scholarly journals Heat Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on Pecans, Macadamia Nuts, and Sunflower Seeds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Den Bakker ◽  
Henk C. den Bakker ◽  
Francisco Diez-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Sunflower Seeds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macadamia Nuts

Listeria monocytogenes is a major concern for the food industry in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. In recent years, large-scale recalls have occurred with contaminated sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts that triggered product withdrawals.

Making a market for Mexican food in Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sinclair ◽  
Barry Carr
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Grass Roots ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
History Of

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to account for the remarkable proliferation of Mexican restaurants and tequila bars in contemporary urban Australia, in the absence of any geographical contiguity, historical connection or cultural proximity between Australia and Mexico.Design/methodology/approachThe paper traces how the particularities of direct cultural contact, interpersonal networks and grass-roots entrepreneurism can open up new markets, and how the ground is, thus, prepared for subsequent large-scale international corporate entry to those markets. This research is based on interviews with key figures in the development of the Mexican food industry in Australia, interpreted in terms of the extant literature on cultural globalisation. The first-hand accounts of these participants have been interpreted in the light of available secondary sources and relevant theory.FindingsThe most striking theme to emerge in the study is the relative absence of Mexicans, or even Mexico-experienced Australians, in the making of a market for Mexican food in Australia. Rather, initially, Americans were prominent, as entrepreneurs and in forming a consumer market, while in later decades, entrepreneurs and consumers alike have been Australians whose experience of Mexican food has been formed in the United States, not Mexico. The role of hipster subculture and travel is seen as instrumental. Also of interest is the manner in which the personal experiences and interrelationships of the Americans and Australians have shaped the development of the Mexican food industry. This is not to ignore the much more recent participation of a new wave of immigrants from Mexico.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the scope of the study is national, the sharper focus is on the experience of Melbourne; it would be useful for future researchers to investigate other major cities, even if Melbourne has been the most pivotal of Australian cities in the history of Mexican food in Australia. The study has conceptual and theoretical implications for debates around cultural globalisation and “Americanisation”.Originality/valueThe paper provides a close-grained and suitably theorised account of how a particular consumer trend has become extended on a global basis, with particular attention to both individual experience and agency, and corporate activity.

scholarly journals Mobile Elements Harboring Heavy Metal and Bacitracin Resistance Genes Are Common among Listeria monocytogenes Strains Persisting on Dairy Farms

mSphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Castro ◽  
François P. Douillard ◽  
Hannu Korkeala ◽  
Miia Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Mobile Elements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Strategies

Animal-derived raw materials are an important source of L. monocytogenes in the food industry. Knowledge of the factors contributing to the pathogen’s transmission and persistence on farms are essential for designing effective strategies against the spread of the pathogen from farm to fork.

scholarly journals How open is food innovation?The crispbread case

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 950-963
Author(s):  
Sveinung Grimsby ◽  
Cathrine Finne Kure
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
Cereal Industry ◽  
Future Growth

Purpose How does the cereal industry innovate in selective partnerships? The purpose of this paper is to study the cereal industry and the crispbread success in terms of how different forms of openness jointly shape new product development (NPD). Design/methodology/approach A multiphase mixed methods design was used to combine three sets of data: a case study, sales figures and interviews with ten major actors in the Norwegian cereal industry. Findings Transparency and interaction with machinery suppliers appear to result in a more successful type of innovation. In practice, companies are more open than, perhaps, they realise. Factors such as mutual trust, asset control and distribution are positive for openness in innovation processes with suppliers. Practical implications Future actors such as suppliers, producers, distributors and policy makers in the food industry will benefit from trust and an open innovation (OI) mind-set during NPD. Originality/value Prior to 2011, Norway had no large-scale commercial crispbread production. Six years later, Norwegian production nears the sales figures of the leading Swedish brand Wasa. Is this due to OI? Understanding various forms of selective partnership, collaboration and trust among actors in the food industry is valuable for future growth.

scholarly journals Glycotyping and Specific Separation of Listeria monocytogenes with a Novel Bacteriophage Protein Tool Kit

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric T. Sumrall ◽  
Christian Röhrig ◽  
Mario Hupfeld ◽  
Lavanja Selvakumar ◽  
Jiemin Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Teichoic Acid ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Glycosylation Pattern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Method

ABSTRACT The Gram-positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can be subdivided into at least 12 different serovars, based on the differential expression of a set of somatic and flagellar antigens. Of note, strains belonging to serovars 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b cause the vast majority of foodborne listeriosis cases and outbreaks. The standard protocol for serovar determination involves an agglutination method using a set of sera containing cell surface-recognizing antibodies. However, this procedure is imperfect in both precision and practicality, due to discrepancies resulting from subjective interpretation. Furthermore, the exact antigenic epitopes remain unclear, due to the preparation of the absorbed sera and the complex nature of polyvalent antibody binding. Here, we present a novel method for quantitative somatic antigen differentiation using a set of recombinant affinity proteins (cell wall-binding domains and receptor-binding proteins) derived from a collection of Listeria bacteriophages. These proteins enable rapid, objective, and precise identification of the different teichoic acid glycopolymer structures, which represent the O-antigens, and allow a near-complete differentiation. This glycotyping approach confirmed serovar designations of over 60 previously characterized Listeria strains. Using select phage receptor-binding proteins coupled to paramagnetic beads, we also demonstrate the ability to specifically isolate serovar 1/2 or 4b cells from a mixed culture. In addition, glycotyping led to the discovery that strains designated serovar 4e actually possess an intermediate 4b-4d teichoic acid glycosylation pattern, underpinning the high discerning power and precision of this novel technique. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that presents a major concern to the food industry due to its propensity to cause foodborne illness. The Listeria genus contains 15 different serovars, with most of the variance depending on the wall-associated teichoic acid glycopolymers, which confer somatic antigenicity. Strains belonging to serovars 1/2 and 4b cause the vast majority of listeriosis cases and outbreaks, meaning that regulators, as well as the food industry itself, have an interest in rapidly identifying isolates of these particular serovars in food processing environments. Current methods for phenotypic serovar differentiation are slow and lack accuracy, and the food industry could benefit from new technologies allowing serovar-specific isolation. Therefore, the novel method described here for rapid glycotype determination could present a valuable asset to detect and control this bacterium.

scholarly journals Comparative Genomics Reveals the Diversity of Restriction-Modification Systems and DNA Methylation Sites in Listeria monocytogenes

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poyin Chen ◽  
Henk C. den Bakker ◽  
Jonas Korlach ◽  
Nguyet Kong ◽  
Dylan B. Storey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Chromosome Rearrangement ◽  
Phenotypic Expression ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Restriction Modification ◽  
Restriction Modification Systems

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen that is found in a wide variety of anthropogenic and natural environments. Genome sequencing technologies are rapidly becoming a powerful tool in facilitating our understanding of how genotype, classification phenotypes, and virulence phenotypes interact to predict the health risks of individual bacterial isolates. Currently, 57 closed L. monocytogenes genomes are publicly available, representing three of the four phylogenetic lineages, and they suggest that L. monocytogenes has high genomic synteny. This study contributes an additional 15 closed L. monocytogenes genomes that were used to determine the associations between the genome and methylome with host invasion magnitude. In contrast to previous findings, large chromosomal inversions and rearrangements were detected in five isolates at the chromosome terminus and within rRNA genes, including a previously undescribed inversion within rRNA-encoding regions. Each isolate's epigenome contained highly diverse methyltransferase recognition sites, even within the same serotype and methylation pattern. Eleven strains contained a single chromosomally encoded methyltransferase, one strain contained two methylation systems (one system on a plasmid), and three strains exhibited no methylation, despite the occurrence of methyltransferase genes. In three isolates a new, unknown DNA modification was observed in addition to diverse methylation patterns, accompanied by a novel methylation system. Neither chromosome rearrangement nor strain-specific patterns of epigenome modification observed within virulence genes were correlated with serotype designation, clonal complex, or in vitro infectivity. These data suggest that genome diversity is larger than previously considered in L. monocytogenes and that as more genomes are sequenced, additional structure and methylation novelty will be observed in this organism. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a disease which manifests as gastroenteritis, meningoencephalitis, and abortion. Among Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and Listeria—causing the most prevalent foodborne illnesses—infection by L. monocytogenes carries the highest mortality rate. The ability of L. monocytogenes to regulate its response to various harsh environments enables its persistence and transmission. Small-scale comparisons of L. monocytogenes focusing solely on genome contents reveal a highly syntenic genome yet fail to address the observed diversity in phenotypic regulation. This study provides a large-scale comparison of 302 L. monocytogenes isolates, revealing the importance of the epigenome and restriction-modification systems as major determinants of L. monocytogenes phylogenetic grouping and subsequent phenotypic expression. Further examination of virulence genes of select outbreak strains reveals an unprecedented diversity in methylation statuses despite high degrees of genome conservation.

scholarly journals Isolation of Highly Heat-Resistant Listeria monocytogenes Variants by Use of a Kinetic Modeling-Based Sampling Scheme

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 2617-2624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ineke K. H. Van Boeijen ◽  
Christof Francke ◽  
Roy Moezelaar ◽  
Tjakko Abee ◽  
Marcel H. Zwietering
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Kinetic Modeling ◽  
High Resistance ◽  
High Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Inactivation Kinetics ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heat Resistant

ABSTRACTStable high-hydrostatic-pressure (HHP)-resistantListeria monocytogenesLO28 variants were previously isolated and characterized. These HHP variants were also more resistant to heat. In addition, nonlinear heat inactivation kinetics pointed toward the existence of heat-resistant variants, although these could not be isolated so far. In this study, we used kinetic modeling of inactivation curves of two isolated HHP variants and their wild type, and this revealed that the probability of finding resistant variants should depend on the nature of the inactivation treatment and the time of exposure. At specific heat and HHP conditions, resistant LO28 and EGDe variants were indeed isolated. Resistant LO28 variants were even isolated after a heat inactivation at 72°C in milk, and these variants showed high resistance to standard pasteurization conditions. The increased resistance of part of the isolated LO28 and EGDe variants was due to mutations in theirctsRgenes. For the variants whosectsRgenes and upstream regions were not altered, the mechanisms leading to increased resistance remain to be elucidated. This research showed the strength of kinetic modeling in unraveling the causes of nonlinear inactivation and facilitating the isolation of heat-resistantL. monocytogenesvariants.

scholarly journals Cleaning and Disinfection of Biofilms Composed of Listeria monocytogenes and Background Microbiota from Meat Processing Surfaces

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Fagerlund ◽  
Trond Møretrø ◽  
Even Heir ◽  
Romain Briandet ◽  
Solveig Langsrud
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Common Property ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Meat Processing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Spoilage Bacteria ◽  
Conveyor Belts ◽  
Cleaning And Disinfection

ABSTRACT Surfaces of food processing premises are exposed to regular cleaning and disinfection (C&D) regimes, using biocides that are highly effective against bacteria growing as planktonic cells. However, bacteria growing in surface-associated communities (biofilms) are typically more tolerant toward C&D than their individual free-cell counterparts, and survival of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes may be affected by interspecies interactions within biofilms. In this study, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter were the most frequently isolated genera surviving on conveyor belts subjected to C&D in meat processing plants. In the laboratory, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and L. monocytogenes dominated the community, both in suspensions and in biofilms formed on conveyor belts, when cultures were inoculated with eleven-genus cocktails of representative bacterial strains from the identified background flora. When biofilms were exposed to daily C&D cycles mimicking treatments used in food industry, the levels of Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas mandelii diminished, and biofilms were instead dominated by Pseudomonas putida (65 to 76%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (11 to 15%) and L. monocytogenes (3 to 11%). The dominance of certain species after daily C&D correlated with high planktonic growth rates at 12°C and tolerance to C&D. In single-species biofilms, L. monocytogenes developed higher tolerance to C&D over time, for both the peracetic acid and quaternary ammonium disinfectants, indicating that a broad-spectrum mechanism was involved. Survival after C&D appeared to be a common property of L. monocytogenes strains, as persistent and sporadic subtypes showed equal survival rates in complex biofilms. Biofilms established preferentially in surface irregularities of conveyor belts, potentially constituting harborage sites for persistent contamination. IMPORTANCE In the food industry, efficient production hygiene is a key measure to avoid the accumulation of spoilage bacteria and eliminate pathogens. However, the persistence of bacteria is an enduring problem in food processing environments. This study demonstrated that environmental bacteria can survive foam cleaning and disinfection (C&D) at concentrations used in the industrial environment. The phenomenon was replicated in laboratory experiments. Important characteristics of persisting bacteria were a high growth rate at low temperature, a tolerance to the cleaning agent, and the ability to form biofilms. This study also supports other recent research suggesting that strain-to-strain variation cannot explain why certain subtypes of Listeria monocytogenes persist in food processing environments while others are found only sporadically. The present investigation highlights the failure of regular C&D and a need for research on improved agents that efficiently detach the biofilm matrix.

Financial distress determinants among SMEs: empirical evidence from Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically investigate determinants of financial distress among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the global financial crisis and post-crisis periods.Design/methodology/approachSeveral statistical methods, including multiple binary logistic regression, were used to analyse a longitudinal cross-sectional panel data set of 3,865 Swedish SMEs operating in five industries over the 2008–2015 period.FindingsThe results suggest that financial distress is influenced by macroeconomic conditions (i.e. the global financial crisis) and, in particular, by various firm-specific characteristics (i.e. performance, financial leverage and financial distress in previous year). However, firm size and industry affiliation have no significant relationship with financial distress.Research limitationsDue to data availability, this study is limited to a sample of Swedish SMEs in five industries covering eight years. Further research could examine the generalizability of these findings by investigating other firms operating in other industries and other countries.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine determinants of financial distress among SMEs operating in Sweden using data from a large-scale longitudinal cross-sectional database.

The dialectics of authoring expansive learning: tracing the long tail of a Change Laboratory

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Sannino ◽  
Yrjö Engeström ◽  
Johanna Lahikainen
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Transformation ◽  
Dialectical Tensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organization Model ◽  
Expansive Learning ◽  
Conceptual Argument ◽  
University Library ◽  
Dialectical Process ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

Purpose The paper aims to examine organizational authoring understood as a longitudinal, material and dialectical process of transformation efforts. The following questions are asked: To which extent can a Change Laboratory intervention help practitioners author their own learning? Are the authored outcomes of a Change Laboratory intervention futile if a workplace subsequently undergoes large-scale organizational transformations? Does the expansive learning authored in a Change Laboratory intervention survive large-scale organizational transformations, and if so, why does it survive and how? Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual argument based on cultural–historical activity theory. The conceptual argument is grounded in the examination of a case of eight years of change efforts in a university library, including a Change Laboratory (CL) intervention. Follow-up interview data are used to discuss and illuminate our argument in relation to the three research questions. Findings The idea of knotworking constructed in the CL process became a “germ cell” that generates novel solutions in the library activity. A large-scale transformation from the local organization model developed in the CL process to the organization model of the entire university library was not experienced as a loss. The dialectical tension between the local and global models became a source of movement driven by the emerging expansive object. Practitioners are modeling their own collective future competences, expanding them both in socio-spatial scope and interactive depth. Originality/value The article offers an expanded view of authorship, calling attention to material changes and practical change actions. The dialectical tensions identified serve as heuristic guidelines for future studies and interventions.

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