In the news

The FDA announced on its website that WishGarden Herbs, Inc. recalled 14 lots of Cord Care and Goldenseal Powder products produced after 7/26/18 with expiration dates between 7/26/18 and 9/1/20. The recall resulted from using ingredients potentially contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii. 

Cord Care Powder is marketed to dry umbilical cords and is applied externally to the skin. It is packaged in 1oz containers. These products were distributed nationwide in the USA through select practitioners. @  https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/wishgarden-herbs-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-cord-care-and-goldenseal-powder-due-bacterial?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

In a study published in J Food Prot (2020) 83 (12): 2158–2166, researchers from Michigan State University assessed the efficacy of a novel sanitizer blend consisting of peracetic acid (PAA; OxypHresh 15) with a sulfuric acid–surfactant (SS) antimicrobial (PAA-SS; ProduceShield Plus) against Salmonella during simulated commercial washing of diced tomatoes.  Overall, PAA-SS (1.75 ± 0.75 log CFU/g) was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) more effective than water (0.69 ± 0.42 log CFU/g), chlorine (0.35 ± 0.36 log CFU/g), or SS (0.36 ± 0.19 log CFU/g) in reducing Salmonella. After washing for 20 s, PAA-SS was the only sanitizer to show a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction (1.93 ±0.59 log CFU/g) in Salmonella. The yeast and mold populations were below the limit of detection (1.40 log CFU/g) and significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower on diced tomatoes after 14 days of refrigerated storage Using PAA-SS as compared with the other treatments (8.37 ± 0.08 log CFU/g), with SS at pH 1.8 (3.91 ± 0.93 log CFU/g) most effective against yeast and mold in the absence of an organic load.  @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-abstract/83/12/2158/441274/Use-of-a-Novel-Sanitizer-To-Inactivate-Salmonella?redirectedFrom=fulltext

A study published in J. Food Protection (Vol. 83(12) p 203202040) reports on biofilm formation by pathogens. Biofilm formation was assessed by qualitative detection of extracellular polymeric substances on Congo red agar, by adherence to glass with the tube method, by the crystal violet biofilm (CV) assay, and by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Ten strains each of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus were tested. The incubation conditions and time influenced the amount of biofilm formed as well as did the growth medium.  In the test tubes with Luria-Bertani broth (LBB), 22.5% of the strains were adherent, and 77.5% were slightly adherent. Stronger adhesion was obtained in brain heart infusion (BHI) with 2% sucrose; 60% of the isolates were adherent. In BHI plus 2% sucrose, SBP was noted for 42.5 and 37.6% of the strains after 24 and 48 h, respectively. In the MTT assay with LBB, 15% of the strains showed high metabolic activity after 24 h of incubation, and 25% of the strains showed high activity after 48 h. In BHI plus 2% sucrose, 70 and 85% of the incubated strains were classified as high metabolic activity after 24 and 48 h, respectively. @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-abstract/83/12/2032/440811/Biofilm-Forming-Ability-of-Pathogenic-Bacteria?redirectedFrom=fulltext

In the UK, the FSA issues Product Withdrawal Information Notices and Product Recall Information Notices that Happy Hounds Wales Ltd is taking the precautionary step of recalling several raw dog food products because they may contain salmonella. The products include frozen beef kidney, frozen whole hearts, frozen chicken and beef sleeve, frozen lamb and beef sleeve, and frozen diced hearts. The products listed above may contain salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause illness in humans and animals. Therefore, the product could carry a potential risk because of salmonella’s presence, either through direct handling of the pet food or indirectly. @ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-57-2020