Effects of high-pressure treatment on the microflora of oysters (Crassostrea gigas) during chilled storage

The microbiological quality of oysters high-pressure (HP)-treated in-shell at 260 MPa for 3 min, or 500 or 800 MPa for 5 min and then stored at 2 °C, were investigated. Microbial counts after HP treatment showed that the bacterial load was reduced after treatment at all pressures to levels below the detection limit. Randomly-selected isolates from the total aerobic viable counts of untreated and HP-treated oysters after 14 days of storage were identified by the API identification system. Bacteria isolated from oysters HP-treated at 260 MPa were Shewanella putrifaciens and Pseudomonas fluorescens. For oysters HP-treated at 500 or 800 MPa, the main bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas spp. Vibrio spp. comprised 44% of the microflora in untreated oysters after storage for 14 days at 2 °C, but no Vibrio were detected in HP-treated oysters. This study confirmed that HP processing can inactivate microorganisms and delay microbial growth in chilled stored oysters.

Industrial relevance

High-pressure (HP) treatment is being increasingly employed for commercial processing of oysters but no studies of the microflora of HP-treated in-shell oysters have been reported. HP treatment significantly changed the microflora of oysters and apparently has good potential for inactivation of Vibrio spp as HP treatment, in combination with adequate chilled storage, can improve the microbiological shelf-life and safety of oysters.     

Effect of transglutaminase on the heat stability of milk: a possible mechanism

Treatment of milk with transglutaminase (TGase) affects its heat stability, but the manner in which it does so depends on whether or not the milk had been preheated before incubation and on the temperature of preheating. In raw milk, it appears that cross-link formation between the individual caseins is responsible for preventing the dissociation of kappa-casein from the micelles at pH values in the region of minimum stability. In milks preheated before incubation with TGase, denaturation of whey protein may have allowed the formation of cross-links by TGase between denatured whey proteins and the individual caseins which, in combination with cross-linking of the caseins, contributed to greatly improved heat stability at pH > 6.5. It appears from the results of this study that TGase has potential commercial applications as a food-grade additive capable of improving the heat stability of milk.     

High pressure-induced denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin in bovine milk and whey: a possible mechanism

In this study, high pressure (HP)-induced denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-la) and beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg) in dairy systems was examined. In both milk and whey, beta-lg was less baroresistant than alpha-la; both proteins were considerably more resistant to HP-induced denaturation in whey than in milk. HP-induced denaturation of alpha-la and beta-lg increased with increasing proportion of milk in mixtures of milk and whey. Addition of a sulphydryl-oxidising agent, KlO3, to milk or whey increased HP-induced denaturation of beta-lg, but reduced the denaturation of alpha-la. Denaturation of both alpha-la and beta-lg was prevented by adding a sulphydryl-blocking agent, N-ethylmaleimide, to milk or whey prior to HP treatment, highlighting the crucial role of sulphydryl-disulphide interchange reactions in HP-induced denaturation of alpha-la and beta-lg. Removal of colloidal calcium phosphate from milk also reduced HP-induced denaturation of alpha-la and beta-lg significantly. The higher level of HP-induced denaturation of alpha-la and beta-lg in milk than in whey may be the result of the abscence of the casein micelles and colloidal calcium phosphate from whey, which facilitate HP-induced denaturation of alpha-la and beta-lg in milk.     

Design and implementation of a continuous microwave heating system for ballast water treatment

A continuous microwave system to treat ballast water inoculated with different invasive species was designed and installed atthe Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. The effectiveness of the system to deliver the required heating loads to inactivate the organisms present was studied. The targeted organisms were microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata), zooplankton at two different growth stages (newly hatched brine shrimp-Artemia nauplii and adult Artemia), and oyster larvae (Crassosstrea virginica). The system was tested at two different flow rates (1 and 2 liters per min) and power levels (2.5 and 4.5 kW). Temperature profiles indicate that, depending on the species present and the growth stage, the maximum temperature increase will vary from 11.8 to 64.9 degrees C. The continuous microwave heating system delivered uniform and near-instantaneous heating at the outlet proving its effectiveness. The power absorbed and power efficiency varied for the species present. More than 80% power utilization efficiency was obtained at all flow rate and microwave power combinations for microalgae, Artemia nauplii and adults. Test results indicated that microwave treatment can be an effective tool for ballast water treatment, and current high treatment costs notwithstanding, this technique can be added as supplemental technology to the palette of existing treatment methods.     

Effect of temperature on raw whole milk density and its potential impact on milk payment in the dairy industry

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on whole milk density measured at four different temperatures: 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C. A total of ninety-three individual milk samples were collected from morning milking of thirty-two Holstein Friesian dairy cows, of national average genetic merit, once every two weeks over a period of 4 weeks and were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for milk composition analysis. Density of the milk was evaluated using two different analytical methods: a portable density meter DMA35 and a standard desktop model DMA4500M (Anton Paar GmbH, UK). Milk density was analysed with a linear mixed model with the fixed effects of sampling period, temperature and analysis method; triple interaction of sampling period x analysis method x temperature; and the random effect of cow to account for repeated measures. The effect of temperature on milk density (ρ) was also evaluated including temperature (t) as covariate with linear and quadratic effects within each analytic method. The regression equation describing the curvature and density–temperature relationship for the DMA35 instrument was ρ = 1.0338−0.00017T−0.0000122T² (R² = 0.64), while it was ρ = 1.0334 + 0.000057T−0.00001T² (R² = 0.61) for DMA4500 instrument. The mean density determined with DMA4500 at 5 °C was 1.0334 g cm⁻³, with corresponding figures of 1.0330, 1.0320 and 1.0305 g cm⁻³ at 10, 15 and 20 °C, respectively. The milk density values obtained in this study at specific temperatures will help to address any bias in weight–volume calculations and thus may also improve the financial and operational control for the dairy processors in Ireland and internationally.     

The fate of Listeria monocytogenes during the manufacture of Camembert-type cheese: A comparison between raw milk and milk treated with high hydrostatic pressure

Camembert-type cheese was produced from: raw bovine milk; raw milk inoculated with 2 or 4 log CFU/ml Listeria monocytogenes; raw milk inoculated with L. monocytogenes and subsequently pressure-treated at 500 MPa for 10 min at 20 °C; or uninoculated raw milk pressure-treated under these conditions. Cheeses produced from both pressure-treated milk and untreated milk had the typical composition, appearance and aroma of Camembert. Curd and cheese made from inoculated, untreated milk contained large numbers of L. monocytogenes throughout production. An initial inoculum of 1.95 log CFU/ml in milk increased to 4.52 log CFU/g in the curd and remained at a high level during ripening, with 3.85 log CFU/g in the final cheese. Pressure treatment inactivated L. monocytogenes in the raw milk at both inoculum levels and the pathogen was not detected in any of the final cheeses produced from pressure-treated milk. Therefore high pressure may be useful to inactivate L. monocytogenes in raw milk that is to be used for the production of soft, mould-ripened cheese.

Industrial relevance

This paper demonstrates the potential of high pressure (HP) for treatment of raw milk to be used in the manufacture of soft cheeses. HP treatment significantly reduced the level of Listeria monocytogenes in the raw milk and so allowed the production of safer non-thermally processed camembert-like soft cheese.     

Alternate and new brominated flame retardants detected in U.S. house dust

Due to the voluntary withdrawals and/or bans on the use of two polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) commercial mixtures, an increasing number of alternate flame retardant chemicals are being introduced in commercial applications. To determine if these alternate BFRs are present in indoor environments, we analyzed dust samples collected from 19 homes in the greater Boston, MA area during 2006. Using pure and commercial standards we quantified the following brominated flame retardant chemicals using GC/ECNI-MS methods: hexabromocyclododecane (sigma HBCD), bis(2,4,6,-tribromphenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and the brominated components found in Firemaster 550 (FM 550): 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) and (2-ethylhexyl)tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), the latter compound being a brominated analogue of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). The concentrations of all compounds were log-normally distributed and the largest range in concentrations was observed for HBCD (sum of all isomers), with concentrations ranging from <4.5 ng/g to a maximum of 130,200 ng/g with a median value of 230 ng/g. BTBPE ranged from 1.6 to 789 ng/g with a median value of 30 ng/g and DBDPE ranged from <10.0 to 11,070 ng/g with a median value of 201 ng/g. Of the FM 550 components, TBB ranged from <6.6 to 15,030 ng/g with a median value of 133 ng/g; whereas TBPH ranged from 1.5 to 10,630 ng/g with a median value of 142 ng/g. Furthermore, the ratio of TBB/TBPH present in the dust samples ranged from 0.05 to 50 (average 4.4), varying considerably from the ratio observed in the FM 550 commercial mixture (4:1 by mass), suggesting different sources with different chemical compositions, and/or differential fate and transport within the home. Analysis of paired dust samples collected from different rooms in the same home suggests HBCD, TBB, and TBPH are higher in dust from the main living area compared to dust collected in bedrooms; however, BTBPE and DBDPE levels were comparable between rooms. This study highlights the fact that numerous types of brominated flame retardants are present in indoor environments, raising questions about exposure to mixtures of these contaminants.