scholarly journals Significance of coagulase-positive staphylococci for microbiological food safety

2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 275-287
Author(s):  
Vera Katic

Staphylococcal foodborne intoxication, in which major symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea, occurs after ingestion of thermostable staphylococcal enterotoxins produced in food by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci. Staphylococcal enterotoxins are normally not or only slightly inactivated during food processing, storage, distribution or during the preparation of the food in the kitchen. Therefore, if enterotoxigenic staphylococci are able to grow in food to more then 105 - 106 cfu/g/ml before they are killed there is still a risk of intoxication with consumption. The legislation of the Republic of Serbia lays down criteria for coagulase- positive staphylococci in food. However, the number of coagulase-positive staphylococci may not always be a good indicator of the presence of staphylococal enterotoxins, and the number of cells may have already decreased although the product still contains enterotoxins. The microbiological criteria for coagulase-positive staphylococci and/or staphylococcal enterotoxins in food are essential and useful to protect public health.

2003 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. SZABO ◽  
L. SIMONS ◽  
M. J. COVENTRY ◽  
M. B. COLE

The important new concept of the food safety objective (FSO) offers a strategy to translate public health risk into a definable goal such as a specified maximum frequency or concentration of a hazardous agent in a food at the time of consumption that is deemed to provide an appropriate level of health protection. For the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, there is a proposed FSO of <100 CFU/g in ready-to-eat (RTE) products at the time of consumption. Fresh precut iceberg lettuce is one of these RTE products. In this study, we worked with a commercial manufacturer to evaluate the effectiveness of two antimicrobial washing agents (sodium hypochlorite and a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid) against L. monocytogenes under simulated fresh precut washing conditions and evaluated the growth potential of this pathogen on lettuce packaged in a gas-permeable film and stored at 4 or 8°C for 14 days. We used the results of this experiment to demonstrate how the commercial manufacturer could meet the FSO for L. monocytogenes in fresh precut lettuce through the application of performance, process, and microbiological criteria.


2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1449-1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesna Jankovic ◽  
Vesna Djordjevic ◽  
Brankica Lakicevic ◽  
Branka Borovic ◽  
B. Velebit ◽  
...  

Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most common foodborne diseases resulting from the ingestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) preformed in foods by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), mainly Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci in raw milk during the production process leads to the contamination of products and outbreaks of alimentary intoxication. The problem of Staphylococcus aureus in cheese remains significant on a global level. Domestic cheese contaminated with enterotoxigenic staphylococci can result in the formation of enterotoxin, which can produce foodborne illness when the product is ingested. Due to microbiological contamination, microbiological criteria are tools that can be used in assessing the safety and quality of foods. In order to avoid foodborne illness, the Serbian Regulation on General and Special Conditions for Food Hygiene (Official Gazette of RS, No. 72/10) provides microbiological criteria for staphylococcal enterotoxins in dairy products.


Author(s):  
Alejandro De Jesús Cortés Sánchez ◽  
Martha Lorena Guzmán Robles ◽  
Rodolfo Garza Torres ◽  
Luis Daniel Espinosa Chaurand ◽  
Mayra Diaz Ramirez

Listeria monocytogenes is a food pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a relevant disease in public health worldwide. The genus Listeria spp., corresponds to cosmopolitan bacteria and capable of surviving different adverse conditions, which increases the risk for the food to be contaminated at any stage of the food chain. Fish and fish products are foods of high production level and, due to their chemical or nutritional composition, are highly susceptible to deterioration and contamination by pathogens in their productive chain relating to cases of listeriosis. Derived from the incidence and human mortality due to causative agents of listeriosis, along with their resistance to antimicrobials, they have acquired a greater emphasis on human health, animal health and food industry, resulting in the implementation of safety systems such as good hygiene practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, analytical methods and microbiological criteria, as some of the actions to contribute to the food safety and public health protection. The purpose of this review document is to provide, in a general way, aspects involved in foodborne illnesses, specifically listeriosis and its association with fish as a transmitting food, considering the prevention and control measures of this disease through food. It also includes aspects related to antimicrobial resistance by bacterial isolates obtained from fish, their implications and health risks.


2009 ◽  
Vol 305 ◽  
pp. 1-4

In a nutshellNanoparticles used in agriculture, food processing and nutritional medicine have the potential to improve bioavailability of nutrients, food safety and, by allowing foods which preserve taste whilst having reduced fat, salt and sugar, public health.However, there is a dearth of data on the potential health risks of nanoparticles, which suggests that a good deal of caution is needed before this technology is further introduced.


Author(s):  
S. R. Warke ◽  
V. C. Ingle ◽  
N. V. Kurkure ◽  
P. A. Tembhurne ◽  
Minakshi Prasad ◽  
...  

Listeria monocytogenes, an opportunistic food borne pathogen can cause serious infections in immunocompromised individuals. L. monocytogenes is capable of producing biofilm on the surface of food processing lines and instruments.The biofilm transfers contamination to food products and impose risk to public health. In the present study biofilm producing ability of L. monocytogenes isolates were investigated phenotypically and genotypically by microtiter assay and multiplex PCR, respectively. Out of 38 L. monocytogenes isolates 14 were recovered from animal clinical cases, 12 bovine environment and 12 from milk samples. A total of 3 (21.42%) clinical, 2 (16.66%) environment and 3 (25%) milk samples respectively, revealed biofilm production in microtiter assay. Cumulative results showed that 23 (60.52%) out of 38 strains of L. monocytogenes were positive for luxS and flaA gene and 1 (2.63%) was positive only for the flaA gene.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
Federica Giacometti ◽  
Hesamaddin Shirzad-Aski ◽  
Susana Ferreira

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem and there has been growing concern associated with its widespread along the animal–human–environment interface. The farm-to-fork continuum was highlighted as a possible reservoir of AMR, and a hotspot for the emergence and spread of AMR. However, the extent of the role of non-antibiotic antimicrobials and other food-related stresses as selective factors is still in need of clarification. This review addresses the use of non-antibiotic stressors, such as antimicrobials, food-processing treatments, or even novel approaches to ensure food safety, as potential drivers for resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics. The co-selection and cross-adaptation events are covered, which may induce a decreased susceptibility of foodborne bacteria to antibiotics. Although the available studies address the complexity involved in these phenomena, further studies are needed to help better understand the real risk of using food-chain-related stressors, and possibly to allow the establishment of early warnings of potential resistance mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Tonkin ◽  
Trevor Webb ◽  
Julie Henderson ◽  
Paul R. Ward ◽  
John Coveney ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Consumer trust in food systems is essential for consumers, food industry, policy makers and regulators. Yet no comprehensive tool for measuring consumer trust in food systems exists. Similarly, the impact that trust in the food system has on health-related food behaviours is yet to be empirically examined. The aim of this research was to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure trust in the food system (the Dimensions of Trust in Food Systems Scale (DOTIFS scale) and use it to explore whether trust in the food system impacts consumers’ health-related behaviours. Methods The DOTIFS scale was developed using sociological theories of trust and pre-existing instruments measuring aspects of trust. It was pilot tested and content validity was assessed with 85 participants. A mixed-methods exploration of the health-related behaviours of 18 conveniently sampled Australian consumers with differing trust scores determined by the DOTIFS scale was then conducted. During March–July 2019 shopping- and home-observations were used to assess participants’ food safety practices and exposure to public health fortification programs, while the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score determined their adherence to national dietary guidelines. Results The DOTIFS scale was found to have high comprehension, ease of use and content validity. Statistical analysis showed scale scores significantly trended as predicted by participants’ stated level of trust. Differences were found in the way individuals with more or less trust in the food system comply with national dietary guidelines, are exposed to public health fortification programs, and adhere to recommended food safety practices. Conclusions The DOTIFS scale is a comprehensive, sociologically- and empirically- informed assessment of consumer trust in food systems that can be self-administered online to large populations and used to measure changes in consumer trust over time. The differences in health-related behaviours between individuals with varying levels of trust warrant further investigation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1585-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
D M W N Hitchens ◽  
J E Birnie ◽  
A McGowan ◽  
U Triebswetter ◽  
A Cottica

The authors use a method of matched-plant comparisons between food processing firms in Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland to investigate the relationship between environmental regulation and company competitiveness across the European Union. Comparative competitiveness was indicated by measures of value-added per employee, physical productivity, export share, and employment growth. The cost of water supply (public or well), effluent treatment (in-plant treatment and/or sewerage system), and disposal of sludge and packaging were also compared. Total environmental costs in Germany, Italy, and Ireland were small: usually less than 1% of turnover. Compared with the Irish firms, German companies had relatively high environmental costs as well as productivity levels. There was, however, a lack of a clear relationship between company competitiveness and the size of regulation costs: in Ireland and Italy environmental costs were similar but German firms had much higher productivity; compared with German counterparts, Italian firms had lower environmental costs but higher productivity.


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