Yearly Archives: 2015

Go to grocery, plenty of abuse: Pathogens on fresh-cut cantaloupe

Posted on by
2

Effective cold chain management is a critical component of food safety practice.

fresh-cut.cantaloupeIn this study, we examined the impact of commonly encountered temperature abuse scenarios on the proliferation of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe.

Inoculated fresh-cut cantaloupe cubes were subjected to various temperature abuse conditions, and the growth of S. enterica and L. monocytogenes was determined.

During 1 week of storage, Salmonella cell counts on fresh-cut cantaloupe increased by –0.26, 1.39, and 2.23 log units at 4°C (control), 8°C, and 12°C (chronic temperature abuse), respectively, whereas that of L. monocytogenes increased by 0.75, 2.86, and 4.17 log units. Under intermittent temperature abuse conditions, where storage temperature fluctuated twice daily to room temperature for 30 min, Salmonella cell count increased by 2.18 log units, whereas that of L. monocytogenes increased by 1.86 log units. In contrast, terminal acute temperature abuses for 2 to 4 h resulted in upwards to 0.6 log unit for Salmonella, whereas the effect on L. monocytogenes was less significant compared with L. monocytogenes on cut cantaloupe stored at 4°C. Significant deterioration of produce visual quality and tissue integrity, as reflected by electrolyte leakage, was also observed under various temperature abuse conditions.

 Growth of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe under different temperature abuse scenarios

Journal of Food Protection®, Number 6, June 2015, pp. 1064-1243, pp. 1125-1131(7), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-468

Huang, Jingwei; Luo, Yaguang; Nou, Xiangwu

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2015/00000078/00000006/art00009

Reducing E. coli in unpasteurized orange juice

Posted on by
Reply

Non-pasteurized orange juice is manufactured by squeezing juice from fruit without peel removal. Fruit surfaces may carry pathogenic microorganisms that can contaminate squeezed juice.

orange.juiceTitanium dioxide–UVC photocatalysis (TUVP), a non-thermal technique capable of microbial inactivation via generation of hydroxyl radicals, was used to decontaminate orange surfaces. Levels of spot-inoculated Escherichia coli O157:H7 (initial level of 7.0 log CFU/cm2) on oranges (12 cm2) were reduced by 4.3 log CFU/ml when treated with TUVP (17.2 mW/cm2). Reductions of 1.5, 3.9, and 3.6 log CFU/ml were achieved using tap water, chlorine (200 ppm), and UVC alone (23.7 mW/cm2), respectively. E. coli O157:H7 in juice from TUVP (17.2 mW/cm2)–treated oranges was reduced by 1.7 log CFU/ml.

After orange juice was treated with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) at 400 MPa for 1 min without any prior fruit surface disinfection, the level of E. coli O157:H7 was reduced by 2.4 log CFU/ml. However, the E. coli O157:H7 level in juice was reduced by 4.7 log CFU/ml (to lower than the detection limit) when TUVP treatment of oranges was followed by HHP treatment of juice, indicating a synergistic inactivation effect.

The inactivation kinetics of E. coli O157:H7 on orange surfaces followed a biphasic model. HHP treatment did not affect the pH, °Brix, or color of juice. However, the ascorbic acid concentration and pectinmethylesterase activity were reduced by 35.1 and 34.7%, respectively.

 Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on orange fruit surfaces and in juice using photocatalysis and high hydrostatic pressure

Journal of Food Protection®, Number 6, June 2015, pp. 1064-1243, pp. 1098-1105(8), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-522

Yoo, Sungyul; Ghafoor, Kashif; Kim, Jeong Un; Kim, Sanghun; Jung, Bora; Lee, Dong-Un; Park, Jiyong

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2015/00000078/00000006/art00005

Get vaccinated for hep A before an outbreak: Utah restaurant gets support from customers

Posted on by
Reply

Keeping with the Utah theme, Cedar City residents have been heading over to The Pizza Cart to support the restaurant, after a food handler working at the restaurant tested positive for Hepatitis A.

pizza.cartLarisa Banks of Cedar City started an event on Facebook for supporters of the The Pizza Cart to come out and enjoy the restaurant on Friday.

“They have the best pizza and a great atmosphere,” she said. “My husband and I are small business owners in town and it is really hard to see another local business get hurt by something that is really out of their control. We just wanted to show our support.”

Banks said she was offended by some of the comments she heard in town – and on Facebook – and wanted to bring more attention that The Pizza Cart is not to blame.

“The whole thing about this (Hepatitis A) case is that it could have literally happened to anyone,” she said. “Any restaurant in town that has people working for them and handling food, it could have happened to them. The Pizza Cart was super classy with their online news release, they have been up front and honest and they took responsibility for everything, so we should support them for it.”

The Pizza Cart owner Cindy Murray, said, “It is unknown how the employee contracted the virus. However, this employee is recovering and will not be returning to work until medically cleared. All of our other employees have received the Hepatitis A vaccination.”

55 sickened: Staph in soup sent homeless to hospital in Utah

Posted on by
1

The Salt Lake County Health Department has determined that a food item served at a dining hall was likely the cause of illnesses that sent nearly 60 people who are homeless to hospitals in Salt Lake City Sunday night.

Hands of Homeless Man Receiving Bowl of SoupAccording to a press release from the Salt Lake County Health Department, investigators determined that soup served at St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall contained Staphylococcal enterotoxin, which is a common cause of foodborne illness when the bacteria is introduced to improperly heated or cooled food. The bacteria is found on human skin.

“I felt like my stomach was going to actually explode — it felt like my intestines were going to explode. I started vomiting before the paramedics got there,” Mark Hofheins told FOX 13 News earlier this week.

The release states St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall has cooperated fully with the department and that investigators began observing kitchen operations Monday to ensure kitchen workers were following health regulations.

Officials stated the kitchen undergoes surprise inspections twice each year and has “consistently done well” in those.

“This incident at St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall appears to be an isolated food handling error,” said Andrea Gamble, SLCHD environmental health scientist. “Unfortunately, a single lapse in temperature controls or food-contact protocols can cause problems.”

Health Department officials said a dining hall must follow the same rules for food service as a restaurant, and as such volunteers who do not have a food handler’s permit can only serve food that has already been prepared by those at the dining hall who do have the necessary permits.

Irrigation water and produce safety

Posted on by
Reply

Back before there was youtube, we started videoing my friend, Jeff Wilson, about farming stuff.

boog.powell.mesquite.cookingWe knew irrigation water was an issue, but it was one most didn’t want to talk about.

Researchers at Cornell have reported that environmental (i.e., meteorological and landscape) factors and management practices can affect the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in produce production environments.

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria species (including L. monocytogenes), Salmonella, and Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in produce production environments and to identify environmental factors and management practices associated with their isolation.

Ten produce farms in New York State were sampled during a 6-week period in 2010, and 124 georeferenced samples (80 terrestrial, 33 water, and 11 fecal) were collected. L. monocytogenes, Listeria spp., Salmonella, and STEC were detected in 16, 44, 4, and 5% of terrestrial samples, 30, 58, 12, and 3% of water samples, and 45, 45, 27, and 9% of fecal samples, respectively. Environmental factors and management practices were evaluated for their association with terrestrial samples positive for L. monocytogenes or other Listeria species by univariate logistic regression; analysis was not conducted for Salmonella or STEC because the number of samples positive for these pathogens was low. Although univariate analysis identified associations between isolation of L. monocytogenes or Listeria spp. from terrestrial samples and various water-related factors (e.g., proximity to wetlands and precipitation), multivariate analysis revealed that only irrigation within 3 days of sample collection was significantly associated with isolation of L. monocytogenes (odds ratio = 39) and Listeria spp. (odds ratio = 5) from terrestrial samples.

These findings suggest that intervention at the irrigation level may reduce the risk of produce contamination.

Irrigation is significantly associated with an increased prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in produce production environments in New York State

Journal of Food Protection®, Number 6, June 2015, pp. 1064-1243, pp. 1132-1141(10), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-584

Weller, Daniel; Wiedmann, Martin; Strawn, Laura K.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2015/00000078/00000006/art00010

Ignoring the safety: Sample ties listeria to Blue Bell’s Alabama plant

Posted on by
Reply

A private laboratory has linked Listeria to a Blue Bell plant in Alabama, providing the first evidence that all three of the ice cream maker’s production facilities distributed contaminated products.

blue.bell.creameriesThe lab tested the half gallon of Cookies ‘n Cream on behalf of Brent McRae, a Florida man recovering from a coma after a suspected bout of meningitis.

McRae was admitted to a hospital in April. His family saved the ice cream in his freezer and sent it to Kappa Laboratories of Miami, which issued the positive results Wednesday. A product code on the bottom of the carton confirms it came from Alabama.

McRae’s attorney, Bill Marler of Seattle, said health care workers did not obtain samples to confirm a diagnosis of listeriosis, but that his symptoms were consistent with the illness. Marler said he will wait to review medical records and consult experts before deciding whether to file a lawsuit. One other person has sued Blue Bell, and the company is expected to face more litigation.

State and federal health officials had already found listeria in products from Blue Bell plants in Brenham and Broken Arrow, Okla. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed three Kansas hospital patients, already severely ill, died after contracting listeriosis from the ice cream.

Santa Barbara Smokehouse voluntary recalls cold smoked salmon because of Listeria

Posted on by
Reply

But I do like the smoked salmon. Although I have to be aware of the Listeria risk.

More often than not, I heat it. I’m not sure about the risk reduction profile, but it tastes better. Especially with a little brie. And tomato.

salmon.recall.jun.15Santa Barbara Smokehouse of Santa Barbara, CA is voluntarily recalling all smoked salmon EXCLUDING HOT SMOKED SALMON from March 1st to April 8th 2015, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Cold Smoked Salmon was distributed within the United States through retail stores and food wholesaler.

The following brands affected in the VOLUNTARY RECALL: Cambridge House, Coastal Harbor, Harbor Point, North Shore S.F. Specialty, Channel Islands and Santa Barbara. Along with the following batch range of 1015 – 3949.

No illnesses have been reported to date for this VOLUNTARY RECALL.

The safety of Santa Barbara Smokehouse product is the primary concern to them, therefore Santa Barbara Smokehouse has tested and received certificates of analysis showing negative results for products in question during that time period. All fresh product has a use by dates of April 29th to May 6th 2015. The company is recommending as a precautionary measure to pull frozen product produced on or before April 8, 2015.

smoked.salmon.bagelEven though Santa Barbara Smokehouse has a positive releases on these products they are taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of their products.

Just to clarify this is just a precautionary step.

The company has corrected the above reference issue and continues their rigorous sanitation programs and Food Safety Programs and positive release of products.

If any of the products listed above are still in possession do not consume and contact Santa Barbara Smokehouse for pick up. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-805-966-9796.

Fortunately, there’s lots of tuna in Australia: Multistate outbreak of Salmonella linked to tuna

Posted on by
Reply

Unlike Chapman, I don’t like sushi, so that’s a risk reduction strategy.

tuna.april.15As of June 4, 2015, there’s still 50 sick people, but, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, no new ill people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) have been identified.

CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill people and to interview them about foods they ate before they became ill.

As a result of the ongoing investigation, the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department working with the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory tested unopened frozen ground tuna products. Arizona identified Salmonella Newport in one sample and Salmonella Weltevreden in another sample. The unopened frozen ground tuna products represented two different lots of product imported from Indonesia by Osamu Corporation of Gardena, California. On May 27, Osamu Corporation recalled the two lots of ground frozen yellowfin tuna imported from Indonesia due to possible Salmonella contamination.

A search of the PulseNet database did not identify any known human illnesses linked to the recall. State health departments continue to test samples of raw tuna products but the strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) linked to the outbreak has not been identified.

FDA reports it has increased its monitoring of tuna. Additionally, FDA is conducting a traceback investigation. FDA is evaluating and analyzing records to determine whether there is a common source of raw tuna linked to the outbreak.