• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.5_6
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• pp.372-372
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• 2000

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.305-309
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• 2002

Raw soybean sprouts were tested for contamination with the following bacteria which have potential for pathogenesis or food spoilage : Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio parahae-molyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Plesidomonas shigeloides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Lis-teria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Erwinia spp., and Fusarium spp. Three of the above strains were isolated from the sprouts, and identified by morphological and biochemical methods including an API kit and ATB automated identification system. The isolate cultured in Cereus selective agar, a selective medium, was a Gram-positive, rod shaped, anaerobic spore former. The biochemical and culture tests revealed the following characteristics: catalase-positive, no growth on Simmon's citrate, NO₂ production and requirement of arginine for growth; the ATB automated identification system gave 99.8 % agreement for the identification of Bacillus cereus to the species level. The isolate cultured in Macconkey agar selective medium was Gram-negative, rod shaped and a gas former; the ATB-system gave 99.9% agreement for the identification of Aeromonas hydrophila to the species level. The isolate found in Pseudomonas isolation agar was Gram-negative, rod shaped, cytochrome oxidase-positive, a reducer of nitrates to nitrogen, and pyocyanin producer; the ATB-system gave 99.9 % agreement for the identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the species level. These results indicate that the three bacteria species present in the soybean sprouts were Bacillus cereus, Aero-monas hydrophila, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Yersinia enter-ocolitica, which are associated with serious disease in humans, were not isolated from soybean sprouts examined in this study.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.824-829
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• 2011

In recent years, there has been an increasing public concern about fecal contamination of water, air and agricultural produce by pathogens residing in organic fertilizers such as manure, compost and agricultural by-products. Efforts are now being made to control or eliminate the pathogen populations at on-farm level. Development of efficient on-farm strategies to mitigate the potential risk posed by the pathogens requires data about how the pathogens prevail in livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers. Microbiological analysis of livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers obtained from 32 and 28 companies, respectively, were conducted to determine the total aerobic bacteria count, coliforms, Escherichia coli count and the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Cronobacter sakazakii. The total aerobic bacteria counts in the livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers were in the range of 7 to $9log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and 4 to $6log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$, respectively. In the livestock manure composts, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 2 companies, respectively, in the range of 2 to $5log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and $2log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. In the organic fertilizers, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 1 companies, respectively, in the range of 1 to $3log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and $2log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. In 3 out 32 compost samples, B. cereus was detected, while other pathogens were not detected. In 28 organic fertilizers, no pathogens were detected. The complete composting process can result in the elimination of pathogens in livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer. The results of this study could help to formulate microbiological guidelines for the use of compost in environmental-friendly agriculture. This research provides information regarding microbiological quality of livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to examine the combined effect of fumaric acid with mild heat on the inactivation of microorganisms on spinach. Spinach leaves were inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes. Based on the results of single treatment of fumaric acid (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5%) or mild heat (40, 50, and $60^{\circ}C$) regarding the inactivation of the inoculated bacteria, the optimal condition for the combined treatment was suggested to be 0.5% fumaric acid and mild heat treatment at $50^{\circ}C$ for 5 min. The combined treatment of fumaric acid with mild heat caused 2.53 and 2.62 log reductions of the populations of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. In addition, during storage of fresh spinach at $4^{\circ}C$ for 12 d, the combined treatment reduced initially the populations of total aerobic bacteria by 2.77 log CFU/g compared with the control. In particular, after 12 d of storage, the population of total aerobic bacteria for the combined treatment sample was 4.84 log CFU/g, whereas the control sample had 6.66 log CFU/g. Color and vitamin C content of spinach samples were not altered significantly by the combined treatment during storage. These results indicate that the combined treatment of fumaric acid with mild heat is an effective method to control microorganisms on spinach during storage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.910-914
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• 2005

This study was to determine the inhibitory effect of ethanol extract of leaf, bark and xylem of Quercus aliena Blume and, consecutively, of organic solvent subfractions against food borne pathogens. The ethanol extracts of leaf, bark and xylem of Quercus aliena Blume were shown to have antimicrobial effect against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium were more resistant to ethanol extracts of the Quercus aliena Blume tissues compared with Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The ethanol extract of Quercus aliena Blume leaf showed the strongest antimicrobial activity against food borne pathogens, followed by those of xylem and bark. The ethanol extract treatment $(500\~1,000\mu g/mL)$ of Quercus aliena Blume leaf completely reduced the growth of B. cereus and L. monocytogenes within 24 hour whereas $2,000\mu g/mL$ of ethanol extract was needed for complete growth inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium. Among organic solvent subfractions obtained from the ethanol extract of leaf, bark and xylem of Quercus aliena Blume, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest antimicrobial activity, but no antimicrobial activity was observed in chloroform, hexane and water fractions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.1411-1417
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of methanol extracts from 6 plants which were Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herb. var. latilobum (Maxim.) Kitamura (Gu-jeol-cho), Lavandula spica L. (Lavender), Rosmainus offcinals L. (Rosemary), Cymbopogon citrates (Lemongrass), Saussureae radix (Mok-hyang), Calendular officinalis L. (Calendular). Antioxidative effects of herbal extracts were measured by polyphenols, flavonoids contents and DPPH radical scavenging activity assay. We also evaluated the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Methanol extracts from Gu-jeol-cho, lavender, rosemary and lemongrass showed high polyphenols contents as well as strong DPPH scavenging activity. In particular, rosemary extract contained highest polyphenol levels as $126.69{\pm}2.62{\mu}g/mg$ compared to other herbs. As for DPPH radical scavenging activities, $IC_{50}$ values of rosemary extracts were $6.23{\pm}0.58{\mu}g/mL$. The rosemary extracts also showed higher antibacterial effects against S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7. These results indicate that rosemary could be used as natural antioxidant and antibacterial agents.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.486-491
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• 2016

Efficacy of dielectric barrier discharge-cold plasma treatment (DBD-CPT) for microbial decontamination of onion powder was evaluated. Onion powder, inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis, or Listeria monocytogenes, was treated with helium DBD-CPT. DBD-CPT (9 kV, 20 min) inhibited E. coli O157:H7, S. Enteritidis, and L. monocytogenes by $1.4{\pm}0.5$, $2.3{\pm}0.3$, and $1.2{\pm}0.0log\;CFU/cm^2$, respectively. The inactivation levels of E. coli O157:H7, S. Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes increased by $2.2{\pm}0.1$, $2.5{\pm}0.1$ and $1.9{\pm}0.3log\;CFU/cm^2$, respectively, as water activity increased from 0.4 to 0.8, and increased by $2.3{\pm}0.4$, $2.1{\pm}0.1$ and $1.6{\pm}0.1log\;CFU/cm^2$, respectively, as the particle size increased from 0.3 to $1.0cm^2$. Neither the ascorbic acid and quercetin concentrations nor the color of onion powder was changed by DBD-CPT (p>0.05). These results demonstrate the potential for application of DBD-CPT in improving microbiological safety of onion powder while preserving the physicochemical properties.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 2009

Three hundred lactic acid bacteria isolated from human feces were studied their probiotic characters to develop potential probiotics. The properties were tested on the basis of guideline for probiotic selection protocol such as tolerance for acid or bile salt, thermal stability, antimicrobial, anticancer cell, and antiviral activity. Strain Miny-148 was selected as a potential probiotic bacterium which showed resistance to low pH, bile salts and thermal stability. On the basis of fatty acid profiles and 16S rDNA sequences analysis, the strain was identified as Lactobacillus pentosus (similarity 99.9%). The strain, L. pentosus Miny-148, showed broad antimicrobial spectrum against E. coli O157:H7, Shigella flexneri, Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Vibrio cholerae, V. vulnificus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Cell-free culture supernatant of the strain also inhibited against the growth of HT-29 colon cancer cell and transmissible gastroenterits virus.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.277-284
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate microbial contamination levels of leafy greens (perilla leaf and lettuce) and its distributing conditions at different seasons (Feb, May, Aug, and Nov of the year 2011) in order to provide insight into any potential health hazards associated with consumption of these commodities. Leafy greens were collected from a farm located in Geumsan, Chungnam and wholesale markets (WM) and traditional markets (TM) located in Suwon. At the same time, temperature and relative humidity fluctuations experienced by the leafy greens during distribution from the farm to the distribution center were measured by a data logger. The contamination levels of perilla leaf and lettuce were determined by analyzing total plate count. Coliform groups, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were determined. The contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform groups and B. cereus in both vegetables sampled during May and August found to be higher than those sampled during February and November. E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes were not detected in the vegetables analyzed in this study. There were no significant trends between samples at WM and TM in the contamination levels. Relative humidity of vegetables distributed from the farm to the distribution center showed over 90% during distribution regardless of measured seasons. In the case of background microflora on leafy greens, the density was significantly increased at 20, 30 and $37^{\circ}C$ during storage of 24h. E. coli O157:H7 and B. cereus inoculated on the leaves also showed similar increases in the storage tests. The microbial contamination levels determined in this study may be used as the fundamental data for microbial risk assessment.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.388-393
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• 1998

Recently there has been an increasing amount of foreign livestock products distributed in the domestic market due to the market opening. Some vicious dealers sell the foreign beef in the trade name of the native beef during the final distribution step to arouse the social criticism frequently. In this report, we investigated a method to distinguish the native beef from the foreign one scientifically using the PCR-RAPD, a recent gene technique. Hygienical safety was also examined using a microbiological test for toxicity of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and the food poisoning bacteria. The conditions of DNA amplification for the PCR analysis were $1{\times}Taq$ polymerase buffer, 1.5 mM $MgCl_2,\;50\;\mu\textrm{M}$ dNTP, 100 ng primers, 2.5 unit Taq polymerase and 5~20 ng template DNA, with the fmal volume of $50\;\mu\textrm{\ell}$. The size of the amplified product was detected mostly in the range of 0.5~2.0 kbp. The size of DNA, gene marking factor, which could be a criterion distinguishing the native beef from the foreign one, appeared approximately 1.2 kbp. The native beef was distinguished from the foreign beef with more than 90% of confidence by the gene marking factor. This method was expected to be useful in the breed discrimination between the native beef and the foreign one. The hygienical test results showed that, fortunately, neither Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes which form a principal cause of the food poisoning nor Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli : EHEC which have provoked a recent social disturbance, were detected at all.