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Aims: Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Syzygium polyanthum plant extract (SP-AgNPs). The S. polyanthum leaf extract acts as a reducing and capping agent in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. This study was aimed to investigate the sporicidal activity of S. polyanthum-mediated silver nanoparticles (SP-AgNPs) against spores of Bacillus cereus ATCC33019, B. megaterium ATCC14581, B. pumilus ATCC14884 and B. subtilis ATCC6633. Methodology and results: The sporicidal activity of the SP-AgNPs was evaluated by exposing Bacillus spp. spores to it and formaldehyde, a commercial sporicidal agent and measuring and comparing their viability. The results demonstrated that the SP-AgNPs had excellent sporicidal activity against all tested species, with a remarkable reduction in the spore count. The study also revealed that the sporicidal activity of the SP-AgNPs was time-dependent and comparable to the positive control used in the study, suggesting that they could be a potential alternative to natural sporicidal agents. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Research findings suggest that the potential of SP-AgNPs, making them a promising candidate for use in sporicidal applications. These findings suggest that using SP-AgNPs as a sporicidal agent could be a new approach to eliminating Bacillus spp. spores in food and other industries where Bacillus spp. spores pose a significant risk. Further research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to produce a virgin coconut oil (VCO) creamer through two drying stages; spray drying followed by fluidised bed drying, and to examine its antioxidant properties and oxidative stability during different storage conditions. Evaluation of the physicochemical properties of spray dry VCO and oxidative stability of the VCO creamer were performed using peroxide value (PV), antioxidant activity (DPPH), and total phenolic content (TPC) at 25, 4, and 25 °C, respectively, for 8 weeks. Agglomeration process has improved the agglomerated VCO creamer's properties in terms of moisture content (4.34%), solubility (85.2%), water activity (0.32%), and bulk density (0.36 g/cm3). The morphology of agglomerated VCO creamer showed cluster and irregular shapes with enlargement in the particle size, (d32) 395 µm and (d43) 426 µm. The overall oxidative results showed stability for the agglomerated VCO creamer stored at 4 °C in terms of TPC, DPPH and PV over 8 weeks followed by creamer stored at 25 °C which had similar stability with slight differences. The creamer stored at 38 °C showed rapid degradation for all oxidation tests from week 2 onwards. Agglomeration technology has indicated to be effective in the stabilization of virgin coconut oil against lipid oxidation and prolonging its shelf-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processing of edible insects as an alternative source of nutrition may be a key driver in the development of a sustainable food and feed system. This review will study two industrial types of insects–mealworms and locusts–and summarize evidence related to the impact of processing on their micro- and macronutritional characteristics. The focus will be on their potential use as food for human consumption as opposed to animal feed. Literature has indicated that these two insects have the potential to provide protein and fat qualities comparable to or better than traditional mammalian sources. For example, mealworms–the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetlepossess a higher fat content, while adult locusts are rich in fibers, especially chitin. However, due to the different matrix and nutrient compositions, the processing of mealworms or locusts at a commercial scale needs to be tailored to minimize nutritional loss and maximize cost efficiency. The stages of preprocessing, cooking, drying, and extraction are the most critical control points for nutritional preservation. Thermal cooking applications such as microwave technology have demonstrated promising results, but the generation of heat may contribute to a certain nutritional loss. In an industrial context, drying using freeze dry is the preferred choice due to its uniformity, but it can be costly while increasing lipid peroxidation. During the extraction of nutrients, the use of green emerging technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound may provide an alternative method to enhance nutrient preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial challenge studies using nonpathogenic surrogates provide a practical means for validating thermally based pathogen controls for low-moisture foods. Because the relative thermal resistance, or kill ratio, of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 (a nonpathogenic surrogate) to Salmonella is greatly influenced by food composition, this study assessed relative thermal resistance of a five-strain Salmonella cocktail and E. faecium in skim milk powder (SMP), lactose-free skim milk powder (LSMP), 90% milk protein isolate (MPI), and lactose powder (LP). The impact of sugar composition (lactose versus glucose-galactose) on resuscitation of bacterial survivors, by using SMP and LSMP, was also determined. Dairy powders were inoculated with agar-grown cultures, mixed, preequilibrated at 0.25 water activity (aw), ground to achieve homogeneity, reequilibrated, and subjected to isothermal treatment. After enumeration on nonselective differential media, log-linear and Bigelow models were fit to the survivor data via one-step global regression. The aw changes and glass transition temperature were assessed at elevated temperatures by using uninoculated, equilibrated powder samples. Estimated D90°C-values were approximately two times higher for E. faecium (P < 0.05) than for Salmonella in SMP, LP, and MPI, but statistically similar (P > 0.05) in LSMP. Addition of sugars to recovery media did not influence survivor resuscitation from heat-treated SMP and LSMP, confirming that microbial inactivation was impacted primarily by the thermal treatment, not the recovery step. Thermally induced changes in aw were seen only for LP and MPI, with the glass transition temperature observed only for SMP and MPI. In conclusion, rather than always requiring greater lethality of E. faecium than Salmonella, these findings suggest that sufficient pathogen controls for low-moisture foods can also be validated by thoroughly documenting the appropriate kill ratios of E. faecium to Salmonella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L. plantarum strains displayed different abilities to exhibit high survivability to acid (pH 3.0), bile salts (3%), enzyme (pepsin), and temperature (40 °C) and good antibiotic susceptibility. The isolates were further supplemented in traditional tapai pulut to study the immunomodulation properties of tapai pulut based on the splenic T- and B-cell populations. The mice groups were divided into group one (unfermented glutinous rice), group two (tapai pulut group), and group three (probiotic tapai pulut group). Group one showed consistent body weight gain, with the highest observed after four weeks. Group three exhibited the most significant reduction in the percentage of CD19+ B-cells. The CD3+ T-cells population of Group three increased significantly compared with the control mice, followed by Group two. The results suggest that traditional tapai pulut supplemented with L. plantarum has a high potential for supporting the immune system's immunomodulatory effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This multi-institutional study assessed the efficacy of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a nonpathogenic Salmonella surrogate for thermal processing of nonfat dry milk powder, peanut butter, almond meal, wheat flour, ground black pepper, and date paste. Each product was analyzed by two laboratories (five independent laboratories total), with the lead laboratory inoculating (E. faecium or a five-strain Salmonella enterica serovar cocktail of Agona, Reading, Tennessee, Mbandaka, and Montevideo) and equilibrating the product to the target water activity before shipping. Both laboratories subjected samples to three isothermal treatments (between 65 and 100°C). A log-linear and Bigelow model was fit to survivor data via one-step regression. On the basis of D80°C values estimated from the combined model, E. faecium was more thermally resistant (P < 0.05) than Salmonella in nonfat dry milk powder (DEf-80°C, 100.2 ± 5.8 min; DSal-80°C, 28.9 ± 1.0 min), peanut butter (DEf-80°C, 133.5 ± 3.1 min; DSal-80°C, 57.6 ± 1.5 min), almond meal (DEf-80°C, 34.2 ± 0.4 min; DSal-80°C, 26.1 ± 0.2 min), ground black pepper (DEf-80°C, 3.2 ± 0.8 min; DSal-80°C, 1.5 ± 0.1 min), and date paste (DEf-80°C, 1.5 ± 0.0 min; DSal-80°C, 0.5 ± 0.0 min). Although the combined laboratory D80°C for E. faecium was lower (P < 0.05) than for Salmonella in wheat flour (DEf-80°C, 9.4 ± 0.1 min; DSal-80°C, 10.1 ± 0.2 min), the difference was ~7%. The zT values for Salmonella in all products and for E. faecium in milk powder, almond meal, and date paste were not different (P > 0.05) between laboratories. Therefore, this study demonstrated the impact of standardized methodologies on repeatability of microbial inactivation results. Overall, E. faecium NRRL B-2354 was more thermally resistant than Salmonella, which provides support for utilizing E. faecium as a surrogate for validating thermal processing of multiple low-moisture products. However, product composition should always be considered before making that decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry inoculation (DI) methods using a dry carrier have gained considerable interest for assessing thermal inactivation of Salmonella and other microorganisms in low-moisture foods. However, the effect of carrier residues on microbial resistance to heat remains largely unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of talc powder on thermal resistance of Enterococcus faecium NRRL-B2354 (a Salmonella surrogate) in almond meal at 0.45 water activity (aw). Whole almonds were either immersed in an E. faecium suspension for wet inoculation (WI) or mixed with inoculated talc powder for DI. Two additional experimental conditions, inoculation of WI almond meal with added uninoculated talc (WT) and inoculated talc powder alone, were conducted. After WI, DI, and WT, the almonds were equilibrated to 0.45 aw, ground into a meal, and reequilibrated to 0.45 aw. Isothermal treatments were performed by heating almond meal (about 1 g) in aluminum test cells in a water bath at 80°C, with samples collected at more than five sequential time points from triplicate isothermal runs. E. faecium was enumerated by immediately cooling, diluting, and plating the samples on a nonselective or differential medium. E. faecium was more thermally resistant in DI (D80°C: 63.5 ± 1.9 min) compared with WI almond meal (D80°C: 40.5 ± 1.0 min; P < 0.05), but the resistance in WT almond meal (46.9 ± 0.9 min) was between and different from (P < 0.05) both DI and WI. E. faecium was less resistant in talc powder alone (20.6 ± 1.1 min) compared with all other almond meal samples. Overall, residual talc affected the thermal resistance of E. faecium. Therefore, when determining thermal resistance or validating commercial processes, carriers such as talc should not be used for inoculation of low-moisture foods without first knowing their impact on the target organism. E. faecium was more thermally resistant in dry- than in wet-inoculated almond meal. Presence of talc affected thermal resistance of E. faecium in almond meal. Use of dry inoculum carriers for thermal validation studies requires further work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial polysaccharides can serve as renewable sources for hydrocolloids used in food, pharmaceutical, and other industrial applications. Xanthan, gellan, dextran, and alginate are among the common microbial polysaccharides in current use. Although only limited numbers of microbial polysaccharides are commercialized, several approaches to modify microbial polysaccharides are laid out to improve their functional and technological properties via physical and chemical cross-linking reactions. This review discusses the properties of microbial polysaccharides as well as several methods of physical and chemical cross-linking for polysaccharides modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Table eggs are an affordable yet nutritious protein source for humans. Unfortunately, eggs are a vector for bacteria that could cause foodborne illness. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a quaternary ammonium compound (quat) sanitizer against aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast, and mold load on the eggshell surface of free-range and commercial farms and the post-treatment effect on microbial load during storage. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast, and molds were enumerated using plate count techniques. The efficacy of the quaternary ammonium sanitizer (quat) was tested using two levels: full factorial with two replicates for corner points, factor A (maximum: 200 ppm, minimum: 100 ppm) and factor B (maximum: 15 min, minimum: 5 min). Quat sanitizer significantly (p < 0.05) reduced approximately 4 log10 CFU/cm2 of the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, 1.5 to 2.5 log10 CFU/cm2 of the mold population, and 1.5 to 2 log10 CFU/cm2 of the yeast population. However, there was no significant (p ≥ 0.05) response observed between individual factor levels (maximum and minimum), and two-way interaction terms were also not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). A low (<1 log10 CFU/cm2) aerobic mesophilic bacteria trend was observed when shell eggs were stored in a cold environment up to the production expiry date. No internal microbial load was observed; thus, it was postulated that washing with quat sanitizer discreetly (without physically damaging the eggshell) does not facilitate microbial penetration during storage at either room temperature or cold storage. Current study findings demonstrated that the quat sanitizer effectively reduced the microbial population on eggshells without promoting internal microbial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]