Internalization of foodborne pathogens and their presence in lettuce, cucumber plants, and fruits.

Recent foodborne illness outbreaks linked to lettuce and cucumbers have prompted research into the sources of contamination and the risks of pathogen internalization within the edible portions. This study assessed the colonization and presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium in romaine lettuce (True Heart, Rio Bravo) and cucumber (Mini-Me, Gherkin) varieties under greenhouse conditions.

Enhancing Sensitivity of Commercial Gold Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Assays: A Comparative Study of Colorimetric and Photothermal Approaches.

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are extensively utilized in point-of-care diagnostics due to their affordability, simplicity, and rapid time-to-results. However, their low sensitivity remains a significant limitation, particularly for detecting foodborne pathogens at concentrations below regulatory thresholds. This study evaluated two distinct sensing modalities-photothermal speckle imaging and colorimetric line intensity analysis-for their potential to enhance the sensitivity of commercially available LFAs.

Evaluation of commercially available produce antimicrobial washes to improve the quality and microbial safety of fresh produce.

Despite ongoing efforts to mitigate foodborne pathogen contamination, outbreaks associated with the consumption of fresh produce persist. This research evaluated the efficacy of three sanitizers in reducing various microorganisms on the surfaces of fresh cucumbers, broccoli, and lettuce under retail crisping conditions. Specifically, this study examined the ability of peracetic acid (PAA; 80 mg/L), hypochlorous acid (FAC; 50 mg/L free available chlorine), and accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP; 500 mg/L) to reduce pathogens (0.

Effect of netting density on the efficacy of produce washing solutions in reducing foodborne pathogenic bacteria from cantaloupe rinds.

Over the past two decades, the increase in cantaloupe consumption has been associated with the incidence of several multistate foodborne outbreaks. Since cantaloupes grow on the ground, direct soil contact represents a potential consumer risk if the rinds become contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Therefore, this study evaluated the impact of netting density on the efficacy of antimicrobial washes, including sodium hypochlorite (FAC; 200 mg/L free available chlorine), peracetic acid (PAA; 80 mg/L), chlorine dioxide (ClO; 5 mg/L), and distilled water (control), in reducing foodborne pathogenic bacteria from cantaloupe rind surfaces.

Detection of Typhimurium with Gold Nanoparticles Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance Biosensor.

Demonstration of the Salmonella Typhimurium detection system was shown utilizing a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor and signal enhancement by gold nanoparticles. In this study, a benchtop system of a QCM biosensor was utilized for the detection of Salmonella Typhimurium. It was designed with a peristaltic pump system to achieve immobilization of antibodies, detection of Salmonella, and the addition of gold nanoparticles to the sensor.

Designing a Computer-Vision Application: A Case Study for Hand-Hygiene Assessment in an Open-Room Environment.

Hand-hygiene is a critical component for safe food handling. In this paper, we apply an iterative engineering process to design a hand-hygiene action detection system to improve food-handling safety. We demonstrate the feasibility of a baseline RGB-only convolutional neural network (CNN) in the restricted case of a single scenario; however, since this baseline system performs poorly across scenarios, we also demonstrate the application of two methods to explore potential reasons for its poor performance.

Multi-View Hand-Hygiene Recognition for Food Safety.

A majority of foodborne illnesses result from inappropriate food handling practices. One proven practice to reduce pathogens is to perform effective hand-hygiene before all stages of food handling. In this paper, we design a multi-camera system that uses video analytics to recognize hand-hygiene actions, with the goal of improving hand-hygiene effectiveness.

Development of a smartphone-based lateral-flow imaging system using machine-learning classifiers for detection of Salmonella spp.

Salmonella spp. are a foodborne pathogen frequently found in raw meat, egg products, and milk. Salmonella is responsible for numerous outbreaks, becoming a frequent major public-health concern.