Fresh orange juice implicated in an outbreak of Shigella flexneri among visitors to a South African game reserve

Microbiological Quality and Occurrence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice Samples Purchased from Street Vendors in Mexico City

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are potentially pathogenic agents commonly found in a natural ecosystem. For this reason, food is considered another source of NTM transmission for humans. The aims of this study were to evaluate the microbiological quality and the occurrence of NTM in fresh-squeezed orange juice samples purchased from street vendors. All 102 samples analyzed were positive for aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), with limits ranging from 1.8 to 6.2 log CFU/ml. A total of 55 (54%), 25 (25%), and 13 (13%) orange juice samples were positive for total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), and Escherichia coli , respectively. TC, FC, and E. coli were present with limits ranging from <3 to >1,100 most probable number (MPN)/ml, <3 to 460 MPN/ml, and <3 to 11 MPN/ml, respectively. Six orange juice samples harbored NTM. These NTM were identified by using three molecular markers (hsp65, rrs, and rpoB genes) and corresponded to the fast-growing mycobacteria: Mycobacterium fortuitum (n = 3), Mycobacterium rhodesiae (n = 1), Mycobacterium obuense (n = 1), and a mixture of M. fortuitum and Mycobacterium mucogenicum in an additional sample (n = 1). No correlation was found between the presence NTM in orange juice samples with the presence and concentration of the indicator microorganisms (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, TC, and FC). Overall, these results suggest that fresh-squeezed orange juice might represent a vehicle for NTM transmission in humans. Therefore, prevention of contamination by humans (proper handling and washing of oranges) during juice preparation should be recommended.

Irradiance and Temperature Influence the Bactericidal Effect of 460-Nanometer Light-Emitting Diodes on Salmonella in Orange Juice

Blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been known to produce an antibacterial effect on various pathogenic bacteria. To extend this application to foods, blue 460-nm LEDs were evaluated for their antibacterial effect on Salmonella in orange juice. A cocktail of Salmonella enterica serovars Gaminara, Montevideo, Newport, Typhimurium, and Saintpaul was inoculated into pasteurized orange juice and illuminated with 460-nm LEDs at irradiances of 92, 147.7, and 254.7 mW/cm(2) and temperatures of 4, 12, and 20°C. Subsequently, linear, Weibull, and Gompertz models were fitted to the resultant survival curves. The color of the orange juice during illumination was also monitored. It was observed that irradiance and temperature both influenced the inactivation of Salmonella, which ranged from 2 to 5 log CFU/ml. The inactivation kinetics was best described by the Weibull model. An irradiance of 92 mW/cm(2) and temperatures of 12 and 20°C were the most bactericidal combinations, with D-values of 1,580 and 2,013 J/cm(2), respectively. Significant color changes were also observed after illumination; these changes could be minimized by choosing appropriate irradiance and temperature. These results demonstrate the potential of 460-nm LEDs for the preservation of fruit juices in the retail markets and their utility in minimizing the risk of salmonellosis.

Emerging preservation techniques for controlling spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in fruit juices

Fruit juices are important commodities in the global market providing vast possibilities for new value added products to meet consumer demand for convenience, nutrition, and health. Fruit juices are spoiled primarily due to proliferation of acid tolerant and osmophilic microflora. There is also risk of food borne microbial infections which is associated with the consumption of fruit juices. In order to reduce the incidence of outbreaks, fruit juices are preserved by various techniques. Thermal pasteurization is used commercially by fruit juice industries for the preservation of fruit juices but results in losses of essential nutrients and changes in physicochemical and organoleptic properties. Nonthermal pasteurization methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound and irradiations have also been employed in fruit juices to overcome the negative effects of thermal pasteurization. Some of these techniques have already been commercialized. Some are still in research or pilot scale. Apart from these emerging techniques, preservatives from natural sources have also shown considerable promise for use in some food products. In this review article, spoilage, pathogenic microflora, and food borne outbreaks associated with fruit juices of last two decades are given in one section. In other sections various prevention methods to control the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microflora to increase the shelf life of fruit juices are discussed.

Salmonella and Shigella in freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh oranges, and wiping cloths collected from public markets and street booths in Guadalajara, Mexico: incidence and comparison of analytical routes

A survey of the presence of Salmonella and Shigella in freshly squeezed orange juice and related samples was conducted in Guadalajara, Mexico. One hundred samples of freshly squeezed orange juice were collected from 49 street booths and 51 small food service establishments. In addition, 75 fresh orange samples, each consisting of five orange units, and 75 wiping cloths were collected from the same establishments from which juice had been collected. Salmonella was isolated from 14, 20, and 23% of samples of orange juice, orange surfaces, and wiping cloths collected from street vendors, while Shigella was isolated from 6, 17, and 5% of these samples. In general, the frequency of isolation of these pathogens in samples from juice serving establishments at public markets was significantly lower than that found among street vendors (P < 0.05). Salmonella enterica serotypes Agona, Typhimurium, and Anatum were found in orange juice, fresh oranges, and wiping cloth samples, while serotype Mexico was found on fresh oranges and in wiping cloths and serotypes Muenchen and Panama were found only in wiping cloth samples. Regarding Shigella species, Shigella sonnei was found in all three types of sample tested; Shigella dysenteriae was found in juice and orange samples, Shigella boydii in orange and wiping cloth samples, and Shigella flexneri on oranges only. Thirty-one percent and 39% of the juice samples showed aerobic plate counts of > or = 5.0 log CFU/ml and Escherichia coli counts of > 3.0 log CFU/ml, respectively. These high counts may indicate poor sanitation and potential exposure to fecal contamination either in the raw materials or during the orange-crushing and juice-serving process. These data may be useful for a further risk assessment of Salmonella or Shigella in unpasteurized, freshly squeezed juice.

Coping with hygiene in South Africa, a water scarce country

The burden of infectious diseases may be reduced by adopting effective infection control measures. Some of these are dependent on the provision of adequate and safe water supplies for maintenance of basic standards of personal, domestic and healthcare hygiene. Consequences of scarce, and sometimes unsafe, waters supplies in South Africa are highlighted with reference to healthcare-associated infections, community acquired infectious intestinal diseases and domestic practices as infection sources. Availability of water in more than 67% of South African municipal hospitals and primary health care facilities (delivered by water tanker in 12.5% of satellite clinics, 5% from river or dam sources, 12.4% relying on rainwater) does not necessarily guarantee that it's quality is safe for utilisation. In the Northern Province and Mpumalanga, water needs to be purified prior to usage in 14.4 and 33% of satellite clinics respectively. Simple, low maintenance and low-cost interventions to maximise use and safety of limited water resources may be implemented: micro-organism (S. dysenteriae) inactivation by direct UV-exposure in sunlight abundant environments, water purification by filtration mechanisms and making use of iron pots in the community for pasteurisation, decontamination and boiling procedures. Education is paramount in promoting healthy domestic food handling practices, changing cultural perceptions of hygiene, hand-washing technique and mechanisms of domestic environmental decontamination. Water provision cannot be separated from other inter-related factors such as sanitation. Although the present government has taken initiatives to reduce the number of people not having access to water by 50% in 2002, provision of sanitation has been slower (>38% inadequate sanitation in 2002). Adoption of integrated environmental management approaches in conjunction with community participation (WASH Campaign--2002), by the government, aims to address the sanitation problems.