Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Fw: [BITES-L] bites Aug. 7/10

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Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2010 13:54:26 -0500
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Subject: [BITES-L] bites Aug. 7/10


bites Aug. 7/10

Ready-to-eat salads, new pathogens fuel rise in contaminated produce

Former FDA director will advise CHINESE maker of baby formula on safety

VERMONT: Co-owner of Vt. slaughterhouse wanted on animal cruelty charges arrested in NY

Pulsed UV light inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis on eggshells and Its effects on egg quality

Incidence and behavior of Salmonella and Escherichia coli on whole and sliced zucchini squash (cucurbitapepo) fruit

Prevalence, antibiograms, and transferable tet(O) plasmid of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from raw chicken, pork, and human clinical cases in korea

Performance of food safety management systems in poultry meat preparation processing plants in relation to Campylobacter spp. contamination

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Ready-to-eat salads, new pathogens fuel rise in contaminated produce
07.aug.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143568/10/08/07/ready-eat-salads-new-pathogens-fuel-rise-contaminated-produce
Kevin Allen is still a goon – at least on ice.
He's apparently a nice guy and loving father when not bashing pucks off my goaltender's head. He also plays academic sometimes.
University of British Columbia food scientist Kevin Allen told the Vancouver Sun this morning,
"If we look at the past decade, we can see a change in the epidemiology of food-borne disease, more specifically within the category of ready-to-eat foods. Part of the problem is that ready-to-eat foods are supposed to be ready to eat, so unlike poultry and your beef and your eggs, with salads and sprouts there is no cooking and so no pathogen-killing step. … Organisms like E. coli and salmonella that used to be associated solely with poultry and beef are now almost as frequently associated with leafy green vegetables," he said. "That is a tremendous shift from 20 years ago."
Christina Hilliard, a fresh fruit and produce specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said,
"Twenty-five years ago we weren't even thinking about lettuce in terms of food safety, even five years ago we didn't think that someone could die from eating spinach."
Allen's research at UBC is dedicated to minimizing the presence of E. coli in cattle with an eye to stopping the pathogen's spread through the food chain.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/141080/10/03/01/canadian-olympic-gold-hockey-post-doctoral-fellowship-opportunity-ubc
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/141236/10/03/09/salmonella-veggie-protein-–-canadian-angle
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Ready+salads+pathogens+fuel+rise+contaminated+produce/3371226/story.html




Former FDA director will advise CHINESE maker of baby formula on safety
07.aug.10
Bloomberg
Cathy Chan and Wendy Leung
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-07/former-fda-director-will-advise-chinese-maker-of-baby-formula-on-safety.html
Guangdong Yashili Group Co., a Chinese maker of infant formula, named a former director at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as head of an advisory committee on quality and safety.
Robert Brackett will chair the six-person committee, Chaozhou, China-based Yashili said in an e-mailed statement.
"The issues surrounding the quality of infant formula products will be a growing concern for Chinese consumers," Brackett said in the statement.




VERMONT: Co-owner of Vt. slaughterhouse wanted on animal cruelty charges arrested in NY
07.aug.10
Washington Examiner
Associated Press
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/breaking/co-owner-of-vt-slaughterhouse-wanted-on-animal-cruelty-charges-arrested-in-new-york-100151874.html
MONTPELIER, VT. -- The co-owner of a now-closed Vermont slaughterhouse wanted on animal cruelty charges has been arrested in New York.
The attorney general's office says 51-year-old Frank Perretta of Grand Isle was arraigned Friday in St. Lawrence County as a fugitive from justice and released in $2,000 bail.
Bushway Packing Inc. was shut down Oct. 30 amid allegations stemming from a Humane Society of the United States undercover video showing calves being kicked and poked with electric prods.




Pulsed UV light inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis on eggshells and Its effects on egg quality
07.aug.10
Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 73, Number 8, August 2010 , pp. 1408-1415(8)
Keklik, Nene M.; Demirci, Ali; Patterson, Paul H.; Puri, Virendra M.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2010/00000073/00000008/art00001
Abstract:
The majority of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks have been related to the consumption of raw or undercooked eggs or egg-containing foods. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates egg washing for all graded eggs by use of a detergent solution and sanitizer. These agencies and the egg industry have been investigating alternative decontamination techniques, which could better serve the public, minimize costs, and benefit both the public and the industry. Pulsed UV light is an emerging technology that is used to inactivate microorganisms quickly. In this study, the effectiveness of pulsed UV light was evaluated for the decontamination of eggshells. Eggs inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis on the top surface at the equator were treated with pulsed UV light 1 to 30 s, at a distance of 9.5 and 14.5 cm from the UV lamp in a laboratory-scale, pulsed UV light chamber. Three eggs were used per treatment in each repetition, except for quality measurements, which involved six eggs per treatment in each repetition. A maximum log reduction of 5.3 CFU/cm2 was obtained after a 20-s treatment at 9.5 cm below the UV lamp at a total dose of 23.6 ± 0.1 J/cm2, without any visual damage to the egg. After a 30-s treatment at 9.5 and 14.5 cm, the temperature of eggshell surfaces increased by 16.3 and 13.3°C, respectively. Energy usage increased up to 35.3 ± 0.1 and 24.8 ± 0.1 J/cm2, after 30-s treatments at 9.5 and 14.5 cm, respectively. The effect of pulsed UV light treatments on egg quality was also evaluated. Pulsed UV-light treatments for 3, 10, and 20s at either 9.5 or 14.5 cm did not change the albumen height, eggshell strength, or cuticle presence significantly (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that pulsed UV light has potential to decontaminate eggshell surfaces.




Incidence and behavior of Salmonella and Escherichia coli on whole and sliced zucchini squash (cucurbitapepo) fruit
07.aug.10
Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 73, Number 8, August 2010 , pp. 1423-1429(7)
Castro-Rosas, Javier; Santos López, Eva María; Gómez-Aldapa, Carlos Alberto; González Ramírez, Cesar Abelardo; Villagomez-Ibarra, José Roberto; Gordillo-Martínez, Alberto José; López, AngéLica Villarruel; Torres-Vitela, M. del Refugio
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2010/00000073/00000008/art00003
Abstract:
The incidence of coliform bacteria (CB), thermotolerant coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli, and Salmonella was determined for zucchini squash fruit. In addition, the behavior of four serotypes of Salmonella and a cocktail of three E. coli strains on whole and sliced zucchini squash at 25 ± 2°C and 3 to 5°C was tested. Squash fruit was collected in the markets of Pachuca city, Hidalgo State, Mexico. CB, TC, E. coli, and Salmonella were detected in 100, 70, 62, and 10% of the produce, respectively. The concentration ranged from 3.8 to 7.4 log CFU per sample for CB, and >3 to 1,100 most probable number per sample for TC and E. coli. On whole fruit stored at 25 ± 2°C or 3 to 5°C, no growth was observed for any of the tested microorganisms or cocktails thereof. After 15 days at 25 ± 2°C, the tested Salmonella serotypes had decreased from an initial inoculum level of 7 log CFU to <1 log, and at 3 to 5°C they decreased to approximately 2 log. Survival of E. coli was significantly greater than for the Salmonella strains at the same times and temperatures; after 15 days, at 25 ± 2°C E. coli cocktail strains had decreased to 3.4 log CFU per fruit and at 3 to 5°C they decreased to 3.6 log CFU per fruit. Both the Salmonella serotypes and E. coli strains grew when inoculated onto sliced squash: after 24 h at 25 ± 2°C, both bacteria had grown to approximately 6.5 log CFU per slice. At 3 to 5°C, the bacterial growth was inhibited. The squash may be an important factor contributing to the endemicity of Salmonella in Mexico.




Prevalence, antibiograms, and transferable tet(O) plasmid of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from raw chicken, pork, and human clinical cases in korea
01.aug.10
Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 73, Number 8, pp. 1430-1437(8)
Kim, Jun Man; Hong, Joonbae; Bae, Wonki; Koo, Hye Cheong; Kim, So Hyun; Park, Yong Ho
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2010/00000073/00000008/art00004
Abstract:
The antibiotic resistance patterns and prevalence of the transferable tet(O) plasmid were investigated in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates from raw chicken, pork, and humans with clinical campylobacteriosis. A total of 180 C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were identified, and the prevalence rates of C. jejuni and C. coli in raw chicken samples were 83% (83 of 100) and 73% (73 of 100), respectively. Twelve percent (6 of 50) and 10% (5 of 50) of pork samples were contaminated with C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively. Disk diffusion susceptibility testing revealed that the most frequently detected resistance was to tetracycline (92.2%), followed by nalidixic acid (75.6%), ciprofloxacin (65.0%), azithromycin (41.5%), ampicillin (33.3%), and streptomycin (26.1%). Of the C. jejuni and C. coli isolates, 65.7% (n = 109) contained plasmids carrying the tet(O) gene. Six C. jejuni isolates and two C. coli isolates with high-level resistance to tetracycline (MIC = 256 μg/ml) harbored the tet(O) plasmid, which is transferable to other C. jejuni and C. coli isolates. These results demonstrate the presence of an interspecies transferable plasmid containing the tet(O) gene and a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Korean Campylobacter isolates and provide an understanding of the antibiotic resistance distribution among Campylobacter species in Korea.




Performance of food safety management systems in poultry meat preparation processing plants in relation to Campylobacter spp. contamination
01.aug.10
Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 73, Number 8, pp. 1447-1457(11)
Sampers, Imca; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Luning, Pieternel A.; Marcelis, Willem J.; Dumoulin, Ann; Uyttendaele, Mieke
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2010/00000073/00000008/art00006
Abstract:
A diagnostic instrument comprising a combined assessment of core control and assurance activities and a microbial assessment instrument were used to measure the performance of current food safety management systems (FSMSs) of two poultry meat preparation companies. The high risk status of the company's contextual factors, i.e., starting from raw materials (poultry carcasses) with possible high numbers and prevalence of pathogens such as Campylobacter spp., requires advanced core control and assurance activities in the FSMS to guarantee food safety. The level of the core FSMS activities differed between the companies, and this difference was reflected in overall microbial quality (mesophilic aerobic count), presence of hygiene indicators (Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli), and contamination with pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter spp. The food safety output expressed as a microbial safety profile was related to the variability in the prevalence and contamination levels of Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat preparations found in a Belgian nationwide study. Although a poultry meat processing company could have an advanced FSMS in place and a good microbial profile (i.e., lower prevalence of pathogens, lower microbial numbers, and less variability in microbial contamination), these positive factors might not guarantee pathogen-free products. Contamination could be attributed to the inability to apply effective interventions to reduce or eliminate pathogens in the production chain of (raw) poultry meat preparations.


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