Reductionin Listeria monocytogenes,Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in vitro and on tomato by sophorolipid and sanitiser as affected by temperature and storage time

Increased consumption of produce by consumers has been attributed to perceived health benefits of postharvest produce. Pathogen control is crucial because periodic occurrences and contamination of tomato and leafy greens have exacerbated food safety risks for consumers. We investigated the effects of temperatures (5 and 25 °C), storage time (30 min and 24 h) for inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by sophorolipid (SL‐p) produced fermentatively using palmitic acid as a co‐substrate at different concentrations in vitro. Reduction in pathogenic bacteria on grape tomato by SL‐p, sanitiser (Lovit) and combinations of SL‐p and sanitiser was determined. Temperature and storage time significantly (P < 0.05) affected pathogen inactivations by SL‐p as pathogen reductions were greater at 25 °C and 24 h than at 5 °C and 30 min of storage. L. monocytogenes was the most sensitive to SL‐p treatment as reductions of 5 log relative to untreated controls were attained at 0.12% of SL‐p. Significant reductions in S. enterica (1.91–3.85 logs) and E. coli O157:H7 (0.87–4.09 logs) were recorded at 2–5% of SL‐p. Lower populations of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 were inactivated than L. monocytogenes. On grape tomato, pathogen populations inactivated increased at higher SL‐p levels at 25 °C. Sanitiser and sanitiser + SL‐p reduced bacterial populations on tomato by 5.29–5.76 logs and 0.71–3.3.66 logs, respectively. These results imply the interactions of temperature, storage time and SL‐p significantly (P < 0.05) affected pathogen strain reductions. The combination of SL‐p with sanitiser led to synergistic effect on E. coli O157:H7, but not L. monocytogenes and S. enterica.     

Irradiation inactivation of four Salmonella serotypes in orange juices with various turbiditiest

Reconstituted orange juice inoculated with Salmonella Anatum, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport, or Salmonella Stanley was treated with gamma radiation at 2 degrees C. To determine the relationship between juice antioxidant power and Dgamma (dose required to achieve 90% mortality), juice solids were removed prior to inoculation by centrifugation and/or filtration to create juice preparations of varying turbidity. In unadulterated orange juice, Salmonella Anatum (Dgamma = 0.71 kGy) was significantly more resistant than the other species tested. Salmonella Newport (Dgamma = 0.48 kGy) and Salmonella Infantis (Dgamma = 0.35 kGy) were significantly different, while Salmonella Stanley (Dgamma = 0.38 kGy) was intermediate between the two. Neither the resistance of each isolate nor the pattern of relative resistance among isolates was altered in reduced turbidity juice preparations. Although total antioxidant power was associated with the level of juice solids resuspended in phosphate buffer, antioxidant power was not significantly associated with turbidity in the juice preparations or with Dgamma of any species. The variable resistance to irradiation of the Salmonella isolates suggests this as a more significant factor than turbidity or antioxidant power in designing antimicrobial juice irradiation protocols.     

Escherichia coli O157:H7 Biofilm Formation on Romaine Lettuce and Spinach Leaf Surfaces Reduces Efficacy of Irradiation and Sodium Hypochlorite Washes

Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of leafy green vegetables is an ongoing concern for consumers. Biofilm-associated pathogens are relatively resistant to chemical treatments, but little is known about their response to irradiation. Leaves of Romaine lettuce and baby spinach were dip inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and stored at 4 °C for various times (0, 24, 48, 72 h) to allow biofilms to form. After each time, leaves were treated with either a 3-min wash with a sodium hypochlorite solution (0, 300, or 600 ppm) or increasing doses of irradiation (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1 kGy). Viable bacteria were recovered and enumerated. Chlorine washes were generally only moderately effective, and resulted in maximal reductions of 1.3 log CFU/g for baby spinach and 1.8 log CFU/g for Romaine. Increasing time in storage prior to chemical treatment had no effect on spinach, and had an inconsistent effect on 600 ppm applied to Romaine. Allowing time for formation of biofilm-like aggregations reduced the efficacy of irradiation. D₁₀ values (the dose required for a 1 log reduction) significantly increased with increasing storage time, up to 48 h postinoculation. From 0 h of storage, D₁₀ increased from 0.19 kGy to a maximum of 0.40 to 0.43 kGy for Romaine and 0.52 to 0.54 kGy for spinach. SEM showed developing biofilms on both types of leaves during storage. Bacterial colonization of the stomata was extensive on spinach, but not on Romaine. These results indicate that the protection of bacteria on the leaf surface by biofilm formation and stomatal colonization can reduce the antimicrobial efficacy of irradiation on leafy green vegetables. Practical Application: Before incorporating irradiation into the overall GMP/GHP chain, a packer or processor of leafy green vegetables must determine at what stage of processing and shipping the irradiation should take place. As a penetrating process, irradiation is best applied as a postpackaging intervention. Time in refrigerated storage between packaging and processing may alter the antimicrobial efficacy of irradiation. Irradiation on a commercial scale should include efforts to minimize the time delay between final packaging and irradiation of leafy vegetables.     

Nalidixic acid resistance influences sensitivity to ionizing radiation among Salmonella isolates

Nalidixic acid (Nal) resistance has been used as a selective marker for studies of pathogen-inoculated fruits and vegetables. A collection of 24 Salmonella isolates were screened for natural resistance to Nal (50 microg/ml). The resistance to ionizing radiation was determined and compared for i) three naturally Nal-resistant (Nal(R)) strains, ii) three naturally Nal-sensitive (Nal(S)) strains, and iii) three strains derived from Nals strains that were made resistant to Nal (Nal(Ri)) by successive culturing and selection in Nal-amended broth. The radiation D10-values (the radiation dose required to achieve a 1-log reduction in population) were determined in buffer solution and in orange juice. D10-values were significantly (P < 0.05) different among the Salmonella isolates tested. When considered as a group, Nal(R) isolates were significantly more sensitive to ionizing radiation than Nals isolates in both media tested. In buffer, D10 of Nal(R) was 0.210 kGy versus 0.257 kGy for Nals. In orange juice, D10 of Nal(R) was 0.581 versus 0.764 for Nals. Inducing resistance to Nal altered the response to irradiation. D10-value of Nal(Ri) was 0.234 kGy in buffer, a 9% reduction relative to Nals parents. In orange juice, the D10-value of Nal(Ri) was 0.637 kGy, a reduction of 17% relative to Nals parents. These results suggest that natural and/or induced resistance to Nal may predispose Salmonella isolates to greater sensitivity to ionizing radiation,and that this effect is influenced by the suspending medium and by the nature of the isolates evaluated.     

Recent Highlights of Research on miRNAs as Early Potential Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications pose a serious threat to the life and health of patients around the world. The most dangerous complications of this disease are vascular complications. Microvascular complications of T2DM include retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. In turn, macrovascular complications include coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. The currently used diagnostic methods do not ensure detection of the disease at an early stage, and they also do not predict the risk of developing specific complications. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, noncoding molecules that are involved in key processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Recent research has assigned them an important role as potential biomarkers for detecting complications related to diabetes. We suggest that utilizing miRNAs can be a routine approach for early diagnosis and prognosis of diseases and may enable the development of better therapeutic approaches. In this paper, we conduct a review of the latest reports demonstrating the usefulness of miRNAs as biomarkers in the vascular complications of T2DM.     

Inactivation of Salmonella serovars in liquid whole egg by heat following irradiation treatments

Salmonella is a frequent contaminant on eggs and is responsible for foodborne illnesses in humans. Ionizing radiation and thermal processing can be used to inactivate Salmonella in liquid whole egg, but when restricted to doses that do not affect egg quality, these technologies are only partially effective in reducing Salmonella populations. In this study, the effect of ionizing radiation in combination with thermal treatment on the survival of Salmonella serovars was investigated. Of the six Salmonella serovars tested, Salmonella Senftenberg was the most resistant to radiation (Dgamma = 0.65 kGy) and heat (D(55 degrees C) = 11.31 min, z = 4.9 degrees C). Irradiation followed by thermal treatment at 55 or 57 degrees C improved the pasteurization process. Radiation doses as low as 0.1 kGy prior to thermal treatments synergistically reduced the D(55 degrees C) and D(57 degrees C) of Salmonella Senftenberg 3.6- and 2.5-fold, respectively. The D(55 degrees C) and D(57 degrees C) of Salmonella Typhimurium were reduced 2- and 1.4-fold and those of Salmonella Enteritidis were reduced 2- and 1.6-fold, respectively. Irradiation prior to thermal treatment would enable the reduction of heat treatment times by 86 and 30% at 55 and 57 degrees C, respectively, and would inactivate 9 log units of Salmonella serovars.