Treatment of Ready-To-Eat Cooked Meat Products with Cold Atmospheric Plasma to Inactivate Listeria and Escherichia coli.

Ready-to-eat meat products have been identified as a potential vehicle for Listeria monocytogenes. Postprocessing contamination (i.e., handling during portioning and packaging) can occur, and subsequent cold storage together with a demand for products with long shelf life can create a hazardous scenario. Good hygienic practice is augmented by intervention measures in controlling post-processing contamination. Among these interventions, the application of 'cold atmospheric plasma' (CAP) has gained interest. The reactive plasma species exert some antibacterial effect, but can also alter the food matrix. We studied the effect of CAP generated from air in a surface barrier discharge system (power densities 0.48 and 0.67 W/cm2) with an electrode-sample distance of 15 mm on sliced, cured, cooked ham and sausage (two brands each), veal pie, and calf liver pâté. Colour of samples was tested immediately before and after CAP exposure. CAP exposure for 5 min effectuated only minor colour changes (ΔE max. 2.7), due to a decrease in redness (a*), and in some cases, an increase in b*. A second set of samples was contaminated with Listeria (L.) monocytogenes, L. innocua and E. coli and then exposed to CAP for 5 min. In cooked cured meats, CAP was more effective in inactivating E. coli (1 to 3 log cycles) than Listeria (from 0.2 to max. 1.5 log cycles). In (non-cured) veal pie and calf liver pâté that had been stored 24 h after CAP exposure, numbers of E. coli were not significantly reduced. Levels of Listeria were significantly reduced in veal pie that had been stored for 24 h (at a level of ca. 0.5 log cycles), but not in calf liver pâté. Antibacterial activity differed between but also within sample types, which requires further studies.

Treatment of Fresh Meat, Fish and Products Thereof with Cold Atmospheric Plasma to Inactivate Microbial Pathogens and Extend Shelf Life.

Assuring the safety of muscle foods and seafood is based on prerequisites and specific measures targeted against defined hazards. This concept is augmented by 'interventions', which are chemical or physical treatments, not genuinely part of the production process, but rather implemented in the framework of a safety assurance system. The present paper focuses on 'Cold Atmospheric pressure Plasma' (CAP) as an emerging non-thermal intervention for microbial decontamination. Over the past decade, a vast number of studies have explored the antimicrobial potential of different CAP systems against a plethora of different foodborne microorganisms. This contribution aims at providing a comprehensive reference and appraisal of the latest literature in the area, with a specific focus on the use of CAP for the treatment of fresh meat, fish and associated products to inactivate microbial pathogens and extend shelf life. Aspects such as changes to organoleptic and nutritional value alongside other matrix effects are considered, so as to provide the reader with a clear insight into the advantages and disadvantages of CAP-based decontamination strategies.

Nitrogen Accumulation in Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Slurry Exposed to Virucidal Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment.

Viral contamination of edible bivalves is a major food safety issue. We studied the virucidal effect of a cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) source on two virologically different surrogate viruses [a double-stranded DNA virus (Equid alphaherpesvirus 1, EHV-1), and a single-stranded RNA virus (Bovine coronavirus, BCoV)] suspended in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM). A 15 min exposure effectuated a statistically significant immediate reduction in intact BCoV viruses by 2.8 (ozone-dominated plasma, "low power") or 2.3 log cycles (nitrate-dominated, "high power") of the initial viral load. The immediate effect of CAP on EHV-1 was less pronounced, with "low power" CAP yielding a 1.4 and "high power" a 1.0 log reduction. We observed a decline in glucose contents in DMEM, which was most probably caused by a Maillard reaction with the amino acids in DMEM. With respect to the application of the virucidal CAP treatment in oyster production, we investigated whether salt water could be sanitized. CAP treatment entailed a significant decline in pH, below the limits acceptable for holding oysters. In oyster slurry (a surrogate for live oysters), CAP exposure resulted in an increase in total nitrogen, and, to a lower extent, in nitrate and nitrite; this was most probably caused by absorption of nitrate from the plasma gas cloud. We could not observe a change in colour, indicative for binding of NOx to haemocyanin, although this would be a reasonable assumption. Further studies are necessary to explore in which form this additional nitrogen is deposited in oyster flesh.

Prevalence of Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria, Microbial Levels of Hygiene Indicator Bacteria, and Concentrations of Biogenic Amines in Ready-to-Eat Meat Products at Retail in the Republic of Kosovo.

HIGHLIGHTS: RTE meat products from the Republic of Kosovo were tested for contamination. L. monocytogenes was more prevalent in dried or fermented than in cooked-cured meats. E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae were more prevalent in nonpackaged dried or fermented meats. Concentrations of biogenic amines were higher in dried or fermented than in cooked-cured meats.

Predictors for the occurrence of major complications after primary Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing postoperative complications after primary Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is relatively low. Nevertheless, postoperative complications can have serious consequences in terms of severe morbidity and health care costs. Identification of potential predictors is useful for further reduction of the postoperative complication rate. METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients undergoing primary RYGB between January 2010 and December 2013, using data from a prospectively collected database. Patients' characteristics, operative details and perioperative outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 773 patients (14.5% male) were included for analysis, with a mean age of 42.1±10.4 years and a mean Body Mass Index of 42.8±4.3 kg/m2. A total of 66 (8.5%) direct postoperative complications occurred. Clavien-Dindo grade 3a and higher occurred in 55 patients. Univariate analysis identified age (P=0.013), gender (P=0.017), BMI over 50 kg/m2 (P=0.096), hypertension (P=0.099), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P=0.002) and previous upper gastrointestinal surgery (P=0.095) as potential predictors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (OR 2.412; 95%CI [1.212-4.797]) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 3.716; 95%CI [1.543-8.949]) were found to be independent predictors for the occurrence of major complications after primary RYGB. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a number of potential predictors, of which male gender and COPD after multivariate regression analysis were found to be independent predictive factors for the occurrence of major complications after primary RYGB.

Long-term results after revisions of failed primary vertical banded gastroplasty.

AIM: To compare the results after revision of primary vertical banded gastroplasty (Re-VBG) and conversion to sleeve gastrectomy (cSG) or gastric bypass (cRYGB). METHODS: In this retrospective single-center study, all patients with a failed VBG who underwent revisional surgery were included. Medical charts were reviewed and additional postal questionnaires were sent to update follow-up. Weight loss, postoperative complications and long-term outcome were assessed. RESULTS: A total 152 patients were included in this study, of which 21 underwent Re-VBG, 16 underwent cSG and 115 patients underwent cRYGB. Sixteen patients necessitated a second revisional procedure. No patients were lost-to-follow-up. Two patients deceased during the follow-up period, 23 patients did not return the questionnaire. Main reasons for revision were dysphagia/vomiting, weight regain and insufficient weight loss. Excess weight loss (%EWL) after Re-VBG, cSG and cRYGB was, respectively, 45%, 57% and 72%. Eighteen patients (11.8%) reported postoperative complications and 27% reported long-term complaints. CONCLUSION: In terms of additional weight loss, postoperative complaints and reintervention rate, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass seems feasible as a revision for a failed VBG.

Bacteriophages Isolated from Chicken Meat and the Horizontal Transfer of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes.

Antimicrobial resistance in microbes poses a global and increasing threat to public health. The horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes was thought to be due largely to conjugative plasmids or transposons, with only a minor part being played by transduction through bacteriophages. However, whole-genome sequencing has recently shown that the latter mechanism could be highly important in the exchange of antimicrobial resistance genes between microorganisms and environments. The transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes by phages could underlie the origin of resistant bacteria found in food. We show that chicken meat carries a number of phages capable of transferring antimicrobial resistance. Of 243 phages randomly isolated from chicken meat, about a quarter (24.7%) were able to transduce resistance to one or more of the five antimicrobials tested into Escherichia coli ATCC 13706 (DSM 12242). Resistance to kanamycin was transduced the most often, followed by that to chloramphenicol, with four phages transducing tetracycline resistance and three transducing ampicillin resistance. Phages able to transduce antimicrobial resistance were isolated from 44% of the samples of chicken meat that we tested. The statistically significant (P = 0.01) relationship between the presence of phages transducing kanamycin resistance and E. coli isolates resistant to this antibiotic suggests that transduction may be an important mechanism for transferring kanamycin resistance to E. coli. It appears that the transduction of resistance to certain antimicrobials, e.g., kanamycin, not only is widely distributed in E. coli isolates found on meat but also could represent a major mechanism for resistance transfer. The result is of high importance for animal and human health.

Shelf-life extension of vacuum-packaged meat from pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) by lactic acid treatment.

We investigated the influence of lactic acid treatment of pheasant meat before vacuum-packaged storage of 3, 7, and 10 d at +6°C on microbiota and pH. Breast muscle samples were collected from carcasses of slaughtered as well as from hunted (shot) wild pheasants. Immersion of meat samples in 3% (wt/wt) lactic acid for 60 s effectuated a significant drop in pH of approximately 0.5 to 0.7 units, which remained during the entire storage period. In parallel, total aerobic counts of such treated and stored samples were on an average 1.5 to 1.7 log units lower than in non-acid-treated samples. Similar results were found for Enterobacteriaceae. A significant decrease in pH was measured at d 7 and 10 in the acid-treated samples in comparison with the untreated ones. In summary, the immersion of pheasant breast meat cuts in dilute lactic acid significantly reduced microbiota during vacuum-packed storage, even at slight temperature abuse conditions.

On the efficacy of current biosecurity measures at EU borders to prevent the transfer of zoonotic and livestock diseases by travellers.

Although many animal diseases have been eradicated from the European Union (EU), the animal production sectors in the EU are still under a major threat of disease pathogens introduced by travellers into a country through illegal importation of wildlife or production animals, and/or food products of animal origin. These may carry (exotic) pathogens or toxic metabolites that are hazardous for public health and have a zoonotic potential. According to experts, newly emerging diseases will most probably be zoonotic in nature. The control systems and inspection measures at the borders are, in general, sufficient to control the import of disease pathogens through commercial consignments, as regularly reported by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO). The Schengen Agreement in the EU has pushed such inspections to the outer borders of the EU in the context of freedom of movement of 'goods' - including live animals and foods of animal origin - people and services within the EU (Treaty of Rome). However, it is questionable whether this policy and the inspection measures taken are effective in reducing public and animal health risks in the EU to an acceptable level. Risk assessment studies point to the potential dangers of illegal imports by travellers. This review article discusses the current status quo and more, in particular, the weaknesses of the current inspection procedures related to biosecurity and suggestions for improvement are made.

Removable and repositionable covered metal self-expandable stents for leaks after upper gastrointestinal surgery: experiences in a tertiary referral hospital.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakages are severe complications of upper gastrointestinal surgery with serious morbidity and mortality. Until recently, only abscess drainage was possible. Since 2007, removable and repositionable covered metal self-expandable stents (RReCoMSeS) have been used in our hospital to cover leaks. METHODS: Patients with postsurgical gastrointestinal leaks treated with RReCoMSeS between January 2007 and March 2010 were retrospectively evaluated and described. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were treated with RReCoMSeS (totally covered Choo/Hanaro and partially covered Endoflex stents). Included patients had anastomotic leaks after esophagectomy (15) and bariatric surgery (11). Overall successful sealing of the leak occurred in 81 % (including multiple procedures). In total 33 RReCoMSeS were used (mean 1.3 stents and 1.7 procedures per patient). Twenty-one of 33 RReCoMSeS succeeded in sealing the leak (64 %). Migration occurred in 24 % RReCoMSeS, and 9 % disintegrated. One stent (3 %) caused a perforation. CONCLUSIONS: RReCoMSeS are a safe alternative for treating postsurgical leaks in the upper gastrointestinal tract. In 81 % of patients and with 64 % of the inserted stents, leaks were sealed successfully, with few complications. Fewer stents per patient were needed thanks to their repositionability. Stent migration is a major problem.