[High pressure processing of spices in atmosphere of helium for decrease of microbiological contamination].

The aim of the study was to investigate the microbiological decontamination of coriander and caraway when HPP technology was applied in elevated temperature in helium atmosphere. The HPP and heat treatment was conducted for 30 minutes at 800 and 1 000 MPa and temperature range was 60 - 121 degrees C. Contamination with aerobic mesophilic bacteria was decreased by about 2 logarithmic cycles.

The distribution of enterotoxin and enterotoxin-like genes in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from nasal carriers and food samples.

Staphylococcus aureus strains were examined for the presence of 18 enterotoxin (se) and enterotoxin-like (sel) genes by PCR and four classic enterotoxins SEA to SED by reverse passive latex agglutination. We screened three groups of isolates: 53 recovered from food samples collected in years 2004-2005, 18--from food samples collected in the 1960s and 1970s and 30--from nasal carrier samples collected in the years 2000-2002. Eighty percent of all tested strains were se and sel positive, but the frequency of these genes was higher among nasal carrier strains (93%) than among food samples isolates (circa 76%).

High pressure processing for food safety.

Food preservation using high pressure is a promising technique in food industry as it offers numerous opportunities for developing new foods with extended shelf-life, high nutritional value and excellent organoleptic characteristics. High pressure is an alternative to thermal processing. The resistance of microorganisms to pressure varies considerably depending on the pressure range applied, temperature and treatment duration, and type of microorganism.

[The content of histamine and tyramine dependent of microbiological quality of salted herring stored at different temperatures].

Twenty six samples of salted herring from Warsaw food market were analyzed. Herrings in high-salted brine (with 26% content of salt) were stored for 21 days at temperature of 4 degrees C and 22 degrees C; low-salted (16% content of salt in brine) herring were stored for 42 days at temperature of 4 degrees C and 22 degrees C. Microbiological contamination level was assessed by standard methods for fish products, and biogenic amines--histamine and tyramine content by spectrofluorometric methods.