Growth of Staphylococcus aureus in cooked ready-to-eat ground fish as affected by inoculum size and potassium sorbate as food preservative

Prediction in the Dynamics and Spoilage of Shewanella putrefaciens in Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) by Gas Sensors Stored at Different Refrigeration Temperatures

Shewanella putrefaciens have a faster growth rate and strong spoilage potential at low temperatures for aquatic products. This study developed a nondestructive method for predicting the kinetic growth and spoilage of S. putrefaciens in bigeye tuna during cold storage at 4, 7 and 10 °C by electronic nose. According to the responses of electronic nose sensor P30/2, the fitted primary kinetic models (Gompertz and logistic models) and secondary model (square root function model) were able to better simulate the dynamic growth of S. putrefaciens, with high R² and low RMSE values in the range of 0.96–0.99 and 0.021–0.061, respectively. A partial least squares (PLS) regression model based on both electronic nose sensor response values and electrical conductivity (EC) values predicted spoilage of S. putrefaciens in bigeye tuna more accurately than the PLS model based on sensor signal values only. In addition, SPME/GC-MS analysis suggested that 1-octen-3-ol, 2-nonanone, 2-heptanone, dimethyl disulfide and methylamine, N, N-dimethyl- are the key VOCs of tuna inoculated with S. putrefaciens.

Kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus growth and Enterotoxin A production in milk under shaking and static conditions

Numerous studies on bacterial growth or survival predictive models have been conducted since the establishment of predictive microbiology. However, limited research focused on the prediction of bacteria-producing enterotoxins, which are often the causative agents of food-borne diseases. This study aimed to determine an appropriate kinetic model of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) production in milk after contamination with Staphylococcus aureus. An S. aureus strain producing SEA was inoculated into milk with an initial inoculum concentration of approximately 3.0 log CFU/mL. All samples were incubated for 30-48 h at 20 °C ± 1 °C, 28 °C ± 1 °C, and 36 °C ± 1 °C separately under shaking or static conditions. Duplicate samples were carried out at appropriate intervals to count the number of S. aureus colonies and detect the concentration of SEA. Experimental results showed that the SEA concentration curves under all experimental conditions were sigmoidal and consisted of three phases: lag, exponential, and stationary. Thus, the modified Gompertz model was used to describe the profile of SEA concentration in milk during the incubation. A good fitting accuracy (R² > 0.97) indicated that the modified Gompertz model was appropriate. In addition to temperature, shaking during incubation also affected the maximal production rate of SEA and the maximal SEA concentrations, and shortened the lag phase at lower incubation temperatures, suggesting that the mechanical movements (e.g., stirring, pumping, and flowing) during the milk processing would increase the risk of SEA occurrence. Besides, the time to detection (TTD) of SEA was found to range from 3 to 24.5 h at temperatures of 36 °C ± 1 °C-20 °C ± 1 °C, at which time the concentrations of S. aureus ranging from 5.0 log CFU/mL-6.9 log CFU/mL at the TTD. This study contributed to understanding the kinetics of SEA production and the possible factors affecting the synthesis of SEA during the manufacturing of liquid foods, such as milk.

Evaluation of the efficacy of nisin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against foodborne pathogens in orange juice

The current study aimed to fabricate nisin-loaded chitosan (N-CS) nanoparticles through ionic interactions between positive amino groups of chitosan and negatively charged tripolyphosphate ions in the presence of nisin and to evaluate their efficacy against foodborne pathogens in orange juice. The synthesized nanoparticles were sphere-shaped and homogenous with an average size of 64.34 ± 2.1 and 147.93 ± 2.9 for chitosan and N-CS nanoparticles, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency of nisin into nanoparticles was 67.32 ± 0.63%. Both chitosan and N-CS nanoparticles showed greater stability, as indicated by a higher zeta potential value of + 49.3 and + 33.4 mV, respectively. The in vitro antibacterial activities of chitosan and N-CS nanoparticles were investigated against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium. N-CS nanoparticles showed higher activity compared with chitosan nanoparticles. The highest reduction of microorganisms was recorded for S. aureus of 3.82 log CFU/ml and L. monocytogenes of 3.61 log CFU/ml. The antimicrobial activity of N-CS nanoparticles in orange juice for 48 h revealed higher activity compared with the control against all the tested strains. The highest microbial reduction was recorded for N-CS nanoparticles against S. aureus with a 3.84 log CFU/ml reduction. L. monocytogenes and E. coli 0157:H7 were reduced by 3.54 and 3.44 log CFU/ml, respectively. The results showed high potential for the N-CS nanoparticles to be used as potent antibacterial agents in food and other related areas.

Survival of Staphylococcus aureus in dried fish products as a function of temperature

We evaluated the survival ability of Staphylococcus aureus and the production of Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) in dried filefishes and julienned squid at 10°, 24°, and 35 °C for 5 months. S. aureus survived longer at 10 °C than 24° and 35 °C, and better in dried julienned squid than dried filefishes. At 35 °C, the populations of S. aureus were rapidly diminished and undetectable in dried filefishes and julienned squid after 14 and 19 days, respectively. SEA production did not increase during the 5-month storage period, regardless of the temperature and type of dried fish products. Although it is advised to store dried fish products at 10 °C for quality control in retail markets, refrigerated temperature is more likely to facilitate the survival of S. aureus in dried fish products. Thus, dried fish products should be produced and stored under hygienic conditions.