Journal of food protection最新文献

{"title":"Dietary Risk Assessment and Classification Model Based on Trace Elemental Analysis in Commercially Available Dried Seaweed Products","authors":"Jakob Avi Shimshoni ,&nbsp;Yuliana Andrushenko ,&nbsp;Orit Gal Garber ,&nbsp;Vasiliy V. Rosen","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100509","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100509","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seaweed, particularly kombu, wakame, and nori, has become increasingly popular food in Western nations. In the present study, commercially available edible seaweeds (<em>n</em> = 100), imported from China and South Korea, and purchased from local supermarkets in Tel Aviv, Israel, were analyzed in a recent study to assess 22 trace element concentrations for consumer health risk assessment and to construct an authenticity classification. Trace elements showed a broad concentration range, with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), and tin (Sn) levels exceeding previously reported averages by at least double. Nori contained more Cu, vanadium (V), and molybdenum (Mo), while kombu and wakame had significantly higher iodine and total arsenic (total As) levels. Despite negligible health risks from chronic exposure to toxic elements, weekly chronic consumption of kombu and wakame may expose consumers to hazardous concentrations of iodine. In fact, kombu increased weekly iodine intake by 400–800%, and wakame by 159% and 95% in children and adults, respectively. Hence, regular consumption by children of 5 g of kombu seaweed per week, which corresponds to the average weekly intake of dried seaweed in the European population, is strongly discouraged. As for wakame, the consumption should be limited to no more than once a month, particularly for children. Finally, the study successfully classified the types of seaweed, showcasing the potential for an authenticity method for seaweed products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100509"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of Two Outbreaks of Hepatitis A Virus Infections Linked to Fresh and Frozen Strawberries Imported from Mexico – 2022–2023","authors":"Monica McClure ,&nbsp;Margaret Kirchner ,&nbsp;Tiffany Greenlee ,&nbsp;Sharon Seelman ,&nbsp;Asma Madad ,&nbsp;Johnson Nsubuga ,&nbsp;Ana Lilia Sandoval ,&nbsp;Timothy Jackson ,&nbsp;Mary Tijerina ,&nbsp;Grace Tung ,&nbsp;Kurt Nolte ,&nbsp;Alexandre J. da Silva ,&nbsp;Jeffrey Read ,&nbsp;Vanessa Noelte ,&nbsp;Jacquelina Woods ,&nbsp;Angela Swinford ,&nbsp;Jessica L. Jones ,&nbsp;Melanie LaGrossa ,&nbsp;Crystal McKenna ,&nbsp;Efstathia Papafragkou ,&nbsp;Stelios Viazis","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100505","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100505","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Foodborne hepatitis A illnesses and outbreaks have been associated with the consumption of ready-to-eat foods contaminated with the feces of person(s) shedding hepatitis A virus (HAV). Outbreaks have been linked to fresh and frozen produce imported from countries where HAV is endemic, hygiene and sanitation are inadequate, or food safety standards are lacking or unenforced. In 2022 and 2023, federal, state, and international partners investigated two multijurisdictional outbreaks of infections involving the same HAV genotype IA strain linked to fresh and frozen organic strawberries sourced from a single grower in Baja California, Mexico. These resulted in 39 reported cases in the U.S. and Canada, 21 hospitalizations, and no reported deaths. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and U.S. state partners conducted traceback investigations for fresh strawberries in 2022, while FDA and U.S. state partners traced back frozen strawberries in 2023. Based on the traceback investigations, implicated strawberries were harvested during the 2022 growing season and sold to fresh and frozen berry markets. During a farm inspection in Mexico in 2023, gaps were observed in agricultural practices that could have contributed to the contamination of strawberries with HAV. FDA did not detect HAV in the two frozen strawberry samples linked to the recalled lots or environmental water samples collected at the implicated grower in 2023; no samples were collected during the 2022 investigation. Indicator organisms associated with human fecal contamination (male-specific coliphage and crAssphge) were detected in environmental water. Challenges in these investigations included limited recall of food exposures, exposures associated with multiple purchase dates, commingling of strawberries within the frozen market supply chains, and complexities with communicating these outbreak investigations to the public.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100505"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143867909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differences in Salmonella Serotypes in Broiler Chickens Within and Between Slaughter Establishments in the United States","authors":"Michael S. Williams ,&nbsp;Eric D. Ebel ,&nbsp;Kis Robertson-Hale ,&nbsp;Sheryl L. Shaw ,&nbsp;Bonnie W. Kissler","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There are more than 2500 serotypes of <em>Salmonella enterica</em>. One interesting feature of this bacterium is that regardless of whether samples are collected from food commodities, a single animal species, humans, or a specific environmental setting, only about 5 serotypes constitute 50% or more of all positive samples. Another interesting feature of <em>Salmonella</em> is that the most common serotypes are not consistent across time or broad geographic region. Examples of this phenomenon are that <em>Salmonella</em> Heidelberg was the third most common serotype found in United States human illness cases in 1996, but the 53rd most common serotype in 2022. An example of serotype-specific spatial clustering is the occurrence of <em>Salmonella</em> Weltevreden predominantly in continental Southeast Asia. Clustering in space and time presents opportunities to control more pathogenic serotypes. In this study, data from a seven-month survey of broiler chicken carcass production in the United States are used to assess how the occurrence of the dominant serotypes changes as carcasses move through the production process. Samples were collected at rehang and postchill, with the number of positive samples at each location being 2909 and 233, respectively. Different intervention strategies may impact specific serotypes differently. Additional analyses demonstrate how serotypes are clustered (or not) as a function of production volume and corporate ownership. Understanding how the occurrence of serotypes varies across the industry can provide insights into factors that lead to the clustering of specific serotypes and has the potential to help identify intervention strategies that effectively reduce the risk of human salmonellosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100506"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effects of Sampling Sites, Collection Time, and Refrigerated Storage Duration on Microbiota of Raw Milk From a Chinese Dairy Farm: An Exploratory Study","authors":"Han Lu ,&nbsp;Chongshu Dang ,&nbsp;Ruonan Liu ,&nbsp;Shufei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuling Xue ,&nbsp;Lili Feng ,&nbsp;Yaoguang Zhang ,&nbsp;Yan Wu ,&nbsp;Shijie Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Raw milk is the primary material for all dairy products, making it imperative to characterize and monitor its microbial composition to ensure product quality. To investigate microbial contamination from pasture to processing facilities and establish microbial traceability systems, eighty-seven raw milk samples were collected from a dairy farm in Shijiazhuang of China in August. The raw milk samples were categorized into three experimental groups based on: sampling sites along the production chain (manual milking, buffer tank, filter, refrigeration tank, milk truck, and plant factory), sampling time (before dawn, morning, noon, and afternoon), and refrigeration storage (0–72 h at 12 h intervals). The microbiota were evaluated by 16S rRNA sequencing. The results identified <em>Pseudomonas</em>, <em>Lactobacillus</em>, and <em>Prevotella</em> as the predominant bacterial genera across all sampling conditions<em>.</em> The α-diversity (Shannon and Chao1) and β-diversity analysis jointly revealed significant differences in microbial communities of raw milk samples. Specifically, raw milk collected from milk truck showed distinct bacterial communities compared with upstream collecting points, while morning-collected samples showed marked compositional differences from other time points. These findings were consistently supported by cluster heatmap analysis. In addition, the relative abundance of <em>Pseudomonas</em> in raw milk decreased but <em>Lactococcus</em> and <em>Serratia</em> increased with refrigerated time (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This inverse relationship was further evidenced in cooccurrence network showing a strong negative correlation between <em>Lactococcus</em>, <em>Serratia</em>, and <em>Pseudomonas</em>. These results indicated where and when (after being transported to milk truck and in the morning) we need to alert owing to potential contamination in raw milk. Our results also suggested that psychrotrophic bacteria in raw milk should be paid attention, especially <em>Pseudomonas</em> during early refrigerated storage and <em>Serratia</em> during late refrigerated storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100504"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formation of Antibacterial Maillard Reaction Products From D-xylose and L-phenylalanine During Stewing Cooking","authors":"Hitomi Hirakawa ,&nbsp;Hiroshi Ono ,&nbsp;Junko Shinozaki ,&nbsp;Kento Koyama ,&nbsp;Shigenobu Koseki","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maillard reaction products (MRPs) produced by heating D-xylose and L-phenylalanine at 121 °C for 1 h have been reported to inhibit the growth of <em>Bacillus cereus</em> and <em>Clostridium perfringens</em>. This study investigated whether MRPs with antibacterial effects could be formed during the stewing cooking of foods at ambient pressure and inhibit spore-forming bacteria in dishes. MRPs were successfully produced by heating D-xylose and L-phenylalanine in phosphate buffer at ambient pressure (&lt;100 °C), with antibacterial effects increasing with temperature, heating time, and substrate concentration. During stewing, MRPs formed at 95 °C for 1–3 h delayed the growth of <em>B. cereus</em> and <em>C. perfringens</em> to an infection dose (10⁶ CFU/mL) during 25 °C storage. For <em>B. cereus,</em> delays were 9.8, 20.3, and 28.5 h in soup curry and 7.4, 15.3, and 26.1 h in beef bowl. For <em>C. perfringens,</em> 1-hour heating delayed growth by ∼13.6 h, while 2- and 3-hour heating suppressed growth to insufficient levels to calculate the time to reach the infection dose. Sensory evaluation revealed that while MRP production had minimal impact on food appearance, it negatively affected smell. Despite this limitation, the simple method of heating D-xylose and L-phenylalanine during stewing offers a promising approach to control spore-forming bacteria in cooked dishes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100503"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Updated Assessment of State Food Safety Laws for Norovirus Outbreak Prevention in the United States","authors":"Anita K. Kambhampati ,&nbsp;E. Rickamer Hoover ,&nbsp;Lisa A. Landsman ,&nbsp;Beth C. Wittry ,&nbsp;Laura G. Brown ,&nbsp;Sara A. Mirza","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Foodborne norovirus outbreaks are often associated with food contamination during preparation by an ill employee. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code outlines food safety provisions to prevent illness transmission in food establishments. An updated full version of the Food Code is released every four years; adoption of specific provisions is at the discretion of state governments.</div><div>Food safety laws of the 50 states and District of Columbia (51 jurisdictions) were assessed for adoption as of March 2020, of four norovirus-related provisions included in the 2017 Food Code: (1) prohibition of barehand contact with ready-to-eat (RTE) food, (2) exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea, (3) person in charge being a certified food protection manager (CFPM), and (4) written response plan for vomiting or diarrheal events. We compared the frequency of adoption of the 2017 Food Code provisions to a previous assessment of adoption of these provisions in the 2013 Food Code.</div><div>Prohibition of barehand contact with RTE food was adopted by 45 jurisdictions (88%), an increase from 39 jurisdictions (76%) in the previous analysis. Forty jurisdictions (78%) required exclusion of food employees with vomiting or diarrhea for ≥24 h after symptom cessation, an increase from 30 jurisdictions (59%). Provisions requiring the person in charge to be a CFPM and written response plan for contamination events were new to the 2017 Food Code; 5 jurisdictions (10%) required the person in charge to be a CFPM and 9 (18%) required a written response plan.</div><div>Adoption of provisions prohibiting barehand contact with RTE food and requiring exclusion of ill food employees increased. Newer provisions, requiring a person in charge to be a CFPM and a written contamination response plan, were not as widely adopted. Increased adoption of Food Code provisions and improved compliance may decrease norovirus transmission in food establishments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 5","pages":"Article 100501"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using a Dose-Response Approach on the Growth of Food–Borne Pathogens in Feces of Cattle Fed Three Different Direct-Fed Rations Reveals the Efficacy of Lactobacillus salivarius L28","authors":"Erin M. Castelli ,&nbsp;David L. Campos ,&nbsp;Andrea English ,&nbsp;Kendra K. Nightingale ,&nbsp;Mindy M. Brashears","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100502","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100502","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the past two decades, the use of probiotics in livestock production has significantly increased. Direct-fed microbials (DFMs) have become popular in beef cattle production due to consumer demand for more natural meat alternatives. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the dose-response of L28 at concentrations of 6, 7, and 8 log CFU/mL to inhibit the growth of STEC and <em>S. enterica</em> in cattle manure, and (2) assess tylosin and monensin in cattle manure and the efficacy of L28 in pathogen inhibition. Fecal samples were collected from cattle fed three different rations: (1) monensin and tylosin (MONTY), (2) monensin with L28 (MONPRO), and (3) no L28, tylosin or monensin (BASE). Sterilized fecal samples were inoculated with a cocktail mixture of three Shiga toxin-producing <em>Escherichia coli</em> (STEC) or <em>Salmonella enterica</em> (<em>S. enterica</em>) strains to an initial concentration of 3.0–4.0 log CFU/g. To evaluate the dose-response, <em>Lactobacillus salivarius</em> (<em>L. salivarius</em>) L28 was applied at concentrations of 6, 7, and 8 log CFU/ml. For <em>S. enterica</em>, the (BASE) ration had a significant treatment time effect at 12 h and 24 h with L28 at a dose of 8 log CFU (<em>p</em> = 0.01, <em>p</em> = 0.03). For STECs, the (BASE) had a similar effect, however, not significant for 24 h (<em>p</em> = 0.7).</div><div>A dose of 8 log CFU/mL reduced <em>S. enterica</em> growth in manure samples by 1.3–4.2 log CFU/g compared to BASE. While <em>L. salivarius</em> does not completely prevent bacterial growth, it effectively reduces foodborne pathogens. Using <em>L. salivarius</em> in beef products offers a natural alternative to antibiotics, benefiting both consumers and the beef industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100502"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143743022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporality and Genetic Relatedness of Salmonella in a Pork Processing Facility","authors":"A.E. Asmus ,&nbsp;K.M. Heimer ,&nbsp;K.W. Davis ,&nbsp;P.M. Ferm ,&nbsp;K.E. Belk ,&nbsp;R.S. Singer ,&nbsp;T.J. Johnson ,&nbsp;N.R. Noyes","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100500","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100500","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genetic relatedness of <em>Salmonella enterica</em> in meat and contact surfaces from two processing lines at a pork processing plant over a commercial production schedule. Across 192 samples, there was no significant difference in <em>Salmonella</em> prevalence between Bootjack Trim (BJ) and Boston Butt Trim (BBT) meat (11.5% vs. 11.5%, <em>P</em> = 1.0), though prevalence was higher in meat than on contact surfaces for both the BJ (11.5% vs. 0%, <em>P</em> = 0.01) and BBT (11.5% vs. 3.1%, <em>P</em> = 0.08) processing lines. Both <em>Salmonella</em> prevalence and identified serotypes clustered within four distinct processing windows that spanned multiple dates and processing lines. Phylogenetic analysis using core single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified a highly related <em>Salmonella</em> I4,[5],12:i:- strain (<em>N</em> = 33, 0–2 SNPs difference across all isolates) in both the BJ and BBT lines, persisting over consecutive days within one processing window. Similarly, a highly related <em>Salmonella</em> London strain (<em>N</em> = 18, 0–1 SNPs) was found across both processing lines on three processing dates that spanned 28 days. Additional highly related strains of <em>Salmonella</em> Typhimurium (<em>N</em> = 8, 0–1 SNPs) and <em>Salmonella</em> Agona (<em>N</em> = 7, 0–3 SNPs) were also detected across multiple dates. Strains of <em>S.</em> I4,[5],12:i:- and <em>S.</em> London were genetically distinct (&gt;30 SNPs) from publicly available genomes from isolates obtained from other pork processing plants located in the Upper Midwest. Overall, findings suggested that <em>Salmonella</em> prevalence varies across processing lines and production schedules. However, the high phylogenetic relatedness among the <em>Salmonella</em> serotypes suggests a common source may have been present prior to each primal cut being processed into subprimal cuts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 5","pages":"Article 100500"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143743017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survivability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43888 and Enterococcus faecium ATCC 8459 in a Hydrocolloid Gel Bar Model and Macronutrient Bar Model in Response to Vacuum Microwave Drying and Storage","authors":"Dominique Pacitto-Reilly,&nbsp;Genevieve Flock","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100499","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100499","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the microbial safety of Vacuum Microwave Drying (VMD) and 30 days storage at 25 °C on survivability of <em>Escherichia coli</em> O157:H7 ATCC 43888 and <em>Enterococcus faecium</em> ATCC 8459 in a nutritionally minimal bar model and macronutrient bar model. Sodium alginate hydrocolloid gel bars were inoculated with each microorganism and underwent processing in a 2 kW VMD and subsequent storage at 25 °C for 10 days in sealed bags to determine the impact of VMD on bacteria without the influence of a nutritionally dense food matrix. Additionally, the effects of macronutrient concentration on organism survivability during processing and storage were tested using a peanut butter banana bar formulated to contain high carbohydrate, high protein, or high-fat content. The macronutrient bars were inoculated with each microorganism and underwent VMD with subsequent storage at 25 °C for up to 30 days in sealed bags. Results of the hydrocolloid gel model showed that in a nutritionally minimal food matrix, both microorganisms were susceptible to VMD with additional loss of each microorganism during storage. Results showed the entire loss of <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 by day 10 of storage. In the macronutrient bar study, <em>E. faecium</em> had minimal susceptibility to VMD and storage at 30 days while <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 had minimal susceptibility to VMD with greater susceptibility to storage for 30 days. There was a significant difference (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) in log loss comparing <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 VMD processed and unprocessed bars and minimal significance comparing <em>E. faecium</em> VMD processed and unprocessed bars. Water activity and moisture content at storage timepoints had no observed correlation with pathogen survivability in either study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 6","pages":"Article 100499"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143743013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and Effectiveness of a Novel Food Safety Toolkit for Low-Literacy Novice Food Handlers","authors":"Karla M. Acosta,&nbsp;Alberto A. Beiza,&nbsp;Isabella Raschke,&nbsp;Zhihong Lin,&nbsp;Juan M. Madera,&nbsp;Mary Dawson,&nbsp;Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz,&nbsp;Sujata A. Sirsat","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100496","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The state of Texas announced a requirement for all foodservice employees to pursue an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certified food handler training in September 2016. However, the effectiveness of ANSI-certified food safety training for low-literacy novice food handlers has not been investigated. Low-literacy novice food handlers are those who have some familiarity with the field but may not have the literacy level or may have a language barrier that is as an obstacle to completing the training and/or certification. This study aimed to develop a novel food safety training toolkit (NTK) as a supplementary resource to existing ANSI-certified training tools and evaluate its effectiveness in improving food handlers’ knowledge retention and certification. To achieve this, a mixed-method study was conducted. For the first part of the research, one-on-one interviews were conducted with foodservice stakeholders (managers, sanitarians, owners) to identify the gaps and needs that exist in the current food safety training system. In the second part of the research, NTK was synthesized and designed with clear illustrations and drawings based on previous education and training literature. A between-subjects experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of NTK on food handlers’ food safety knowledge. Results showed that the participants’ overall food safety knowledge significantly increased due to NTK when compared to the control group. This study is distinctive because it directly responds to the needs of the foodservice industry, and the study output (NTK) can serve as the cornerstone to fill the gap in current food safety training for low-literacy or novice food handlers in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 5","pages":"Article 100496"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}