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Processing Environment (processing + environment)
Selected AbstractsInfluence of temperature on biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes on various food-contact surfaces: relationship with motility and cell surface hydrophobicityJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008G. Di Bonaventura Abstract Aims:, To assess the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to form biofilm on different food-contact surfaces with regard to different temperatures, cellular hydrophobicity and motility. Methods and Results:, Forty-four L. monocytogenes strains from food and food environment were tested for biofilm formation by crystal violet staining. Biofilm levels were significantly higher on glass at 4, 12 and 22°C, as compared with polystyrene and stainless steel. At 37°C, L. monocytogenes produced biofilm at significantly higher levels on glass and stainless steel, as compared with polystyrene. Hydrophobicity was significantly (P < 0·05) higher at 37°C than at 4, 12 and 22°C. Thirty (68·2%) of 44 strains tested showed swimming at 22°C and 4 (9·1%) of those were also motile at 12°C. No correlation was observed between swimming and biofilm production. Conclusions:,L. monocytogenes can adhere to and form biofilms on food-processing surfaces. Biofilm formation is significantly influenced by temperature, probably modifying cell surface hydrophobicity. Significance and Impacts of the Study:, Biofilm formation creates major problems in the food industry because it may represent an important source of food contamination. Our results are therefore important in finding ways to prevent contamination because they contribute to a better understanding on how L. monocytogenes can establish biofilms in food industry and therefore survive in the processing environment. [source] An updated review of Listeria monocytogenes in the pork meat industry and its productsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006D. Thévenot Abstract Pork meat and processed pork products have been the sources of outbreaks of listeriosis in France and in other European countries during the last decade. The aim of this review is to understand how contamination, survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes can occur in pork meat products. This study discusses the presence of L. monocytogenes in raw pork meat, in the processing environment and in finished products. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes generally increases from the farm to the manufacturing plants and this mainly due to cross-contamination. In many cases, this pathogen is present in raw pork meat at low or moderate levels, but foods involved in listeriosis outbreaks are those in which the organism has multiplied to reach levels significantly higher than 1000 CFU g,1. In such cases, L. monocytogenes has been able to survive and/or to grow despite the hurdles encountered during the manufacturing and conservation processes. Accordingly, attention must be paid to the design of food-processing equipment and to the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfecting procedures in factories. Finally, the production of safe pork meat products is based on the implementation of general preventive measures such as Good Hygiene Practices, Good Manufacturing and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. [source] Bacillus cereus is common in the environment but emetic toxin producing isolates are rareJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006M. Altayar Abstract Aims:, To determine the incidence of emetic toxin producing Bacillus cereus in soil, animal faeces and selected vegetable produce to compare the results with the previously reported high incidence in rice paddy fields. To examine whether the emetic toxin has antibiotic activity. Methods and Results:, The incidence of emetic toxin producing B. cereus was evaluated by plating on selective agar 271 samples of soils, animal faeces, raw and processed vegetables. Overall, 45·8% of samples were positive for B. cereus. One hundred and seventy-seven B. cereus isolates were recovered at 30°C with the grand mean spore count being 2·6 ± 1·7 log10 CFU g,1 and 148 B. cereus isolates were recovered at 7°C with the grand mean spore count being 2·2 ± 1·2 log10 CFU g,1 of the177 B. cereus isolated at 30°C, only 3 were positive for emetic toxin production at a titre of 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, respectively. Also, 1 of 148 B. cereus isolated at 7°C was positive for emetic toxin production to a titre of 1/128. All positive isolates came from washed or unwashed potato skins, one was psychrotrophic as determined by PCR and growth at 7°C on subculture. The emetic toxin was not shown to have any antibiotic effects in growth inhibition studies. Conclusions:, While B. cereus was a common isolate, the incidence of the emetic strain was rare. This is in contrast to previous findings of the high incidence in rice paddy fields and the processing environment, which may suggest rice is a selective area for growth of the emetic strain of B. cereus. Significance and Impact of Study:, The finding that a psychrotrophic isolate of B. cereus can produce emetic toxin is the first ever such observation and suggests the possibility that psychrotrophic isolates could grow in refrigerated fresh foods and cause emesis. The incidence of emetic B. cereus strains in rice paddy fields now requires further study for comparison with the low incidence found in other soils. The emetic toxin failed to inhibit the growth of other bacterial, fungal and yeast species. Whether the toxin (which is similar in structure to the antibiotic valinomycin) plays a competitive role in the environment therefore remains unclear. [source] Antibiotic resistance in Listeria species isolated from catfish fillets and processing environmentLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2010B.-Y. Chen Abstract Aims:, To investigate the susceptibility of 221 Listeria spp. (86 Listeria monocytogenes, 41 Listeria innocua and 94 Listeria seeligeri-Listeria welshimeri-Listeria ivanovii) isolated from catfish fillets and processing environment to 15 antibiotics. Methods and Results:,Listeria isolates were analysed by disc-diffusion assay for their resistance to 15 drugs. All isolates were resistant to cefotaxime and clindamycin but were sensitive to ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamycin, kanamycin, rifampin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and vancomycin. Unlike L. monocytogenes and L. seeligeri-L. welshimeri-L. ivanovii isolates, 22% of L. innocua isolates displayed tetracycline/oxytetracycline resistance. Screening of tet genes by PCR identified tet(M) gene in the chromosome of all tetracycline/oxytetracycline-resistant L. innocua. However, this gene was not associated with the integrase gene of Tn1545. Repetitive extragenic palindromic- and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR typing methods showed no genotype-specific tetracycline resistance in the tet(M)-positive strains. Conclusions:, Catfish fillets and processing environment were currently free of L. monocytogenes resistant to antibiotics commonly used in human listeriosis treatment. However, the presence of tet(M) gene in L. innocua raises the possibility of future acquisition of resistance by L. monocytogenes. Significance and Impact of the Study:, These data will be helpful in improving background data on antibiotics resistance strains isolated from food and processing environment. [source] Intrinsic and acquired resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds in food-related Pseudomonas spp.JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003S. Langsrud Abstract Aims: To determine the sensitivity of a strain used for disinfectants testing (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442) and food-associated isolates to benzalkonium chloride and didecyl dimethylammonium chloride (DDAC). To determine whether the increase in bacterial resistance after adaptation to DDAC can be associated with phenotypic changes. To test the activity of alternative disinfectants to eliminate resistant Pseudomonas spp. Methods and Results:Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 was among the most resistant strains tested using a bactericidal suspension test. Growth of a sensitive Ps. fluorescens in gradually higher concentrations of DDAC resulted in stable higher resistance and to some cross-resistance to several antibacterial agents, with the exception of disinfectants containing chloramine T, glutaraldehyde or peracetic acid. It was shown by microscopy that adaptation was followed by loss of flagella, and slime formation. Removal of the slime by sodium dodecyl sulphate resulted in partial loss of the acquired resistance. Conclusions:Pseudomonas spp. may adapt to survive against higher concentrations of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), but resistant strains can be eliminated with chemically unrelated disinfectants. Significance and Impact of the Study: The work supports the rotation of disinfectants in food processing environments for avoiding the development of bacterial resistance to QACs. The alternating disinfectants should be chosen carefully, because of possible cross-resistance. [source] Electronic nose analysis of volatile compounds from poultry meat samples, fresh and after refrigerated storage,JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 3 2002Dorothy D, H Boothe Abstract Electronic nose technology has previously been applied to the assessment of the quality of red meats, pork and fish, but not poultry products. In the present study the ability of the electronic nose to assess the microbiological quality of raw poultry meat as a function of storage time and temperature was investigated. Four types of chicken pieces (boneless breast with and without skin, wings and thighs) were stored for up to 2 days at 13,°C (the maximum allowable temperature in poultry processing environments) or for up to 5 days at 4,°C (refrigeration temperature for raw poultry products prior to shipping or further processing). Saline rinses of meat samples were serially diluted in tryptic soy broth to 10,10. The rinses and their associated serial dilutions were analysed on an electronic nose with 12 metal oxide sensors in order to determine the specificity and sensitivity respectively of the assay. Principal component analysis (PCA) maps of the data confirmed that the electronic nose could differentiate volatile compounds associated with individual types of meat samples properly stored at 4,°C from those maintained at processing temperature, 13,°C, for a comparable time, even as early as day 1 of storage. Differences in headspace gases from any type of meat sample stored at one temperature could also be determined with increased storage time. However, data from samples stored at 4,°C clustered more tightly in PCA maps than those associated with samples maintained at 13,°C, indicating a greater diversity in volatile compounds at the higher temperature. We have shown herein that the electronic nose can detect changes in the volatile compounds associated with chicken meat based on product storage time and temperature; the technology can assess length of sample storage as well as deviation from refrigeration temperature. Published in 2002 for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Stress Response of Escherichia coliCOMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, Issue 3 2006H.J. Chung ABSTRACT:,Escherichia coli encounter numerous different stresses during their growth, survival, and infection. These stresses are relevant to survival in foods and food processing environments. E. coli and other bacteria respond to stress conditions by activating small or large groups of genes under the control of common regulator proteins. Stress conditions result in the accumulation of these regulator proteins and subsequent transcription of many genes allows cells to cope with specific stress situations, conferring stress tolerance and survival. In addition, induced stress tolerance of cells is attributed to enhanced virulence and enhanced tolerance to other stresses (cross-protection). In this review, regulation of stress and the stress tolerance response of E. coli to heat, acid, starvation, and cold stresses that are commonly used in food preservation and food production will be addressed. The effect of different stress on survival, adaptation, and cross-protection of E. coli studied using laboratory media, and real foods will be briefly summarized. Finally, the relationship of stress response and subsequent virulence and cross-protection will also be discussed. [source] | ||||||||||