Using an artificial intelligence (AI) model to standardize and analyze a massive, global set of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for Cronobacter sakazakii, University of Maryland researchers have discovered genetic traits that may explain the pathogen’s persistence and virulence in low-moisture foods like powdered infant formula.
A study suggests that some food matrices (i.e., smoked fish and soft cheese) significantly increase the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to adapt, survive digestion, and cause infection. Based on the findings, modulating the fat and protein content in food could be one potential way to reduce L. monocytogenes risk.
A survey of produce growers found that seven percent of respondents do not implement food safety risk reduction practices on their farms, reporting time and money to be the biggest challenges. Larger operations and farms subject to third-party audits were more likely to adopt risk reduction practices.
Study’s results suggest that charged nanoplastics can influence the growth, viability, virulence, physiological stress response, and biofilm lifestyle of the pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7.
A recent study showed the high prevalence of Campylobacter in Nigeria with poultry as the primary reservoir, carrying significant food safety implications, and highlighting the importance of controlling the pathogen from a One Health perspective.
A study has validated and verified two gas-phase hydroxyl radical processes for inactivating Salmonella and several avian pathogens on poultry hatchery eggs without affecting the egg hatch rate or development of hatched chicks, providing a viable alternative to traditionally used, hazardous and toxic formaldehyde treatments.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) sampled and tested meat, chicken, and Siluriformes fish (catfish) for 16 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), detecting “forever chemicals” in less than 0.2–0.3 percent of all sample types except wild-caught catfish, of which nearly half contained at least one PFAS.
A study led by researchers from the University of Antwerp has found that ultra-processed plant-based foods contain high levels of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in comparison to their animal-based analogs, but a dietary exposure risk assessment did not raise a health concern for the adult population, including vegans.
To inform the broader third Intestinal Infectious Disease Survey (IID3), the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducted a study to calculate burden estimates for four foodborne pathogens: enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), sapovirus, hepatitis A virus, and Toxoplasma gondii.
Researchers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by the University at Buffalo have created a filtration system that can effectively remove 90 and 80 percent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater and sewage, respectively. It is more effective and cost- and resource-efficient than activated carbon filtration.
