Food Microbiology Commons^™

Development And Validation Of Aronia Melanocarpa Berry Recipes For Home Canning: Integrating Thermal Lethality Studies, Microbiological Safety, And Antioxidant Analysis, Juan Diego Villegas Posada

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Aronia melanocarpa, also known as chokeberry, is gaining popularity for its high antioxidant content and health benefits, including reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting cancer gene expression. However, its characteristic bitterness and astringency limit its broader appeal. Chokeberry's low pH places it in the acid foods category, making it ideal for safe home canning. An acidic environment combined with heat treatment inhibits harmful bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. Home canning preserves food by sealing it in airtight containers and heating it to destroy spoilage microorganisms.

Developing safe and palatable recipes is essential for making chokeberries suitable for home canning. A …

The Effect Of Fat Content On The Inactivation And Recovery Of Listeria Spp. In Ready-To-Eat Foods After High Pressure Processing, Yhuliana Kattalina Niño Fuerte

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-pressure processing (HPP) is recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) as a post-lethality treatment to control Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products. A scoping review of 603 journal articles, which ultimately was narrowed down to 16 articles, revealed that the efficacy of HPP varies with fat content. The studies demonstrated that L. monocytogenes inactivation by HPP tends to be lower in RTE meats with greater than 5% fat content, compared to products with lower than 5% fat. The wide range of HPP parameters used in these studies …

Interactions Between High-Pressure Processing And Natural Antimicrobials In Ground White-Meat Chicken: An Analysis Of Microbial, Textural Charactheristics And Physicochemical Changes, Amalia M. Diaz Alejandro

All Theses

High Pressure processing is an innovative technique for preserving a wide variety of foods, including meat, and this method is increasingly used to satisfy consumer demand for quality food products. High-pressure treatment can impact, negatively or positively, various aspects of meat quality, including color, texture, protein denaturation, and microbial stability, particularly when food products are processed at ambient or low temperatures. By minimizing thermal exposure, appropriate high-pressure ranges help to prevent quality and nutrition degradation, reduce microbial contamination, and enhance tenderness.

The first objective of this research was to examine the influence of high-pressure processing and addition of natural antimicrobials …

Twenty-Three Years Of Pcr-Based Seafood Authentication Assay Development: What Have We Learned?, Maleeka Singh, Robert G. Young, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Robert H. Hanner, Maria G. Corradini, Jeffrey M. Farber

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seafood is a prime target for fraudulent activities due to the complexity of its supply chain, high demand, and difficult discrimination among species once morphological characteristics are removed. Instances of seafood fraud are expected to increase due to growing demand. This manuscript reviews the application of DNA-based methods for commercial fish authentication and identification from 2000 to 2023. It explores (1) the most common types of commercial fish used in assay development, (2) the type of method used, (3) the gene region most often targeted, (4) provides a case study of currently published assays or primer-probe pairs used for DNA …

Utilization Of Probiotics To Compete With Clostridioides Difficile For Nutrient-Niches In A Variety Of In Vitro Contexts, April Elizabeth Johnson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Clostridium difficile is a major threat to public health and primarily affects at risk groups such as elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and individuals on antibiotics. Many decades of research have been conducted to figure out ways to exclude or reduce C. difficile colonization and toxin production. Two major proposed mechanisms for colonization resistance are production of secondary bile salts and competition for nutrients.

In Chapter 2, we found that antibiotic treatment disrupted bile salt metabolism increasing the levels of the primary bile salt cholate and decreasing the levels of deoxycholate, a secondary bile salt. However, bile salts were not required …

Assessment Of Foam Decontamination In Tomato Washing Process, Basim M. Alohali

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The work of the dissertation investigated the efficacy of foam-based decontamination treatments to enhance microbial safety in Roma tomatoes, specifically targeting natural microflora and Salmonella contamination. Growing concerns over foodborne illnesses linked to fresh tomatoes and the limitations of conventional decontamination techniques, such as organic matter built-up and limited microbial reduction, are addressed. The primary objectives were to characterize the physiochemical properties of foams formed using various concentrations of Tween 20 (T20) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with and without the addition of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and peracetic acid (PAA), compare the efficacy of foam and traditional dump tank (DT) …

Microbiological And Physicochemical Changes In Rabbit Meat During Ambient Storage, Marielle Gamboa, Dennis Marvin Santiago, April Shayne Sulabo, Mary Ann Torio

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in rabbit meat during storage at ambient temperature (30 ± 1ºC) for nine hours. The study focused on two rabbit muscle parts: the hind leg and the saddle, investigated in terms of microbiological parameters such as aerobic plate count (APC) and total coliform count (TCC); and physicochemical parameters such as pH, color, total myoglobin concentration, and lipid oxidation. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis at a 5% significance level (p < 0.05). Results revealed that the pH of both portions of rabbit muscle decreases over time during storage. This decrease is attributed to the growth of acid-producing microorganisms, which ultimately leads to spoilage in rabbit meat. On the contrary, color values (L*, a*, and b*) showed an increasing trend in both muscle portions, indicating a discoloration of rabbit meat during storage. Both lipid oxidation and total myoglobin content of rabbit meat did not change significantly during storage, but lipid oxidation varied between muscle parts. Based on the microbiological analysis of rabbit meat, both aerobic plate count (APC) and total coliform count (TCC) increased significantly during storage in both muscle portions. Results of the study suggest that freshly slaughtered rabbit meat must remain at ambient storage for the shortest time, as this storage condition will cause spoilage of meat, making it unfit for human consumption.

College Students’ Domestic Kitchen Food Safety Perceptions And Knowledge, Kailing Chen, Zhihong Lin, Isabelle Do Prado, Zahra Mohammad, Karla M. Acosta, Sujata A. Sirsat

Journal of Extension

This study investigates college students’ current food safety knowledge and food-handling perceptions and utilized an online survey which designed based on previous studies as method. The questionnaire measured respondents’ food safety knowledge and perception, and were divided into knowledge, attitudes and perception categories. The results show that college students significantly lacked in basic food safety knowledge as well as food handling skills and implies a high need to develop enhanced food safety resources for college students, especially on topics related to cross-contamination prevention, correct food preparation procedures, time and temperature control, and awareness of pathogens that cause foodborne illness.

Protein Oxidation In Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease Brain, Rukhsana Sultana, D. Allan Butterfield

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Proteins are essential molecules that play crucial roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and carrying out biological functions such as catalyzing biochemical reactions, structural proteins, immune response, etc. However, proteins also are highly susceptible to damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). In this review, we summarize the role of protein oxidation in normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The major emphasis of this review article is on the carbonylation and nitration of proteins in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The oxidatively modified proteins showed a strong correlation with the reported changes in brain structure, carbohydrate …

Lmpact Of Salmonella Enterica Effector Proteins On Plant Physiology And Immunity, Sara Qader

Honors Theses

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are primarily recognized as pathogens associated with foodborne illnesses in humans. Salmonella also can colonize plant tissue effectively. The pathogen relies on type III secretion systems (T3SS) to infect mammals and plants successfully and counteract the immune response. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Salmonella’s interactions with plants is essential for developing effective strategies to reduce its impact on human health and agriculture. Effector proteins, known for their role in modulating host-pathogen interactions, have been implicated in the virulence and pathogenicity of Salmonella. However, their specific functions and contributions to Salmonella’s interactions with plants remain largely unknown. …

Optimization Of Pre-Enrichment And Screening Methods For The Detection Of Salmonella Enterica In Meat Analog Products, Kylie Sacapano

Food Science (MS) Theses

With the growing demand and variety of meat analogs on the commercial market, there is a need to revisit the methodology for the detection of foodborne pathogens in these products. The current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory methods for Salmonella enterica detection in meat analogs follow the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) and are time-consuming and costly, requiring pre-enrichment using lactose broth (LB) with a surfactant (e.g., Triton X-100). Therefore, this study aimed to optimize pre-enrichment and screening methods for the detection of Salmonella in meat analogs by comparing the current FDA reference methods to updated techniques. To achieve this, …

Determination Of Factors Influencing Microbial Food Safety Risks Of Additive Manufacturing And 3d Printing Of Food, Allyson Nichole Hamilton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The burgeoning field of 3D food printing introduces opportunities for customizing the physicochemical properties of food, offering tailored solutions in color, shape, and texture. Despite its potential, the implications of this technology on food safety, particularly the efficacy of manufacturer-recommended cleaning protocols for stainless steel food ink capsules, the transferability of pathogens from a contaminated food ink capsule into the food ink based on macronutrient composition of the food, and the impact of storage conditions on pathogen viability, have not been thoroughly investigated. This dissertation provides a comprehensive analysis of these aspects, focusing on the control of foodborne pathogens and …

Exploring The Potential Of Electromagnetic-Driven Energy Technologies In Preventing Microbial And Aflatoxin Contamination Of Grains, Abass A. Oduola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic-driven energy such as infrared (IR) technology holds great potential in deactivating Aspergillus flavus spores and prevents aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. Aflatoxins, highly toxic secondary metabolites primarily produced by Aspergillus species within the Flavi section (A. flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius), pose substantial health risks to both humans and animals due to their significant toxicity and carcinogenic properties. Detecting and quantifying the presence and proliferation of these harmful fungi on food materials can be achieved by measuring the concentration of ergosterol. Ergosterol is a sterol compound produced in the cell membranes of fungi during their growth, providing …

Cultivating Excellence: A Literature Review On Harnessing The Power Of The Gut Microbiome For Athletic Performance, Maya Katharine Dean

Honors Projects

The interplay between our gut microbiome and health is immense. This literature review analyzes the current research assessing the interplay between gut microbiome and athletic performance. Knowing how to improve gut microbial diversity via nutrition and supplementation can take athletic performance to the next level; namely improvements in immune, mental, and physical health.

Annotation Of Hypothetical Genes In Lactococcus Lactis Ssp. Il403, Jennifer A. Tangires

Student Scholar Showcase

The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) harnesses various microbial organisms involved in almost all processes of physiological homeostasis, among these are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These bacteria, almost all of which belong to the order Lactobacillales, are able to produce lactic acid, and play an important role in food preservation because they produce bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial proteins that are used to fight off related bacteria in their environment that are competing for the same resources. This study focuses on a specific LAB strain, Lactococcus lactis ssp. IL1403 where 21.9% of its predicted genes have not yet been assigned a function. …

Antioxidant Properties Of Kombucha Beverage Infused With Ganoderma Lucidum And Green Tea From Camellia Sinensis (L.) Kuntze With Several Fermentation Times, Rizki Rabeca Elfirta, Pamungkas Rizki Ferdian, Iwan Saskiawan, Tri Hadi Handayani, Kayla Faza Gustafri Mandalika, Rini Riffiani, Kasirah Kasirah, Ukhradiya Magharaniq Safira Purwanto

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Kombucha is a functional beverage produced through the fermentation of infused tea or Camelia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (CS) by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Apparently, the substrate of kombucha can be substituted to enhance its functional properties. Ganoderma lucidum (GL) is a potential substrate reported to have health benefits. This study aims to evaluate antioxidant properties by comparing different formulations and fermentation times. The formulations prepared in the present study varied in the compositions of GL and CS substrates, namely F1 (100% GL), F2 (75% GL: 25% CS), F3 (50% GL: 50% CS), F4 (25% GL: 75% CS), …

Microbial Production Of Feed Amino Acids Promotes Reduction And Replacement Of Soybean Meal, Jia Liu, Qi Sheng, Kaifang Liu, Liming Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

With the promotion of soybean meal reduction and substitution as well as lower-protein diet technologies, China has become a leading global producer of feed amino acids. However, the amino acid industry faces significant challenges due to its relatively late start in independently developing industrial strains, resulting in relatively lagging key economic and technical parameters and a less robust intellectual property framework. The rapid progress of synthetic biology has provided promising avenues for the design and optimization of industrial amino acid-producing strains, offering new opportunities for the amino acid fermentation industry to enhance the global competitiveness. This study offers an in-depth …

Anti-Listeria Of H2o2-Peroxyacetic Acid Anti-Listeria Efficacy Of A Hydrogen Peroxide-Peroxyacetic Acid Mixer In Bacterial Buffered Solution And On Bell Peppers, Peighton Denae Foster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study aims to 1) evaluate the efficacy of H₂O₂-peroxyacetic acid (PAA) mixer to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes in 0.1% buffered-peptone-water; 2) evaluate the reduction and mitigation of cross-contamination on peppers. For the study-1, aliquots of 1.0-ml mixer solutions (0.25, 0.50 and 0.84%) were added to the first 3-well of 8-strip-deep-well microplates. Then, the 0.1 ml of 10-fold dilution the Nalidixic-acid-resistant (NaL) L. monocytogenes was added and mixed immediately with a multichannel pipette. After exposure for 0, 5, 15, 30, and up to 120-s, 1 ml of 2×D/E neutralized solution was added to terminate the reaction followed …

Salmonella Detection In Food Using A Hek-Htlr5 Reported Cell-Based Sensor, Esma Eser, Victoria A. Felton, Rishi Drolia, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The development of a rapid, sensitive, specific method for detecting foodborne pathogens is paramount for supplying safe food to enhance public health safety. Despite the significant improvement in pathogen detection methods, key issues are still associated with rapid methods, such as distinguishing living cells from dead, the pathogenic potential or health risk of the analyte at the time of consumption, the detection limit, and the sample-to-result. Mammalian cell-based assays analyze pathogens’ interaction with host cells and are responsive only to live pathogens or active toxins. In this study, a human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line expressing Toll-Like Receptor 5 (TLR-5) …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Evaluating Microbial Contamination Of Bakeries, Wheat Flour In Ghaemshahr, Iran, Reyhaneh Gouran, Nazanin Khakipour

Journal of Bioresource Management

Although flour is regarded as a safe product from the perspective of microbiology due to its low water activity, it can be a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms if suitable conditions are provided for their growth and reproduction. The objective of this study was to examine the microbial quality of 82 % and 78 % flours distributed in 5 bakeries in the city of Ghaemshahr. The evaluation of the results of the physicochemical tests on the samples revealed that sample No.5's moisture content (82 % of the flour sample from the bakery E) was significantly higher than other …

Disinfection Of Foodborne Bacteria Using The Contamination Sanitization Inspection And Disinfection (Csi-D) Device, Jennifer Mccoy Sanders

Food Science (MS) Theses

Foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes, are major causes of gastrointestinal disease globally. The Contamination Sanitization Inspection and Disinfection (CSI-D) device is a new handheld fluorescence-based imaging system designed to disinfect food contact surfaces contaminated with microorganisms using ultraviolet-C (UVC) illumination. This study aimed to determine the optimal parameters for the disinfection of foodborne bacteria using the CSI-D device. The following bacterial strains were tested: generic E. coli; enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7; enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) O78:H11; S. enterica serotypes Enteritidis, Newport, Typhimurium, and Javiana; and L. monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b …

Development Of An Intact Mass Spectrometry Method For The Detection And Differentiation Of Major Bovine Milk Proteins, Emily F. Harley-Dowell

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The authentication of products with claims regarding protein sources or compositions is a challenge for traditional analytical methods, which generally lack the required specificity whole protein analysis can provide. For example, the establishment of milk as “A2” is achieved through genetic testing of cows before milk production, with no methods to authenticate milk products themselves. Establishment of A2 milk is completed through genetic testing of the cows before milk production, but with no methods to authenticate the milk products themselves. Intact protein mass spectrometry (MS) has the potential to directly authenticate protein products, including specific proteoform claims. The development of …

Developing Disinfection Strategies For Controlling Human Norovirus, Sars-Cov-2, And Clostridioides Difficile Endospores In Long-Term Care Facilities, Jinge Huang

All Dissertations

Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) provide an environment favorable for the transmission of three critical human pathogens: human norovirus (HuNoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Clostridioides difficile. Given residents in LTCFs are susceptible to infections due to their advanced ages and compromised immune systems, effective environmental surface disinfection plays a crucial role in controlling the spread of human pathogens within these settings and, therefore, mitigates the risk of infections caused by these pathogens. This dissertation aimed to assess the efficacy of various types of disinfectants against two HuNoV surrogates [feline calicivirus (FCV) and Tulane virus (TuV)], two …

Thawing And Storage Effects On Quality Of Plant-Based Sausage Patties, Dakota Cook

All Theses

Maintaining sausage analogue quality during a thawing process and storage is important for increasing consumer satisfaction. Following new trends and prevalence of plant-based meats and a flexitarian diet, two experiments were conducted to test how thawing methods (experiment 1) and storage temperatures (experiment 2) affect meat analogue quality. For Experiment 1, Jimmy Dean Original Sausage Patties Made with Pork & Turkey, Morningstar Veggie Original Patties and Beyond Sausage Original Patties were purchased pre-frozen and subsequently thawed in one of three ways: 1. thawed at 4°C for 24 hours, 2. thawed at room temperature (22°C±2°C) for 4 hours and 3. thawed …

Valorisation Of Underutilised Dairy Waste Residues: Production Of Lactic Acid Through Microbial Fermentation, Chatan Rai Surana

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Annually, approximately 190 million tonnes of liquid waste or co-products is generated by the dairy sector across the globe. These waste streams are nutrient-rich and currently underutilised which gives scope to transform them through microbial fermentation to produce economically valuable products and reduce their negative environmental impact. Such an approach can contribute to the circular bioeconomy by making food production systems more sustainable.

In this study, whey from acid casein hydrolysis (acid whey) and salty whey from Cheddar cheese manufacture were evaluated as feedstocks for production of lactic acid. A total of 466 lactic acid bacteria strains were screened on …

Growth Of Food-Borne Pathogens Listeria And Salmonella And Spore-Forming Paenibacillus And Bacillus In Commercial Plant-Based Milk Alternatives, Klaudia Bartula

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

An increase in vegan diet preference, lactose intolerance, calorie concern and environmental awareness has led to a rise in the popularity of plant-based alternatives to bovine milk. However, there are still gaps in understanding how known bacterial food contaminants behave in plant-based beverages. The present study is the first to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, food spoilage Bacillus subtilis and an industrial milk product isolate, spore-forming Paenibacillus in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed bovine milk and plant-based milk alternatives (coconut, almond, cashew). Beverage samples were inoculated with a strain cocktail or individual strains of either …

Genomic Diversity And Carbohydrate Utilisation In Human-Associated Bifidobacterial Isolates, Ortensia Catalano Gonzaga

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Bifidobacteria are beneficial commensals of the human gastrointestinal tract and their presence in the gut has been associated with positive health effects on the host. They account for a vast proportion of the infant gut microbiota, when the infant is fed on a milk-based diet, with their number progressively decreasing in adult and elderly. The gut microbiota and associated metabolic activities significantly impact on human health by promoting appropriate development of the infant immune system and contributing to the maintenance of the intestinal homeostasis. In recent years it has become clear that microbial colonization of the gut immediately following birth …

Investigating The Effect Of Agronomic Factors On Microbiome Of Horticulture Produce, Maryada Bohra

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

The ranged microbiome in fruits and vegetables contributes substantially to the health of vegetation which, in effect, benefits human health. These microorganisms undertake an extensive variety of responsibilities including flavour creation, ripening and health preservation via the production of second-generation metabolites. There is limited information however on the influence of agronomic practices such as crop ripening stage at harvest, storage, packing material and how they impact the microbiome of the crop itself. The overall role of the crop microbiome in gut health is also not fully clear.

The Meta-Hort project will examine the effects of premature harvesting along with tray …

An Amplification-Free Crispr-Sers Biosensor For Specific, Sensitive And Rapid Detection Of Salmonella Typhimurium In Poultry, Fei Jia, Bingyan Li, Yawen He, Yafang Shen, Juhong Chen, Xingmin Li, Yanbin Li

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) has been a cutting-edge biotechnology in both gene editing and biosensing due to its desirable features, such as high base resolution and set-and-forget operation. However, as a nucleic acid detection method, an DNA/RNA amplification procedure is still inevitable in CRISPR biosensors. In this study, a highly-ordered nanopore array SERS substrate, coated with silver nanoparticles, was fabricated and utilized as a platform for the specific detection of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) without the time-consuming DNA amplification step. The smart sensing strategy was established by introducing an ssDNA labeled with a Raman active molecule …