Journal of food protection (J FOOD PROTECT)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Toward validation of process criteria for high-pressure processing of orange juice with predictive models.

  Michelle K Bull, Elizabeth A Szabo, Martin B Cole, Cynthia M Stewart
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  ABSTRACT: Mathematical models were developed to predict time to inactivation (TTI) by high-pressure processing of Salmonella in Australian Valencia orange juice (pH 4.3) and navel orange juice (pH 3.7) as a function of pressure magnitude (300 to 600 MPa) and inoculum level (3 to 7 log CFU/ml). For each model, the TTI was found to increase with increasing inoculum level and decrease with increasing pressure magnitude. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Regulation requires fruit juice processors to include control measures that produce a 5-log reduction of the pertinent microorganism of public health significance in the juice. To achieve a 5-log reduction of Salmonella in navel orange juice at 20 degrees C, the models predicted hold times of 198, 19, and 5 s at 300, 450, and 600 MPa, respectively. In Valencia orange juice at 20 degrees C, a 5-log reduction of Salmonella was achieved in 369, 25, and 5 s at 300, 450, and 600 MPa, respectively. At pressures below 400 MPa, Salmonella was more sensitive to pressure in the more acidic conditions of the navel orange juice and TTIs were shorter. At higher pressures, little difference in the predicted TTI was observed. Refrigerated storage (4 degrees C) of inoculated navel orange juice treated at selected pressure/time/inoculum combinations showed that under conditions in which viable Salmonella was recovered immediately after high-pressure processing, pressure-treated Salmonella was susceptible to the acidic environment of orange juice or to chill storage temperature. These TTI models can assist fruit juice processors in selecting processing criteria to achieve an appropriate performance criterion with regard to the reduction of Salmonella in orange juice, while allowing for processing flexibility and optimization of high-pressure juice processing.
  Journal of food protection 02/2013; 68(5):949-54.
• Article: Impact of Acid Fatty Chain Length of Rosmarinate Esters on Their Antimicrobial Activity Against Staphylococcus carnosus LTH1502 and Escherichia coli K12 LTH4263.

  S. Suriyarak, C. Bayrasy, H. Schmidt, P. Villeneuve, J. Weiss
  Journal of food protection 01/2013;
• Article: Onal-Darilmaz, D., Gumustekin Y. 2012. Research on Some Factors Influencing Acid and Exopolysaccharide Produced by Dairy Propionibacterium Strains Isolated from Traditional Homemade Turkish Cheeses. Journal of Food Protection, 75: 918-926.

  Derya Onal Darilmaz, yesim Gumustekin
  Journal of food protection 01/2012; 75(75).
• Article: Bioserotypes and virulence markers of Yersinia enterocolitica strains isolated from mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and pheasants (Phasianus colchicus)

  Banerz-Kisiel A, Szczerba-turek A, Lipczyńska K, Stenzel T, Szweda W
  Journal of food protection 01/2012; 75(12):2219-2222.
• Article: Quantification of Campylobacter in Swine before, during, and after the Slaughter Process

  M.J. Abley, T.E. Wittum, S.J. Moeller, H.N. Zerby, J.A. Funk
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  ABSTRACT: Campylobacter has been implicated as a major cause of foodborne illness worldwide. Pigs can be subclinically infected, and fecal contamination of meat during slaughter is a food safety risk. The objective of this study was to determine the association between the concentration of Campylobacter pre- and periharvest with postharvest contamination in swine. Samples were collected from 100 individually identified swine during the pre-, peri-, and postharvest periods. For each animal, the following phases were sampled: on farm (fecal sample), in lairage (hide swab), post-stunning and exsanguination (rectal contents), prechilling (carcass swab), and final product (rib meat) sample. The proportions of samples that were Campylobacter positive were 90, 95, 76, 100, and 49% for fecal, rectal content, hide, carcass, and rib meat samples, respectively. The mean Campylobacter concentrations for each sample were fecal sample, 1.7 × 106 CFU/g; rectal content, 1.2 × 107 CFU/g; hide swab, 1.4 CFU/cm2; carcass swab, 1.7 × 103 CFU per half carcass; and rib meat, 18 CFU/g. There was a positive correlation between Campylobacter concentrations in fecal samples (R = 0.20, P = 0.065) and concentration of Campylobacter on rib meat, and between rectal content sample concentration (R = 0.20, P = 0.068) and the concentration on rib meat. There was no association between the isolation of Campylobacter on rib meat and the isolation of Campylobacter at any pre- or periharvest stage. This could indicate that the risk of a meat product being contaminated is associated with pigs that shed higher concentrations of Campylobacter before slaughter.
  Journal of food protection 12/2011; 75(1):139-143.
• Article: Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Viability and Phenotypic Characteristics of Salmonella Enteritidis Inoculated into Specific-Pathogen-Free Eggs

  Elizabeth C.P. Rodrigues, Mauro C.L. Souza, Sandro S. Toledo, Celso G. Barbosa, Eliane M.F. Reis, Dalia P. Rodrigues, Norma S. Lázaro
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  ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to determine the effects of various levels of gamma irradiation on the phenotypic characteristics of 20 strains of Salmonella Enteritidis inoculated separately into specific-pathogen-free shell eggs. Bacterial strains were inoculated into egg yolks and exposed to 60Co radiation at doses of 0.49 to 5.0 kGy. The eggs were maintained at 25°C and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella on days 1, 2, 4, and 7, and the recovered Salmonella isolates were characterized biochemically. All strains were resistant to doses of 0.49, 0.54, 0.59, 0.8, and 1 kGy; colony counts were ≥105 CFU/ml of egg yolk except for one strain, which was detected at 96 h and at 7 days after irradiation at 1 kGy, with a population reduction of 2 log CFU/ml. For the other evaluated doses, 12 strains (60.0%) were resistant at 1.5 kGy and 7 strains (35.0%) were resistant at 3.0 kGy. Among all analyzed strains, 5.0 kGy was more effective for reducing and/or eliminating the inoculated bacteria; only two (10%) strains were resistant to this level of irradiation. Salmonella colony counts were significantly reduced (P < 0.01) with increasing doses from the day 1 to 7 of observation, when microbial growth peaked. Loss of mobility, lactose fermentation, citrate utilization, and hydrogen sulfide production occurred in some strains after irradiation independent of dose and postirradiation storage time. Increases in antibiotic susceptibility also occurred: seven strains became sensitive to β-lactams, two strains became sensitive to antifolates, and one strain each became sensitive to fluoroquinolone, phenicol, nitrofurans, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. The results indicate that up to 5.0 kGy of radiation applied to shell eggs inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis at 4 log CFU per egg is not sufficient for complete elimination of this pathogen from this food matrix.
  Journal of food protection 11/2011; 74(12):2031-2038.
• Article: Foodborne Illness Associated with Cryptosporidium and Giardia from Livestock

  Ebo Budu-Amoako, Spencer J. Greenwood, Brent R. Dixon, Herman W. Barkema, J.T. McClure
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  ABSTRACT: Waterborne outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium and Giardia are well documented, while the public health implications for foodborne illness from these parasites have not been adequately considered. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are common in domestic livestock, where young animals can have a high prevalence of infection, shedding large numbers of oocysts and cysts. Molecular epidemiological studies have advanced our knowledge on the distribution of Cryptosporidium and Giardia species and genotypes in specific livestock. This has enabled better source tracking of contaminated foods. Livestock generate large volumes of fecal waste, which can contaminate the environment with (oo)cysts. Evidence suggests that livestock, particularly cattle, play a significant role in food contamination, leading to outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis. However, foodborne giardiasis seems to originate primarily from anthroponotic sources. Foodborne cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis are underreported because of the limited knowledge of the zoonotic potential and public health implications. Methods more sensitive and cheaper are needed to detect the often-low numbers of (oo)cysts in contaminated food and water. As the environmental burden of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts from livestock waste increases with the projected increase in animal agriculture, public health is further compromised. Contamination of food by livestock feces containing Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts could occur via routes that span the entire food production continuum. Intervention strategies aimed at preventing food contamination with Cryptosporidium and Giardia will require an integrated approach based on knowledge of the potential points of entry for these parasites into the food chain. This review examines the potential for foodborne illness from Cryptosporidium and Giardia from livestock sources and discusses possible mechanisms for prevention and control.
  Journal of food protection 10/2011; 74(11):1944-1955.
• Article: Vitamin A Intoxication from Reef Fish Liver Consumptionin Bermuda

  E. Dewailly, P. Rouja, E. Schultz, P. Julien, T. Tucker
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  ABSTRACT: We report three historical cases of severe vitamin A intoxication in anglers who had consumed reef fish liver caught in Bermuda. The subsequent analyses of 35 fish livers from seven different fish species revealed that very high concentrations of vitamin A exist in tropical fish liver, even in noncarnivorous fish species. Large variations in concentrations were observed between specimens and between species. The angling population and (especially) pregnant women should be advised of this potential health threat.
  Journal of food protection 08/2011; 74(9):1581-1583.
• Article: Prevalence and distribution of Arcobacter spp. in raw milk and retailed raw beef

  A.H. Shah, A.A. Saleha, M. Murugaiyah, Z. Zunita, A.B Aliyu
  Journal of food protection 01/2011;
• Article: Clostridium difficile from Healthy Food Animals: Optimized Isolation and Prevalence

  S.N. Thitaram, J.F. Frank, S.A. Lyon, G.R. Siragusa, J.S. Bailey, J.E. Lombard, C.A. Haley, B.A. Wagner, D.A. Dargatz, P.J. Fedorka-Cray
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  ABSTRACT: Two isolation methods were compared for isolation of Clostridium difficile from food animal feces. The single alcohol shock method (SS) used selective enrichment in cycloserine-cefoxitin fructose broth supplemented with 0.1% sodium taurocholate, followed by alcohol shock and isolation on tryptic soy agar supplemented with 5% sheep blood, and cycloserine-cefoxitin fructose agar. The double alcohol shock method (DS) used alcohol shock prior to and after selective enrichment in cycloserine-cefoxitin fructose broth supplemented with 0.1% sodium taurocholate, followed by isolation on tryptic soy agar supplemented with 5% sheep blood and cycloserine-cefoxitin fructose agar. A total of 55 (15.9%, n = 345) swine fecal samples, 32 (2.4%, n = 1,325) dairy cattle fecal samples, and 188 (6.3%, n = 2,965) beef cattle fecal samples were positive for C. difficile by either method. However, the DS was significantly better than the SS for the recovery of C. difficile from swine feces, while the SS was significantly better than the DS for the recovery of C. difficile from beef cattle feces. There was no significant difference between methods for the recovery of C. difficile from dairy cattle feces. This study suggests that food animals might harbor C. difficile and it provides critical information that isolation methods might not have universal application across animal species.
  Journal of food protection 12/2010; 74(1):130-133.
• Article: Identification of Causative Agents and Species in Shrimp Implicated in a Food Poisoning Case in Taiwan

  Ken-Men Huang, Shiu-Mei Liu, Yu-Jun Chen, Yao-Wen Huang, Jou-Fang Deng, Deng-Fwu Hwang
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  ABSTRACT: The possible causative agent and shrimp species involved in a bait shrimp poisoning case that occurred in northern Taiwan was determined. Because the patient's symptoms were similar to those caused by boric acid and slightly similar to those caused by sulfite, the concentrations of boric acid and sulfite (as sulfur dioxide) in the patient's vomitus and in shrimp collected from bait stores and markets were analyzed. The concentration of boric acid was 36.8 to 37.1 mg/g in the patient's vomitus, 1.4 to 3.8 mg/g in shrimp meats obtained from bait stores, and not detectable (less than 0.001 mg/g) in shrimp meat obtained from commercial markets. No significant differences in sulfur dioxide concentrations (0.067 to 0.088 mg/g) were found in patient's vomitus and the shrimp meat from both bait stores and commercial markets. A fragment of the cytochrome b gene (∼406 bp) was amplified by PCR using a pair of primers (UCYTB151F and UCYTB270R) from shrimp meat of two species and the vomitus. The vomited shrimp was identified as Parapenaeus fissuroides on the basis of gene sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns after treatment with endonuclease Alu I. Based on the patient's symptoms and analytical data, we concluded that boric acid at toxic levels had been illegally added to the bait shrimp P. fissuroides.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(12):2250-2255.
• Article: Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium DT 104 on alfalfa seeds by levulinic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate.

  Tong Zhao, Ping Zhao, Michael P Doyle
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  ABSTRACT: Studies were conducted to determine the best concentration and exposure time for treatment of alfalfa seeds with levulinic acid plus sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella without adversely affecting seed germination. Alfalfa seeds inoculated with a five-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella Typhimurium were dried in a laminar flow hood at 21°C for up to 72 h. Inoculated alfalfa seeds dried for 4 h then treated for 5 min at 21°C with 0.5% levulinic acid and 0.05% SDS reduced the population of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium by 5.6 and 6.4 log CFU/g, respectively. On seeds dried for 72 h, treatment with 0.5% levulinic acid and 0.05% SDS for 20 min at 21°C reduced E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium populations by 4 log CFU/g. Germination rates of alfalfa seeds treated with 0.5% levulinic acid plus 0.05% SDS for up to 1 h at 21°C were compared with a treatment of 20,000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite or tap water only. Treatment of alfalfa seeds with 0.5% levulinic acid plus 0.05% SDS for 5 min at 21°C resulted in a >3.0-log inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(11):2010-7.
• Article: Most-probable-number determination of salmonella levels in naturally contaminated raw almonds using two sample preparation methods.

  Anika Bansal, Thomas M Jones, Shirin J Abd, Michelle D Danyluk, Linda J Harris
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  ABSTRACT: Pathogens occurring in particulate foods may be unevenly distributed, which may impact interpretation of most-probable-number (MPN) values. The MPN analysis of Salmonella in naturally contaminated raw almonds was conducted using two sample preparation methods. Raw almond kernels (3,698 samples) and inshell almonds (455 samples) were collected from almond processors throughout California during the 2006 and 2007 harvests, and 100-g samples were enriched for Salmonella. The prevalence of Salmonella on kernels and inshell almonds was 1.6 and 0.9%, respectively, in 2006, and 0.83 and 2.2%, respectively, in 2007. Almond kernel samples from 2006 were further enriched for Salmonella, and levels of the organism were determined for positive samples by three-tube MPN analysis (25 g, 2.5 g, 0.25 g). Almonds were either divided into subsamples prior to blending and enrichment (method A), or samples were blended in enrichment broth prior to preparation of subsamples (method B). Salmonella was not isolated (<1.2 MPN/100 g) upon retesting of 19 of 31 (method A) or 23 of 29 (method B) positive samples. When detected, levels were 1.4 to 15.5 MPN/100 g (average 2.3 MPN/100 g) or 1.4 to 18.3 MPN/100 g (average 2.1 MPN/100 g) using methods A or B, respectively. A total of 23 different Salmonella serovars were identified from the original almond samples. Salmonella Muenchen was the most frequently isolated serovar (15%) from the 53 Salmonella-positive samples, followed by Newport (12%), Enteritidis (10%), and Typhimurium (8%). No correlation was found between presence of Salmonella and E. coli levels, aerobic plate counts, or counts of yeasts or molds.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(11):1986-92.
• Article: Varying influences of motivation factors on employees' likelihood to perform safe food handling practices because of demographic differences.

  Jason D Ellis, Susan W Arendt, Catherine H Strohbehn, Janell Meyer, Paola Paez
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  ABSTRACT: Food safety training has been the primary avenue for ensuring food workers are performing proper food handling practices and thus, serving safe food. Yet, knowledge of safe food handling practices does not necessarily result in actual performance of these practices. This research identified participating food service employees' level of agreement with four factors of motivation (internal motivations, communication, reward-punishment, and resources) and determined if respondents with different demographic characteristics reported different motivating factors. Data were collected from 311 food service employees who did not have any supervisory responsibilities. Intrinsic motivation agreement scores were consistently the highest of all four motivational factors evaluated and did not differ across any of the demographic characteristics considered. In contrast, motivation agreement scores for communication, reward-punishment, and resources did differ based on respondents' gender, age, place of employment, job status, food service experience, completion of food handler course, or possession of a food safety certification. In general, respondents agreed that these motivation factors influenced their likelihood to perform various safe food handling procedures. This research begins to illustrate how employees' demographic characteristics influence their responses to various motivators, helping to clarify the complex situation of ensuring safe food in retail establishments. Future research into why employee willingness to perform varies more for extrinsic motivation than for intrinsic motivation could assist food service managers in structuring employee development programs and the work environment, in a manner that aids in improving external motivation (communication, reward-punishment, and resources) and capitalizing on internal motivation.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(11):2065-71.
• Article: Analysis of tomato and jalapeño and Serrano pepper imports into the United States from Mexico before and during a National Outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections in 2008.

  Karl C Klontz, Joshua C Klontz, Rajal K Mody, Robert M Hoekstra
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  ABSTRACT: Case-control studies conducted during a multistate outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul infections in 2008 revealed associations between illness and the consumption of jalapeño peppers, Serrano peppers, and tomatoes. Traceback investigations of implicated jalapeño and Serrano peppers led to farms in Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, Mexico. We conducted a novel analysis of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration database of tomatoes and jalapeño and Serrano peppers imported from Mexico during the first half of 2008 to describe the temporal and spatial flow of these items into the United States. Shipments of all three produce items followed a south-to-northwest corridor; 87% of peppers and 97% of tomatoes produced in Mexican states located west of the Sierra Madre Occidental were transported to ports in California and Arizona, and 90% of peppers and 100% of tomatoes produced in states east of the Sierra Madre Occidental were transported to ports east of Arizona. We found a significant correlation between state-specific infection rates and quantity of imported Mexican jalapeño and Serrano peppers to U.S. states by the first-level consignee but not for imported Mexican tomatoes. We localized production regions of interest by finding that quantities of both peppers and tomatoes imported from the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas were correlated with infection rates. In outbreaks possibly caused by agricultural commodities, analysis of import databases may foster a better understanding of growing seasons, harvest sites, shipment itineraries, and consignee destinations, thereby adding valuable insight into findings derived from epidemiologic studies.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(11):1967-74.
• Article: Thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 when grown statically or continuously in a chemostat.

  D Glenn Black, X Philip Ye, Federico Harte, P Michael Davidson
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  ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to determine if survivor curves for heat-inactivated Escherichia coli O157:H7 were affected by the physiological state of the cells relative to growth conditions and pH of the heating menstruum. A comparison was made between the log-linear model and non-log-linear Weibull approach. Cells were grown statically in aerobic culture tubes or in an aerobic chemostat in tryptic soy broth (pH 7.2). The heating menstruum was unbuffered peptone or phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). Thermal inactivation was carried out at 58, 59, 60, and 61°C, and recovery was on a nonselective medium. Longer inactivation times for statically grown cells indicated potential stress adaptation. This was more prevalent at 58°C. Shape response was also significantly different, with statically grown cells exhibiting decreasing thermal resistance over time and chemostat cells showing the opposite effect. Buffering the heating menstruum to ca. pH 7 resulted in inactivation curves that showed less variability or scatter of data points. Time to specific log reduction values (t(d)) for the Weibull model were conservative relative to the log-linear model depending upon the stage of reduction. The Weibull model offered the most accurate fit of the data in all cases, especially considering the log-linear model is equivalent to the Weibull model with a fixed shape factor of 1. The determination of z-value for the log-linear model showed a strong correlation between log D-value and process temperature. Correlations for the Weibull model parameters (log δ and log p) versus process temperature were not statistically significant.
  Journal of food protection 11/2010; 73(11):2018-24.