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Microbiological Risks in Food Processing
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Microbiological Risks in Food Processing

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 2694

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chawalit Kocharunchitt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Food Safety and Innovation, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Interests: food microbiology; predictive microbiology; food safety and quality; microbial physiology
Prof. Dr. Tom Ross

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Food Safety and Innovation, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 98, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Interests: food microbiology; predictive microbiology; food safety risk assessment; food preservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbiological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi in food processing can pose a serious threat to public health. If not managed effectively, their presence has the potential to contaminate food at various stages of processing. This can result in food-borne illnesses, imposing a considerable financial and health burden. Accordingly, the implementation of stringent food processing methods that are appropriate for different types of foods is crucial in minimising the food safety risks associated with microbiological hazards.

This Special Issue on "Microbiological Risks in Food Processing" aims to consolidate cutting-edge research and insights that addresses the critical challenges and advances in understanding, monitoring, and mitigating microbiological risks associated with food processing. Specifically, it will explore novel detection methods, the effects of both current and emerging processing techniques on food-borne pathogens, and how these shape the microbial ecology of foods. These collectively provide insights into the development of innovative strategies and interventions to ensure food safety during processing.

Dr. Chawalit Kocharunchitt
Prof. Dr. Tom Ross
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food safety
  • antimicrobial interventions
  • detection methods
  • food-borne pathogens
  • food processing
  • microbial ecology of food

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1348 KiB  
Article
Mathematical Modeling of Salmonella Inactivation During Apple Drying and Pre-Drying Heating in Closed Environments
by Ren Yang, Shuang Zhang and Juming Tang
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3877; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233877 - 30 Nov 2024
Viewed by 924
Abstract
Drying is one of the most effective preservation methods for extending the shelf-life of perishable foods. The microbial safety of low-moisture food products had not been recognized as a concern until outbreaks reported over the past decade in products contaminated with bacterial pathogens, [...] Read more.
Drying is one of the most effective preservation methods for extending the shelf-life of perishable foods. The microbial safety of low-moisture food products had not been recognized as a concern until outbreaks reported over the past decade in products contaminated with bacterial pathogens, in particular Salmonella. There is now an urgent need to understand the influence of process conditions on the thermal inactivation of pathogens in various drying operations. This study aimed to develop a predictive model for Salmonella inactivation in diced apples during hot air drying and in high-humidity heating in closed environments. Fresh-cut apple cubes (6 mm) inoculated with a cocktail of Salmonella enterica strains (Enteritidis PT30, Montevideo 488275, and Agona 447967) were placed in a customized box inside an oven for three different treatments: (1) open-box drying at oven temperature 90 °C (Drying-90); (2) close-box pre-drying heating at 90 °C (PD heating-90); and (3) close-box pre-drying heating at 70 °C (PD heating-70). Air temperature, relative humidity (RH), and sample temperatures were monitored, and Salmonella survival was measured at multiple time intervals. After 10 min, the air RH reached 66% in PD heating-90 and 74% in PD heating-70, versus 30% in Drying-90. A 5-log reduction in Salmonella was achieved in 8.5 min in PD heating-90, and 14 min in PD heating-70, compared to 28.7 min in Drying-90. A mathematical model using sample surface RH and sample temperature profiles accurately predicted Salmonella inactivation across all treatments (RMSE = 0.92 log CFU/g, R2 = 0.86), with thermal death parameters comparable to isothermal studies. This study underscores the role of humidity in enhancing microbial reduction during drying and proposes high-humidity pre-drying heating as an effective control step. The developed model shows promise for real-time prediction of microbial inactivation in complex drying environments with dynamic temperature and humidity conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiological Risks in Food Processing)
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14 pages, 1513 KiB  
Article
Genetic Profile and Toxigenic Potential of Bacillus cereus Isolates from a Norwegian Ice Cream Production Plant
by Toril Lindbäck, Ann-Katrin Llarena, Stine Göransson Aanrud, Marte Monshaugen, Yohannes B. Mekonnen, Carina Wiker Holmemo and Marina Aspholm
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3029; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193029 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1137
Abstract
Members of the B. cereus group are spore-forming organisms commonly associated with spoilage of milk and dairy products. We have determined the genetic identity and growth characteristics of 57 B. cereus isolates collected from a Norwegian ice cream production plant. Our findings revealed [...] Read more.
Members of the B. cereus group are spore-forming organisms commonly associated with spoilage of milk and dairy products. We have determined the genetic identity and growth characteristics of 57 B. cereus isolates collected from a Norwegian ice cream production plant. Our findings revealed persistence of B. cereus spp. strains for up to 19 months, suggesting the plant’s susceptibility to long-term colonization. One of the mesophilic isolates, NVH-YM303, carried a complete cereulide synthetase operon. To assess the potential food poisoning risk associated with the presence of cereulide-producing strains in the production line, we examined the production of cereulide in ice cream and milk at different temperatures by NVH-YM303 and by the emetic psychrotrophic B. weihenstephanensis strain BtB2-4. Our findings revealed that NVH-YM303 produced higher levels of cereulide in ice cream as compared to milk. Furthermore, it was observed that NVH-YM303 produced more cereulide in ice cream at 25 °C compared to 15 °C. Conversely, BtB2-4 produced more cereulide in ice cream at 15 °C than at 25 °C. The results obtained in this study contribute to knowledge important for risk assessment of the potential hazards posed by the presence of B. cereus within ice cream production facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiological Risks in Food Processing)
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