Food safety issues associated with sesame seed value chains: Current status and future perspectives.

Sesame () is an oilseed crop which is increasingly recognised as a functional food by consumers due to its nutritional and nutraceutical components. Consequently, global demand for sesame has increased significantly over the last three decades. Sesame is an important export crop in producing countries, contributing to their socio-economic development.

Assessment of microbial contamination in laser materials processing laboratories used for prototyping of biomedical devices.

Microbial contamination of medical devices during pilot production can be a significant barrier as the laboratory environment is a source of contamination. There is limited information on microbial contaminants in laser laboratories and environments involved in the pilot production of medical devices. This study aimed to determine the bioburden and microbial contaminants present in three laser laboratories - an ISO class 7 clean room, a pilot line facility and a standard laser laboratory.

Antimicrobial resistance in urinary pathogens and culture-independent detection of trimethoprim resistance in urine from patients with urinary tract infection.

Background: Although urinary tract infections (UTIs) are extremely common, isolation of causative uropathogens is not always routinely performed, with antibiotics frequently prescribed empirically. This study determined the susceptibility of urinary isolates from two Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) in Northern Ireland to a range of antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of UTIs. Furthermore, we determined if detection of trimethoprim resistance genes (dfrA) could be used as a potential biomarker for rapid detection of phenotypic trimethoprim resistance in urinary pathogens and from urine without culture.

Genetic diversity and whole genome sequence analysis data of multidrug resistant atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O177 strains: An assessment of food safety and public health implications.

Atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC) strains are emerging pathogens responsible for fatal diarrhoea in humans worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate genetic diversity, virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of aEPEC O177 strains isolated from faeces of cattle reared in intensive and extensive production systems in South Africa.

Mycotoxins in poultry feed and feed ingredients in Nigeria.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary fungal metabolites that can negatively affect animal productivity when ingested through feed. In order to assess mycotoxin contamination of poultry feed and feed ingredients vis-a-vis source tracking of feed contamination in Nigeria, 102 samples of feed (n = 30) and feed ingredients (n = 72) were collected from in-house mills of poultry farms across 12 states of Nigeria and analyzed for multiple mycotoxins using LC/MS-MS. One hundred and forty microbial metabolites were detected in the feed and feed ingredients.

Absence of Curli in Soil-Persistent Is Mediated by a C-di-GMP Signaling Defect and Suggests Evidence of Biofilm-Independent Niche Specialization.

is commonly viewed as a gastrointestinal commensal or pathogen although an increasing body of evidence suggests that it can persist in non-host environments as well. Curli are a major component of biofilm in many enteric bacteria including and are important for adherence to different biotic and abiotic surfaces. In this study we investigated curli production in a unique collection of soil-persistent isolates and examined the role of curli formation in environmental persistence.

Traditionally Processed Beverages in Africa: A Review of the Mycotoxin Occurrence Patterns and Exposure Assessment.

African traditional beverages are widely consumed food-grade liquids processed from single or mixed grains (mostly cereals) by simple food processing techniques, of which fermentation tops the list. These beverages are very diverse in composition and nutritional value and are specific to different cultures and countries. The grains from which home-processed traditional beverages are made across Africa are often heavily contaminated with multiple mycotoxins due to poor agricultural, handling, and storage practices that characterize the region.

Roles for RpoS in survival of Escherichia coli during protozoan predation and in reduced moisture conditions highlight its importance in soil environments.

The soil is a complex ecosystem where interactions between biotic and abiotic factors determine the survival and fate of microbial inhabitants of the system. Having previously shown that Escherichia coli requires the general stress response regulator, RpoS, to survive long term in soil, it was important to determine what specific conditions in this environment necessitate a functional RpoS. This study investigated the susceptibility of soil-persistent E.

Bacterial species and mycotoxin contamination associated with locust bean, melon and their fermented products in south-western Nigeria.

The microbiological safety of spontaneously fermented foods is not always guaranteed due to the undefined fermenting microbial consortium and processing materials. In this study, two commonly consumed traditional condiments (iru and ogiri) and their respective raw seeds (locust bean and melon) purchased from markets in south-western Nigeria were assessed for bacterial diversity and mycotoxin contamination using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively. Two hundred isolates obtained from the raw seeds and condiments clustered into 10 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and spanned 3 phyla, 10 genera, 14 species and 2 sub-species.

Determination of Survival of Wildtype and Mutant in Soil.

resides in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded animals but recent studies have shown that can persist and grow in various external environments including soil. The general stress response regulator, RpoS, helps overcome various stresses, however its role in soil survival was unknown. This soil survival assay protocol was developed and used to determine the role of the general stress response regulator, RpoS, in the survival of in soil.

Mould and mycotoxin exposure assessment of melon and bush mango seeds, two common soup thickeners consumed in Nigeria.

An examination of the mould and fungal metabolite pattern in melon and bush mango seeds locally produced in Nigeria was undertaken in order to understand the mycotoxicological risk posed to consumers of both of these important and commonly consumed soup thickeners. The variation in mycotoxin levels in graded categories of both foodstuffs were also determined. Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Mucorales and Trichoderma were the recovered fungi from the foodstuffs with Aspergillus species dominating (melon=97.

The General Stress Response Is Conserved in Long-Term Soil-Persistent Strains of Escherichia coli.

Unlabelled: Although Escherichia coli is generally considered to be predominantly a commensal of the gastrointestinal tract, a number of recent studies suggest that it is also capable of long-term survival and growth in environments outside the host. As the extraintestinal physical and chemical conditions are often different from those within the host, it is possible that distinct genetic adaptations may be required to enable this transition. Several studies have shown a trade-off between growth and stress resistance in nutrient-poor environments, with lesions in the rpoS locus, which encodes the stress sigma factor RpoS (σ(S)).

Co-occurrence of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and citrinin in "egusi" melon (Colocynthis citrullus L.) seeds consumed in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The natural co-occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) in melon seed samples obtained from retailers and households in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) was evaluated. AFs and OTA were determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection while CIT was analysed by HPLC-MS/MS. AFB1 was detected in all (100%) samples (mean = 9.

Correlation between aflatoxin M1 content of breast milk, dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 and socioeconomic status of lactating mothers in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Aflatoxin M1 (AF M1), a hydroxylated metabolite of AF B1, is an important toxin that can contaminate the milk of lactating mothers. A correlation study was conducted to determine the relationship between AF M1 content of breast milk, dietary exposure to AF B1 and socioeconomic status of lactating mothers in the three Senatorial districts of Ogun State, Nigeria. Equal amounts of breast milk (20 ml) and food rations (40 kg) obtained from 50 volunteer lactating mothers and eighty-two frequently consumed food commodities in the preceding month were used for the study.