Similar to the gut microbiome, foods have a diverse community of indigenous or native microbes that reside on a food product. These microbes are influenced by changes in temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen, and exposure to other organisms, resulting in shifts in the bacterial population proportions. These dynamics can be further influenced by adding new bacteria—or bacteria already present in greater proportions—to help influence and improve food safety and quality. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a report that provides guidance for the dairy industry on food-safe sourcing, use, and reuse of fit-for-purpose water.

The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) recently published a technical report on the prevention and control of microbiological hazards in sprouts.

Biotech group Novozymes is making the change from classic filtration of its industrial enzyme liquids to a raslysation system from Danish company Lyras, which inactivates microbial contaminants in liquid foods using ultraviolet (UV) technology. Raslysation can be used as a substitute for the pasteurization of foods such as brine, whey, juice, iced tea, and many other liquids.  

Sanitation is one of the most important, if not the most important, departments in the food manufacturing plant. The actions of sanitation personnel mean that production starts the day with clean equipment and a clean environment, and this helps maintain sanitary conditions during operations to prevent food safety hazards or quality failures.

Aged meat does not carry greater food safety risks than fresh meat when aging is done correctly, according to a new scientific opinion adopted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that focuses on the microbiological food safety risks of aged meat in comparison to fresh meat and provides recommendations for safe production.

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are researching a sunlight-based method for controlling microbial contaminants—specifically, Salmonella and Escherichia coli—in irrigation water used for food crops. After enough research is conducted, the UGA team hopes to create an app that will help growers enhance food safety.

Researchers have developed a way to remove Staphylococcus aureus from milk using magnetic micro-robots loaded with immunoglobulins, which could be scaled for industry use and adapted to other foodborne pathogens.

Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. recently announced that its Accelerated Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (AMIPs™) technology has expanded its library of detectable pathogens, which already includes Escherichia coli, to encompass Salmonella, Listeria monocytgenes, and Sarcina.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) have released findings from recent Joint Expert Meetings on Microbial Risk Assessment (JERMA) sessions on the prevention and control of microbiological hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables.