Journal of Food Protection

This study aimed to determine whether the farm-level use of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based postbiotic was associated with Salmonella prevalence and concentration, serotype diversity, and antimicrobial resistance in the subiliac lymph nodes (LN) of cull dairy cows. In collaboration with two commercial processing plants in the Southwestern (SW) and Northeastern (NE) regions of the U.S., cull dairy cattle lots processed in the same week from dairy farms that fed or not the postbiotic were sampled. Up to 20 LN were collected from dairy cattle from each supplier farm at least once every season...

Surveillance and monitoring of foods for the presence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria is required to assess the risks these bacteria pose to human health. Frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked, live bivalve shellfish such as mussels and oysters can be a source of exposure to AMR bacteria. This study sought to determine the prevalence of third generation cephalosporin (3GC) and carbapenem resistant bacteria in live mussel and oyster shellstock available for retail purchase through the course of one calendar year...

Our objectives were to determine whether the feedlot-level use of a direct fed microbial (DFM; Lactobacillus animalis LA51 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii PF24; Bovamine Defend®, 2x109 CFU/g) was associated with fecal prevalence and concentration of E. coli O157:H7, and determine pen- and feedlot-level risk factors associated with fecal E. coli O157:H7 prevalence in cattle pens from commercial feedlot operations. Twenty commercial feedlots in Nebraska, ten that included DFM (DFM) and ten that did not (no-DFM), were sampled during the summer of 2017...

Recent outbreaks and recalls linked to flour-based products have highlighted the need for improved cleaning methods in low-moisture environments. The factors affecting adhesion forces of flour particles, and the vacuum cleaning methodologies to overcome these forces, need to be better understood. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Measure electrostatic charge build-up in flour under different environmental conditions (20, 40, 60% relative humidity at room temperature), (2) quantify how powder size (US standard No...

Contaminated agricultural water has been implicated in produce-associated outbreaks, including dry bulb onions (Allium cepa). This study was designed to quantify risks associated with t contaminated water used to prepare crop protection sprays applied immediately before the onset of field curing of dry bulb onions. Laboratory experiments determining behavior of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in crop protection chemical solutions were performed to guide selection for field use. Field trials were conducted (2022, 2023) in eastern Oregon (Treasure Valley) using two onion cultivars ('Red Wing' and 'Cometa') inoculated with a rifampicin-resistant E...

Food safety is a shared responsibility of all actors along the food supply chain. Changes in the primary production system can affect food safety hazards along the supply chain. This highlights the need for a framework that enables primary producers (i.e., farmers) to assess the potential food safety hazards and, if needed, to apply control measures. This paper presents a generic food safety assessment (GFSA) framework that has been developed based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). The proposed framework was applied to a case study, i...

Enterobacterales include foodborne pathogens of importance to public health, and are often targeted in food surveillance programmes as both safety and hygiene indicators. Furthermore, Enterobacterales are important in the context of antimicrobial resistance dissemination, also impacting infection treatment efficacy. In this study, the prevalence and characteristics of Enterobacterales in UK retail foods were examined. From 110 retail food samples, 253 Enterobacterales were recovered, with 16S rRNA sequencing revealing a diverse species community, including enteropathogens; the most common were Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli (18% each)...

Fresh produce is usually consumed raw or minimally processed, making it a potential vehicle for transmission of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) microorganisms to humans. The objective of the study was to assess the occurrence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E and CPE), respectively, in 118 fresh herbs and 101 bagged salads collected at retail level in Switzerland and to characterize the isolates' phenotypic and genotypic properties using culture-based methods and whole genome sequencing (WGS)...

Prevalence, toxin gene profiles, lactose fermentation, and growth responses of B. cereus sensu lato sub-groups in various dairy and dairy alternative products and ingredients were studied to identify relevant isolates for challenge testing and model development to predict and manage growth responses. Out of 71 examined products or ingredients, 51 B. cereus s.l. isolates were obtained from 35 positive samples (49% prevalence). These 51 isolates along with 18 additional dairy isolates and 12 B. cereus s.l. reference strains were identified using MALDI-TOF...

Effective methods for decontamination of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) on beef were evaluated by 48 mL spraying, 100 mL, and 500 mL flushing with ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, acidified sodium chlorite, and sodium hypochlorite in this study. The flushing with 500 mL of 1,000 ppm peracetic acid was most effective, reducing pathogens by 2.8 log CFU/cm2 , followed by 1,200 ppm acidified sodium chlorite. The spraying with 1,000 ppm peracetic acid reduced pathogens by 1.6 log CFU/cm2 ...

Norovirus is the predominant cause of viral gastroenteritis globally with foodborne outbreaks commonly reported. Filter-feeding bivalve molluscan shellfish can become contaminated with norovirus when grown in waters impacted by inadequately treated effluent wastewater, overflows, or other human faecal sources. Contaminated shellfish pose a significant risk to consumers, because combined with a low norovirus infectious dose, oysters and mussels are often eaten raw or lightly cooked resulting in no or minimal virus inactivation, respectively...

In the United States, the Proposed Regulatory Framework to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses Attributable to Poultry published by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has highlighted the need for simple, rapid methods that identify poultry wing rinse samples harboring Salmonella concentrations ≥ 10 CFU/mL. One of eight cold-stressed and nutrient starved Salmonella strains were inoculated into post-chill two-joint poultry wing rinses (48 turkey and 72 chicken) at levels from 0.22 to 3.79 log CFU/mL; and then measured by 3-tube Most Probable Number (MPN), BioMerieux GENE-UP QUANT, Hygiena BAX SalQuant, and novel threshold methods...

In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners investigated a multi-state sample-initiated retrospective outbreak investigation (SIROI) consisting of a cluster of nine Salmonella Weltevreden illnesses associated with frozen, pre-cooked shrimp imported from India. Import surveillance testing identified Salmonella Weltevreden recovered from a cooked shrimp sample from Supplier B. In total, nine patients with clinical isolates highly related via whole genome sequencing were reported in four states with illness onset dates between February 26 and July 17, 2021...

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen frequently associated with ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. Nitrite is a key antimicrobial additive that can offer some degree of protection against L. monocytogenes when included in meat product formulations. The objectives of this study were to determine the potential of nitrite-embedded film to affect growth of L. monocytogenes following post-thermal processing of conventionally-cured and nitrite-free bologna. Two bologna treatment formulations, a conventionally-cured control formulation (CON) and a nitrite-free formulation (UCC), were manufactured, packaged in conventional (CF) or nitrite-embedded (NEF) film, inoculated with 3...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Dipicolinic acid (DPA) is a major constituent of spores and reportedly provides protection against inactivation by various thermal processes, however the relationship between DPA and resistance towards pressure-assisted thermal processing is not well understood. Thermal and pressure-assisted thermal inactivation studies of Clostridium botulinum nonproteolytic strains QC-B and 610-F, proteolytic strain Giorgio-A, and thermal surrogate Clostridium sporogenes PA3679 spores suspended in ACES buffer (0.05 M, pH 7...

Historically, low-moisture foods were considered to have minimal microbial risks. However, they have been linked to many high-profile multistate outbreaks and recalls in recent years, drawing research and extension attention to low-moisture food safety. Limited studies have assessed the food safety research and extension needs for the low-moisture food industry. The objectives of this needs assessment were to explore the food safety culture and education needs, identify the food safety challenges and data gaps, and understand the barriers to adopting food-safety-enhancing technologies in the U...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has guidelines for cooling cooked foods in retail operations. Data on foodborne illness risk factors in restaurants indicate that cooling is often out of compliance with these guidelines. We sought to identify factors under the control of the operator that had a significant effect on the cooling rates of cooked foods. Minneapolis Minnesota Health Inspectors were trained in standardized operating procedures for cooling data collection. Data loggers set to appropriate time intervals and calibrated to ± 0...

Market hog lymph nodes (LNs) can contaminate carcasses with Salmonella, as well as ground and comminuted pork products. The objective of this study was to perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis of LNs from several regions and seasons in the United States to establish a Salmonella prevalence and concentration baseline. Six types of LNs (axillary, mesenteric, subiliac, tracheobronchial, superficial inguinal, pre-scapular) and tonsils were sampled from market hog carcasses from different regions (east, central, and west) and seasons (winter, spring, and summer/fall)...

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can persist in produce processing environments, which increases the risk for food contamination. Increased resistance to antimicrobials commonly used in cleaning and sanitizing procedures may contribute to L. monocytogenes' persistence in these environments. This study aimed to evaluate sanitizer resistance in L. monocytogenes isolates collected from three tree fruit packing facilities (F1, F2, and F3) during packing seasons 2020-2021 (Y1) and 2021-2022 (Y2), and to assess evidence of persistence based on the genomic similarity of isolates to historical isolates collected in previous years...