scholarly journals A Review: Gaseous Interventions for Listeria monocytogenes Control in Fresh Apple Cold Storage

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiewen Guan ◽  
Alison Lacombe ◽  
Bhargavi Rane ◽  
Juming Tang ◽  
Shyam Sablani ◽  
...  

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) causes an estimated 1600 foodborne illnesses and 260 deaths annually in the U.S. These outbreaks are a major concern for the apple industry since fresh produce cannot be treated with thermal technologies for pathogen control before human consumption. Recent caramel apple outbreaks indicate that the current non-thermal sanitizing protocol may not be sufficient for pathogen decontamination. Federal regulations provide guidance to apple processors on sanitizer residue limits, organic production, and good manufacturing practices (GMPs). However, optimal methods to control L. monocytogenes on fresh apples still need to be determined. This review discusses L. monocytogenes outbreaks associated with caramel apples and the pathogen’s persistence in the environment. In addition, this review identifies and analyzes possible sources of contaminant for apples during cold storage and packing. Gaseous interventions are evaluated for their feasibility for L. monocytogenes decontamination on apples. For example, apple cold storage, which requires waterless interventions, may benefit from gaseous antimicrobials like chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and ozone (O3). In order to reduce the contamination risk during cold storage, significant research is still needed to develop effective methods to reduce microbial loads on fresh apples. This requires commercial-scale validation of gaseous interventions and intervention integration to the current existing apple cold storage. Additionally, the impact of the interventions on final apple quality should be taken into consideration. Therefore, this review intends to provide the apple industry suggestions to minimize the contamination risk of L. monocytogenes during cold storage and hence prevent outbreaks and reduce economic losses.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
E. V. DMITRIEVA ◽  

The article considers topical issues of economic support for the development of the regional security system of the population against various risks. The dependence of the impact of the scale of crisis situations on economic activities in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which become a serious barrier to the sustainable development of the regions of the country, was investigated. The increasing importance of risks of economic losses from accidents and disasters at potentially dangerous facilities as a result of the complex influence of natural, manmade and fire factors has been established. An analysis was carried out and proposals were developed to implement the key tasks of the state in the field of ensuring the protection of the population and territories of the country from disasters in order to ensure the stability of the economy. The organizational structure, division of tasks and functions between officials, crisis management structures and responding units were analyzed, taking into account the reduction in current financial costs. On the basis of a study of the peculiarities of the regions of the country, recommendations were formed to fulfill the necessary tasks by the anti-crisis management bodies in the field of reducing economic damage on the basis of preventing crisis situations and ensuring fire safety. It is proposed to organize the practical application of a complex automated security system based on modern developments with the application of improving the qualities and efficiency of anti-crisis management processes in order to increase economic efficiency. Initial data were formed to reduce potential threats of a natural, man-made, fire and other nature in the regions using financial and economic mechanisms. It is proposed to implement a set of priority measures to further improve and increase the potential of economic support for the anti-crisis management system. The materials of the article can be used in planning the main directions of the development of the regional population security system and the implementation of socio-economic development programs.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 531b-531
Author(s):  
J. Nienhuis

REDCAHOR is the Spanish acronym for “Central American Vegetable Network.” Vegetables have traditionally been an important source of nutrients and vitamins in the diet in Central America. Vegetable production in this region is now changing as local consumers are demanding increased diversity and quality and international markets are expanding with “non-traditional” vegetable exports. The present restraints to expanded research and production of vegetables in the region include i) need for cultivars with increased insect and disease resistance, ii) poor and excessive use of pesticides, and iii) inadequate postharvest technology. In addition, there are few vegetable researchers in the region and response to their activities have not been coordinated. The goal of REDCAHOR is to develop a regional network of national institutions that can prioritize agendas and cooperate to maximize the impact of available resources. Establishment of a system of regional trials and cooperative regional programs in integrated pest management and plant breeding are currently under development. A series of regional workshops are planned, including integrated pest management, maintenance and use of genetic resources, organic production, and greenhouse production. In addition, REDCAHOR, in collaboration with the Escuela Agricola Panamerica in Honduras, will offer regional short-course training in vegetable breeding and genetics as well as vegetable production and management, including integrated pest management.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 3746
Author(s):  
Magdalena Polak-Śliwińska ◽  
Małgorzata Tańska

The benefits of natural honeybee products (e.g., honey, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, beevenom and pollen) to the immune system are remarkable, and many of them are involved in the induction of antibody production, maturation of immune cells and stimulation of the immune system. The type of plants in the geographical area, climatic conditions and production method have a significantly influence on the nutritional quality of honey. However, this variability can influence consumer liking by the sensory attributes of the product. The aim of this work was to compare the most popular honeys from Poland in terms of nutritional value, organoleptic properties and antioxidant activity. In the study, five varieties of honey (honeydew, forest, buckwheat, linden and dandelion) from conventional and organic production methods were tested. The nutritional characteristics of honey samples included acidity, content of water, sugars, vitamin C, HMF and phenolics (total and flavonoids), while honey color, taste, aroma and consistency were investigated in the organoleptic characteristics. The antioxidant activity was determined in water- and ethanol-soluble honey extracts using DPPH and ORAC tests. The results showed that organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of popular Polish honeys differ significantly in relation to plant source and production method. The significant effect of honey variety on the content of HMF, saccharose and phenolics, as well as acidity and antioxidant capacity were noted. The impact of variety and variety × production method interaction was significant in the case of the content of vitamin C, glucose and fructose. A visible difference of buckwheat and forest honeys from other samples was observed. The highest content of total phenolics with antioxidant activity based on the SET mechanism was found in buckwheat honeys, while forest honeys were richer in flavonoids.


Author(s):  
Sheree A Pagsuyoin ◽  
Joost R Santos

Water is a critical natural resource that sustains the productivity of many economic sectors, whether directly or indirectly. Climate change alongside rapid growth and development are a threat to water sustainability and regional productivity. In this paper, we develop an extension to the economic input-output model to assess the impact of water supply disruptions to regional economies. The model utilizes the inoperability variable, which measures the extent to which an infrastructure system or economic sector is unable to deliver its intended output. While the inoperability concept has been utilized in previous applications, this paper offers extensions that capture the time-varying nature of inoperability as the sectors recover from a disruptive event, such as drought. The model extension is capable of inserting inoperability adjustments within the drought timeline to capture time-varying likelihoods and severities, as well as the dependencies of various economic sectors on water. The model was applied to case studies of severe drought in two regions: (1) the state of Massachusetts (MA) and (2) the US National Capital Region (NCR). These regions were selected to contrast drought resilience between a mixed urban–rural region (MA) and a highly urban region (NCR). These regions also have comparable overall gross domestic products despite significant differences in the distribution and share of the economic sectors comprising each region. The results of the case studies indicate that in both regions, the utility and real estate sectors suffer the largest economic loss; nonetheless, results also identify region-specific sectors that incur significant losses. For the NCR, three sectors in the top 10 ranking of highest economic losses are government-related, whereas in the MA, four sectors in the top 10 are manufacturing sectors. Furthermore, the accommodation sector has also been included in the NCR case intuitively because of the high concentration of museums and famous landmarks. In contrast, the Wholesale Trade sector was among the sectors with the highest economic losses in the MA case study because of its large geographic size conducive for warehouses used as nodes for large-scale supply chain networks. Future modeling extensions could potentially include analysis of water demand and supply management strategies that can enhance regional resilience against droughts. Other regional case studies can also be pursued in future efforts to analyze various categories of drought severity beyond the case studies featured in this paper.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Hussaini Ojagefu Adamu ◽  
Rahimat Oshuwa Hussaini ◽  
Cedric Obasuyi ◽  
Linus Irefo Anagha ◽  
Gabriel Oscy Okoduwa

AbstractMastitis is a disease of livestock that directly impede livestock production and thus hindering the socio-ecological development of sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have estimated the prevalence of this disease in 30% of Africa countries, with Ethiopia having the highest prevalence. The coverage is low, despite the wide livestock and dairy farms distribution in Africa. Furthermore, estimated economic losses due to the impact of mastitis are lacking in Nigeria. The disease is endemic in Nigeria as indicated by the available data and there are no proposed management plans or control strategies. This review is thus presented to serve as a wakeup call to all parties involved to intensify efforts towards the diagnosis, control, and management of the disease in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107554702098137
Author(s):  
Leticia Bode ◽  
Emily K. Vraga ◽  
Melissa Tully

We experimentally test whether expert organizations on social media can correct misperceptions of the scientific consensus on the safety of genetically modified (GM) food for human consumption, as well as what role social media cues, in the form of “likes,” play in that process. We find expert organizations highlighting scientific consensus on GM food safety reduces consensus misperceptions among the public, leading to lower GM misperceptions and boosting related consumption behaviors in line with the gateway belief model. Expert organizations’ credibility may increase as a result of correction, but popularity cues do not seem to affect misperceptions or credibility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Wideman ◽  
James D. Oliver ◽  
Philip Glen Crandall ◽  
Nathan A. Jarvis

The detection, enumeration, and virulence potential of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) pathogens continues to be a topic of discussion. While there is a lack of definitive evidence that VBNC Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) pose a public health risk, recent studies suggest that Lm in its VBNC state remains virulent. VBNC bacteria cannot be enumerated by traditional plating methods, so the results from routine Lm testing may not demonstrate a sample’s true hazard to public health. We suggest that supplementing routine Lm testing methods with methods designed to enumerate VBNC cells may more accurately represent the true level of risk. This review summarizes five methods for enumerating VNBC Lm: Live/Dead BacLightTM staining, ethidium monoazide and propidium monoazide-stained real-time polymerase chain reaction (EMA- and PMA-PCR), direct viable count (DVC), 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride-4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (CTC-DAPI) double staining, and carboxy-fluorescein diacetate (CDFA) staining. Of these five supplementary methods, the Live/Dead BacLightTM staining and CFDA-DVC staining currently appear to be the most accurate for VBNC Lm enumeration. In addition, the impact of the VBNC state on the virulence of Lm is reviewed. Widespread use of these supplemental methods would provide supporting data to identify the conditions under which Lm can revert from its VBNC state into an actively multiplying state and help identify the environmental triggers that can cause Lm to become virulent. Highlights: Rationale for testing for all viable Listeria (Lm) is presented. Routine environmental sampling and plating methods may miss viable Lm cells. An overview and comparison of available VBNC testing methods is given. There is a need for resuscitation techniques to recover Lm from VBNC. A review of testing results for post VBNC virulence is compared


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 139-140
Author(s):  
Frédéric A Vangroenweghe

Abstract Post-weaning Escherichia coli diarrhea (PWD) remains a major cause of economic losses for the pig industry. PWD, caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), typically provokes mild to severe watery diarrhea between 5–10 days after weaning. Recently, an oral live bivalent E. coli F4/F18 vaccine (Coliprotec® F4/F18; Elanco) was approved on the European market, which reduces the impact of PWD provoked by F4-ETEC and F18-ETEC. The objective was to compare technical results and antibiotic use following E. coli F4/F18 vaccination with previous standard therapeutic approach under field conditions. A 1600-sow farm (weaning at 26 days) with diagnosed problems of PWD due to F18-ETEC was selected. Piglets were vaccinated at 21 days with the oral live bivalent E. coli F4/F18 vaccine. At weaning, no standard group medication (ZnO and antibiotics) was applied for prevention of PWD. Several performance parameters were collected: treatment incidence (TI100), mortality and days in nursery. Statistical analysis was performed using JMP 14.0 – comparison of means. Oral E. coli F4/F18 vaccination significantly reduced TI100 (7 ± 2 days to 0 ± 1 days; P < 0.05). Mortality rate remained stable (2.05% in Control to 1.96% in Vaccinated group; P < 0.05). Days in nursery (40 ± 3 days) remained at the same level compared to pre-vaccination. The results show that live E. coli F4/F18 vaccination against PWD has led to similar technical performance parameters and mortality, in combination with a significant reduction in medication use. In conclusion, control of PWD through oral vaccination is a successful option in order to prevent piglets from the negative clinical outcomes of F18-ETEC infection during the post-weaning period.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Li ◽  
Amin Ghadami ◽  
John M. Drake ◽  
Pejman Rohani ◽  
Bogdan I. Epureanu

AbstractThe pandemic of COVID-19 has become one of the greatest threats to human health, causing severe disruptions in the global supply chain, and compromising health care delivery worldwide. Although government authorities sought to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, by restricting travel and in-person activities, failure to deploy time-sensitive strategies in ramping-up of critical resource production exacerbated the outbreak. Here, we developed a mathematical model to analyze the effects of the interaction between supply chain disruption and infectious disease dynamics using coupled production and disease networks built on global data. Analysis of the supply chain model suggests that time-sensitive containment strategies could be created to balance objectives in pandemic control and economic losses, leading to a spatiotemporal separation of infection peaks that alleviates the societal impact of the disease. A lean resource allocation strategy can reduce the impact of supply chain shortages from 11.91 to 1.11% in North America. Our model highlights the importance of cross-sectoral coordination and region-wise collaboration to optimally contain a pandemic and provides a framework that could advance the containment and model-based decision making for future pandemics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 53.2-54
Author(s):  
M. Lisbona Muñoz ◽  
P. León ◽  
G. Lopez Antequera ◽  
E. Rubio-Romero

Background:Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacteria that cause the invasive disease listeriosis. Human clinical syndromes are infrequent, mostly appearing in immunosuppressed individuals, newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, and occasionally healthy patients.Objectives:We describe and analyze Listeria-related demographics and clinical features to determine the predisposing conditions for severe infections in an immunodepressed population by rheumatic diseases.Methods:Descriptive Observational Study. A retrospective analysis of 143 patients were performed affected by listeriosis, with positive isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from blood, treated in the H.U. Virgen del Rocío (Seville- Spain) between 2003-2019. Of them 9 were rheumatic patients. The type of clinical manifestation was analyzed, paying special attention to the characteristics associated with patients with neurological complications or unfavorable outcome (death and / or abortion in pregnant women), immunosuppression (associated with cancer or rheumatic disease) was assessed as independent variables, chronic diseases (Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, dyslipidemia, COPD, Renal Insufficiency and Ischemic Heart Disease) as well as other baseline characteristics of the patient. (age, sex, pregnancy) and their toxic habits (tobacco and alcohol).Results:The sample includes a similar proportion of men (70 cases) and women (73 cases), of all ages. Of the total patients, most (85%) required hospital admission, with a duration median (non-parametric data) of 11 days. 78% of the cases admitted showed a favorable evolution. However, 15.4% resulted in death and 5.6% in abortion. This percentage of abortions represented 29% of the total pregnant women admitted Of all the patients admitted, a third (33%) were immunocompromised, including patiets with cancer (79%) and rheumatic diseases (21%). Include lupus (33%), RA (22%), APs (11%), polymyalgia rheumatica (11%), panuveitis (11%) and ANCA vasculitis MPO specificity (11%). All of them required admission although the majority showed a favorable evolution, except one of the patient. which resulted in death, in which case in addition to lupus he presented with prostate cancer. Regarding the baseline treatment of these patients, 7 underwent treatment with synthetic DMARDs and three with biological DMARDs (1 Adalimumab, 1 Infliximab and 1 Rituximab) As a result of the listeria infection, most of them had fever or digestive symptoms and two of they experienced neurological manifestations (meningoencephalitis) None of these last two (with lupus and RA) had biological DMARDs.Conclusion:Listeriosis is an uncommon but potentially serious infection usually in older people, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients. In our sample, 33% of the patients were immunocompromised. Of the 9 patients. affected by listeria with rheumatic disease we find a death for meningoencephalitis. Given the impact of this infection in immunosuppressed patients should pay attention in our patients with fever and neurological manifestations.Reference:[1]Eleftherios Mylonakis et al. A Case Series and Review of 222 Cases. Medicine 2002; 81: 260-269.[2]Alcoba Lez M et al.Meningitis por Listeria monocytogenes en el adulto en España. Presentación de 10 casos y revisión de la literatura. Rev Clin Esp 2002; 202 (12): 638-643.[3]Eleftherios Mylonakis et al. Central Nervous Sistem Infection with Listeria monocytogenes. 33 Years’ Experience at a General Hospital and Review of 776 Episodes from tha Literature. Medicine 1998; 77: 313-336.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


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