Archive of July, 2025

Nature published in July 2017, an article byGwangseong Kim, Horatiu Vinerean & Angelo Gaitas on a simple novel device to concentrate and detect food pathogens (immunocapturing method). The technique has the potential of being used for both clinical applications and food testing.  System Set-Up The technique employs polymer (polydimethylsiloxane) tubes (1.02 mm in diameter) coated with an antibody. The test sample is circulating through the antibody coated tubes. The re-circulating of liquid media containing the bacteria through the antibody conjugated tubes result in the capturing of the pathogens by the conjugated antibodies. Several tubes can be used with different antibodies in each, thereby allowing the...

Listeria monocytogenes was a major reason for recalls according to “summary of recall cases in Calendar Year 2016”, by the FSIS/USDA, accounting for over 80% of the total recall cases. Food Safety Tech reported that in 2016 in the US, close to 550 food products were recalled, and around 275 were recalled due to microbial contamination. Listeria monocytogenes was the cause of 65% of the microbiological recalls.   In the last few weeks, a number of products were recalled caused by fear of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Club Chef LLC (Castellini Group subsidiaries) According to the FDA, Club Chef LLC recalled fresh cut produce and retail Snack Kits, due to...

In the last couple of months, more and more cases of Hepatitis A were in the news. In the most recent recall, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled frozen tuna steaks and cubes, after finding out that some tuna sold in California, Texas, and Oklahoma had been contaminated with hepatitis A. The Raw Tuna Recall History On May 1 the Hawaii Department of Health has alerted the FDA, that a sample of frozen tuna cubes originating in Indonesia tested positive for hepatitis A.  Next day, the FDA contacted the Tropic Fish Hawaii LLC, a subsidiary distributor of Hilo Fish Company, to...

Introduction Despite of everything we learned about the danger of raw milk and its products, the sales of raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products are still legal in at least 30 states in the United States.  Raw milk and milk products from cows, goats, and sheep continue to be a source of bacterial infections attributable to a number of virulent pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and Escherichia coli O157. A report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Volume 23, Number 6—June 2017  by Solenne Costard , et,al. stated that the growing popularity of unpasteurized milk in the United States raised public health concerns. The authors estimated...