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Donkor ES, Sosah FK, Odoom A, Odai BT, Kunadu APH. How Long Do Microorganisms Survive and Persist in Food? A Systematic Review. Microorganisms 2025; 13:901. [PMID: 40284737 PMCID: PMC12029915 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13040901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2024] [Revised: 01/13/2025] [Accepted: 01/14/2025] [Indexed: 04/29/2025] Open
Abstract
Foodborne illnesses caused by microorganisms pose a significant threat to public health. Understanding the survival and persistence of these microorganisms in various food matrices is crucial for developing effective control strategies. This systematic review aims to address the current knowledge gaps related to the duration of survival and persistence of microbial pathogens in food, as well as the impact of external environmental conditions on their viability. A comprehensive search was conducted across major databases, including studies published until 3 June 2024. The PRISMA guidelines were followed to ensure a systematic and transparent approach. Foodborne bacteria, such as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7, were found to persist for extended durations, ranging from days to over a year. The mean duration of persistence for all of the bacteria was 246 days, whereas the survival duration was 16 days. Bacterial survival and persistence were significantly influenced by temperature, with warmer conditions (>25 °C) generally supporting longer persistence. Relative humidity also played a role, with low-humidity environments (<50% RH) favouring the survival of pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli. In contrast, viruses, such as hepatitis A virus and Human norovirus, showed only survival patterns, with average durations of 21 days and temperature being the primary environmental factor influencing their survival. Overall, this review provides evidence that a wide range of microbial pathogens, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and the hepatitis A virus, can survive and persist in food for prolonged periods, leading to potential harm. These insights underscore the necessity of stringent food safety measures and continuous monitoring to mitigate the risks posed by these resilient pathogens, contributing to a safer and more secure food supply chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Donkor
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle Bu, Accra P.O. Box KB 4236, Ghana; (F.K.S.); (A.O.)
| | - Famous K. Sosah
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle Bu, Accra P.O. Box KB 4236, Ghana; (F.K.S.); (A.O.)
| | - Alex Odoom
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle Bu, Accra P.O. Box KB 4236, Ghana; (F.K.S.); (A.O.)
| | - Bernard T. Odai
- Radiation Technology Centre, Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra P.O. Box LG 80, Ghana;
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Anyogu A, Somorin YM, Oladipo AO, Raheem S. Food safety issues associated with sesame seed value chains: Current status and future perspectives. Heliyon 2024; 10:e36347. [PMID: 39253262 PMCID: PMC11381738 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an oilseed crop which is increasingly recognised as a functional food by consumers due to its nutritional and nutraceutical components. Consequently, global demand for sesame has increased significantly over the last three decades. Sesame is an important export crop in producing countries, contributing to their socio-economic development. However, in recent years, major foodborne incidents have been associated with imported sesame seeds and products made with these seeds. Foodborne hazards are a potential risk to consumer health and hinder international trade due to border rejections and increased import controls. An insight into the routes of contamination of these hazards across the value chain and factors affecting persistence may lead to more focused intervention and prevention strategies. It was observed that Salmonella is a significant microbial hazard in imported sesame seeds and has been associated with several global outbreaks. Sesame is mainly cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia by smallholder farmers. Agricultural and manufacturing practices during harvesting, storage, and processing before export may allow for the contamination of sesame seeds with Salmonella. However, only a few studies collect data on the microbiological quality of sesame across the value chain in producing countries. In addition, the presence of mycotoxins and pesticides above regulatory limits in sesame seeds is a growing concern. Eliminating foodborne hazards in the sesame value chain requires urgent attention from researchers, producers, processors, and regulators and suggestions for improving the safety of these foods are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarachukwu Anyogu
- Food Safety and Security, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London, London, W5 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Yinka M Somorin
- University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological Science, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Abigail Oluseye Oladipo
- Food Safety and Security, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London, London, W5 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Saki Raheem
- School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, W1W 6UW, United Kingdom
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Fay ML, Salazar JK, Ren Y, Wu Z, Mate M, Khouja BA, Lingareddygari P, Liggans G. Growth Kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica on Dehydrated Vegetables during Rehydration and Subsequent Storage. Foods 2023; 12:2561. [PMID: 37444299 DOI: 10.3390/foods12132561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Dehydrated vegetables have low water activities and do not support the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Once rehydrated, vegetables can be incorporated into other foods or held for later use. The aim of this study was to examine the survival and proliferation of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica on dehydrated vegetables during rehydration and subsequent storage. Carrots, corn, onion, bell peppers, and potatoes were heat dehydrated, inoculated at 4 log CFU/g, and rehydrated at either 5 or 25 °C for 24 h. Following rehydration, vegetables were stored at 5, 10, or 25 °C for 7 d. Both L. monocytogenes and S. enterica survived on all vegetables under all conditions examined. After 24 h of rehydration at 5 °C, pathogen populations on the vegetables were generally <1.70 log CFU/g, whereas rehydration at 25 °C resulted in populations of 2.28 to 6.25 log CFU/g. The highest growth rates during storage were observed by L. monocytogenes on potatoes and S. enterica on carrots (2.37 ± 0.61 and 1.63 ± 0.18 log CFU/g/d, respectively) at 25 °C when rehydration occurred at 5 °C. Results indicate that pathogen proliferation on the vegetables is both rehydration temperature and matrix dependent and highlight the importance of holding rehydrated vegetables at refrigeration temperatures to hinder pathogen proliferation. Results from this study inform time and temperature controls for the safety of these food products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Fay
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Joelle K Salazar
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Yuying Ren
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Zihui Wu
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Madhuri Mate
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Bashayer A Khouja
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Pravalika Lingareddygari
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL 60501, USA
| | - Girvin Liggans
- Office of Food Safety, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA
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Fay ML, Salazar JK, Zhang X, Zhou X, Stewart D. Long-Term Survival of Listeria monocytogenes in Nut, Seed, and Legume Butters. J Food Prot 2023; 86:100094. [PMID: 37086973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
Nut, seed, and legume butters have become increasingly popular with consumers. Listeria monocytogenes contamination of a variety of butters has resulted in several recalls, although no known outbreaks have been identified. L. monocytogenes has been shown to survive on a variety of seeds for up to 6 months, legumes and nuts for over 12 months, and in peanut butter and peanut-chocolate spreads for 21 to 60 weeks depending on formulation; however, long-term survival in other butters has not yet been characterized. In this study, the survival of L. monocytogenes in various nut, seed, legume, and chocolate-containing butters (n=10) based on inoculation level, storage temperature, and the pH, aw, and nutrient contents of the butters, was examined. First, butters were inoculated with L. monocytogenes at 4 log CFU/g and stored at either 5 or 25°C with enumeration and/or enrichment at intervals over 12 months. L. monocytogenes survived in all butters examined with no significant change in population after storage at 5°C, whereas the population was reduced to <1.70 log CFU/g in as little as 3 months at 25°C; the only exception was for sunflower butter, where L. monocytogenes decreased approximately 1 log CFU/g. Subsequently, all butters were inoculated at 1 log CFU/g and stored at 25°C for 6 months with enrichment during storage. L. monocytogenes was detected in all butters, except pecan butter, after 6-month storage. Butters containing chocolate did not inhibit L. monocytogenes survival, regardless of the inoculation level. Results indicate there may be association between high fat and carbohydrate level and survivability of L. monocytogenes in various types of butters. This work highlights the need to mitigate the potential for cross-contamination of L. monocytogenes into nut, seed, and legume butters due to the potential for long-term survival. Running title: Listeria survival in butters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Fay
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL, USA
| | - Joelle K Salazar
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL, USA.
| | - Xinyuan Zhang
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute for Food Safety and Health, Bedford Park, IL, USA
| | - Xinyi Zhou
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute for Food Safety and Health, Bedford Park, IL, USA
| | - Diana Stewart
- Division of Food Processing Science and Technology, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Bedford Park, IL, USA
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Microbiological Testing by Industry of Ready-to-Eat Foods under FDA's Jurisdiction for Pathogens (or Appropriate Indicator Organisms): Verification of Preventive Controls. J Food Prot 2022; 85:1646-1666. [PMID: 36099067 DOI: 10.4315/jfp-22-143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Tuytschaever T, Jacxsens L, De Boeck E, Uyttendaele M. Microbiological characteristics and applied preservation method of novel ready-to-eat vegetarian spreads and dips. Food Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Sharma R, Singh A, Yemmireddy V. Effect of storage relative humidity on the survival kinetics of salmonella spp., in different tree nut flours. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
This project was undertaken to determine the kinetic parameters of thermal inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on pecans, macadamia nuts, and sunflower seeds subjected to heat treatments simulating industry processes. Five strains were grown in nonselective medium, mixed, and resuspended before inoculating macadamia nuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds (6 to 9 Log CFU/g). Redried inoculated pecans and macadamia nuts were heated in an oven at a temperature range of 90 to 140°C. Unshelled sunflower seeds were heated in sunflower seed oil. The thermal inactivation was determined by measuring viable cell counts using standard microbiological methods. Average count data were fit to the log-linear model, and thermal-death kinetics were calculated. On pecans, the viable Listeria counts were reduced by 3 and 3.5 Log CFU/g after 40 min at 110°C and 8 min at 140°C, respectively. On macadamia nuts, the L. monocytogenes population was reduced by 5 Log CFU/g after 20 min at 120°C. Unshelled sunflower seeds were subjected to heat treatment via a hot-oil bath. On sunflower seeds, >7 Log CFU/g reductions were observed after 15 min at 120°C. The thermal resistance (D value) for inactivation on pecans at 140°C was 3.1 min and on macadamia nuts at 120°C was 4.4 min. The inactivation of L. monocytogenes was influenced by the kind of nut or seed. These results suggest that L. monocytogenes has a relatively high thermal tolerance. The findings from this study will contribute to the assessment of the effectiveness of heat treatment for control of this pathogen on nuts and seeds. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is a major concern for the food industry in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. In recent years, large-scale recalls have occurred with contaminated sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts that triggered product withdrawals. These events stress the importance of understanding Listeria's ability to survive heat treatments in these low-water activity foods. Nuts and seeds are subjected to a variety of thermal treatments typically referred as roasting. To date, no listeriosis outbreak has been linked to nuts and seeds, but the recent recognition that this pathogen can be detected in commercial products stresses the need for research on thermal treatments. The characterization of heat inactivation kinetics at temperatures typically used during roasting processes will be very beneficial for validation studies. This manuscript reports inactivation rates of L. monocytogenes strains inoculated onto macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, and pecan halves subjected to temperatures between 90 and 140°C.
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