Susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes strains to disinfectants and chlorinated alkaline cleaners at cold temperatures

Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), suspension and biofilm tests were used in evaluating the disinfecting efficacy of eight commercially available disinfectants and four chlorinated alkaline cleaners against 10 strains of Listeria monocytogenes at refrigerated temperatures. The adaptive response and cross-adaptation of L. monocytogenes to the disinfectants and chlorinated alkaline cleaners were investigated. The bactericidal components in the agents used were chlorine, quaternary ammonium compound (QAC), peracetic acid, ethanol and isopropanol. With some exceptions the disinfectants were efficient against the L. monocytogenes strains. One alkaline hypochlorite containing disinfectant was not efficient in the suspension and MIC tests at the lowest concentration recommended by the manufacturer. The chlorinated alkaline cleaners were effective against L. monocytogenes. A QAC-based disinfectant was found to be the least-effective agent on both glass bead-blasted polyethylene and stainless-steel surfaces. Adaptive and cross-adaptive responses of L. monocytogenes strains were observed towards the QAC-based agent, but over 2-fold increases to other agents were not observed. These results suggest that the adaptive responses of L. monocytogenes to disinfectants or chlorinated alkaline cleaners are of a minor concern.     

The hygienic working practices of maintenance personnel and equipment hygiene in the Finnish food industry

The hygienic working practices of the maintenance personnel as well as the hygiene of the equipment in the food industry were investigated with questionnaires and microbial surveys. The protective clothing, washing of hands and tools as well as avoiding foreign bodies left on the production lines should be targeted when the hygienic working practices are developed for maintenance personnel. Based on the questionnaire to food processors, packaging machines, conveyers, dispensers, slicing and cooling machines were considered the most problematic pieces of equipment hygienically mainly because of poor hygienic design. In order to improve food safety, both the training of maintenance personnel in food hygiene and equipment design should be more emphasised.     

Modelling aquatic exposure and effects of insecticides--application to south-eastern Australia

Agricultural pesticides are widely used and can affect freshwater organisms. We applied a spatially explicit exposure model, validated for central Europe, to estimate exposure to insecticides through runoff for streams in south-eastern Australia. The model allows the identification of streams potentially affected by insecticide runoff located in 10 × 10 km grid cells. The computation of runoff relies on key environmental factors such as land use, soil texture, slope and precipitation. Additionally, the model predicted the ecological effect of insecticides on the macroinvertebrate community. We predicted insecticide surface runoff that results in a moderate to poor ecological quality for streams in half of the grid cells containing agricultural land. These results are in good accordance with the results obtained by estimating pesticide stress with a biotic index (SPEAR_pesticides) based on macroinvertebrate monitoring data. We conclude that the exposure and effect model can act as an effective and cost-saving tool to identify high risk areas of insecticide exposure and to support stream management.     

Modelling transfer of Listeria monocytogenes during slicing of 'gravad' salmon

Transfer of a rifampicin-resistant mutant of Listeria monocytogenes from an inoculated slicing blade to slices of 'gravad' salmon (Salmo salar), and from inoculated salmon fillet to the slicing machine and subsequently to slices of uninoculated fillet was studied. The effect of slicing temperature (0 degrees C, 10 degrees C and room temperature), inoculum level (approx. 3, 5 and 8 log CFU/blade), and attachment time of inoculum to blade (10 min and 2.5 h) were investigated and predictive models of the transfer were produced. In the tests of transfer from inoculated blade (5.9-9.0 log CFU/blade) initially 2.5-5.3 log CFU/g was present on the slices, slowly decreasing to an overall average decrease of 1.6+/-0.2 log CFU/g during slicing of 39 slices; the lowest reduction being 1.3 log CFU/g at 0 degrees C. In tests of transfer from contaminated salmon (7.6+/-0.1 log CFU/fillet) to uninoculated blade and further to uninoculated salmon, the reduction in number of L. monocytogenes in slices was 1.5 log CFU/g during slicing of 39 slices. For example 5.3+/-0.3 log CFU/g was transferred to second slice when the inoculum level was 8.4+/-0.4 log CFU/blade, but clearly (p<0.05) lower total number of L. monocytogenes were transferred to slices when the inoculum level was lower, the temperature was colder or the attachment time was longer. There was a progressive exponential reduction in the quantity of L. monocytogenes transferred and, based on statistical parameters, an exponential model (y=ae((-x/b))) fit the data from different test conditions and was suitable for predicting an expected number of L. monocytogenes on the salmon slices. Based on the predicted values, the logarithmic reduction in number of L. monocytogenes in slices was highest at room temperature with an inoculum level of 8.4+/-0.4 log CFU/blade (attachment time 10 min); the other test conditions differed significantly from this (p<0.05). Despite statistically significant differences, in all test conditions the number of bacteria were predicted to reduce quite rapidly (i.e. after slicing of the fourth fillet) to <1 log CFU/g, though this prediction was an extrapolation after 39 slices. The predictive models described herein can assist salmon processors and regulatory agencies in assessing cross-contamination from contaminated slicing machines to product and in designing risk management strategies.     

Effect of high-pressure processing on volatile composition and odour of cherry tomato purée

The impact of high-pressure processing on the odour of cherry tomato purée was evaluated by sensory evaluation and SPME–GC/MS analysis. Two temperatures (20 and 60 °C) and two pressures (atmospheric and 800 MPa) were used in processing. Higher pressure at ambient temperature decreased the levels of certain volatile aldehydes, ketones and alcohols present in tomato, whereas, the levels of hexanal, heptanal and octanal increased. The higher temperature combined with either ambient or high-pressure, decreased the levels of many volatile compounds and caused a reduction in the intensity of fresh tomato odour. Processing at 800 MPa and 60 °C resulted in a marked increase in the intensity of cooked tomato and tea-like odour. On the basis of sensory assessment and volatile analysis, high pressure treatment at 800 MPa does not seem to be suitable for preserving fresh tomato odour.     

Extrusion processing of green biocomposites: Compounding,fibrillation efficiency,and fiber dispersion

The efficiency of twin‐screw extrusion process to fibrillate cellulose fibers into micro/nanosize in the same step as the compounding of green bionanocomposites of thermoplastic starch (TPS) with 10 wt % fibers was examined. The effect of the processing setup on micro/nanofibrillation and fiber dispersion/distribution in starch was studied using two types of cellulose fibers: bleached wood fibers and TEMPO‐oxidized cellulose fibers. A composite with cellulose nanofibers was prepared to examine the nanofiber distribution and dispersion in the starch and to compare the properties with the composites containing cellulose fibers. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV/Vis spectroscopy showed that fibers were not nanofibrillated in the extrusion, but good dispersion and distribution of fibers in the starch matrix was obtained. The addition of cellulose fibers enhanced the mechanical properties of the TPS. Moisture uptake study revealed that the material containing TEMPO‐oxidized fibers had higher moisture absorption than the other composites. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39981.     

Screening for biohydrogen production by cyanobacteria isolated from the Baltic Sea and Finnish lakes

Cyanobacteria are the only bacteria capable of performing oxygenic photosynthesis in which they harness solar energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in carbohydrates. Under specific conditions, cyanobacteria can use solar energy to produce also molecular hydrogen.     

Use of results of microbiological analyses for risk-based control of Listeria monocytogenes in marinated broiler legs

Microbial risk assessment provides a means of estimating consumer risks associated with food products. The methods can also be applied at the plant level. In this study results of microbiological analyses were used to develop a robust single plant level risk assessment. Furthermore, the prevalence and numbers of Listeria monocytogenes in marinated broiler legs in Finland were estimated. These estimates were based on information on the prevalence, numbers and genotypes of L. monocytogenes in 186 marinated broiler legs from 41 retail stores. The products were from three main Finnish producers, which produce 90% of all marinated broiler legs sold in Finland. The prevalence and numbers of L. monocytogenes were estimated by Monte Carlo simulation using WinBUGS, but the model is applicable to any software featuring standard probability distributions. The estimated mean annual number of L. monocytogenes-positive broiler legs sold in Finland was 7.2x10(6) with a 95% credible interval (CI) 6.7x10(6)-7.7x10(6). That would be 34%+/-1% of the marinated broiler legs sold in Finland. The mean number of L. monocytogenes in marinated broiler legs estimated at the sell-by-date was 2 CFU/g, with a 95% CI of 0-14 CFU/g. Producer-specific L. monocytogenes strains were recovered from the products throughout the year, which emphasizes the importance of characterizing the isolates and identifying strains that may cause problems as part of risk assessment studies. As the levels of L. monocytogenes were low, the risk of acquiring listeriosis from these products proved to be insignificant. Consequently there was no need for a thorough national level risk assessment. However, an approach using worst-case and average point estimates was applied to produce an example of single producer level risk assessment based on limited data. This assessment also indicated that the risk from these products was low. The risk-based approach presented in this work can provide estimation of public health risk on which control measures at the plant level can be based.