Journal of food protection最新文献

{"title":"Preparation Methods and Perceived Risk of Foodborne Illness Among Consumers of Prepackaged Frozen Vegetables – United States, September 2022","authors":"Michelle Canning ,&nbsp;Michael Ablan ,&nbsp;Tamara N. Crawford ,&nbsp;Amanda Conrad ,&nbsp;Alexandra Busbee ,&nbsp;Misha Robyn ,&nbsp;Katherine E. Marshall","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100440","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> causes listeriosis, a serious infection with a high mortality rate for persons at higher risk for listeriosis. The first <em>Listeria</em> outbreak linked to frozen vegetables occurred in 2016 and resulted in three deaths. Many frozen vegetables are intended to be consumed after cooking. However, data on consumer behavior are sparse. We characterized consumers’ perceptions of contamination of prepackaged frozen vegetables, and preparation methods of prepackaged frozen vegetables to help inform prevention strategies. During September 1–24, 2022, Porter Novelli Public Services conducted the FallStyles survey using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel. Data were weighted to be representative of the U.S. population. Point estimates and 95% CIs were calculated, and differences between respondents were determined using Wald chi square tests. Among 3,008 respondents reporting a preparation and consumption method for frozen vegetables, 8.7% (95% CI = 7.4–10.0%) reported ever consuming the product raw. Respondents who reported having children &lt; 18 years old were more likely to report ever consuming frozen vegetables raw compared with respondents who did not (12.5% vs. 7.4%, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). The most reported raw preparation method was adding them directly to a blender for smoothie or juice (5.6%; 95% CI = 4.6–6.7%). Among respondents who reported eating frozen vegetables, 59.6% (95% CI = 57.6–61.6%) reported following package instructions. A third (34.1% [95% CI = 32.2–35.9%]) of respondents agreed that frozen vegetables can be contaminated with germs (like <em>Salmonella</em>, <em>E. coli</em>, and <em>Listeria</em>), with a greater proportion of people with cancer disagreeing compared to those without cancer (32.5% vs 23.4%, <em>p</em> = 0.041). These findings show that some consumers may not be cooking frozen vegetables before eating them. Second, consumers might not be reading instructions on packaging. Both findings highlight the critical importance of preventive controls in the production of frozen vegetables prior to reaching the consumer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100440"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142877146","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":"Superheated Steam Can Rapidly Inactivate Bacteria, But Manual Operation of Commercial Units Resulted in Limited Efficacy During Dry Surface Sanitization","authors":"Jakob Baker ,&nbsp;Yadwinder Singh Rana ,&nbsp;Long Chen ,&nbsp;Maria Amalia Beary ,&nbsp;V.M. Balasubramaniam ,&nbsp;Abigail B. Snyder","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although bench-scale studies have shown that superheated steam is effective for microbial inactivation on surfaces, commercial systems in the hands of human operators have not been evaluated. The first aim of this study was to characterize the temperature of stainless-steel surfaces treated with a commercial unit. The geometric center of the stainless-steel surface was treated with superheated steam at 400 °C from a fixed position. Surface temperatures exceeded 300 °C at the impingement point during 5 min exposure but decreased as surface thickness and distance increased. Ambient temperature (23.5, 12.8, 4 °C) negatively impacted surface temperatures. Next, we evaluated the thermal inactivation of spot-inoculated <em>Enterococcus faecium</em> NRRL B-2354 on stainless steel surfaces. Inactivation of <em>E. faecium</em> decreased from 9.6 ± 0.1 log CFU/cm² after 10 s of treatment at the point of impingement to 2.8 ± 0.7 log CFU/cm² after 10 s of treatment at a distance 4.6 cm away from the impingement point (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Finally, we assessed the effects of training on manual operation by human subjects. Human subjects (<em>N</em> = 24) who completed trainings were asked to treat inoculated stainless-steel surfaces. While training improved manual operation of the unit and microbial inactivation of <em>E. faecium</em> (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), the highest average reduction achieved by human subjects was only 3.6 ± 1.3 log CFU/cm². These findings suggest that the tight radius of high surface temperatures around the nozzle limits the effectiveness of manually operated superheated steam units for microbial inactivation. Thus, equipment design improvements are needed to ensure uniform treatment and adequate surface sanitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100461"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123057","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":"Control of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in Apple Juice with Natural Antimicrobial Glycolipid","authors":"Rory Wang ,&nbsp;Rinrada Thammasuwan ,&nbsp;Katerina Roth ,&nbsp;Sasitorn Tongchitpakdee ,&nbsp;Randy Worobo","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food waste caused by microbial spoilage poses negative economic and environmental impact at a global level. <em>Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris</em> is a spore-forming, thermophilic bacterium that can cause spoilage in shelf-stable apple juice by producing off-odor compounds, including guaiacol. This study investigated the efficacies of natural glycolipid (NG), a novel antimicrobial, extracted from fungal fermentation, in controlling vegetative cells and spores of <em>A. acidoterrestris</em> in apple juice during storage at 25 °C and 45 °C. Apple juice was inoculated with vegetative cells or spores of <em>A. acidoterrestris</em>, and supplemented with 0, 10, 50, or 100 ppm NG. Half of the samples were subjected to heat treatment at 185°F (85 °C), and the other half were not. Samples were stored at 25 °C or 45 °C for 28 days with samplings on days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28. The minimum inhibitory concentration of NG was 4 and 8 ppm against spores and vegetative cells, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration of NG varied between strains, but was much higher than 100 ppm, which is the maximum recommended concentration for NG in juice and beverage products. During the 28-day storage, all tested concentrations of NG completely inhibited growth and outgrowth of <em>A. acidoterrestris</em> vegetative cells and spores at 45 °C, while the effect of NG was masked at 25 °C. Results also showed heating had some inhibitory effects against vegetative cells but not spores of <em>A. acidoterrestris</em>. In conclusion, we find NG suitable for inhibiting the growth of <em>A. acidoterrestris</em> in shelf-stable apple juice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100460"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123009","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":"Risk Categorization of Foods of Non-Animal Origin Subject to United Kingdom Import Controls","authors":"Amy Neill,&nbsp;J.Andrew Hudson,&nbsp;Andy Axon","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Significant volumes of foods are traded between countries, and this trade brings with it opportunities for foodborne hazards to cross borders and pose a public health risk. The Competent Authority in the importing country has a duty to protect its population from these foodborne hazards. Due to the high volumes of imported food as well as World Trade Organization requirements, border checks need to be prioritized in a risk-based manner. This represents an enormous practical challenge to which efficient solutions are required. This paper describes an approach to risk categorization and ranking of imported Foods of Non-Animal Origin on a food/country of origin/hazard (combination) basis. Combinations were scored using data on product characteristics, hazard characteristics, and import volumes, with weightings applied following external consultation. The described approach differs from most others in that it categorizes and ranks microbiological, mycotoxin, and chemical hazards with a single approach and on the same scale, allowing for meaningful comparison between the combinations. The output is a risk categorization, a relative risk ranking and a heat map, all of which provide information that can be used alongside other data by risk managers when prioritizing interventions at the border.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100459"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123056","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":"Quantification of Escherichia coli Transfer from Plastic Mulch to Field-grown Tomatoes and Bell Peppers","authors":"Autumn R. Burnett ,&nbsp;Faith Critzer ,&nbsp;Timothy Coolong","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) prohibits the distribution of fruit that is dropped from the plant and contacts the ground during harvest. This includes fruit which contacts the ground while attached to the plant, called “drooping” fruit. In the Southeastern US, tomato and pepper are trellised and grown on plastic mulch. The objective of this study was to obtain bacterial transfer rates from a nonpathogenic <em>Escherichia coli</em> GFP inoculated on plastic mulch (black and white) to fruit (tomatoes and peppers) that contact the ground by being dropped (at heights of 30, 60, or 120 cm) or by drooping (contact times of 1 h or 24 h) in the field during the summer season in Georgia, USA. Plastic mulch was surface inoculated with <em>E. coli</em> (10⁶ CFU/64 cm²), and after drying, populations were reduced by &gt;2–3 log CFU/64 cm². Once inoculum was dry, the fruit was either dropped from different heights through a PVC pipe or placed back onto the mulch in its initial resting place. The mean log percent transfer of <em>E. coli</em> from plastic mulch to dropped tomato and pepper fruit was −2.00 to 0.46 (0.01–2.88%). Mean log percent transfer rates of <em>E. coli</em> to drooping fruit were between −0.83 and 0.01 (0.15–1.02%), with no significant differences in transfer within crop types between treatments of plastic mulch color or contact time. Field environmental conditions throughout the experiment such as ambient air temperature, relative humidity, UV_AB radiation intensity, and surface temperature of plastic likely affected the rates of bacterial transfer. While other studies have evaluated bacterial survival and transfer from mulch to fruit in a laboratory setting, the present study addresses knowledge gaps in bacterial transfer during drooping and dropping incidents in the field when fruit contacts plastic mulch, providing results that have potential to inform future regulatory guidance for produce harvest and handling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100458"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143065787","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":"Updated Mini-Review on Polychlorinated Diphenyl Ethers (PCDEs) in Food: Levels and Dietary Intake","authors":"Jose L. Domingo","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) are a class of chlorinated aromatic compounds with structural similarities to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Due to their physicochemical properties, PCDEs are highly resistant to degradation and tend to accumulate in soils, sediments, and aquatic organisms, making them capable of entering and persisting in the food chain. As with other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), diet represents the primary route of human exposure to PCDEs. This mini-review focuses on recent studies evaluating the concentrations of PCDEs in foodstuffs. The most recent available dietary intake, estimated in 2008, was 51.6 ng/day, showing an increase from 41 ng/day (reported in 2004). In both cases, the highest concentrations of ΣPCDEs were observed in fish and seafood (1,094.7 ng/kg wet weight in 2008). Notably, studies indicate that ΣPCDE levels are lower in cooked food samples compared to their raw counterparts. However, the potential health risks associated with dietary exposure to PCDEs remain uncertain, as no tolerable daily intake (TDI) values have been established for these compounds. This gap is directly linked to the absence of assigned toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for PCDE congeners. Establishing TDIs and TEFs for PCDEs is critical to comprehensively assess their health risks and to inform regulatory and public health interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100456"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143065887","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":"Dried and Tested: Inoculation Method Impacts Low-Moisture Food Persistent Bacterial Populations","authors":"Manita Adhikari,&nbsp;Kavita Patil,&nbsp;Jennifer C. Acuff","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100457","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100457","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pathogen contamination and harborage in low-moisture food (LMF) processing environments have resulted in outbreaks and recalls, but researchers are limited in their abilities to investigate solutions. Methods used in most laboratory studies do not accurately reflect the route of contamination or harborage of pathogens in LMF environments, which complicates studying of sanitation methods. Inoculation methods were compared to establish low-moisture food persistent bacterial populations (LMF PBPs) that realistically reflect populations found in LMF environments. Culture-preparation techniques, food matrices, and ratios of nutrient to moisture were compared for their impacts on <em>Salmonella</em> Tennessee survival. A slurry method with 0.5 mL of culture to 0.4 g (NFDM) was easiest to form, inoculate, and process for further investigation, as was more consistent than other methods. With the chosen technique, LMF PBPs of <em>Salmonella</em> Tennessee (0.5: 0.4 [mL <em>Salmonella</em> Tennessee to g Powder]) with different powders (NFDM, peanut butter powder [PB], chicken powder [CP] and silicon dioxide [SiO₂]) were made using lawn-based and broth-based cultures and distributed evenly on sterilized stainless-steel coupons to compare the impacts of preparation and food matrix on survival. Coupons stored at 22–25°C and 50% relative humidity (RH) were assessed on 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. Matrices and culture preparation showed significant differences (p≤ 0.05). <em>Salmonella</em> LMF PBP derived from bacterial lawns demonstrated higher initial populations (10.1 ± 0.0 log CFU/cm²) compared to the broth cultures (8.2 ± 0.2 log CFU/cm²). <em>Salmonella</em> LMF PBP reductions were lower for the lawn-prepared cultures (0.3-2.7 log CFU/cm²) compared to broth-based cultures (1.0-5.1 log CFU/cm²) for all food matrices. <em>Salmonella</em> in LMF PBP with SiO₂ (2.7-5.1 log CFU/cm²) reduced significantly more than in other food matrices (0.7-2.2 log CFU/cm²) and <em>Sal</em> without a matrix (0.3-1.5 log CFU/cm²) for both culturing methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100457"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143065765","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":"Determination of an Effective Sanitizing Procedure for Listeria innocua in Personal Protective Equipment Used in Dairy Facilities","authors":"Karen Nieto-Flores ,&nbsp;Luis Sabillón ,&nbsp;Jayne Stratton ,&nbsp;Andréia Bianchini","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The presence of <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> in the dairy environment remains a food safety challenge. The source of microbial contamination may include employees and their personal protective equipment (PPE). This study investigated the effectiveness of cleaning protocols (i.e., detergents and mechanical action) and three chemical sanitizers commonly employed at dairy facilities against <em>Listeria innocua</em> contamination on different types of gloves, aprons, and boots. Coupons made of PPE material were inoculated with a two-strain cocktail of <em>L. innocua</em> suspended in either Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) or skim milk to determine the potential effect of organic matter. In general, peroxyacetic acid (0.20% (v/v)) was more effective at reducing <em>Listeria</em> counts on aprons and gloves compared to chlorine and quaternary ammonium at 200 ppm. Depending on the type of sanitizer, <em>Listeria</em> reductions ranged from 1.95 to 4.72 and 1.52 to 4.60 log CFU/in² on aprons and gloves, respectively. In comparison, sanitizers achieved a 0.93–2.32 log CFU/in² reduction on boot soles, with no significant differences observed among sanitizers. PVC (vinyl) gloves achieved lower <em>Listeria</em> log reductions than nitrile and latex gloves. Sanitizers were less effective on boots with wider and deeper lugs than those with shallow lugs. The presence of organic matter significantly reduced the antimicrobial efficacy of all sanitizers (&lt;1 log CFU/in² reduction). However, the inclusion of cleaning protocols with and without mechanical action achieved a ≥3 log CFU/in² reduction in the different types of PPE. This study highlights the importance of scrubbing as an essential step to reduce <em>Listeria</em> on PPE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100455"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143006334","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":"Melamine and Cyanuric Acid in Milk and Their Quantities, Analytical Methods and Exposure Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","authors":"Amirhossein Abedini ,&nbsp;Zahra Hadian ,&nbsp;Mahdie Kamalabadi ,&nbsp;Mahla Salimi ,&nbsp;Paliz Koohy-Kamaly ,&nbsp;Burhan Basaran ,&nbsp;Parisa Sadighara","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Melamine, as a toxic compound, needs to be controlled in food, especially in dairy products. In this systematic study, quantities of melamine and cyanuric acid in various types of milk were investigated. A comprehensive database search was performed using the keywords pasteurized milk, milk, sterilized milk, melamine, and cyanuric acid without time limitation. A total of 24 articles related to melamine and cyanuric acid were thoroughly reviewed. The overall mean concentration of melamine in milk was estimated by meta-analysis to be 11.3 μg/L. Publication bias was not addressed in the associated assays; however, it was addressed as highly heterogeneous between studies. Subgroup analysis was carried out, and the milk type was a cause of heterogeneity. This systematic review investigated a range of melamine in milk products and discussed different analytical methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100454"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143006291","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":"Analysis of Method Performance for Quantitative Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in Queso Fresco Cheese","authors":"Neha Singh ,&nbsp;Ravinder Reddy ,&nbsp;Karina Hettwer ,&nbsp;Kirstin Frost ,&nbsp;Matthew Kmet ,&nbsp;Steffen Uhlig","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A Proficiency Test (PT) was conducted for Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) laboratories for quantitative assessment of <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> (<em>L. monocytogenes</em>) in queso fresco cheese. The Moffett Proficiency Test Laboratory: MPTL (organizer) prepared test samples for each participating laboratory with 10 CFU/g of <em>L. monocytogenes.</em> Statistical analysis was conducted to analyze test sample preparation and evaluate the performance of the quantitative method by utilizing participant’s data. Although individually inoculated, the samples were considered replicates based on the standard deviation values obtained from the Q/Hampel method. A similar observation was noted on pre- and postshipment data, which permitted a combined analysis as per Q/Hampel and ISO 5725-2 methods. Based on the results, it can be summarized that MPTL prepared homogenized and stable samples for <em>L. monocytogenes</em> enumeration in cheese. The participant results indicated that the repeatability of standard deviation, which reflects the scatter of results within a laboratory (participant), was mainly driven by the MPN procedure. Out of forty reported results from twenty laboratories, 85% were satisfactory. A few laboratories reported different MPN results (2.5% unsatisfactory, and 12.5% warning) indicating a lack of understanding in handling the MPN dilutions. Since BAM MPN-based method performance data for <em>L. monocytogenes</em> is not widely available in the literature, more PT events like these can help generate quantitative data for the evaluation of the MPN method.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 3","pages":"Article 100448"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143006739","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}