Effect of gamma irradiation on inactivation ofEscherichia coliO157:H7,SalmonellaTyphimurium andListeria monocytogeneson pistachios

Impact of Non-Thermal Technologies on the Quality of Nuts: A Review

Nuts are widely consumed worldwide, mainly due to their characteristic flavor and texture, ease of consumption, and their functional properties. In addition, consumers increasingly demand natural or slightly processed foods with high quality. Consequently, non-thermal treatments are a viable alternative to thermal treatments used to guarantee safety and long shelf life, which produce undesirable changes that affect the sensory quality of nuts. Non-thermal treatments can achieve results similar to those of the traditional (thermal) ones in terms of food safety, while ensuring minimal loss of bioactive compounds and sensory properties, thus obtaining a product as similar as possible to the fresh one. This article focuses on a review of the main non-thermal treatments currently available for nuts (cold plasma, high pressure, irradiation, pulsed electric field, pulsed light, ultrasound and ultraviolet light) in relation to their effects on the quality and safety of nuts. All the treatments studied have shown promise with regard to the inhibition of the main microorganisms affecting nuts (e.g., Aspergillus, Salmonella, and E. coli). Furthermore, by optimizing the treatment, it is possible to maintain the organoleptic and functional properties of these products.

Characteristics of Fungal Communities and Internal Mildew Occurrence during the Stages of Planting and Storing of Sunflower Seed in China

Internally mildewed sunflower seeds pose a significant risk to human health. To control internal mildew, it is imperative to study its source in the main production area of China, which has been little investigated. Here, high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the fungal and fungus-seed communities. Alpha diversity and ANOSIM analyses showed mildew did not alter the fungal compositions significantly. STAMP analysis showed that the sunflower seeds were most vulnerable to internal mildew during the field-planting stage. Alternaria was the predominant mildew-causing pathogen of sunflower seeds for consumption, which may originate from seed transmission and colonize at the seed-development stage. Finally, only a few seeds developed internal mildew with a worrisome level of Alternaria contamination in the humid field climate. NMDS analysis showed that climatic factors also played important roles in shaping microbial change during storage, with a relative humidity (RH) of 67% being the critical threshold in normal-temperature warehouses. Internal mildew never occurred below the RH threshold for the microbial community structure, which hardly changed after an average storage duration. The results indicated that a combination of field management to combat Alternaria, pretreatment with 5 KGy γ-irradiation and drying at the time of storage will minimize or prevent internal mildew. This work also provides an empirical framework for studies of mildewing in other shelled seeds.

Inactivation of stressed Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in hummus using low dose gamma irradiation

Hummus is a popular dip in the Middle East region prepared by mixing the boiled chickpeas with tahini and other ingredients, and because its consumption has increased world-wide some notoriety has developed following an increase in the incidence of hummus-related illness outbreaks and recalls. The objectives of the current research were (i) to study the efficiency of low dose gamma irradiation to inhibit Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes in hummus, and (ii) to assess the effect of environmental stresses namely cold, heat, and desiccation on the resistance of these pathogens to gamma irradiation. The samples of hummus were prepared and then individually inoculated with approximately 7.0 log CFU/g of unstressed or cold-, heat-, or desiccated-stressed cocktail cultures of each of E. coli O157:H7, S. enterica, and L. monocytogenes. The inoculated samples were then exposed to gamma irradiation at doses of 0.1 to 0.6 kGy. The numbers of unstressed E. coli O157:H7, S. enterica, and L. monocytogenes were decreased by 0.6-3.9, 0.7-2.9, and 1.0-3.0 log CFU/g, respectively, by irradiation treatment. The resistance of E. coli O157:H7 to gamma irradiation was not affected by desiccation, heat, and cold stresses. However, the pre-exposure of S. enterica and L. monocytogenes cells to these stresses reduced their resistance toward gamma irradiation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Gamma irradiation is a non-thermal treatment that can be used in food processing to ensure food safety and quality. The current study proved that low levels (≤0.6 kGy) of gamma irradiation can effectively decrease the risk of unstressed and cold-, heat-, or desiccation-stressed Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, or Escherichia coli O157:H7 in hummus.

Carvacrol and Thymol Combat Desiccation Resistance Mechanisms in Salmonella enterica Serovar Tennessee

Some Salmonella enterica serovars are frequently associated with disease outbreaks in low-moisture foods (LMF) due to their ability to adapt efficiently to desiccation stress. These serovars are often persistent during food processing. Disruption of these resistance responses was accomplished previously using the membrane-active lipopeptide, paenibacterin. This study was initiated to determine how desiccation resistance mechanisms are overcome when Salmonella Tennessee, a known resistant serovar, is treated with the membrane-active food additives carvacrol and thymol. Knowing that the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of carvacrol and thymol against Salmonella Tennessee are 200 and 100 µg/mL, the concentrations tested were 100–400 and 50–200 µg/mL, respectively. Results show that desiccation-adapted Salmonella Tennessee, prepared by air drying at 40% relative humidity and 22–25 °C for 24 h, was not inactivated when exposed for 4.0 h to less than 2xMIC of the two additives. Additionally, treatment of desiccation-adapted Salmonella Tennessee for 120 min with carvacrol and thymol at the MIC-level sensitized the cells (1.4–1.5 log CFU/mL reduction) to further desiccation stress. Treating desiccation-adapted Salmonella Tennessee with carvacrol and thymol induced leakage of intracellular potassium ions, reduced the biosynthesis of the osmoprotectant trehalose, reduced respiratory activity, decreased ATP production, and caused leakage of intracellular proteins and nucleic acids. Carvacrol, at 200–400 µg/mL, significantly downregulated the transcription of desiccation-related genes (proV, STM1494, and kdpA) as determined by the reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. The current study revealed some of the mechanisms by which carvacrol and thymol combat desiccation-resistant Salmonella Tennessee, raising the feasibility of using these additives to control desiccation-adapted S. enterica in LMF.

Inactivation of Single Strains of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium Planktonic Cells Biofilms With Plasma Activated Liquids

Recent research has proven the ability of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) for assuring food safety. A more flexible and transportable alternative is the use of plasma activated liquids (PAL), which are also known to have antimicrobial properties. However, within the context of food safety, little is known on its potential regarding decontamination. This research therefore focusses on identifying the impact of (i) the microbial species and its cell type (planktonic cells or biofilms), (ii) the CAP settings (i.e., gas composition and generation time) and (iii) PAL related factors (treatment time and PAL age) on the technologies efficacy. Cell densities were monitored using the plate counting technique for which the results were analyzed by means of predictive inactivation models. Moreover, the pH and the concentrations of long-lived species (i.e., hydrogen peroxide, nitrite, and nitrate) were measured to characterize the PAL solutions. The results indicated that although the type of pathogen impacted the efficacy of the treatment, mainly the cell mode had an important effect. The presence of oxygen in the operating gas ensured the generation of PAL solutions with a higher antimicrobial activity. Moreover, to ensure a good microbial inactivation, PAL generation times needed to be sufficiently long. Both CAP related factors resulted in a higher amount of long-lived species, enhancing the inactivation. For 30 min. PAL generation using O2, this resulted in log reductions up to 3.9 for biofilms or 5.8 for planktonic cells. However, loss of the PAL activity for stored solutions, together with the frequent appearance of a tailing phase in the inactivation kinetics, hinted at the importance of the short-lived species generated. Different factors, related to (i) the pathogen and its cell mode, (ii) the CAP settings and (iii) PAL related factors, proved to impact the antimicrobial efficacy of the solutions and should be considered with respect to future applications of the PAL technology.

Effects of peanut drying and blanching on Salmonella spp

In order to evaluate the behavior of Salmonella during peanut drying and blanching, a study was conducted with Runner type peanuts. Samples of raw in-shell or unblanched peanuts were inoculated by spraying with a pool of five Salmonella serotypes isolated from the peanut supply chain (Miami, Muenster, Yoruba, Javiana and Glostrup). The in-shell peanuts were submitted to drying at 35 and 40 °C up to 18 h. After this time, the Salmonella counts went down ca. 2.0 log MPN/g at 35 and 40 °C. According to the Weibull model the time needed to achieve Salmonella 3-log reduction (T_3d) and 5-log reduction (T_5d) on the in-shell peanuts would be ca. 49 and 117 h at 35 °C and 35 and 79 h at 40 °C, respectively. The results showed that there was no statistical difference (p > .05) between either of the temperatures employed in the process. The blanching process was performed in two steps: pre-roasting (step 1) and skin removal (step 2). Reduction of up to 2.1 log MPN/g was observed after blanching at 100 °C/15 min plus 15 s of air impact. The skin removal process did not result in recontamination of the final sample. The Weibull model predicted 3- and 5-log reductions of Salmonella in 37.0 and 68.9 min for blanching at 95 °C, and in 39.1 and 114.9 min at 100 °C. The results demonstrated that drying and blanching processes did not generate large reductions of Salmonella in the peanut samples. Thus, the product resulting from these steps may be a possible source of cross-contamination for the processing plant and the final product.

Characterization of Efficiency and Mechanisms of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Decontamination of Seeds for Sprout Production

The consumption of fresh fruit and vegetable products has strongly increased during the past few decades. However, inherent to all minimally processed products is the short shelf life, and the risk of foodborne diseases, which have been increasingly related to such products in many parts of the world. Because of the favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria during the germination of seeds, sprouts are a frequent source for pathogenic bacteria, thus highlighting the need for seed decontamination to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Consequently, this study focused on cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment of artificially inoculated seeds in a diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge to determine the inactivation efficiency for relevant foodborne pathogens and fungal spores. Plasma treatment of seeds resulted in a highly efficient reduction of microorganisms on the seed surface, while preserving the germination properties of seeds, at least for moderate treatment times. To characterize the mechanisms that contribute to microbial inactivation during plasma treatment, an experimental setup was developed to separate ultraviolet light (UV) and other plasma components. The combination of bacterial viability staining with confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to investigate the impact of ozone and other reactive species on the bacterial cells in comparison to UV. Further characterization of the effect of CAPP on bacterial cells by atomic force microscopy imaging of the same Escherichia coli cells before and after treatment revealed an increase in the surface roughness of treated E. coli cells and a decrease in the average height of the cells, which suggests physical damage to the cell envelope. In conclusion, CAPP shows potential for use as a decontamination technology in the production process of sprouts, which may contribute to food safety and prolonged shelf life of the product.