Sanitizer spray and brush roller treatments have been documented as an effective means of reducing Salmonella on the surface of produce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of chlorine (NaOCl), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), and chlorine dioxide (ClO) sprays to reduce Salmonella populations on the surface of mangoes during washing with brush or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rollers. Whole mangoes were spot inoculated with 100 µL of a rifampicin-resistant Salmonella (8 log CFU/mL) cocktail at the equator and dried for 1 h.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrogreens can be contaminated by various preharvest sources including soilless substrate, plant nutrition solution, water and seeds. The aim of this study was to determine the transfer level of Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes to the edible part of various type of microgreens from plant nutrient solution-soaked perlite as soilless substrate or seeds. Ampicillin resistant 3-strain cocktails of Salmonella and E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProduce grown under controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is often assumed to have a reduced risk of pathogen contamination due to the low chance of exposure to outdoor contaminant factors. However, the 2021 outbreak and numerous recalls of CEA-grown lettuce and microgreens demonstrate the possibility of pathogen introduction during indoor production when there is a failure in the implementation of food safety management systems. Indoor production of commercial leafy greens, such as lettuce and microgreens, is performed across a range of protective structures from primitive household setups to advanced and partially automatized growing systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndoor, soilless production-often referred to more broadly as controlled environment agriculture (CEA)-is increasingly used for the cultivation of leafy greens. Minimal information is currently available regarding food safety practices during production and distribution of leafy greens grown within indoor, soilless environments in the United States (U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImported mangoes have been linked to outbreaks of salmonellosis in the USA. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the persistence and growth kinetics of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes on the intact surface of whole 'Ataulfo', 'Kent', and 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes stored at three different temperatures. L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorrugated fiberboard boxes (cartons) can be reused during fresh market tomato packing and repacking. The fate of Salmonella on the new, used, and dirty tomato packaging cartons, and Salmonella transfer between tomatoes and new, used, and dirty packaging cartons was assessed. Mature green tomatoes or blank cartons were spot inoculated with cocktail of rifampicin-resistant Salmonella strains before touching cartons/tomatoes at 0, 1, or 24 h postinoculation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSubtyping of bacterial isolates of the same genus and species is an important tool in epidemiological investigations. A number of phenotypic and genotypic subtyping methods are available; however, most of these methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming and require considerable operator skill and a wealth of reagents. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), an alternative to conventional subtyping methods, offers a rapid, reproducible method for bacterial identification with a high sensitivity and specificity and at minimal cost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of computer-based tools has been becoming popular in the field of produce safety. Various algorithms have been applied to predict the population and presence of indicator microorganisms and pathogens in agricultural water sources. The purpose of this study is to improve the Salmonella prediction success of deep feed-forward neural network (DFNN) in agricultural surface waters with a determined correlation value based on selected features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the fate of generic Escherichia coli in fecal pats under different field conditions and to predict Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) survival dynamics based on developed models. Eight trials were conducted during spring and fall in both North and Central Florida.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study is to assess the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on food safety knowledge, hygiene practices, and eating attitudes of academics and university students in Turkey. A cross-sectional survey invitation was emailed to the participants from various academic ranks and departments at chosen universities from different region of country. Academics were requested to forward the invitation email to enrolled students to their classes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pH on the lipid oxidation of red onion skin extracts (ROSEs) treated with washed tilapia muscle model systems (WTMS). Minced and buffered washed samples were prepared at pH 6.3 and 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbstract: Domestic and wild animal intrusions are identified as a food safety risk during fresh produce production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the survival of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle, feral pig, waterfowl, deer, and raccoon feces from sources in California, Delaware, Florida, and Ohio. Fecal samples were inoculated with a cocktail of rifampin-resistant STEC serotypes (O103, O104, O111, O145, and O157) (104 to 106 CFU/g of feces).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurvival of was studied in surface waters. stayed alive in nonsterile microcosms for 168 days. Limited decline was seen in sterile surface, deionized, and EPA Worst Case water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAgricultural water is considered as one of the main contamination source for produce prior to harvest. The purpose of study was to evaluate the fate of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and generic E. coli in Central Florida agricultural surface water at different temperatures and the potential use of EPA Worst Case water as a standardized media.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has defined standards for the microbial quality of agricultural surface water used for irrigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe microbial quality of water that comes into the edible portion of produce is believed to directly relate to the safety of produce, and metrics describing indicator organisms are commonly used to ensure safety. The US FDA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) sets very specific microbiological water quality metrics for agricultural water that contacts the harvestable portion of produce. Validation of these metrics for agricultural water is essential for produce safety.
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