Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in Different Ready to Eat Foods from Large Retailers and Canteens over a 2-Year Period in Northern Italy

This study aims to give an overview of the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in 9727 samples (2996 for L. monocytogenes and 6731 for Salmonella spp.) from different categories of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, collected over 2 years from 28 large retailers and 148 canteens in the regions of northern Italy. The RTE samples were classified into two groups according to the preparation methods: (i) multi-ingredient preparations consisting of fully cooked food ready for immediate consumption, or with minimal further handling before consumption (Group A), and (ii) multi-ingredient preparations consisting of cooked and uncooked food, or preparations consisting of only raw ingredients (Group B). L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were investigated in both of these categories. The overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. was 0.13% and 0.07%, respectively. More specifically, L. monocytogenes was found in 0.04% of 2442 analysed RTE food samples belonging to group A and in 0.54% of 554 samples belonging to group B. Furthermore, 0.03% of 5367 RTE food samples from group A and 0.21% of 1364 samples from group B tested positive for Salmonella spp. In conclusion, the results obtained in this study can provide a significant contribution to L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. risk analysis in RTE foods.

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria recovered from retail ground meat products in the US include a Raoultella ornithinolytica co-harboring blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-5

Retail beef and pork, including processed products, can serve as vehicles for the zoonotic foodborne transmission of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. However, processed and seasoned products like sausages, are not often included in research and surveillance programs. The objective of this study was to investigate retail ground beef and pork, including processed products, for the presence of common foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. We purchased 763 packages of fresh and fully cooked retail meat products during 29 visits to 17 grocery stores representing seven major grocery chains located in west and central Ohio. Each package of meat was evaluated for contamination with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Salmonella spp., Enterobacteriaceae expressing extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance, and carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO). Only 3 of the 144 (2.1%) packages of fully cooked meat products contained any of these organisms, 1 with an extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL) Enterobacteriaceae and 2 with CPO. Among the 619 fresh meat products, we found that 85 (13.7%) packages were contaminated with MRSA, 19 (3.1%) with Salmonella, 136 (22.0%) with Enterobacteriaceae expressing an AmpC (blaCMY) resistance genotype, 25 (4.0%) with Enterobacteriaceae expressing an ESBL (blaCTX-M) resistance genotype, and 31 (5.0%) with CPO, primarily environmental organisms expressing intrinsic carbapenem resistance. However, one CPO, a Raoultella ornithinolytica, isolated from pork sausage co-harbored both blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-5 on IncN and IncX3 plasmids, respectively. Our findings suggest that fresh retail meat, including processed products can be important vehicles for the transmission of foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria, including those with epidemic carbapenemase-producing genotypes.

Quantitative Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis risk assessment from consumption of hard-boiled eggs, half-boiled eggs and raw eggs among Malaysians

High occurrences of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis outbreak from table eggs have been reported worldwide over the past two decades. Consumptions of hard-boiled and half-boiled eggs are popular among Malaysians. However, there is a lack of study in the risk assessment of salmonellosis associated with different egg consumption patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine the survival rate of S. enterica ser. Enteritidis in different methods for cooking eggs (hard-boiled, half-boiled and a minimally cooked egg with hot cocoa drink) using the simulation model of consumers eating habits and the risk associated with different egg consumptions patterns. In this study, S. enterica ser. Enteritidis was not detected in the hard-boiled egg samples. However, the survival rate of S. enterica ser. Enteritidis in both the half-boiled and the raw egg samples were 3.15 log CFU/mL and 7.01 log CFU/mL, respectively. The Monte Carlo Simulation applying quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA) was carried out using 10,000 iterations to access the risk of acquiring salmonellosis by consuming eggs cooked under different heat treatments. The total dosage of S. enterica ser. Enteritidis ingested per serving meal in the hard-boiled, half-boiled and minimally cooked eggs were 0.00 CFU/g, 7.526×104 CFU/ mL and 5.433×108 CFU/mL, respectively. The consumptions of half-boiled and minimally cooked eggs were above infectious dosage level (102 to 104 CFU/mL). The annual risk for the three feature of methods were 0.00, 1.00 and 1.00, respectively. In this study, it was indicated that there was a high probability of acquiring salmonellosis through the consumption of half-boiled and minimally cooked eggs. Thus, the fully cooked eggs should be taken instead of the undercooked eggs to avoid consuming S. enterica ser. Enteritidis.

Effect of citrus fiber addition on quality attributes of fully-cooked deli-style turkey breast

The effects of citrus fiber on the color,texture, lipid oxidation, and sensory characteristics of fully-cookeddeli-style turkey breast during storage (3˚C) were studied. Four treatmentswere evaluated: control (CON), 0.25% citrus fiber (0.25CF), 0.50 % citrus fiber(0.50CF) and 0.105% sodium tripolyphosphate (PHO). The study was independentlyreplicated three times. Proximate analysis and pH were measured once, and color(Hunter L, a, b), lipid oxidation (TBARS), texture (TPA hardness, resilience, cohesiveness,springiness and chewiness) and sensory parameters (turkey aroma, texture, moistness,turkey flavor, off-flavor and color) were measured at regular intervalsthroughout an 84-d storage period. Aside from TPA resiliency and sensorymoistness lower in PHO, all experimental treatments resulted in product with equivalentquality attributes to the control. At the levels tested in this specific application(high moisture, low fat), the citrus fiber evaluated did not affect theproduct’s quality attributes in a measurable way.

Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel Microwave-Assisted Induction Heating (MAIH) System on White Shrimp Cooking

The microwave-assisted induction heating (MAIH) system provides comprehensive heating by combining microwave heating (with 1300 W of power and 2450 MHz of frequency) in the top part and induction heating (with 1800 W of power) in the bottom part. In this study, fresh white shrimps were placed in a sealed crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (CPET) container and heated in the MAIH system at two temperatures (130 and 90 °C) from 60 to 120 s. Afterwards, the shrimp samples were rapidly cooled, and the changes in the shrimp quality, including the appearance, cook loss, aerobic plate count (APC), color values, and texture, during the heating process were analyzed. The results demonstrate that longer heating times decrease the APC levels, but increase the cook loss, color values (lightness, redness, and whiteness), and texture (hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness) of the white shrimp samples. In particular, the white shrimp is fully cooked and gains a completely red appearance, along with no APC detected after heating in the MAIH system at 130 °C for at least 80 s or at 90 °C for at least 100 s. In summary, to achieve a good appearance, no APC detected, and low cook loss, the following heating conditions are recommended for cooking white shrimp in the MAIH system: heating at 130 °C for 80 s or at 90 °C for 100 s. This novel MAIH technology allows food to be heated and sterilized after being packed, thereby eliminating the post-pollution issue. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the use of MAIH in the application of food processing.

Fruit and Vegetable Peels: Utilization of High Value Horticultural Waste in Novel Industrial Applications

Fruits and vegetables are the highly used food products amongst the horticultural crops. These items are consumed uncooked, nominally cooked or fully cooked, according to their nature and cooking process. With the change in diet habits and rising population, the production, as well as the processing of horticultural crops, has exponentially improved to meet its increasing demand. A large amount of peel waste is generated from fruit and vegetable-based industries and household kitchen and has led to a big nutritional and economic loss and environmental problems. Processing of fruits and vegetables alone generates a significant waste, which amounts to 25–30% of the total product. Most common wastes include pomace, peels, rind and seeds, which are highly rich in valuable bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, enzymes, polyphenols, oils, vitamins and many other compounds. These bioactive compounds show their application in various industries such as food to develop edible films, food industries for probiotics and other industries for valuable products. The utilization of these low-cost waste horticultural wastes for producing the value-added product is a novel step in its sustainable utilization. The present review intends to summarize the different types of waste originating from fruits as well as vegetables peels and highlight their potential in developing edible films, probiotics, nanoparticles, carbon dots, microbial media, biochar and biosorbents.

Mango peel ingredient as salt and phosphate replacement in chicken breast marinade

Whole mango peel powder and fibre extracted from mango peel were investigated as potential ingredients to replace salt and phosphate in chicken marinade. Whole mango peel powder possessed higher water absorption capacity than mango peel fibre, 4.57% and 1.47%, respectively (P < 0.05). Similar oil absorption capacity was observed in both mango peel ingredients (P > 0.05). Purified pectin and sorbitol syrup were also used to compare the water holding capacity in marinated chicken breasts. Mango peel ingredients exhibited less cooking loss than pectin and sorbitol syrup, however, higher cooking loss than sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and NaCl (P > 0.05). Marinating with mango peel ingredients significantly increased a* value of chicken breasts after cooking, while L* and b* values were similar in marinating with NaCl (P > 0.05). Hardness of frozen fully cooked chicken breast was measured after thawing. The lowest shear force of 7.13 N was observed in chicken breasts marinated with mango peel fibre (P < 0.05), while the hardness of chicken breasts marinated with whole mango peel powder was not significant different from STPP and NaCl treatments. Results from this study revealed a potential approach of utilizing fruit waste as an ingredient to substitute phosphate and salt in chicken marinade.

Label perception of frozen ready-to-eat products and frozen not-ready-to-eat product

Background: Frozen meals are popularized in recent years due to their ease of preparation. This convenience factor greatly benefits busy workers who simply lack the time to cook a full meal. However, the risk of misidentifying these frozen products as cooked when they are in fact, raw, can lead to devastating consequences. This is important especially when the products are improperly prepared and undercooked. Some significant examples in recent years includes the Salmonella cases associated with frozen raw breaded chicken. These cases are partly due to the inadequate cooking of the product, as a result of misidentifying them as cooked even though they are raw. The purpose of this project is to determine how well the public can determine if a frozen product is cooked or raw based on the front side of the packaging, which is the first visuals that will be presented to the consumers in store. Methods: An electronic survey was conducted for Canadian residents to determine whether they can accurately interpret if a product is cooked or raw based on the front packaging. The survey also determines if the respondent’s age, gender, average number of supermarket visits in a week, and level of education will affect the accuracy of their interpretations. The survey was created and hosted online with SurveyMonkey, and distributed out in Reddit. The results are analyzed using the statistical software, NCSS 12. Results: Chi-square tests indicated no significant difference between the demographics groups and the accuracy of the label interpretations by the respondents. Five different products; chicken pot pie, fish fillets, breaded chicken wings, poutine bites, and tourtiere pie, were chosen for identification, each with their own label statements, respectively; “cook thoroughly”, “uncooked”, “fully cooked”, “heat thoroughly” and one with no label statement. The fish fillets, poutine bites and the tourtiere pie had the most varied answers from the respondents. The poutine bites and tourtiere pie had the majority of the respondents selecting the wrong answer or being unsure. The fish fillets had the majority choosing the correct answer, but given the simplicity of the label “uncooked”, it was surprising that only 45% of the respondents chose “require additional cooking”. Additionally, a few of the open ended comments from respondents indicate some desire for labels clarity in regards to fonts and color on the packaging, as well as having clear, standardized statements that clearly identifies the products as cooked or raw. However, there are some comments that indicate the current labels are adequate, and some comments mentioning about labelling on the back of the box. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it would appear that the demographic groups selected have no effect on the accuracy of label identifications of frozen products. The study also indicates that there is preference from the public to favours clear and straightforward labelling statements. The study identifies potential problems with some ambiguity in the label statements (or lack of label statements), and some potential issues with the noticeability of the statements to the consumers.