Development of a microbial time-temperature indicator for real-time monitoring the quality of Australian vacuum-packed lamb.

A time-temperature indicator (TTI) system based on the pH-dependent colour change caused by the growth of a Carnobacterium maltaromaticum strain was developed to specifically provide a real-time indication of quality and shelf life of Australian vacuum-packed (VP) lamb throughout cold chains. Each component of the developed TTI system was studied to select an optimal concentration of a chemical chromatic indicator (chlorophenol red, CR; between 0.01 % and 0.

Understanding the microbial fibre degrading communities & processes in the equine gut.

The equine gastrointestinal tract is a self-sufficient fermentation system, housing a complex microbial consortium that acts synergistically and independently to break down complex lignocellulolytic material that enters the equine gut. Despite being strict herbivores, equids such as horses and zebras lack the diversity of enzymes needed to completely break down plant tissue, instead relying on their resident microbes to carry out fibrolysis to yield vital energy sources such as short chain fatty acids. The bulk of equine digestion occurs in the large intestine, where digesta is fermented for 36-48 h through the synergistic activities of bacteria, fungi, and methanogenic archaea.

Spoilage potential of bacterial species from chilled vacuum-packed lamb.

The objective of this study was to establish whether specific organisms play important roles in the spoilage rate of vacuum-packed (VP) lamb at low storage temperatures. The spoilage potential of representative organisms (n = 13) of the spoilage community of VP lamb were investigated through a series of shelf-life challenge trials. Each isolate was individually inoculated onto sterile (irradiated) and non-sterile (i.

The effects of glucose on microbial spoilage of vacuum-packed lamb.

Vacuum-packed lamb produced in Australia has a shelf-life of 80-90 days under export conditions (-1 to 0 °C). However, access to some markets could involve >90 days transit time. Studies to understand the potential mechanisms of microbial spoilage of vacuum-packed lamb are, therefore, important to assist the development of shelf-life extension methods.

Big Data Impacting Dynamic Food Safety Risk Management in the Food Chain.

Foodborne pathogens are a major contributor to foodborne illness worldwide. The adaptation of a more quantitative risk-based approach, with metrics such as Food safety Objectives (FSO) and Performance Objectives (PO) necessitates quantitative inputs from all stages of the food value chain. The potential exists for utilization of big data, generated through digital transformational technologies, as inputs to a dynamic risk management concept for food safety microbiology.

Effect of peroxyacetic acid treatment and bruising on the bacterial community and shelf-life of baby spinach.

The importance of leaf integrity, i.e. the effects of bruising (mechanical damage), and sanitisation with peroxyacetic acid (PAA) on bacterial communities of ready-to-eat baby spinach remains unclear.

Effect of abattoir, livestock species and storage temperature on bacterial community dynamics and sensory properties of vacuum packaged red meat.

Shelf life of red meat is influenced by a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors making its prediction challenging. Here we investigated the influence of geographically distant abattoir facilities and storage temperature relevant to commercial supply chain on the shelf lives of vacuum packaged (VP) beef and lamb meat. Samples of VP beef and lamb were analysed for surface pH, total viable counts, lactic acid bacterial counts, sensory properties, and associated bacterial community using Illumina MiSeq based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing over a period of >200 days.

Effect of Storage Conditions on Shelf Stability of Undiluted Neutral Electrolyzed Water.

Abstract: Neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) is an oxidizing sanitizer that can be made locally on-site; it is often stored in a ready-to-use format to accumulate the large volumes required for periodic or seasonal use. The shelf stability of NEW sanitizer was, therefore, assessed under various storage conditions to guide the development of protocols for its industrial application. To that end, fresh NEW with an available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 480 mg/L, pH 6.

Application of chlorine dioxide and peroxyacetic acid during spray chilling as a potential antimicrobial intervention for beef carcasses.

Enteric pathogens such as Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella spp. continue to be a major food safety concern for the beef industry. Currently, no single method is completely effective in controlling these pathogens during carcass processing.

Consumer Safety Considerations of Skin and Oral Microbiome Perturbation.

Microbiomes associated with human skin and the oral cavity are uniquely exposed to personal care regimes. Changes in the composition and activities of the microbial communities in these environments can be utilized to promote consumer health benefits, for example, by reducing the numbers, composition, or activities of microbes implicated in conditions such as acne, axillary odor, dandruff, and oral diseases. It is, however, important to ensure that innovative approaches for microbiome manipulation do not unsafely disrupt the microbiome or compromise health, and where major changes in the composition or activities of the microbiome may occur, these require evaluation to ensure that critical biological functions are unaffected.

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Salmonellosis from the Consumption of Australian Pork: Minced Meat from Retail to Burgers Prepared and Consumed at Home.

Pork burgers could be expected to have an elevated risk of salmonellosis compared to other pork products due to their comminuted nature. A stochastic risk assessment was performed to estimate the risk of salmonellosis from Australian pork burgers and considered risk-affecting factors in the pork supply chain from retail to consumption at home. Conditions modeled included prevalence and concentration of Salmonella in pork mince, time and temperature effects during retail, consumer transport, and domestic storage and the effect of cooking, with the probability of illness from consumption estimated based on these effects.

Automated Fall Detection Technology in Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry: Nurses' Perceptions and Lessons Learned.

ABSTRACTHospitalized older adults are at high risk of falling. The HELPER system is a ceiling-mounted fall detection system that sends an alert to a smartphone when a fall is detected. This article describes the performance of the HELPER system, which was pilot tested in a geriatric mental health hospital.

Innovative processes and technologies for modified atmosphere packaging of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology has been commercially viable since the 1970s. Currently, MAP is extensively used worldwide to preserve the quality and extend the shelf-life of whole fresh fruits and vegetables, but is also increasingly used to extend the shelf-life of minimally processed fresh fruit and vegetables. This review discusses new processes and technologies that can be used to improve quality preservation and consumer acceptability of minimally processed produce where high respiration rates and challenging degradation processes operate.

Culture-dependent and culture-independent assessment of spoilage community growth on VP lamb meat from packaging to past end of shelf-life.

Packaging and storage temperature are important factors that influence the shelf-life of vacuum packed (VP) meat. In this study the shelf-life of VP bone-in lamb hind shanks stored at 8 °C and -1.2 °C was determined in parallel to analyses of starting and eventual spoilage bacterial communities via Illumina MiSeq based 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Norovirus and E. coli in Sydney Rock Oysters Following a Sewage Overflow into an Estuary.

This paper reports a study of norovirus (NoV) GII distribution and persistence in Sydney rock oysters (SRO) (Saccostrea glomerata) located in an estuary after a pump station sewage overflow. SRO were strategically placed at six sites spanning the length of the estuary from the pump station to the sea. The spatial and temporal distribution of NoV, hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Escherichia coli (E.

Physiological Response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai to Dynamic Changes in Temperature and Water Activity as Experienced during Carcass Chilling.

Enterohemeorrhagic Escherichia coli is a leading cause of foodborne illness, with the majority of cases linked to foods of bovine origin. Currently, no completely effective method for controlling this pathogen during carcass processing exists. Understanding how this pathogen behaves under those stress conditions experienced on the carcass during chilling in cold air could offer opportunities for development or improvement of effective decontamination processes.

Correction: The Biokinetic Spectrum for Temperature.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

The Biokinetic Spectrum for Temperature.

We identify and describe the distribution of temperature-dependent specific growth rates for life on Earth, which we term the biokinetic spectrum for temperature. The spectrum has the potential to provide for more robust modeling in thermal ecology since any conclusions derived from it will be based on observed data rather than using theoretical assumptions. It may also provide constraints for systems biology model predictions and provide insights in physiology.

Guidelines for experimental design protocol and validation procedure for the measurement of heat resistance of microorganisms in milk.

Studies on the heat resistance of dairy pathogens are a vital part of assessing the safety of dairy products. However, harmonized methodology for the study of heat resistance of food pathogens is lacking, even though there is a need for such harmonized experimental design protocols and for harmonized validation procedures for heat treatment studies. Such an approach is of particular importance to allow international agreement on appropriate risk management of emerging potential hazards for human and animal health.

A survey of Australian oysters for the presence of human noroviruses.

Impending international policies for norovirus in oysters and the lack of Australian data suggested there was a need to undertake a national survey of norovirus in oysters. Two geographically distinct oyster-growing areas from each of three Australian states were sampled on 4 occasions during 2010 and 2011. The sites selected were considered by state shellfish authorities to be the most compromised with respect to the potential for human faecal contamination as identified by shoreline surveys.

Global genome response of Escherichia coli O157∶H7 Sakai during dynamic changes in growth kinetics induced by an abrupt temperature downshift.

Escherichia coli O157∶H7 is a mesophilic food-borne pathogen. We investigated the growth kinetics of E. coli O157∶H7 Sakai during an abrupt temperature downshift from 35°C to either 20°C, 17°C, 14°C or 10°C; as well as the molecular mechanisms enabling growth after cold stress upon an abrupt downshift from 35°C to 14°C in an integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis.

Protein thermodynamics can be predicted directly from biological growth rates.

Life on Earth is capable of growing from temperatures well below freezing to above the boiling point of water, with some organisms preferring cooler and others hotter conditions. The growth rate of each organism ultimately depends on its intracellular chemical reactions. Here we show that a thermodynamic model based on a single, rate-limiting, enzyme-catalysed reaction accurately describes population growth rates in 230 diverse strains of unicellular and multicellular organisms.

Global genome response of Escherichia coli O157∶H7 Sakai during dynamic changes in growth kinetics induced by an abrupt downshift in water activity.

The present study was undertaken to investigate growth kinetics and time-dependent change in global expression of Escherichia coli O157∶H7 Sakai upon an abrupt downshift in water activity (aw). Based on viable count data, shifting E. coli from aw 0.