Journal of Food Safety最新文献

Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant bacterial cause of gastroenteritis, the main cause of foodborne deaths. Currently, Campylobacter is a common foodborne pathogen found in poultry; thus, there is a need for the development of novel intervention strategies. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of eugenol on C. jejuni load in an experimental chicken meat model. We observed that eugenol was effective in reducing C. jejuni load for 7 days of storage. Eugenol treatment at all concentrations (1.28, 5.12, and 10.24 mg mL⁻¹) decreased Campylobacter load more significantly in the reference strain, and this decrease was dose-dependent throughout the storage period. Compared to the control group, eugenol reduced the counts of chicken isolate and the reference strain of C. jejuni by approximately 1.5 and 4.5 log/CFU, respectively, after 7 days of storage. Eugenol is a promising agent for improving the safety of poultry.

The microbial diversity of rose jam was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing, along with functional prediction of the bacterial community. The results indicate that Pseudomonas, Pantoea, and Burkholderia emerged were the top three dominant bacterial groups. Proteobacteria was particularly abundant in R4 (99.1%) and R6 (96.12%). Zygosaccharomyces, unclassified fungi, and Botrytis constituted the top three fungal groups. The presence of unclassified OTUs was observed in all samples, particularly in R6 (52.36%), R8 (45.28), and R9 samples (39.57%). Gene prediction using PICRUSt revealed the existence of multiple KEGG functional modules associated with human metabolism in each rose jam sample. The presence of a high abundance of functional genes indicated the microbial community's diverse wide range of microgenetic resources that can be further explored for research purposes. The microbial community found in rose jam exhibits remarkable diversity and encompasses valuable functional information relevant to human health.

Globally, the risk of foodborne diseases is high among the young, old, pregnant and immunocompromised groups. Strategies to improve safe food supply are poorly understood among stakeholders. In this paper, we discuss the importance of the adoption of food safety standards, the effects of non-compliance of food safety protocols, consumer-producer awareness of food safety, and the challenges involved in the adoption of food safety protocols. The major challenges include gaps in dissemination of relevant information, the cost involved in adoption of many food safety programs; low educational levels of food handlers, insufficient food testing laboratories; inadequate funding, equipment, and skilled personnel; and cost of training and education; and lack of coordination among organizations handling food safety issues. Building competencies of food safety personnel, inspectorates, national or regional laboratories and adequate resource support to industry and supporting agencies will enhance safety of the global food supply.

Foodborne pathogens can cause gastrointestinal infections in consumers and in some cases can even lead to outbreaks. In the last decade, it has been observed that some zoonotic pathogenic bacteria can use plants as secondary hosts. Contamination with foodborne bacteria becomes relevant in foods that are regularly eaten raw, such as lettuce, cilantro, fenugreek, rocket leaves, basil, and so forth, and some fruits such as tomatoes, melons, and green peppers; because the elimination of these pathogenic bacteria is difficult to achieve with conventional sanitization processes. Contamination of produce can occur throughout the entire production chain. In farmlands, pathogenic bacteria can contaminate the seed, mainly when contaminated water is used for irrigation. Later, bacteria can reach other plant tissues such as the stems, leaves, and fruits. Another form of contamination is when the produce is in contact with feces from domestic, production, or wild animals. Additionally, poor handling practices during harvest, packaging, distribution, and sale can contaminate produce. Studies have shown that foodborne pathogens can adhere to produce, sometimes forming a biofilm, and can also be internalized into the plant or fruit, which protects them from sanitation processes. For this reason, in this text we address three biocontrol strategies such as bacteria, lytic bacteriophages, and some fungi, as an alternative approach for the control of both foodborne and plant pathogens. Additionally, the use of these biological agents can represent an advantage for the development of the plant, making them a good strategy to favor yield.

This research explores the interaction between Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 and bacteria species commonly found in beef processing environments, specifically Carnobacterium, Lactobacillus, Comamonas, Raoultella, and Pseudomonas. The study investigated how various environmental conditions impact the formation of biofilms and the ability of O157:H7 to transfer from multispecies biofilm onto beef surfaces. For this purpose, a mixture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), spoilage bacteria (10⁶ CFU/mL), and E. coli O157 (10³ CFU/mL) were combined as follows: LAB (T1): Carnobacterium piscicola + Lactobacillus bulgaricus + O157:H7, an spoilage bacteria (T2): Comamonas koreensis + Raoultella terrigena + O157:H7, an spoilage bacteria (T3): Pseudomonas aeruginosa + C. koreensis strain + O157:H7 and only O157:H7 as control (T4). Multispecies biofilms were developed on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and stainless steel (SS) coupons at 10 and 25°C for 6 days, washed and stored for 6, 30, and 60 days at wet (60%–90% RH) and dry (20%–50%, RH) conditions. To evaluate O157:H7 transfer, beef cubes (3 × 3 × 1 cm) were placed on the coupons, followed by a 50-g weight (7.35 kPa). The experiment was repeated three times in triplicate for each strain combination. Results demonstrate that biofilms formed at 10°C were generally weaker (less biomass) than those at 25°C. Regardless of temperature, more viable O157:H7 cells were transferred to beef from moist biofilms on TPU surfaces. At 25°C, T3 biofilm exhibited the lowest O157:H7 transfer to beef by 1.44 log₁₀ CFU/cm² (p < 0.01). At 10°C, none of the multispecies biofilm (T1–T3) affected the number of O157:H7 transfers to beef (p > 0.05). Notably, O157:H7 was not detected on food contact surfaces with 30 and 60-day-old dry biofilms (T1–T4). Through enrichment, E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from multispecies biofilms T1, T2, and T3. Findings from this study imply that multispecies biofilms contribute to the persistence of O157:H7 under dry conditions, regardless of temperature. These results underscore the intricate influence of multiple environmental factors—including surface type, biofilm age, humidity, temperature, and the presence of other bacterial species—on the risk of beef contamination facilitated by biofilms.

The study compared the bio-detoxification capabilities of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans cell walls for aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁). The yeast cell walls were disrupted using thermal shock-ultrasound, resulting in 75 nm particles, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering. These disrupted cell walls were then immobilized on nano-zeolite and entrapped in ca-alginate. SEM, FTIR & XRD confirmed their physical absorption on the nano-zeolite and entrapment in ca-alginate. Samples were exposed to AFM₁ for 15 min and 24 h, either in combination or free, before or after immobilization. HPLC analysis revealed significant variations in AFM₁ reduction. The highest reduction of 89.49% was observed after 15 min with alginate treatment, while the immobilized-entrapped C. albicans cell wall showed the lowest reduction of 24.77% after 24 h. Both free Candida cell walls and immobilized-entrapped Saccharomyces cell walls showed impressive detoxification abilities. Additionally, immobilized-entrapped cell walls are reusable and a sustainable choice for industrial use.

Biopolymer-based films present numerous environmental advantages. The current study aims to investigate the impact of storage time on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and functional properties of pectin-based films containing Thymus capitatus (TEO) and Cinnamomum verum (CEO) essential oils (EOs). Films were prepared using the solution casting method; their different properties were evaluated over 1 month at room temperature. Both types of films displayed strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium). Pectin-based film incorporated with CEO displayed greater antioxidant activity than film incorporated with TEO. The two EOS increased the films' elongation at break and tensile strength. However, their moisture content and thickness decreased. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the CEO- and TEO-based films decreased after 4 weeks of storage, while moisture content increased. However, the films' mechanical parameters remained stable during the entire storage period.

This study focuses on nursing and medical students, assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding food safety. This non-random cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2022, with 1100 students (721 nursing and 379 medical) completing self-administered questionnaires. 949 (86.3%) of the respondents were female and 151 (13.7%) were male (mean age 20.90 ± 1.74). Nursing students outperformed medical students in food safety KAP scores (19.45 ± 3.19 vs. 19.13 ± 3.36), (10.61 ± 1.52 vs. 10.27 ± 1.80), and (46.96 ± 6.48 vs. 42.87 ± 6.49), with significant differences in food safety attitudes and practices (p < 0.05), as well as knowledge regarding personal hygiene, food preparation, cooking, foodborne pathogens, and cross-contamination (p < 0.05). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis revealed predictors of food safety knowledge, including age, residence, academic year, personal food poisoning experience, and familiarity with food safety authority (p < 0.05). Similarly, institutional context, gender, income, residential status, academic year, personal cooking habit, father's education level, and mother's education level had a substantial impact on the attitudes of students. Predictors of safe food handling practices encompassed institutional context, age, gender, family monthly income, residential status, academic year, father's education level, personal food poisoning experience, and familiarity with food safety authority (p < 0.05). These findings highlighted the need for targeted educational interventions to improve food safety KAP among nursing and medical students considering their forthcoming responsibilities as carers.

The perishability of aquatic products is a challenge for the processing of aquatic products, so it is better to choose suitable preservatives to prevent the degradation of proteins and the fission of their gel properties. Thus, this study investigated the effects of ultrasound-assisted chlorogenic acid grafted chitosan (GUA) soaking of sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) fillets on protein oxidation and gelation properties. The results showed that GUA could reduce the formation of protein carbonyls and maintain Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. Intrinsic fluorescence intensity (IFI) and SDS-PAGE results demonstrated that GUA stabilized the tertiary structure of protein and inhibited protein degradation. Interestingly, ultrasound attenuated the protein aggregation induced by the use of chitosan-grafted-chlorogenic acid (CS-g-CA), which has good particle size during storage. Meanwhile, GUA treatment endowed the gel with a dense network microstructure, increased water holding capacity (WHC), reduced water mobility, and improved MP gel color as well as textural properties.

This study aimed to examine the potential link between Bacillus cereus biofilm formation, virulence, and pathogenicity. The biofilm formation abilities of nine B. cereus strains isolated from food and two reference strains (ATCC 10876 and ATCC 25621) were measured using a crystal violet assay. Among the tested strains, three strains (GIHE 617-5, GIHE 86-09, and GIHE 728-17) and both reference strains were capable of biofilm formation. A positive correlation was obtained for higher cell surface hydrophobicity and increased biofilm formation. In contrast, HPLC analysis for elevated autoinducer-2 (Al-2) production revealed a negative impact on biofilm formation. PCR data indicated that all tested strains were capable of producing common B. cereus enterotoxins, including Hbl—A, C, and D, CytK, Nhe—B and C, EntFM, and BceT, but were negative for production of the emetic toxin cereulide and the pore-forming toxin Hly II. Meanwhile, RT-PCR data revealed a close correlation between high biofilm formation and the upregulation of several tested virulence genes for selected strains. However, elevated upregulation of virulence genes was not consistent in all of the higher biofilm-forming strains. Cytotoxicity analysis revealed higher virulence characteristics compared to those of low biofilm-forming strains.