Quality changes of stabilizer-free natural peanut butter during storage.

The storage stability of preservative-free peanut butter was evaluated for changes in physicochemical quality including moisture content and water activity, microbiological properties, oxidative stability and textural quality in terms of spreadability and firmness. The study was conducted for 16 weeks at storage temperature of 10, 25 and 35 °C on natural and pure peanut butter produced from two varieties of peanuts, the Virginia and Spanish TMV-2 varieties of China and India origin, respectively. The peanuts were ground using a high speed grinder for 2.5 and 3.0 min to produce peanut butter without addition of other ingredient. The natural peanut butter exhibited stability and had acceptable microbial count during storage. Storage at 10 °C gave similar textural quality with commercial product until week 8 and without appreciable loss in oxidative stability until week 12. At higher storage temperatures of 25 and 35 °C, oxidative stability was shortened to 4 weeks of storage. Among the factors of storage temperature and time, grinding time and peanut variety, storage temperature had the most significant effects on quality changes of natural peanut butter.

Toxic Elements in Food: Occurrence, Binding, and Reduction Approaches.

Toxic elements such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, sometimes called heavy metals, can diminish mental and central nervous system function; elicit damage to blood composition as well as the kidneys, lungs, and liver; and reduce energy levels. Food is considered one of the main routes of their entry into the human body. Numerous studies have been performed to examine the effects of common food processing procedures on the levels of toxic elements in food. While some studies have reported negative effects of processing, several have shown that processing practices may have a positive effect on the reduction of toxic elements in foodstuffs. A number of studies have also introduced protocols and suggested chemical agents that reduce the amount of toxic elements in the final food products. In this review, the reported methods employed for the reduction of toxic elements are discussed with particular emphasis on the chemical binding of both the organic and inorganic forms of each element in various foods. The molecular groups and the ligands by which the food products bind with the metals and the types of these reactions are also presented.

Prevalence and quantification of Listeria monocytogenes in chicken offal at the retail level in Malaysia.

A total of 216 chicken offal samples (chicken liver = 72; chicken heart = 72; chicken gizzard = 72) from wet markets and hypermarkets in Selangor, Malaysia, were examined for the presence and density of Listeria monocytogenes by using a combination of the most probable number and PCR method. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes in 216 chicken offal samples examined was 26.39%, and among the positive samples, the chicken gizzard showed the highest percentage at 33.33% compared with chicken liver (25.00%) and chicken heart (20.83%). The microbial load of L. monocytogenes in chicken offal samples ranged from <3 to 93.0 most probable number per gram. The presence of L. monocytogenes in chicken offal samples may indicate that chicken offal can act as a possible vehicle for the occurrence of foodborne listeriosis. Hence, there is a need to investigate the biosafety level of chicken offal in Malaysia.

Stress Tolerance of Yeasts Dominating Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Whey Water Treatment.

Filamentous yeast species belonging to the closely related Saprochaete clavata and Magnusiomyces spicifer were recently found to dominate biofilm communities on the retentate and permeate surface of Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes used in a whey water treatment system after CIP (Cleaning-In-Place). Microscopy revealed that the two filamentous yeast species can cover extensive areas due to their large cell size and long hyphae formation. Representative strains from these species were here further characterized and displayed similar physiological and biochemical characteristics. Both strains tested were able to grow in twice RO-filtrated permeate water and metabolize the urea present. Little is known about the survival characteristics of these strains. Here, their tolerance toward heat (60, 70, and 80°C) and Ultraviolet light (UV-C) treatment at 255 nm using UV-LED was assessed as well as their ability to form biofilm and withstand cleaning associated stress. According to the heat tolerance experiments, the D60°C of S. clavata and M. spicifer is 16.37 min and 7.24 min, respectively, while a reduction of 3.5 to >4.5 log (CFU/mL) was ensured within 5 min at 70°C. UV-C light at a dose level 10 mJ/cm2 had little effect, while doses of 40 mJ/cm2 and upward ensured a ≥4log reduction in a static laboratory scale set-up. The biofilm forming potential of one filamentous yeast and one budding yeast, Sporopachydermia lactativora, both isolated from the same biofilm, was compared in assays employing flat-bottomed polystyrene microwells and peg lids, respectively. In these systems, employing both nutrient rich as well as nutrient poor media, only the filamentous yeast was able to create biofilm. However, on RO membrane coupons in static systems, both the budding yeast and a filamentous yeast were capable of forming single strain biofilms and when these coupons were exposed to different simulations of CIP treatments both the filamentous and budding yeast survived these. The dominance of these yeasts in some filter systems tested, their capacity to adhere and their tolerance toward relevant stresses as demonstrated here, suggest that these slow growing yeasts are well suited to initiate microbial biofouling on surfaces in low nutrient environments.

Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium in raw chicken meat at retail markets in Malaysia.

Salmonellosis is one of the major food-borne diseases in many countries. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of Salmonella spp., Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Typhimurium in raw chicken meat from wet markets and hypermarkets in Selangor, as well as to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium. The most probable number (MPN) in combination with multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) method was used to quantify the Salmonella spp., S. Enteritidis, and S. Typhimurium in the samples. The occurrence of Salmonella spp., S. Enteritidis, and S. Typhimurium in 120 chicken meat samples were 20.80%, 6.70%, and 2.50%, respectively with estimated quantity varying from <3 to 15 MPN/g. The antibiogram testing revealed differential multi-drug resistance among S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium isolates. All the isolates were resistance to erythromycin, penicillin, and vancomycin whereas sensitivity was recorded for Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid, Gentamicin, Tetracycline, and Trimethoprim. Our findings demonstrated that the retail chicken meat could be a source of multiple antimicrobial-resistance Salmonella and may constitute a public health concern in Malaysia.

Simultaneous determination of multi-mycotoxins in palm kernel cake (PKC) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Palm kernel cake (PKC) is a useful source of protein and energy for livestock. Recently, it has been used as an ingredient in poultry feed. Mycotoxin contamination of PKC due to inappropriate handling during production and storage has increased public concern about economic losses and health risks for poultry and humans. This concern has accentuated the need for the evaluation of mycotoxins in PKC. Furthermore, a method for quantifying mycotoxins in PKC has so far not been established. The aims of this study were therefore (1) to develop a method for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins in PKC and (2) to validate and verify the method. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using an electrospray ionisation interface (ESI) in both positive- and negative-ion modes was developed for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FB1 and FB2), T-2 and HT-2 toxin in PKC. An optimum method using a 0.2 ml min⁻¹ flow rate, 0.2% formic acid in aqueous phase, 10% organic phase at the beginning and 90% organic phase at the end of the gradient was achieved. The extraction of mycotoxins was performed using a solvent mixture of acetonitrile-water-formic acid (79:20:1, v/v) without further clean-up. The mean recoveries of mycotoxins in spiked PKC samples ranged from 81% to 112%. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) for mycotoxin standards and PKC samples ranged from 0.02 to 17.5 µg kg⁻¹ and from 0.06 to 58.0 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. Finally, the newly developed method was successfully applied to PKC samples. The results illustrated the fact that the method is efficient and accurate for the simultaneous multi-mycotoxin determination in PKC, which can be ideal for routine analysis.