Microbial Update International

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Use plant antimicrobial carvacrol in edible apple films for antibacterial activity against E. coli O157:H7.
E.coli O157:H7 is responsible for the majority of human illnesses attributed to Escherichia coli. A need exists to discover new, food-compatible ways to protect foods against this and other pathogen . . .

Microfiltration optimizes protection.
Good news for fans of raw cookie dough. USDA-ARS researchers have filed a patent application on a crossflow microfiltration (CMF) membrane separation technique that can protect pasteurized liquid eg . . .

Edible coatings enhance the microbial safety and extend the shelf life of cooked shell eggs.
Coating the surface of eggs can seal the porous shell surface and limit the penetration of microorganisms into the interior of the eggs. Moreover, such coatings can provide a barrier that would cont . . .

L-ascorbic acid, propyl gallate and lactic acid inhibit E. coli O157:H7.
Efforts to control harmful pathogens by applying a variety of chemicals with proven bactericidal properties have not been adequately effective. Many of these chemicals might also adversely impact on . . .

High pressures extend shelf life of soymilk.
Consumers demand additive-free, shelf-stable foods that offer good nutritional benefits and sensory quality. High-pressure processing (HPP) is an alternative to conventional thermal processing. Usin . . .

Apply artificial neural network to model high-pressure processing.
Most high-pressure food applications are not only pressure-dependent but also temperature-dependent, making temperature an important process parameter. Temperature distributed inside the pressure ve . . .

Pinot noir grape polyphenolic extracts are potential natural antimicrobials.
Wine grape pomace is an excellent source of phenolic extracts that could be used to improve our oral health. Scientists at Cornell University have fractionated and characterized grape polyphenolic e . . .

Muscle and fat exert different protective effects on bacteria.
E. coli O157:H7 is pathogenic and virulent. A resultant foodborne infection can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disease primarily of infancy and early childhood. It is characterized by a triad of . . .

Clean, sanitize equipment to prevent transfer of E. coli during grinding of raw beef.
Discerning the transfer rate of pathogens from processing equipment to meat products is challenging due to the difficulty in culturing these pathogens on selective media. So, scientists at the Uni . . .

An infusion.(In brief ...)
An infusion of a mix of organic acids and extracts from plants combined with a dose of irradiation may significantly reduce pathogenic bacteria in and on chicken breast meat. Researchers found tha . . .

A key bacterial compound.(In brief ...)
A key bacterial compound that inhibits the growth of the plant fungus F. verticillioides has been identified by scientists. The compound could help protect plants, livestock and poultry from fusariu . . .

Hurdle is alternative to HTST processing for liquid foods.
Liquid foods and beverages have been implicated in various foodborne outbreaks and recalls. Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) are a non-thermal processing technique for liquid foods and could be conside . . .

Red wine and grape juice inhibit pathogen growth.
Grapes and red wines contain antioxidative phenolic compounds and organic acids that have antimicrobial properties. Previous research at the University of Missouri revealed that red wines had bacter . . .

Antimicrobial activity of hydrophobically modified chitosan.
Chitosan is a polysaccharide with many food applications. Chitosan has been found to have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of target organisms. Its activity varies considerably with the t . . .

Salmonella can survive in a low-pH food system regardless of acid adaptation.
S. Heidelberg is the fourth-most-commonly reported Salmonella serotype to cause human illness. There have been several outbreaks and product recalls caused by S. Heidelberg in ready-to-eat products. . . .

Low-energy x-rays reduce Salmonella numbers on the surface of almonds.
California almonds were implicated in two outbreaks of salmonellosis in the past few years that were traced to S. enteritidis PT30. This prompted the recall of 6,000 tons of raw almonds and the issu . . .

Decontaminate E. coli O157:H7 on spinach and blueberries using gaseous chlorine dioxide.
With an increase in the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits has come an increased frequency of foodborne illnesses. We know that preventing microbial contamination to guarantee the production . . .

Make Campylobacter easier to count.
Imagine trying to count the raindrops on your car's windshield after a light rain. That's what it can be like for scientists to count colonies of Campylobacter that are growing in round petri dishes . . .

Track advances in microbial modeling.
The use of heat to inactivate foodborne pathogens is a critical control point and the most common means of assuring the microbiological safety of processed foods. A key to optimizing the heating s . . .

Antimicrobial intervention strategies control contamination.
Major current food safety issues encompass the need to control traditional as well as emerging pathogenic microorganisms. These include microorganisms of increased virulence at low infectious doses . . .

Arcobacter butzleri.(In brief)
If the little-known microbe Arcobacter butzleri has contaminated the water you drink or the food you eat, this troublesome pathogen could make you sick. But recent research efforts may speed the dis . . .

E. coli ATCC 11775 and Listeria innocua ATCC 33090.(In brief)
E. coli ATCC 11775 and Listeria innocua ATCC 33090 in whole milk were inactivated by scientists using single- and multi-pulsed (up to 10 pulses) high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments. Both bact . . .

Bacterial stress responses.(In brief)
A better understanding of bacterial stress responses in food environments will help scientists develop practical preservation systems that minimize public health risks. Researchers have studied how . . .

Electrostatic spray of organic acids, grape seed extract decontaminates E. coli on spinach.
Multi-state outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 infections from fresh spinach were reported in 2006 in 26 states across the United States, reinforcing a need to find antimicrobial interventions that would . . .

Grape polyphenolic extracts are promising antimicrobials.
Wine grape pomace is an excellent source of phenolic extracts for potential use in oral health. Scientists at Cornell University wanted to fractionate and characterize grape polyphenolic extracts pr . . .

Kimchi lactic acid bacteria have antimicrobial, antifungal properties.
Kimchi, a traditional Korean food, is a well-known lactic acid-fermented vegetable product, and is a good source of industrially useful lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The microorganisms involved in the . . .

Rapidly inactivate L. monocytogenes biofilm by octenidine hydrochloride.
L. monocytogenes can grow in biofilm attached to a variety of food processing plant surfaces. Its ability to survive in a biofilm on equipment helps it to resist superficial cleaning and disinfectio . . .

Carvacrol-containing edible tomato films inhibit pathogenic bacteria.
We all know that tomatoes have many nutritional and bioactive components that can benefit human health. These include vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and potassium; non-nutritive dietary fiber; the antio . . .

Internalization of E. coli O157:H7 through lettuce roots unlikely.
Contamination of lettuce by E. coli O157:H7 is a major concern for the produce industry and consumers. Understanding whether or not the internalization of foodborne pathogens occurs through plant ro . . .

High-pressure inactivation of ascospores for treating fruits and fruit juices.
Heat-resistant molds are often found on fresh fruits, particularly those that come into contact with soil or which may be contaminated by rain--strawberries, passion fruit and pineapples. The molds . . .

Examine the flavor-masking effect of peppermint essential oil in antimicrobial packaging.
It is well known that mustard oil and its active compound, allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), have significant antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms. However, the use of this natural antimi . . .

Prompt refrigeration decreases potential for egg contamination.
Eggs that contain Salmonella can transmit diarrheal disease to consumers. Although chickens infected with Salmonella do not deposit this pathogen inside egg yolks very often, bacteria from the surro . . .

Organic food.(In Brief ...)
Organic food is all the rage, but it may not be safer than conventionally grown foods. Scientists have received a three-year grant for nearly $600,000 from the USDA to undertake food safety resear . . .

The essential oil and leaf extracts.(In Brief ...)
Research indicates that the essential oil and leaf extracts derived from S. armeria could be used to develop novel antibacterial agents that would control food spoilage and foodborne pathogens. It . . .

Directly assess toxic behavior of contaminating bacteria.
Part of the problem with conventional food safety testing done with DNA-based tests or antibody-based methods is that they only indicate the presence of specific bacteria, and do not necessarily des . . .

Use cranberry concentrate to control E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef.
A major source of infection by E. coli O157:H7 is undercooked ground beef. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and juice, raw sprouts, lettuce and salami, as well as contact with infected live . . .

Mammalian cells speed pathogen detection.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a cell-based sensing technique that can simultaneously screen thousands of samples of food or water for several foodborne pathogens in one to two hour . . .

Analyze storage stability, antibacterial activity of the plant antimicrobial carvacrol.
We all know of the problems and concerns caused by E. coli O157:H7. So it appears there's a need to discover new, food-compatible ways to protect foods against this bacteria and other pathogens. E . . .

Correlate C. jejuni to the amount of biofilm present.
C. jejuni is found in chickens and is the leading cause of foodborne bacterial diarrhea in the United States. Poultry producers must look for ways to control this pathogen before their birds are pro . . .

Prolong the shelf life of bratwurst sausages using high hydrostatic pressure.
High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing can significantly extend the shelf life of foods as well as improve their organoleptic quality. For example, prepacked bratwurst sausages are limited to a . . .

Validate processes for fermented food.
Acidified and fermented foods have had an excellent safety record, with few or no cases of foodborne disease reported from consuming these products. However, there have been reports of disease outbr . . .

Eureka status awarded for rapid multiplex pathogen test.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths are caused annually by foodborne pathogens. In the United Kingdom, mo . . .

Edible optics optimize safety.
Imagine an edible optical sensor that could be placed in produce bags to detect levels of bacteria and consumed right along with the veggies. Scientists at Tufts University's School of Engineering . . .

Hops.(In Brief ...)
Hops contain substances that control pathogens in the intestines of chickens. Certain bacteria in the intestines not only can contaminate meat during processing, but also may lead to major productio . . .

Rapid genetic characterization.(In Brief ...)
Researchers are using rapid genetic characterization to test the DNA of E. coli by examining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)--variations at single sites in DNA. Rapid genetic characterization . . .

Use enzyme--treated dairy powders to inhibit the growth of food--associated microorganisms.
A number of milk components, such as lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and fatty acids, are known to possess antimicrobial activity. Milks of different species contain different amounts of antimicrobial . . .

Inactivate E. coli O157:H7 in undercooked ground beef patties using trans--cinnamaldehyde.
Undercooked ground beef is a common vehicle for transmitting E. coli O157:H7 to humans. The USDA recommends that beef patties be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 F. Since the bacteria can su . . .

Try spraying ozone to reduce Listeria levels on raw salmon fillets.
Ensuring the microbial safety and quality of seafood products is a major challenge. Strong oxidants, such as ozone, may prove efficacious as antimicrobial treatments. But ozonation may also promote . . .

Bacteriophages may function as novel antimicrobials.
It appears that some foodborne bacteria may be overstaying their welcome in products after viruses called bacteriophages take up residence inside them and replicate. The progeny of these bacteriopha . . .

Microwaves sterilize sliced beef in gravy.
Microwave heating is a form of dielectric and volumetric heating which potentially can heat food products more rapidly and uniformly than conventional retort processes. Advanced microwave technology . . .