Behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica during beef dry-aging up to 60 days.

The Commission delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1141 states that beef dry aging can be performed in a dedicated cabinet, at a surface temperature of -0.5 to 3 °C, maximum relative humidity of 85 %, air speed of 0.2-0.

Ecology and Management of a Large Outbreak of Avian Botulism in Wild Waterbirds in Northeastern Italy (2019-2022).

Avian botulism is a paralytic disease due to the ingestion of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) produced by anaerobic, sporigenic bacteria (notably, ). Wild waterbirds worldwide are affected with variable recurrence and severity, and organic material decaying in wetland habitats may constitute a suitable substrate for the replication of clostridia strains producing BoNT in conditions of high temperatures and the absence of oxygen. Here, we describe a large outbreak of avian botulism that occurred in the Valle Mandriole protected area of northeastern Italy (VM).

Microbiological and Chemical Analysis of Food Collected Under Official Control in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Northern Italy, 2014-2019.

This study analyzed data from 6 years (2014-2019) of official controls in the Emilia-Romagna region (northern Italy) to investigate the frequencies of human pathogens and chemical hazards in foods during production and distribution. Campylobacter spp. was the most prevalent pathogen, isolated in 4.

Effect of time and temperature before chilling on the hygiene of carcasses in wild boar hunted in central Italy.

The interest in certified game meat chains highlights the need for the evaluation and the management of factors affecting carcass hygiene along the peculiar steps of the production. The effects of time and temperature before chilling were specifically evaluated on aerobic colony count and count in hunted wild boar carcasses. Thirty wild boars were considered in two process steps where the hunted animal are still not chilled: after evisceration and just before chilling.

Antimicrobial Resistance Profile and ExPEC Virulence Potential in Commensal of Multiple Sources.

We recently described the genetic antimicrobial resistance and virulence profile of a collection of 279 commensal of food-producing animal (FPA), pet, wildlife and human origin. Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the role of commensal as reservoir of extra-intestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) virulence-associated genes (VAGs) or as potential ExPEC pathogens were evaluated. The most common phenotypic resistance was to tetracycline (76/279, 27.

Modeling the behavior of Listeria innocua in Italian salami during the production and high-pressure validation of processes for exportation to the U.S.

A model describing Listeria innocua evolution according to process parameters of 51 Italian salami processes and HPP in 31 companies was developed. A total of 51 challenge tests were performed. During processing a L.

Effect of production process and high-pressure processing on viability of in traditional Italian dry-cured .

In this study the effect of the application of High Pressure Treatment (HPP) combined with four different manufacturing processes on the inactivation of Listeria innocua, used as a surrogate for L. monocytogenes, in artificially contaminated samples was evaluated in order to verify the most suitable strategy to meet the Listeria inactivation requirements needed for the exportation of dry-cured meat in the U.S.

Effect of production process and high-pressure processing on viability of in traditional Italian dry-cured .

The aim of the study was to investigate the combined effect of the manufacturing process followed by HPP treatment on the inactivation of spp. in artificially contaminated samples, in order to verify the ability of the combined processes to achieve the objective of a 5-log reduction of spp. needed for exportation to the U.

Factors affecting the microbiological load of Italian hunted wild boar meat (Sus scrofa).

This study investigates the microbiological conditions before maturation of wild boar meat (Sus scrofa) processed in approved game handling establishments in Italy. Fillets and legquarters of 37 carcasses were tested to assess Aerobic Colony Count (ACC), Enterobacteriaceae Count (EC) and Salmonella presence. Salmonella was never found and mean values of ACC and EC were 4.

Reduction of Salmonella spp. populations in Italian salami during production process and high pressure processing treatment: Validation of processes to export to the U.S.

This study involved ten enterprises producing Italian salami, 20 different samples of fermented sausages underwent challenge tests to assess and record the following parameters: time, temperature, pH, a, and Salmonella counts. A linear regression model was used to describe the Salmonella spp. decay: at the end of the process the result of total Salmonella reduction was 0.

Shiga Toxin-Producing in Slaughtered Pigs and Pork Products.

During the years 2015-2016, 83 faecal samples were collected at slaughter from pigs reared in farms located in Central-Northern Italy. During the years 2014-2016 a total of 562 pork products [465 not-readyto-eat (NRTE) and 97 ready-to-eat (RTE) products] were collected from retail outlets, large retailers and processing plants. The samples were analysed according to ISO TS 13136:2012.

Detection of Food Hazards in Foods: Comparison of Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Cultural Methods.

Foodstuffs should not contain microorganisms or their toxins or metabolites in quantities suggesting an unacceptable risk for human health. The detection of food hazards in foods is performed by several tests that produce results dependent on the analytical method used: an analytical reference method, defined as standard, is associated with each microbiological criterion laid down in Regulation 2073/2005/EC, but, analytical methods other than the reference ones, in particular more rapid methods, could be used. Combined screening methods performed by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) are currently validated as alternative methods according to the ISO 16140:2003 and certified by the n.

Shelf life of donkey milk subjected to different treatment and storage conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different treatment conditions on microbiological indicators of donkey milk hygiene and their evolution during shelf life at 4 and 12°C from 3 to 30d, simulating a farm-scale pasteurization and packing system. Four treatment conditions were tested: no treatment (raw milk), pasteurization (65°C × 30 min), high-pressure processing (HPP), and pasteurization plus HPP. The microbiological quality of the raw donkey milk investigated was not optimal; our results highlight the importance of raw milk management with the need for animal hygiene management and good dairy farming practices on donkey farms to improve handling procedures.

Fecal shedding of thermophilic Campylobacter in a dairy herd producing raw milk for direct human consumption.

Factors affecting the fecal shedding of thermophilic Campylobacter in Italian dairy farms were investigated in a 12-month longitudinal study performed on a dairy farm authorized to sell raw milk in Italy. Fifty animals were randomly selected from 140 adult and young animals, and fecal samples were collected six times at 2-month intervals. At each sampling time, three trough water samples and two trough feed samples also were collected for both adult and young animals.

Shiga Toxin-Producing in Meat and Vegetable Products in Emilia Romagna Region, Years 2012-2013.

In 2012-2013 Emilia-Romagna Region introduced a monitoring plan for Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) in foodstuff. Six hundred eighty-nine meat samples and 273 fruit and vegetable products were analyzed according to ISOTS13136. Pre-enriched samples were tested by multiplex real time PCR targeting the virulence genes , and positive samples were investigated for the presence of serogroup O104 associated gene.

Temporal Variation of Faecal Shedding of 0157:H7 in A Dairy Herd Producing Raw Milk for Direct Human Consumption.

The objective of this study was to analyse over time the evolution of O157:H7 faecal shedding in a dairy herd producing raw milk for direct human consumption. The study was performed between October 2012 and September 2013 in an average size Italian dairy farm where animals are housed inside the barn all over the year. The farm housed about 140 animals during the study - 70 cows and 70 calves and heifers.

Visual evaluation of cattle cleanliness and correlation to carcass microbial contamination during slaughtering.

The aim of the study was to establish whether the visual cleanliness of cattle slaughtered was correlated to hide and carcass contamination as indicated by aerobic colony count (ACC), Enterobacteriaceae count (EC) and Escherichia coli count (ECC). Cattle in a slaughterhouse were visually inspected and assigned to a category from 1 (very clean) to 5 (very dirty) based on cleanliness. Fifteen animals for each category were randomly selected, hide and carcass sampled and analyzed for ACC, EC and ECC.

Development of a minor groove binding probe based real-time PCR for the diagnosis and quantification of Leishmania infantum in dog specimens.

A new quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay based on Taqman® technology and minor groove binding (MGB) probe was developed for the diagnosis of leishmaniosis and quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in infected dogs. This method was based on the amplification of a 122bp fragment of the highly conserved kDNA minicircles of L. infantum.

First reports of Trichinella pseudospiralis in wild boars (Sus scrofa) of Italy.

Trichinella pseudospiralis is a non-encapsulated species infecting both mammals and birds. In Italy, this parasite was reported only in two night-birds of prey of Central Italy. In January 2010, Trichinella larvae were detected in three wild boars (Sus scrofa) of two regions of Northern Italy by enzymatic digestion.