• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.170-176
• /
• 2020

We investigated the pH, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), microbial changes and dominant microbes in raw beef, wet-aging beef, and dry-aging beef after the meat had been stored in a refrigerator. The count of mesophilic bacteria was 3.3-3.9 log CFU/g in raw beef and dry-aging beef, and 5.4 log CFU/g in wet-aging meat. After 18 days of refrigeration, the mesophilic bacterial count in raw and aging beef increased to 6.1-6.4 log CFU/g. In wet-aging beef, the number of lactic acid bacteria increased from 4.5 log CFU/g to 6.0 log CFU/g at refrigeration temperature. However, lactic acid bacteria were not detected in dry aging beef. Major foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli (EHEC) were not detected. Based on the legal standard for mesophilic bacteria count, the estimated shelf-life of aged beef was less than 12 days and the average VBN was 15 mg%. The dominant microorganisms varied between the different types of meat. In raw meat, Staphylococcus saprophyticus was the dominant microorganism, and as the VBN increased, Carnobacterium divergens dominated. In wet-aging beef, Carnobacterium divergens dominated during the initial days of refrigeration after which the number of Lactobacillus sakei increased. Dermacoccus nishinomiyaensis was initially the dominant microbe in dry-aging beef, after which Pseudomonas fragi dominated. In addition to the role of specific bacteria in the early stage of decay, it is thought that microorganisms can be utilized for safe distribution and storage of matured meats by conducting research on changes in rot, fragrance analysis, and changes of ingredients in matured meats.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.34 no.10
• /
• pp.1611-1618
• /
• 2005

The microbiological examinations were conducted for the hygienic evaluation on three Korean restaurants during summer season in Busan, Korea. Total one hundred and sixty swabbed samples using sponge were collected from the surface of facilities and utensils at restaurants and total and coliform counts were measured. Also thirty- six air samples were collected at inside of three restaurants for measuring total, coliform, Staphy-lococcus and mold and yeast counts. All collected samples kept in an ice-packed box were transported to the laboratory and analyzed. The results demonstrated that most swabbed samples were highly contaminated with microorganisms and coliforms. The degree of contamination depended on the sampling sites. Averages of total counts of surface swab samples were ranged from not detectable to 2.14$\times\10^{9}$/200 $cm^{2}$, while those of coliforms from not detectable to 8.34$\times\10^{7}$/200 $cm^{2}$/200 $cm^{2}$. Microorganisms also detected from most agar strips of air samples for total, coliform, Staphylococcus and mold and yeast counts. The severely contaminated sites were floor, trench, water bottle, plastic drainer, rubber gloves, shelves, and unsealed wet towel. Those sites should be focused and controlled according to control Points of sanitation standard operating Procedures. Also, periodic microbiological examination in addition to visual examination should be applied on those highly contaminated sites for reducing risk of foodborne disease outbreak at restaurants

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.24-29
• /
• 2012

A total of 187 samples of leafy vegetables and fruits were acquired at traditional markets and department stores in Seoul, Korea. Samples were tested for microorganism distributions and for the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The aerobic mesophilic counts ranged between 2.5 and 9.4 log CFU/g, with the highest count recorded from the dropwort. Counts of psychrotrophic microorganisms were as high as those of the mesophilic microorganisms. Total coliform populations between 1.0 and 7.8 log CFU/g were found in 90.9% of the samples. Microbiological counts for fruits were very low. $Escherichia$ $coli$ was isolated in 24 (12.8%) samples. $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$ and $Clostridium$ $perfringens$ contamination were found in 15 (8.0%) and 20 (10.7%) samples. $Salmonella$ species and $Listeria$ $monocytogenes$ were detected in 2.7 and 0.5% of samples, respectively. Among the total 187 samples, 8 samples were contaminated by more than two pathogens. $E.$ $coli$ O157:H7 was not detected in any of the samples. The microbial contamination levels determined in the present study may be used as the primary data to execute microbial risk assessment of fresh vegetables and fruits.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.20-26
• /
• 2017

Foodborne disease outbreaks associated with produces have been increasing in occurrence worldwide. This study investigated microbial contamination levels on thirteen kinds of agricultural products from farms stage to evaluate potential hazards associated with foodborne illness. A total of 1,820 samples were collected in major cultivating area from 2013 through 2015, and analyzed to enumerate aerobic bacterial counts, coliforms/E. coli, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the prevalence study for four kinds of microorganisms (Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes) was performed on each sample. Aerobic bacterial counts ranged from 0.01 to 7.18 log CFU/g, with the highest bacterial cell counts recorded for watermelon. Coliforms were detected in 651 samples (35.8%) with a minimum of 0.01 log CFU/g and a maximum of more than 5 log CFU/g. B. cereus was detected in 169 samples (9.3%) ranging from < 0.01 to 2.48 log CFU/g among total samples analyzed. S. aureus was detected in 14 samples (0.7%) with a minimum of 0.01 log CFU/g and a maximum of 1.69 log CFU/g. E. coli was detected in 101 samples (5.5%) among 1,820 samples. E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were not detected in any of the samples. The microbial contamination levels of several agricultural products determined in this study may be used as the fundamental data for microbiological risk assessment (MRA).

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.477-488
• /
• 2020

Recently, foodborne illness outbreaks linked to fresh produce are being increasingly reported in the United States, the EU, and Korea as well. Some of this increase may be due to improved surveillance, increase in consumption, change in consumers' habits, and complex distribution systems. Garlic chive is a green, fresh-cut vegetable consumed year-round as a nutrition-rich herb in Korea. It is also prone to contamination with foodborne pathogens during pre-harvest, as amendment with high amounts of livestock manure or compost to soil is required in its cultivation. Our aim in this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of garlic chives, garlic chives cultivation soil, compost, and irrigation water in the southern part of Korea. Samples were collected in A, B, and C regions in 2019 and 2020, and 69, 72, 27, and 40 of garlic chives, soil, compost, and irrigated water, respectively, were analyzed for the presence of sanitary indicator bacteria (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms and Escherichia coli), Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. In A, B, and C regions, levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform, B. cereus, and S. aureus on all samples were between 1.14 and 8.83 log CFU/g, 0.43 and 5.01 log CFU/g, 0.41 and 5.55 log CFU/g, and 1.81 and 6.27 log CFU/g, respectively. B. cereus isolated from garlic chives and environmental samples showed β-hemolysis activity. Incidence of S. aureus in garlic chive and its production environments in 2020 was different from 2019. In this study, B. cereus and S. aureus were the only pathogenic microorganisms detected in all samples. As a result, this work suggests that continuous monitoring in the production and pre-harvest environment is required to improve hthe hygiene and safety of garlic chive.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2019

The health benefits associated with consumption of fresh produce have been clearly demonstrated and encouraged by international nutrition and health authorities. However, since fresh produce is usually minimally processed, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has also led to a simultaneous escalation of foodborne illness cases. According to the report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 10 people suffer from foodborne diseases and 420,000 die every year globally. In comparison to other processed foods, fresh produce can be easily contaminated by various routes at different points in the supply chain from farm to fork. This review is focused on the identification and characterization of possible sources of foodborne illnesses from chemical, biological, and physical hazards and the applicable methodologies to detect potential contaminants. Agro-chemicals (pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), natural toxins (mycotoxins and plant toxins), and heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) are the main sources of chemical hazards, which can be detected by several methods including chromatography and nano-techniques based on nanostructured materials such as noble metal nanoparticles (NMPs), quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic nanoparticles or nanotube. However, the diversity of chemical structures complicates the establishment of one standard method to differentiate the variety of chemical compounds. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables contain high nutrient contents and moisture, which promote the growth of unwanted microorganisms including bacterial pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Shigella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) and non-bacterial pathogens (norovirus and parasites). In order to detect specific pathogens in fresh produce, methods based on molecular biology such as PCR and immunology are commonly used. Finally, physical hazards including contamination by glass, metal, and gravel in food can cause serious injuries to customers. In order to decrease physical hazards, vision systems such as X-ray inspection have been adopted to detect physical contaminants in food, while exceptional handling skills by food production employees are required to prevent additional contamination.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 2022

Recently, the purchase of fresh-cut produce and meal kits has increased. Ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh-cut products have potentially hazard of cross-contamination of various microorganisms in the processes of peeling, slicing, dicing, and shredding. There are frequent cases of protozoa food poisoning, such as Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium, caused by fresh-cut products. The objective of the study is to investigate the microbiological qualities of various types of RTE fresh-cut products in the domestic on/offline markets. RTE fresh-cut fruits cup (n=100), fresh-cut vegetables (n=50), and vegetables in meal kits (Vietnamese spring rolls and white radish rolls kits, n=50) were seasonally analyzed. The contamination levels of hygienic indicator organisms, yeast and mold (YM), and foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7) were monitored. Overall, the lowest microbiological qualities of meal kits vegetables were observed, followed by RTE fresh-cut fruits cup and fresh-cut vegetables. Contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and YM in meal kits vegetables were 5.91, 3.90, and 4.71 logs CFU/g, respectively. From the qualitative analysis, 6 out of 200 RTE fresh-cut products (3%) returned positive result for S. aureus. From the quantitative analysis, the contamination levels of S. aureus in purple cabbage from a meal-kit and fresh-cut pineapple were below the acceptable limit (100 CFU/g). Staphylococcus enterotoxin seg and sei genes were detected in RTE fresh-cut celery and red cabbage from meal-kits, respectively. S. aureus contamination must be carefully controlled during the manufacturing processes of RTE fresh-cut products. Neither Cyclospora cayetanensis nor Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in the samples of RTE fresh-cut products and vegetables from meal-kits from the Korean retail markets.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.610-616
• /
• 2013

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is an emerging detection technology for the amplification of DNA under isothermal conditions. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and reliable LAMP technique for the detection of Cronobacter sakazakii in milk powder. In order to enhance the sensitivity and specificity, LAMP primers targeting outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene of C. sakazakii were designed using Explorer V4 software. Thirty seven C. sakazakii strains and 13 pathogenic microorganisms were used for comparative detection of C. sakazakii using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, and LAMP. LAMP developed in this study could specifically detect C. sakazakii strains without cross-reactivity with other foodborne pathogens. LAMP products amplified from ompA gene of C. sakazakii were digested with with HhaI and NruI enzyme. The specificity of LAMP was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. LAMP could detect C. sakazakii within 1 h without bacterial culture and its detection limit was as low as 1 CFU/mL C. sakazakii in milk. In the comparison of the sensitivity, LAMP showed 10,000- and 100-times higher detection limit than PCR or real-time PCR, respectively. Therefore, this study can conclude that LAMP is a rapid and reliable detection technique for C. sakazakii contaminated in powdered milk.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.154-159
• /
• 2011

Inadequate food handling and poor hand hygiene playa major role in the occurrence of foodborne diseases. The objective of this study was to find out if the level of microbial contamination on the hands of food preparers varies by time during their working period. This study focused on the contamination of aerobic plate count, total and fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. Sampling from left hand and right hand of twenty food preparers was done with glove-juice method at every two hours during their work. Microbiological testing was conducted according to the Food Code of Korea. The microbiological load on the hands was changed over time. Samples taken from their hands before work and at 8 hours showed higher levels of bacteria than those taken at 2, 4, and 6 hours during work and/or after work (p < 0.05). The contamination levels of microorganisms were consistently higher in right hand than in left hand. Poor hand hygiene practices were indicated by the positive results for total and fecal coli forms, E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some food preparers. This study indicates food preparers' hands can be a vehicle of pathogen during their work. The results of this study emphasize the importance of hand hygiene education and training targeting the food preparers.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.299-303
• /
• 2016

Salmonella spp. and Brucella spp. can cause considerable diseases on both humans and animals. In addition, these microorganisms cause the economic loss in animal farming and food industry. In this study, the disinfection efficacy of a disinfectant spray, composed to grapefruit seed extract, citric acid, malic acid and benzalkonium chloride, was evaluated against S. Typhimurium and B. ovis. A bactericidal efficacy test by broth dilution method was used to determine the lowest effective dilution of the disinfectant following exposure to test bacteria for 30 min at $4^{\circ}C$. The disinfectant and test bacteria were diluted with hard water (HW) or organic matter suspension (OM) according to treatment condition. On HW condition, the bactericidal activity of the disinfectant spray against S. Typhimurium and B. ovis was 5 and 4 fold dilutions, respectively. On OM condition, the bactericidal activity of the disinfectant spray was 2 and 1 fold dilutions against S. Typhimurium and B. ovis, respectively. As the disinfectant spray possesses bactericidal efficacy against foodborne pathogens such as S. Typhimurium and B. ovis, the disinfectant spray can be used to control the spread of bacterial diseases.