arabia involves a combination of traditional laboratory methods and molecular techniques to ensure accurate identification and treatment. Preventive measures and control strategies, including vaccination campaigns, food safety protocols, and public health education, have been implemented to mitigate the spread of salmonellosis. Challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, limited healthcare resources in rural areas, and underreporting of cases persist and impact the effective management of the disease. Recommendations for improving salmonellosis prevention and management include enhancing surveillance, implementing public health education campaigns, strengthening food safety regulations, promoting antimicrobial stewardship, investing in research, improving healthcare infrastructure, and fostering collaboration and coordination between sectors. Implementing these recommendations can help Saudi Arabia effectively address the challenges posed by salmonellosis and reduce the burden of the disease on public health.