Computer aided boar semen motility analysis for cereulide detection in different food matrices

Computer Aided Semen Analysis (CASA) study of the boar semen motility has been demonstrated to be an appropriate assay for detection of cereulide (Bacillus cereus emetic toxin). Application of the boar semen bio-assay to detect cereulide directly in foods requires investigation of potential interference of food components, preservatives and other microbial and chemical food contaminants with the bio-assay. Current study provides evidence that none of included Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins A, B, C and D nor B. cereus Hemolysin BL (HBL) and non-hemolytic enterotoxin (NHE) and three mycotoxins (Sterigmatocystin, Fumonisin B1 and Patulin) exhibited a toxic impact on semen progressive motility. Aflatoxin M1, M3 and zearalenone impaired semen motility only at concentrations (0.004 mg ml(-1), 0.1 mg ml(-1) and 10 mg ml(-1), respectively) much higher than those found in foods and those permitted by legislation, in comparison to cereulide which induces motility cease at concentrations lower than 20 ng ml(-1). Ten commonly used preservatives, namely potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, (DL) malic acid, citric acid, (L+) tartaric acid, acetic acid, (DL) lactic acid, (L+) ascorbic acid, sodium chloride and sucrose induced no cease in spermatozoa motility even at preservative concentrations higher than permitted by legislation. Dioxins, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and acrylamide had no acute effect on spermatozoa motility at concentrations of 500 and 10,000 mg ml(-1), respectively. Robustness of computer aided boar semen motility analysis, tested with 14 different foods inoculated with cereulide producing B. cereus, showed distinct cereulide production in seven samples (although B. cereus growth to counts higher than 8 log CFU g(-1) was noted in 11 samples), in amounts close to those reported in foodborne outbreaks. Test evaluation in 33 samples suspected to hold cereulide showed actual cereulide presence in ten samples and no interference of food matrix with the assay.     

Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni after exposure to repetitive cycles of mild bactericidal treatments

While maintaining nutritional and sensorial attributes of fresh foods mild processing technologies generally deliver microbiologically perishable food products. Currently little information exists on possible increase in the resistance of pathogens after repetitive exposure to mild (sub-lethal) treatments. Multiple strain-cocktails of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni were exposed to 20 consecutive cycles of sub-lethal inactivation by three different techniques. Used techniques comprised inactivation with lactic acid (LA), chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) and intense light pulses (ILP). Results showed that the selection of resistant cells was both species and technique dependent. While repetitive cycles of ClO₂ treatment did not result in increased resistance, repetitive inactivation with LA yielded L. monocytogenes culture of higher resistance in comparison to the parental culture. The increased resistance, expressed as decreased level of reduction in bacterial counts in subsequent inactivation cycles, was also observed with ILP for both L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 strains. Visual trend observations were confirmed through statistical linear regression analysis. No such effects were noted for C. jejuni which became undetectable after first 2–5 cycles. Current findings indicate the ability of foodborne pathogens to adapt to mild bactericidal treatments creating new challenges in risk assessment and more specifically in hazard analysis.     

Pasting,thermal, gel texture,resistant starch and colour properties of unripe banana flour from 10 desert banana varieties cultivated in South Africa

Unripe banana flour is a potential commercial ingredient in various food products for increased resistant starch and reduced gluten contents. In the present study, the pasting (rapid visco-analysis), gel texture (penetration test), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry), colour (tri-stimulus colour indices) and the resistant starch properties of unripe banana flour produced from different dessert banana varieties (n?=?10) cultivated in South Africa, were analysed and juxtaposed to wheat and maize flour. The functional properties varied significantly (p?≤?0.05) between banana varieties, and from wheat and maize flours, to various extents. Selected functional property ranges of unripe banana, wheat and maize flours, respectively included; flour colour index (63.16–76.42, 77.34 and 80.96), paste viscosity (405.5–556.6, 124.7 and 115.6 RVU), gelatinization temperature (64.67–71.21, 71.11 and 69.95?°C), gel firmness (7.24–11.44?×?10^??2 N, 3.49?×?10^??2 N and 6.56?×?10^??2 N) and resistant starch content (19.9–47.4, 2.8 and 2.2% w/w). Multivariate analysis (principle component analysis) showed that the unripe banana flours from different varieties were distinguished from each other based on the pasting temperature. The unripe banana flours were distinguished from both wheat and maize flour based on breakdown and peak paste viscosities. The breakdown viscosity was the most positively related measure to the resistant starch content with a linear regression R-squared value of 0.898, indicating a significant role played by granule structure in resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis. The present research demonstrates that selection of appropriate dessert banana variety is important when replacing staple flours (wheat and maize) with unripe dessert banana flour as a functional ingredient.     

Selection Criteria for Water Disinfection Techniques in Agricultural Practices

This paper comprises a selection tool for water disinfection methods for fresh produce pre- and postharvest practices. A variety of water disinfection technologies is available on the market and no single technology is the best choice for all applications. It can be difficult for end users to choose the technology that is best fit for a specific application. Therefore, the different technologies were characterized in order to identify criteria that influence the suitability of a technology for pre- or postharvest applications. Introduced criteria were divided into three principal components: (i) criteria related to the technology and which relate to the disinfection efficiency, (ii) attention points for the management and proper operation, and (iii) necessities in order to sustain the operation with respect to the environment. The selection criteria may help the end user of the water disinfection technology to obtain a systematic insight into all relevant aspects to be considered for preliminary decision making on which technologies should be put to feasibility testing for water disinfection in pre- and postharvest practices of the fresh produce chain.     

Zero Risk Does Not Exist: Lessons Learned from Microbial Risk Assessment Related to Use of Water and Safety of Fresh Produce

Risk assessments related to use of water and safety of fresh produce originate from both water and food microbiology studies. Although the set‐up and methodology of risk assessment in these 2 disciplines may differ, analysis of the current literature reveals some common outcomes. Most of these studies from the water perspective focus on enteric virus risks, largely because of their anticipated high concentrations in untreated wastewater and their resistance to common wastewater treatments. Risk assessment studies from the food perspective, instead, focus mainly on bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella and pathogenic Escherichia coli. Few site‐specific data points were available for most of these microbial risk assessments, meaning that many assumptions were necessary, which are repeated in many studies. Specific parameters lacking hard data included rates of pathogen transfer from irrigation water to crops, pathogen penetration, and survival in or on food crops. Data on these factors have been investigated over the last decade and this should improve the reliability of future microbial risk estimates. However, the sheer number of different foodstuffs and pathogens, combined with water sources and irrigation practices, means that developing risk models that can span the breadth of fresh produce safety will be a considerable challenge. The new approach using microbial risk assessment is objective and evidence‐based and leads to more flexibility and enables more tailored risk management practices and guidelines. Drawbacks are, however, capacity and knowledge to perform the microbial risk assessment and the need for data and preferably data of the specific region.     

Evaluation of ISO 10272:2006 standard versus alternative enrichment and plating combinations for enumeration and detection of Campylobacter in chicken meat

In the present study, we evaluate the recommended ISO 10272:2006 versus alternative procedures for Campylobacter enumeration and enrichment in naturally contaminated chicken meat samples (n = 49). Three enrichment media were evaluated; Bolton broth, Preston broth and CampyFood broth^® (bioMérieux SA, Marcy l’Etoile, France). In addition, three selective plating agars were compared; modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA), CampyFood agar^® (CFA; bioMérieux SA) and Brilliance CampyCount agar^® (BCC; Oxoid, Basingstoke, England). Direct plating on CFA provided the highest number of Campylobacter positive samples (17/49); however this was not statistically different (P > 0.05) from numbers of positive samples recovered by direct plating on mCCDA (15/49) or BCC agars (14/49). Also, there was no significant difference between Campylobacter counts on the three compared media (P > 0.05). The coloured colonies of Campylobacter on CFA and BCC were easier to record and count than those on mCCDA. Enrichment of chicken meat samples in Bolton broth for 48 h and subsequent plating on CFA provided significantly higher (P < 0.05) Campylobacter detection compared to the other broth-agar combinations. Enrichment in Preston broth for 24 h followed by plating on mCCDA gave a higher number of positive samples (20/49) than 48 h enrichment in Bolton broth and plating on mCCDA (15/49). Enrichment in Bolton broth for 48 h followed by plating on CFA recovered 35% of samples below the limit for quantifications (<10 CFU/g, n = 34), as identified by direct plating on mCCDA. Compared to the current ISO method, some alternative combinations of enrichment and agar media could provide significantly better detection and enumeration of Campylobacter in chicken meat.     

Campylobacter contamination in broiler carcasses and correlation with slaughterhouses operational hygiene inspection

This study investigates factors associated with Campylobacter contamination of broiler carcasses, using survey data collected from nine Belgian slaughterhouses in 2008 in accordance with a European Union baseline study. Campylobacter were detected in 51.9% (202/389) (95% confidence interval, 46.8%-56.9%) of broiler carcasses. Campylobacter concentration was <10 CFU/g in 49.6% of carcasses, while 20.6% were contaminated with ≥1000 CFU/g. The mean Campylobacter concentration, as calculated by maximum likelihood estimation for left-censored data, was 1.8 log₁₀ CFU/g, with a standard deviation of 1.9 log₁₀ CFU/g. There was statistically significant variation among slaughterhouses in prevalence and concentrations of Campylobacter in their sampled carcasses. Campylobacter prevalence (but not concentrations) was positively associated with increase in broilers age. Both Campylobacter prevalence and concentration were significantly higher in carcasses sampled during June and September (but not in July and August) than carcasses sampled in January. We also investigated the correlation (Spearman’s rank correlation test) between the scores of official control inspections and Campylobacter prevalence for eight out of the nine slaughterhouses. The control inspections were routinely performed by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, and the concluded inspection scores were used as a general numerical indicator for the status of operational hygiene and quality of management in the slaughterhouses. Ranking of slaughterhouses based on their inspection scores was statistically correlated (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.857) with their ranking based on prevalence of Campylobacter. In the present study we demonstrate how the outcomes from a routine baseline survey could be coupled with other readily available data from national control authorities in order to enable a better insight over Campylobacter contamination status in broiler slaughterhouses. Findings from this work call for subsequent in-depth investigations on technical and hygiene management factors that could impact Campylobacter contamination across broiler slaughterhouses.     

Effect of MIL‐53 (Al) MOF particles on the chain mobility and crystallization of poly(L‐lactic acid)

Polymer‐filler interactions significantly influence morphology, functionality, and various desirable properties of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). In this study, chain mobility and crystallization of poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) MMM films prepared by solvent casting PLLA with 1, 5, 10, and 20% wt/wt of MIL‐53(Al) metal organic framework (MOF) were evaluated. The fabricated MMMs were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry studies indicated that the addition of MOF particles in the PLLA matrix reduces the polymeric chain mobility, which affects the crystallization process. The percent crystallinity of neat PLLA was found to decrease from 4% in neat PLLA to completely amorphous structures in PLLA‐10% and PLLA‐20% MMMs, as observed in the second heating cycle. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data supports these observations. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed that PLLA‐MOF films are thermally less stable than neat PLLA suggesting that MOF particles act as a depolymerization catalyst for PLLA. Partial agglomeration of MOF particles was observed in the samples using scanning electron microscopy studies. This study indicates strong PLLA‐MIL‐53(Al) MOF interactions. In addition, this study also provides insight into the effect of MOF particles on the segmental mobility and morphology of PLLA‐MIL‐53 (Al) composite films. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45690.