2013 Annual Report
Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products can be more vulnerable to cross-contamination due to multiple steps involved in preparation. The newly designed antimicrobial coatings and films with chitosan and lauric arginate ester significantly reduced Listeria innocua and Salmonella on RTE deli meat products. Combining antimicrobial coatings or films with steam flash pasteurization further reduced L. innocua, achieving more than 99.999% reduction of L. innocua.
Chlorine is a commonly used chemical sanitizer in the food industry. However, harmful chemical by-products may be formed from chlorine reacting with organic materials. The formation of trichloromethane, a chlorine by-product, was evaluated in fresh-cut produce and wash water. Results suggested that more than 10 times higher levels of trichloromethane were detected in wash water than actual fresh-cut lettuce.
Antibrowning solutions contaminated with L. monocytogenes have resulted in recalls of cut fruit in recent years. Several antimicrobials and antibrowning compounds were tested using a central composite design to optimize formulations to preserve the freshness of cut apple while inactivating L. monocytogenes. Most of the experiments have been completed and data are being analyzed.
Antimicrobials applied as a coating onto the inner surface of packages need to migrate into packaged food to exert their effect on pathogenic bacteria. The releasing kinetics of two common antimicrobials (benzoate and sorbate) was tested in models systems. Significantly higher amount of benzoate (~800 ppm) compared to sorbate (~500 ppm) was detected in water media from the bottle coating. Migration of these antimicrobial into water followed a first order kinetics.
High pressure processing (HPP) is an approved non-thermal pasteurization process that can inactivate pathogens and undesirable spoilage enzymes with minimal alteration of sensory and nutritional qualities. Freshly prepared mixed fruit salad, artificially inoculated with three strains mixture of Salmonella Stanley, S. Newport, and S. Saintpaul, was treated with HPP at various pressures and times. At a pressure of 300 megapascal and temperature of 25 C, a 5-min HPP treatment inactivated 99.999% of three strains mixture of S. Stanley, S. Newport, and S. Saintpaul in freshly prepared mixed fruit salad.
Yun, J., Fan, X., Li, X. 2013. Inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and quality maintenance of cherry tomatoes treated with gaseous essential oils. Journal of Food Science. 78(3)458-464.
Guo, M., Yang, R., Antenucci, R., Mills, B., Cassidy, J.M., Scullen, O.J., Sites, J.E., Rajkowski, K.T., Sommers, C.H., Jin, Z.T. 2013. Inactivation of natural microflora and Listeria innocua on raw whole shrimp by ozonated water, antimicrobial coatings, and cryogenic freezing. Food Control. 34:24-30.
Jin, Z.T., Gurtler, J., Li, S. 2013. Development of antimicrobial coatings for improving the microbiological safety and quality of shell eggs. Journal of Food Protection. 76(5)779-785.
Sampedro, F., Mcaloon, A.J., Yee, W.C., Fan, X., Zhang, H.Q., Geveke, D.J. 2013. Cost analysis of commercial pasteurization of orange juice by pulsed electric fields. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies. 17:72-78.
Yun, J., Li, X., Fan, X., Zhang, M., Il, W. 2012. Growth and quality of soybean sprouts (Glycine max L. Merrill) as affected by gamma irradiation. Journal of Radiation Physics and Chemistry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2012.09.004.
Yuk, H., Sampedro, F., Fan, X., Geveke, D.J. 2012. Nonthermal processing of orange juice using a pilot-plant scale supercritical carbon dioxide system with a gas-liquid metal contactor. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. DOI:10.1111/jfpp.12013.
Ukuku, D.O., Mukhopadhyay, S., Onwulata, C.I. 2013. Effect of storage temperature on survival and recovery of thermal and extrusion injured Escherichia coli populations in whey protein concentrate and corn meal. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. Volume 10(1):62-68.
Li, W., Jin, Z.T., Liu, L.S. 2012. Antimicrobial activity of allyl isothiocyanate used to coat biodegradable composite films as affected by storage and handling conditions. Journal of Food Protection. 75(12):2234-2237.
Ray, S., Jin, Z.T., Fan, X., Liu, L.S., Yam, K. 2013. Development of chlorine dioxide releasing film and its application in decontaminating fresh produce. Journal of Food Science. 78(2):M276-M284.
Guan, W., Fan, X., Yan, R. 2013. Effects of combination of ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide on inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, native microbial loads, and quality of button mushrooms. Food Control. 34:554-559.
Juneja, V.K., Mukhopadhyay, S., Marks, H.L., Mohr, T., Warning, A., Datta, A. 2013. Predictive thermal inactivation model for effects and interactions of temperature, NaCl, sodium pyrophosphate and sodium lactate on Listeria monocytogenes in ground beef. Food and Bioprocess Technology. DOI:10.1007/s11947-013-1102-z.
Mukhopadhyay, S., Ukuku, D.O., Fan, X., Juneja, V.K. 2013. Efficacy of integrated treatment of UV light and low dose gamma irradiation on Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica on grape tomatoes. Journal of Food Science. DOI:10.1111/1750-3841.12154.
Fan, X. 2012. Irradiation of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables: quality and shelf-life. Book Chapter. 274-294. In. Fan, X and Sommers, C.H. (eds.): Food Irradiation: Research and Technology, 2nd Edition. Willy-Blackwell, West Sussex, United Kingdom. 446 pp.
Fan, X. 2012. Radiation chemistry of major food components. Book Chapter. 75-98. In: Fan, X and Sommers, C.H. (eds.): Food Irradiation: Research and Technology, 2nd Edition. Willy-Blackwell, West Sussex, United Kingdom. 446 pp.
Igual, M., Sampedro, F., Martinez-Navarrete, N., Fan, X. 2013. Combined osmodehydration and high pressure processing on the enzyme stability and antioxidant capacity of a grapefruit jam. Journal of Food Engineering. 114:514-521.
Guo, M., Scullen, O.J., Sommers, C.H., Jin, Z.T. 2013. Effects of antimicrobial coatings and cryogenic freezing on survival and growth of Listeria innocua on frozen ready-to-eat shrimp during thawing. Journal of Food Science. 78(8):1195-1200.