Microbiological quality of gluten-free meals, naturally gluten free foods, and gluten free-labelled products.

Background: The rising prevalence of gluten-related disorders such as celiac disease explains the increased consumption of gluten-free foods (GFF). However, these foods must be safe in terms of both gluten content and contamination by pathogenic microorganisms in order to avoid food poisoning. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the microbiological quality of gluten-free meals, naturally gluten free foods, and gluten free-labelled products. Material and Methods: We collected 62 GFF samples including 20 meals (M-GF), 22 naturally gluten free (N-GFF) and 20 labelled (L-GFF) products, which were investigated for microbiological contamination according to Moroccan regulations guidelines, issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The analysis consisted of the detection of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in each sample, and the quantification of the microbial load of the following six micro-organisms: total aerobic mesophilic flora, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Sulphite-Reducing Anaerobic, and yeasts and molds. Results: A total of 372 analyses were carried out, showing a microbiological contamination rate of 5.1%. This contamination concerned N-GFF in 8.3% (predominantly with yeasts and molds), and meals prepared at home in 11.7 (predominantly with Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms). Only one case (0.8%) of contamination was observed in products labelled gluten-free and no contamination was noticed in meals prepared in food services. Listeria monocytgenes and Salmonella were not detected in any samples of food analyzed. These results indicate a good compliance of L-GFP and M-GF prepared in food services, while unsatisfactory quality was observed in N-GFF and M-GF prepared at home. Conclusion: Therefore, rigorous hygienic practices and adequate corrective measures should be considered by celiac patients, especially regarding the N-GFF and M-GF prepared at home.

Modeling of the inactivation kinetics of aerobic mesophiles and yeasts and molds natural microbiota in nonthermal plasma-treated pineapple (Ananas comosus) juice.

The nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology is a promising nonthermal technology that can be employed for pasteurization of fruit juice. The effect of NTP on the natural microbiota, namely, aerobic mesophiles (AM), and yeasts and molds (YM) in pineapple juice were examined in the experimental range of 25-45 kV up to 10 min treatment time. At an applied voltage of 45 kV, the AM and YM count reductions of 4.7 and 4.1 log cfu/mL were obtained at the end of the 14-min treatment. The inactivation kinetics of microbes were attempted to be explained using nonlinear models, including Weibull + tail, Geeraerd, log-logistic, Coroller, and Cerf. The residual population (Nres ) model parameter in the Geeraerd model explained the tailing behavior of microbes. Furthermore, the estimated values for the scale parameter and destruction rate constants were used to describe the sensitive and resistant percentages of the microbial population. According to statistical parameters (R2 : 0.978-0.999, RMSE: 0.034-0.277) and validation indicators (accuracy factor: 1.013-1.152, bias factor: 0.985-1.12), all models performed well. Akaike's theory was used to select the best-fit model, and the Coroller model was shown to be the most accurate one for AM and YM, exhibiting the lowest Akaike increment (Δi  = 0). PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Nonthermal plasma may be used as an alternate nonthermal process for this product in order to meet customer appeal for safe and nutritious juice with minimal processing. The goal of this work was to produce a nutritious and safe pineapple juice by using nonthermal processing.

The efficacy of honey and a Thai Herbal Oil preparation in the treatment of pressure ulcers based on Thai traditional medicine wound diagnosis versus standard practice: An open-label randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Scientific support for Thai traditional medicine (TTM) practice is warranted for reintroduction into modern healthcare systems. A promising TTM practice for treatment of pressure ulcers was selected to conduct a clinical trial. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the TTM practice for the treatment of pressure ulcers using honey or a Thai Herbal Oil preparation (THO) based on the TTM wound diagnosis comparing with the standard practice. METHODS: The study design was an open-label randomized controlled trial. Sixty-six participants, with pressure ulcers at least stage II-IV or unstageable, were allocated to two groups via minimization. A TTM practice group received honey or THO depending on the TTM diagnosis via the Thai Traditional Medicine Pressure Ulcer Assessment Tool (TTM-PUAT). A standard practice group received advanced dressings, including hydrogel, alginate, silver-impregnated, or hydrocolloid dressings. The primary outcome was the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH). RESULTS: Both TTM practice and standard practice showed a significant reduction in PUSH scores after treatments. However, there was no significant difference in PUSH score reduction between the groups. The mean PUSH score reduction over the 6-week period was 2.58 ± 3.38 (95% CI 1.34-3.82) in the TTM practice group and 3.24 ± 3.49 (95% CI 1.91-4.57) in the standard practice group (p = 0.284). The TTM practice and standard practice accelerated pressure ulcer healing without statistically significant difference between the practices, during 6 weeks in a home-based care setting. This finding supported the TTM practice as an alternative treatment for pressure ulcer.

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Graviera Agraphon cheese during refrigerated storage.

The aim of this work was to examine the effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the physicochemical and microbiological changes of Graviera Agraphon cheese during refrigerated storage. Blocks of Graviera Agraphon cheese weighing around 200 g were packaged under natural (control) or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions (50% N2 - 50% CO2) and stored at 4 °C or 10 °C for up to 85 d. Prior to packaging, groups of cheese blocks were inoculated with one each of the following foodborne pathogens at around 104 log cfu/g: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Staphylococcus aureus, whilst further groups of cheese blocks were not inoculated. The protein, fat, moisture and salt contents as well as the pH of control and MAP cheese samples did not change significantly (P > 0.05) throughout 4 °C storage, while the pH values of control and MAP cheese samples were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced at 10 °C storage. At 10 °C storage, yeasts and molds, psychrotrophs and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) for the normal atmosphere than the MAP cheese samples after the 4th, 8th and 4th days, respectively. At 4 °C storage, the yeasts and molds or psychrotrophs were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of control after the 6th and 15th days, respectively at 4 °C storage. All foodborne pathogens showed a higher decrease (P < 0.05) at 10 °C than 4 °C storage. S. aureus proved more sensitive in inactivation in the MAP conditions than atmospheric conditions. L. monocytogenes and S. aureus presented a higher decrease than that of E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium. In conclusion, MAP proved efficient in retarding the growth of yeasts, molds, psychrotrophs and E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, S. Typhimurium and S. aureus in Graviera Agraphon cheese during refrigerated storage at 4 and 10 °C.

Identification of Safety and Quality Parameters for Preparation of Jellyfish Based Novel Food Products.

Edible jellyfish are mainly consumed and marketed in Southeastern Countries, generally produced by a multi-phase drying process, using mixtures of salt and alum. Recently, jellyfish have become very attractive also for Western food markets. They are novel food in Europe and no recognized handling/processing steps have been set up yet. Moreover, no specific food safety and quality parameters are available. In this study, we identified a set of safety and quality parameters for jellyfish, based on standards and process hygiene criteria used in Europe for other products. These assays were tested on three different jellyfish preparations that can be used as raw materials for subsequent food processing. All jellyfish samples revealed the absence of pathogens (Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes), Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp., even if a limited presence of Staphylococci was observed. No biogenic amine histamine was detected and negligible levels of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) were revealed. Total bacterium, yeast and mold counts were negligible or undetectable by conventional accredited methods, and conversely the results were higher when optimized saline conditions were used. This study, for the first time, established a set of quality and safety parameters necessary for first-operations and subsequent processing of jellyfish as novel food. Highlights: Jellyfish can represent a novel food in Europe. Identification of safety and quality parameters for jellyfish food products. Saline conditions are essential for improving safety and quality assessment of jellyfish as food.

Relationship between carbohydrate composition and fungal deterioration of functional strawberry juices preserved using non-thermal treatments.

BACKGROUND: The quantification of the main carbohydrates present in strawberry juices enriched with inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and preserved by non-thermal techniques (vanillin and ultrasound) was conducted, in addition to an investigation of the evolution of these compounds and their relationship with fungal deterioration over 14 days of refrigerated storage. RESULTS: A simple and environmentally friendly analytical approach based on high-performance liquid chromatography with a reflection index detector was developed for simultaneous determination of inulin, FOS and mono- and disaccharides present in the juices. When analyzing the evolution of carbohydrates during storage, a direct relationship between the consumption of sucrose and the growth of yeasts and molds (main spoilage flora in strawberry) was observed, especially in untreated samples (control). By contrast, no sucrose consumption was observed during storage of the treated sample, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the non-thermal treatments for controlling yeasts and mold growth. In turn, inulin and FOS added to juices were not degraded during storage. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that non-thermal treatments are adequate for preventing the growth of deteriorative flora in strawberry juices and that the addition of inulin and FOS can be a good strategy for functionalizing them, as well as improving their nutritional properties. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Avaliação da qualidade de queijo parmesão ralado de diferentes marcas comerciais / Quality evaluation of grated parmesan cheese from different brands

O queijo parmesão é um produto bastante consumido no país, principalmente na forma ralada e existem poucos trabalhos científicos disponíveis na literatura, abordando a qualidade do produto comercializado. Assim, torna-se necessário, avaliar as diferentes marcas de queijo parmesão ralado disponíveis no mercado. Desta forma, o objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a qualidade físico-química de queijo parmesão ralado de oito diferentes marcas comercializadas nos estados de Minas Gerais e do Espírito Santo, verificando se os produtos atendem aos padrões estabelecidos pela legislação vigente. Foram realizadas as análises físico-químicas de umidade, cinzas e cloretos, análise qualitativa de amido e análise microbiológica de bolores e leveduras, em três repetições. A metade das marcas avaliadas apresentou teor de umidade fora do padrão estabelecido pelo regulamento técnico para fixação de identidade e qualidade de queijo ralado, onde o valor máximo de umidade é de 20,0% para o queijo parmesão ralado. Dentre as quatro marcas irregulares, a umidade variou de 20,69% a 33,28%, indicando uma elevada variação acima do limite estabelecido. Na análise de cloretos foram encontrados teores entre 3,32% e 8,17%, bem como a análise de cinzas apresentou resultados variando entre 6,62% e 10,31%, indicando a ocorrência de uma elevada variação nos processos tecnológicos de produção, principalmente na etapa de salga, a qual influencia no teor de cinzas. Em nenhuma amostra foi detectada a presença de amido, indicando que não houve a adição indevida do mesmo aos produtos. Em relação à presença de bolores e leveduras, 12,5% das amostras avaliadas apresentaram contagens acima do limite estabelecido pela legislação, inconformidade que pode estar relacionada às condições de processamento e armazenamento inadequadas.

Parmesan is widely consumed in Brazil, mainly in the shredded form and few studies are available on literature about the commercial product quality. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate different brands available in the market. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical-chemical quality of parmesan shredded cheese from eight different brands available in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo State, Brazil, markets, evaluating their accordance to food legislation. Moisture content, chloride, minerals, starch qualitative analysis and microbiological analysis for yeasts and molds were the physical-chemical evaluations, carried out in three replications. Half of the evaluated brands presented moisture content outside the established standard for the identity and quality of the shredded cheese, in which the maximum moisture content is 20.0% for the shredded parmesan cheese. Between the four brands outside the standard, the moisture content varied from 20.69 to 33.28%, indicating a high variation above the established standard. For chlorides, contents from 3.32 to 8.17% were observed and for total minerals the results varied from 6.62 to 10.31%, indicating a high variation in the steps of production, mainly on cheese salting, which can influence the minerals content. No starch was observed in the samples, indicating that no starch addition was made in the products. For the yeasts and molds evaluations, 12.5% of the samples presented the counting above the legislation established limit, which could be related to the processing and storage conditions.

Empirical model based on Weibull distribution describing the destruction kinetics of natural microbiota in pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) puree during high-pressure processing.

High pressure inactivation of natural microbiota viz. aerobic mesophiles (AM), psychrotrophs (PC), yeasts and molds (YM), total coliforms (TC) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in pineapple puree was studied within the experimental domain of 0.1-600 MPa and 30-50 °C with a treatment time up to 20 min. A complete destruction of yeasts and molds was obtained at 500 MPa/50 °C/15 min; whereas no counts were detected for TC and LAB at 300 MPa/30 °C/15 min. A maximum of two log cycle reductions was obtained for YM during pulse pressurization at the severe process intensity of 600 MPa/50 °C/20 min. The Weibull model clearly described the non-linearity of the survival curves during the isobaric period. The tailing effect, as confirmed by the shape parameter (ß) of the survival curve, was obtained in case of YM (ß<1); whereas a shouldering effect (ß>1) was observed for the other microbial groups. Analogous to thermal death kinetics, the activation energy (Ea, kJ·mol(-1)) and the activation volume (Va, mL·mol(-1)) values were computed further to describe the temperature and pressure dependencies of the scale parameter (δ, min), respectively. A higher δ value was obtained for each microbe at a lower temperature and it decreased with an increase in pressure. A secondary kinetic model was developed describing the inactivation rate (k, min(-1)) as a function of pressure (P, MPa) and temperature (T, K) including the dependencies of Ea and Va on P and T, respectively.

Evaluation of a novel dry sheet culture method (Sanita-kun(R)) for rapid enumeration of yeasts and molds in foods.

Sanita-kun(R) Yeasts and Molds (SkYM), a novel dry sheet culture method for rapid enumeration of fungi, has been developed. This re-hydrated plate consists of a unique adhesive sheet, non-woven fabric coated with nutrients, antibiotic, water absorption polymer and uniquely synthesized 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl-tetrazolium chloride for rapid enumeration of yeasts and molds. When SkYM was assessed using 37 microbes including 33 fungal strains, 29 fungal strains (87.9%) were formed red colored colonies within 48h whereas all yeasts and molds tested formed colonies within 72 h. All tested bacteria failed to grow. The SkYM method, with both 48 and 72 h of incubation, was compared with Dichloran Rose-Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar (DRBC; 5 days) according to ISO 21527-1, and with 3M Petrifilm YM (PYM; 5 days) and Nissui Compact Dry YM (CDYM; 5 days) commercially available dry culture methods using 100 naturally contaminated foods. The linear correlation coefficients of SkYM (48h) with DRBC, PYM and CDYM were 0.921, 0.929 and 0.947, respectively, whereas the linear correlation coefficients between SkYM (72 h) and DRBC, SkYM (72h) and PYM, SkYM (72h) and CDYM were 0.948, 0.877 and 0.911, respectively. These results demonstrated that SkYM was a useful alternative for rapid enumeration of yeasts and molds in foods.

Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts involved in the fermentation ofamabere amaruranu, a Kenyan fermented milk.

Indigenous fermented milk products contain microbiota composed of technologically important species and strains which are gradually getting lost with new technologies. We investigated the microbial diversity inamabere amaruranu, a traditionally fermented milk product from Kenya. Sixteen samples of the product from different containers were obtained. One hundred and twenty isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and 67 strains of yeasts were identified using API 50 CH and API 20 C AUX identification kits, respectively. The average pH of all the traditional fermented samples was 4.00 ± 0.93. Lactobacilli, yeasts, and molds as well asEnterobacteriaceae counts from the plastic containers were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those from gourd.Enterobacteriaceae were below 1.00 ± 1.11 log10 cfu/mL in products from the gourds and 2.17 ± 1.92 log10 cfu/mL from the plastic containers. The LAB species were identified asStreptococcus thermophilus (25%),Lactobacillus plantarum (20%), andLeuconostoc mesenteroides (20%). The predominant yeasts wereSaccharomyces cerevisiae (25%),Trichosporum mucoides (15%),Candida famata (10%), andCandida albicans (10%). The type of vessel used for fermentation had no significant influence on the type of isolated and identified species. The diverse mixture of LAB and yeasts microflora forms a potential consortium for further product innovation inamabere amaruranu and other fermented milk products.