Strategies for Microbial Decontamination of Fresh Blueberries and Derived Products.

Increasing consumption of blueberries is associated with appreciation of their organoleptic properties together with their multiple health benefits. The increasing number of outbreaks caused by pathogenic microorganisms associated with their consumption in the fresh state and the rapid spoilage of this product which is mainly caused by moulds, has led to the development and evaluation of alternatives that help mitigate this problem. This article presents different strategies ranging from chemical, physical and biological technologies to combined methods applied for microbial decontamination of fresh blueberries and derived products. Sanitizers such as peracetic acid (PAA), ozone (O3), and electrolyzed water (EOW), and physical technologies such as pulsed light (PL) and cold plasma (CP) are potential alternatives to the use of traditional chlorine. Likewise, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) or pulsed electrical fields (PEF) successfully achieve microbial reductions in derivative products. A combination of methods at moderate intensities or levels is a promising strategy to increase microbial decontamination with a minimal impact on product quality.

Microbiological criteria: Principles for their establishment and application in food quality and safety.

Legislation on food safety has led towards the standardization of food productions which, together with the existing quality certifications, aim to increase the level of protection of public health. It is recognized the need for the agri-food industry to have tools to harmonize their productions and to adequately manage their quality systems in order to improve consumers' confidence. The implementation of microbiological criteria is focused on facilitating this harmonization by enabling the discrimination of defective lots and acting as control tools at industrial level. Therefore, knowledge of the principles, components and factors influencing the efficiency of microbiological criteria may be helpful to better understand the consequences of their application. In the present study the main principles, methodologies and applications of microbiological criteria in foods are addressed for their implementation as a part of the management quality systems of agrifood industries. In addition, potential limitations and impact of microbiological criteria on food safety are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the performance of microbiological criteria at EU level in berries is described for the compliance of the socalled risk-based metrics, namely Performance Objectives and Food Safety Objectives.

Bacterias causantes de enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos: una mirada en Colombia / Bacteria causing of foodborne diseases: an overview at Colombia

Objetivo: Las enfermedades de transmisión alimentaria constituyen un grave problema de salud pública a nivel mundial; entre sus causas más frecuentes se encuentran los patógenos bacterianos, los cuales generan desde síntomas gastrointestinales hasta complicaciones que pueden conducir a la muerte. En esta revisión se describen estudios sobre detección de patógenos bacterianos en diferentes alimentos en Colombia publicados entre 2010 y 2013, y se presenta información acerca de las características y prevalencia de los microorganismos encontrados, alimentos implicados y caracterización de los aislados. La búsqueda en bases de datos arrojó un total de 16 artículos enfocados directamente a la detección de cinco patógenos: Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas spp. y Vibrio spp. La mayor parte de los estudios correspondió al género Salmonella. No se hallaron investigaciones relacionadas con otras bacterias causantes de enfermedades de transmisión alimentaria. Los productos analizados fueron principalmente de origen animal, desde alimentos crudos, como pescado y carnes, hasta alimentos listos para el consumo. Esta revisión evidencia que a pesar de la importancia a nivel de salud pública de detectar y caracterizar bacterias patógenas trasmitidas por alimentos existen muy pocos estudios publicados relacionados con esta temática en el periodo revisado. Asimismo, los trabajos se encaminaron primordialmente a la búsqueda del microorganismo en el producto final y no a lo largo de la cadena productiva.

Objetive: Food-borne diseases are a serious public health problem worldwide; with pathogenic bacteria as the most common cause, leading to gastrointestinal disorders which can eventually lead to death. In this review are described studies about the detection of food-borne pathogenic bacteria in Colombia publicized between the years 2010-2013, looks at information on the characteristics and prevalence factor of found pathogens, the foods implicated in the studies and the characterization of isolated microorganisms. The database search yielded a total of 16 articles focused directly to the detection of five pathogens: Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas spp. and Vibrio spp.; nevertheless, most of the studies focused on Salmonella. There were no research projects on any other food-borne diseasecausing pathogens. The products tested were mainly raw or ready-to-eat animal-based foods such as sea food and meat. This review reveals that despite the importance of detecting and characterizing pathogens transmitted by contaminated food, there are very few published studies on this topic for the given review period. Likewise, the research work was directed primarily to the search of microorganisms as a final product rather than contamination along the production line.

Contribución al estudio del sorgo (Sorghum bicolor (L. ) Moench) para nutrición humana / Contribution to the research of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) for human nutrition

Objetivo: evaluar la composición química y la digestibilidad in-vitro del almidón del sorgo (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) nativo y germinado, y elaborar pastas alimenticias con 10, 15, 20% de inclusión de harina de sorgo nativo. Materiales y metódos: a las semillas de sorgo forrajero, híbridos HF-895, se les determinó la composición proximal, almidón total y digestibilidad in-vitro del almidón. A las fracciones granulométricas de la harina de sorgo, se les analizó el contenido de proteína y almidón total. Las pastas fueron sometidas a pruebas de cocción. Resultados: la composición del sorgo nativo está dentro de los parámetros establecidos por la normatividad del sorgo para consumo humano. El proceso de germinación, redujo la humedad y grasa, y no produjo cambios significativos en el contenido de proteína, cenizas y fibra dietaria. La velocidad de hidrólisis del almidón fue superior en semillas germinadas. Se presentaron diferencias significativas respecto al contenido de proteína y almidón de las fracciones granulométricas. Las pastas con inclusión del 10% presentaron el menor porcentaje de sólidos solubles. El índice de absorción de agua fue igual para todos los niveles de inclusión. Conclusiones: los germinados y las pastas alimenticias con inclusión del 10% constituyen dos alternativas de uso del sorgo para alimentación humana.

Objective: To evaluate the chemical composition and in-vitro digestibility of native and germinated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and to elaborate pasta with 10, 15, 20% of native sorghum flour. Materials and methods: We determined proximate composition, total starch and in-vitro digestibility of starch of fodder sorghum seeds, HF-895 hybrid. Content of protein and total starch was analyzed in granulometric fractions of the sorghum flour. Pasta was subject to cooking tests. Results: Composition of native sorghum is within the established parameters of sorghum for human consumption. Germination process decreased moisture and fat, and did not produce significant changes in the content of protein, ashes and dietary fiber. Starch hydrolysis speed was higher in germinated seeds. There were significant differences regarding protein and starch granulometric fractions content. Pastas with 10% of native sorghum flour showed the lowest percentage of soluble solids. Water absorption index was the same for all levels of sorghum flour inclusion. Conclusions: Germinated and pastas with 10% of sorghum are two alternatives of sorghum use for human nutrition.