Search Results (671)

Campylobacter spp., particularly Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, remain the leading bacterial causes of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, with poultry serving as the dominant reservoir and additional transmission routes involving livestock, raw milk, water, fresh produce, and food-processing environments. Accurate detection and quantification are essential for risk assessment, process hygiene monitoring, outbreak investigation, and One Health surveillance; however, reliable measurement is complicated by the organism’s fastidious microaerophilic growth requirements, stress sensitivity, low or uneven distribution in complex matrices, and ability to enter viable but non-culturable (VBNC) states. This review examines current and emerging approaches for Campylobacter detection and quantification across the food production continuum, including pre-harvest, harvest and processing, post-harvest, and retail, as well as consumer-level settings. Conventional culture, colony-count enumeration, most probable number (MPN) methods, and immunological assays are compared with molecular approaches, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), qPCR, digital PCR, viability PCR, whole-genome sequencing, metagenomics, biosensors, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence-assisted surveillance. Regulatory and standardization frameworks, including the International Organization of Standards (ISO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), and European Union (EU) process hygiene criteria are discussed, together with One Health surveillance systems. Overall, future Campylobacter monitoring will require integrated, matrix-specific strategies that combine standardized culture-based enumeration, viability-informed molecular quantification, genomic source attribution, and harmonized metadata to support more rapid, accurate, and risk-based food-safety decision-making. Full article

Seaweed is an abundant but underutilized resource in livestock and poultry feeds. The nutrient composition and digestibility are highly variable among and within seaweed species and geographic origin, and its ability to bioaccumulate several detrimental toxic substances in the marine environment can cause feed and food safety concerns. However, many seaweed species are rich sources of numerous bioactive compounds and phytochemicals that provide prebiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties as purified extracts that enhance animal productivity, health, and quality of animal-derived food products. Bromoform, which is found in high concentrations in red seaweed species, can be used as an effective dietary mitigation strategy for reducing enteric methane emissions from ruminants and subsequently reduce the environmental impact of meat and milk production. However, there are multiple tradeoffs between positive and negative environmental impacts, animal health benefits and risk factors, and improvements in quality of meat, milk, and eggs versus potential food safety concerns that are associated with the production, bioprocessing, and use of seaweed and bioactive compounds in animal diets that must be considered. This comprehensive review is intended to provide a synthesis of disparate threads of vast amounts of scientific information across multiple disciplines to help us answer the question “Can seaweed be a sustainable, One Health resource in livestock and poultry diets?”. Full article

Hoof disorders are a major cause of reduced productivity and compromised welfare in dairy cows and are frequently accompanied by systemic inflammatory and metabolic disturbances. However, the relationships among different types of hoof lesions, oxidative stress, inflammation, metabolic status, and milk quality remain incompletely understood. Therefore, this study evaluated inflammatory, oxidative stress, metabolic, and milk quality biomarkers in Holstein–Friesian dairy cows with different hoof disorders and assessed their ability to discriminate lame from healthy animals. A total of 451 cows were classified as healthy (n = 210) or affected by horn (n = 190), infectious (n = 32), or degenerative (n = 13) hoof lesions; six cows with combinations of lesions that precluded unambiguous assignment to a single category were excluded from lesion-category comparisons. Blood and milk samples were analyzed for inflammatory cytokines, acute-phase proteins, oxidative stress markers, metabolic indicators, and milk quality traits. Compared with healthy cows, animals with hoof disorders, particularly those with infectious lesions, exhibited significantly higher concentrations of haptoglobin, serum amyloid A, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, malondialdehyde, β-hydroxybutyrate, non-esterified fatty acids, cortisol, somatic cell count, and somatic cell score, whereas antioxidant biomarkers (total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase), IL-10, milk yield, fat content, and protein content were significantly lower (all p < 0.001). Correlation and principal component analyses revealed close associations among inflammatory, oxidative stress, metabolic, and milk quality variables. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified IL-6 (AUC = 0.947), TNF-α (AUC = 0.934), haptoglobin (AUC = 0.921), and serum amyloid A (AUC = 0.913) as the biomarkers with the highest discriminatory performance for distinguishing clinically lame cows from healthy animals. Multivariate logistic regression identified β-hydroxybutyrate (OR = 3.24), malondialdehyde (OR = 2.26), somatic cell count (OR = 1.41), IL-6 (OR = 1.12), and TNF-α (OR = 1.09) as variables independently associated with lameness after evaluation of potential biological covariates. Overall, hoof disorders were associated with pronounced inflammatory, oxidative, and metabolic alterations accompanied by impaired milk quality. These findings suggest that IL-6, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A, and β-hydroxybutyrate may represent promising biomarkers for assessing and monitoring clinically established lameness in dairy cows. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to validate these findings and to evaluate the potential clinical utility of these biomarkers for lameness monitoring. Full article

Breast milk is the optimal nutrition for infants. However, a number of viruses can accumulate in breast milk and be transmitted to a newborn during breastfeeding. Holder pasteurization is a gold-standard method for breast milk treatment, achieving an acceptable compromise between microbiological safety and biological quality. We have evaluated the virucidal activity of Holder pasteurization of breast milk contaminated with RNA and DNA viruses in a portable home-use pasteurizer. Viruses were selected on basis of their ability to infect humans, contaminate breast milk, and pose a threat for a newborn. The efficacy was evaluated in experimental conditions using breast milk samples from four different donors. Infectious virus and viral genome content were assessed. Holder pasteurization resulted in a decrease in infectivity below the detection limit for enveloped RNA viruses (HIV-1, CHIKV, and SARS-CoV-2), but not RSV, and a partial decrease in infectious virus titer for non-enveloped RNA enteroviruses (EV-A71, E30, and PV1), and DNA viruses (hAdV5 and HSV-1). Moreover, infectivity reduction in E30 and PV1 in different samples of breast milk significantly differed. Therefore, Holder pasteurization can be a tool in the novel pandemic preparedness toolbox or probably help mothers manage breastfeeding during common infections. Full article

This study investigated the prevalence and genomic characteristics of Bacillus cereus group organisms in animal-origin foods sold in Guangzhou, China. A total of 505 retail samples, including 117 milk samples and 388 commercially available smoked sausage products, were collected from supermarkets and farmers’ markets. The isolation rates of B. cereus group organisms were 8.5% in milk and 44.9% in smoked sausages. Whole-genome sequencing of 169 isolates showed that antimicrobial-resistance genes, including bacII, fosB and vanZF, and diarrheal virulence-associated genes, including nheA, nheB and nheC, were widely distributed among the isolates. Most representative isolates showed biofilm-forming ability, and three antimicrobial-resistant isolates carrying multiple virulence-associated genes showed pathogenic potential in mice under high-dose experimental administration. These findings indicate that retail smoked sausage products can serve as a reservoir of B. cereus group organisms with antimicrobial-resistance, virulence-associated and biofilm-forming traits. However, the detection of resistance- or virulence-associated genes does not necessarily prove gene expression, toxin production, phenotypic resistance or consumer exposure risk. This study did not directly evaluate growth of B. cereus in sausage matrices during storage. Therefore, the present results indicate a potential microbiological hazard rather than a quantified consumer risk. Product-specific challenge studies under defined storage conditions are required to determine whether B. cereus can proliferate in particular sausage products and reach hazardous levels at consumption. Full article

Bovine milk fat is distinguished by a high proportion of short and medium chain fatty acids, a profile that mammary epithelial cells (MEC) fail to reproduce in vitro. When considering culturing MEC as a source for alternative dairy products, this failure limits the ability of replicating the functionality of milk fat. Conventional media used to grow the cells is designed to mimic monogastric animal plasma, disregarding the profound metabolic differences compared with ruminant plasma. Therefore, we hypothesized that the inability to reproduce milk fat composition in vitro reflects substrate composition rather than an intrinsic limitation of the cells. To test this, we gradually modulated MEC media composition towards a ruminant-like substrate balance, lowering glucose and supplementing acetate. Pathway analysis revealed that high glucose media enhanced TCA cycle without activating de novo lipogenesis, while acetate increased lipid accumulation in both glucose backgrounds. Caprylic acid (C8:0), a medium-chain fatty acid characteristic of bovine milk fat, increased with acetate supplementation and peaked under low glucose media with acetate, consistent with acetate increasing lower molecular weight triglycerides. These results indicate that the limited capacity of MEC cultures to generate milk-like fatty acid profiles is substantially influenced by the substrate environment, and that a ruminant-like shift in substrate availability partially, but not completely, redirects fatty acid output towards the milk fat profile. Full article

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB1), a potent carcinogenic metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, constitutes a significant threat to food safety. Conventional decontamination methods are costly or ineffective. Biological detoxification has emerged as a promising alternative. Kefir, a fermented milk beverage, comprises lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts with documented antifungal properties. This study evaluated whey permeate (WP) as a fermentation substrate for kefir microorganisms and assessed their AFB1-binding capacity. Kefir microorganisms cultivated in WP supported active fermentation, reaching 8.47 log CFU/mL LAB and 7.57 log CFU/mL yeasts, with concomitant lactose consumption and organic acid production. The ability of 13 individual kefir-derived microorganisms and the total kefir microbial community to bind AFB1 was evaluated under diverse conditions. All microorganisms exhibited AFB1 binding ability, although binding depended on strain, growth medium, pH, microbial concentration, and toxin concentration. The highest binding was observed for the total kefir community grown in WP. Binding remained stable over time for the total kefir community and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114 and was independent of viability and hydrophobicity. AFB1 binding by kefir microorganisms significantly reduced AFB1-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. These findings demonstrate that WP can be valorized into a value-added fermented product containing microorganisms with strong AFB1 binding and cytoprotective properties. Full article

Consumers are increasingly purchasing nutrient-dense, clean-label foods, a trend that is driving demand for vitamin C-fortified dairy products; however, vitamin C is readily degraded by heat, light, oxygen, and changes to pH. The propensity for vitamin C to degrade makes fortification challenging, and companies incur added cost by including vitamin overages to account for anticipated losses. Encapsulating vitamin C minimizes degradation and increases the nutritional value of dairy products. This review examines four case studies that improve the stability of vitamin C through various encapsulation techniques, including emulsification with spray drying, spray chilling, liposomal encapsulation, and extrusion gelation. Encapsulation of vitamin C with casein gel for use in vitamin gummies, polyglycerol monostearate for drinkable yogurt, liposomes for ice cream, and sodium alginate for flavored milk significantly delayed vitamin degradation. The four case studies demonstrate that vitamin C encapsulation provides a viable solution to reduce vitamin overage by delaying vitamin C degradation, improving product quality, and extending shelf life. Current limitations of encapsulation technology include vitamin coating efficiency, industrial scalability, and the ability to align technologies with nutrient fortification, clean-label, and product shelf-life targets. Full article

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the main foodborne pathogens associated with milk and dairy products due to its ability to survive under refrigeration conditions and persist in dairy production environments. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in raw bovine milk samples collected from dairy farms in the provinces of Pichincha and Manabí, Ecuador, using culture-based and molecular methods. A total of 633 raw milk samples were collected between September 2022 and July 2023 from small-, medium-, and large-scale producers. Detection was performed by qPCR targeting the hly gene after pre-enrichment, followed by Bacterial culture and molecular confirmation through 16S rRNA gene analysis. Overall, 27.33% (173/633) of the samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes. Positive samples were distributed among small-scale producers (35.84%), medium-scale producers (36.99%), and large-scale producers (27.17%). Statistically significant differences were observed between provinces (p < 0.0001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that samples obtained in Pichincha had considerably greater probabilities of being positive compared to those from Manabí (OR = 2.37; 95% CI: 1.61–3.48; p < 0.001). However, during the dry season, samples collected in Manabi showed significant probabilities of being positive compared to the rainy season (OR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.21–0.45; p < 0.001). Producer size was not significantly associated with positivity after adjustment. Agreement between qPCR and culture-based methods was moderate (κ ≈ 0.6). Relative diagnostic performance analysis demonstrated that qPCR showed a relative sensitivity of 92.35%, relative specificity of 96.54%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 90.75%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 97.17% compared with Bacterial culture. These findings confirm the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in raw bovine milk from the studied regions and highlight the importance of maintaining hygienic practices and microbiological surveillance during milk production and handling. Full article

Consumers increasingly favor frozen yogurt as a healthier alternative to ice cream due to its lower fat content and probiotic benefits. Baked fermented milk (BFM), with its caramelized flavor, brown color, and enhanced nutritional properties, has emerged as a promising ingredient for improving the functional and sensory qualities of frozen yogurt. This study aimed to develop a novel probiotic baked frozen yogurt (PBFY) using BFM instead of traditional fermented milk (TFM) and to evaluate its physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics compared with traditional probiotic frozen yogurt (PTFY). Reconstituted skim milk and fresh cream were heat-treated (90 °C, 5 min) for TFM or baked (115 °C, 20 min) for BFM prior to culture inoculation. Both bases were inoculated with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, along with the probiotic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteriumanimalis subsp. lactis. PTFY and PBFY were formulated by blending ice cream mix with TFM or BFM at 25, 50, and 75% substitution levels. Increasing fermented milk concentration significantly decreased pH and surface tension while elevating mix viscosity. High inclusion levels (75%) impaired whipping ability, reduced overrun, increased fat destabilization, decreased the melting rate, and reduced culture survival during storage. Compared with PTFY, PBFY exhibited a higher melting rate, lower viscosity, and superior antioxidant activity (1.31- and 1.33-fold higher DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activity, respectively); however, the fermented milk type did not significantly affect overrun or fat destabilization. During storage, S. thermophilus was the most stable strain, with a decline rate of 0.6–0.69 log₁₀ CFU/mL/month, whereas B. animalis subsp. lactis showed a more rapid decline (0.80–0.89 log₁₀ CFU/mL/month). Sensory evaluation revealed that a 50% BFM inclusion level was optimal, producing PBFY with a smooth texture, light brown color, and appealing caramel-like flavor. Full article

Background: Cow’s milk-derived fortifier (CMDF) is widely used to improve the nutritional adequacy of human milk for very preterm infants. Although generally well-tolerated, feeding difficulties may occur during CMDF use. Characterizing these events and their associated clinical factors may improve the understanding of feeding tolerance in routine neonatal practice. Objective: To characterize documented adverse feeding events among infants receiving donor human milk (DHM) and CMDF and to identify clinical characteristics associated with these events. Methods: This retrospective nationwide cohort study used the Japanese Human Milk Bank Database. Infants receiving DHM and CMDF were included. Clinical characteristics were compared between infants with and without documented adverse feeding events, and multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate associated factors. Results: Among the 2587 infants receiving DHM and CMDF, 2476 had available adverse-event information. Adverse feeding events were documented in 315 infants (12.7%), most commonly abdominal distension, increased gastric residuals, vomiting, and suspected cow’s milk protein allergy. Infants with documented adverse feeding events had lower gestational age and birth weight and required longer to reach an enteral feeding volume of 100 mL/kg/day. In multivariable analysis, delayed achievement of 100 mL/kg/day remained associated with documented adverse feeding events, whereas gestational age, birth weight, and sex were not independently associated. Routine clinical variables showed limited discriminatory ability (AUC 0.611). Conclusions: Most infants receiving CMDF had no documented adverse feeding events. Slower progression to an enteral feeding volume of 100 mL/kg/day was associated with documented adverse feeding events; however, the temporal relationship among feeding progression, CMDF initiation, and adverse events could not be established. These findings should therefore be considered hypothesis-generating rather than predictive and require prospective validation. Full article

Heat stress is frequently associated with reduced dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, and physiological alterations in Holstein dairy cows. The aim was to evaluate how prior exposure to heat stress affects feed intake, milk production, energy balance, blood metabolites, and infrared thermography, with special emphasis on the cows’ ability to recover and re-establish normal physiological and productive responses. Thirty multiparous lactating Holstein cows (days in milk = 87 ± 19.6 days) and previous milk yield (30.8 ± 3.95 kg/d) were monitored over 21 days, divided into three 7-day phases: thermoneutral (TN), cows kept at a constant temperature–humidity index (THI) of 69; heat stress (HS), cows at a THI of 82 for 9 h and 69 for 15 h, and recovery (REC), cows at a constant THI of 69. Milk yield decreased by 16.1% during HS and remained 17.3% lower during REC compared with TN. Dry matter intake was reduced by 5.8 and 4.2 kg/d for HS and REC compared to TN cows. Plasma insulin was higher in REC compared to HS. Under the conditions of the present study, heat stress was associated with impaired productive performance, altered metabolism, and changes in the physiological status of mid-lactation Holstein dairy cows, with some effects persisting after the cows returned to thermoneutral conditions. Full article

In forensic toxicology, the analysis of blood and urine is regarded as the so-called “gold standard.” However, when forensic experts are confronted with advanced postmortem changes, it becomes necessary to secure and examine alternative matrices. Suitable specimens in cases of advanced putrefactive decomposition may include: skin appendages (hair and nails), bones, bone marrow, cartilage tissue, teeth, antemortem fingerprints, cerebrospinal fluid, vitreous humor, breast milk, meconium, placenta and umbilical cord tissue, oral fluid, sweat, and other evidentiary materials. These tissues, owing to their structure and anatomical location, are more resistant to putrefactive decomposition than body fluids and soft tissues. However, several limitations complicate the reliable analysis of these matrices. These include incomplete drug incorporation, depending on physicochemical properties, the inability to correlate analyte concentrations with pharmacological effects, low xenobiotic levels, and the need for highly sensitive analytical methods. Collectively, these factors contribute to interpretative challenges during forensic expert evaluation and reporting. To address key forensic questions, epigenetic variability analyses (forensic epigenetics) may also be employed, particularly when standard DNA profiling is uninformative. DNA methylation patterns in specific tissues and in individual subjects can be used, among other purposes, to identify the tissue of origin of a human biological trace, to differentiate monozygotic twins, and to predict the age of an unidentified trace donor. Over the past few years, this approach has gained increasing importance; in the context of forensic trace analysis, it offers both advantages and limitations. The aim of this study is to present current scientific evidence regarding the use of alternative biological matrices as potential sources of information of forensic relevance. The paper discusses the characteristics of individual biological materials, with particular emphasis on their analytical properties, potential applications, limitations, and possible advantages in forensic toxicological investigations. Furthermore, the key aspects associated with the application of epigenetic methods in forensic science are presented, with particular focus on their role in individual identification and the reconstruction of circumstances surrounding forensic events. Alternative biological matrices and modern analytical approaches may constitute valuable complementary tools to conventional evidentiary materials used in forensic medicine and criminalistics. Due to their physicochemical properties, stability, and ability to preserve specific biological information, these matrices may provide significant data that enable substance identification, assessment of exposure to psychoactive compounds, reconstruction of event circumstances, and support for identification procedures. However, their application requires consideration of analytical limitations, the specific characteristics of the examined matrix, and the necessity for standardization and validation of diagnostic procedures Full article

Bovine mastitis, caused by both contagious and environmental pathogens, represents a major infectious disease burden in the global dairy industry. Antibiotics remain the primary treatment option, but their effectiveness is limited by the blood–milk barrier, drug residues, and the growing threat of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Among the various alternatives, phage therapy has drawn particular attention due to its specificity, ability to disrupt biofilms, low impact on commensal flora, and self-replication at infection sites. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the isolation of lytic phages targeting major mastitis-causing pathogens, their bactericidal mechanisms, and their performance in vitro and in vivo. We also discuss key obstacles to clinical translation including formulation stability, narrow host range, and safety concerns. Moreover, the potential strategies to overcome these issues are explored. This review provides a useful reference for research on phage therapy against bovine mastitis. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus is a major contagious pathogen causing bovine mastitis, with persistence and antimicrobial resistance posing ongoing challenges in dairy herds. From July 2022 to July 2023, 942 mastitis milk samples (267 clinical, 675 subclinical) from 10 farms in northwestern China yielded 98 S. aureus isolates (10.4%), which were characterized by whole-genome sequencing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, biofilm assays, and virulence profiling. Ten sequence types, seven clonal complexes, and 16 spa types were identified, dominated by ST1 (42.9%) and ST97 (24.5%). ST1 was mainly associated with subclinical mastitis, whereas ST97 was enriched in clinical cases; a novel ST9955 (13.3%) was exclusively detected in subclinical isolates. No methicillin-resistant S. aureus was detected. Resistance was most frequently observed to penicillin (42.9%), erythromycin (28.6%), clindamycin (22.4%), and tetracycline (10.2%), with higher rates in clinical isolates. 65.3% of isolates exhibited strong biofilm-forming ability, which was significantly more frequent in subclinical cases (70.3% vs. 55.9%, p < 0.05). Virulence genes showed conserved adhesion/biofilm determinants but lineage-dependent distribution of immune evasion and toxin genes, with stable co-occurrence among capsule, biofilm, T7SS, iron acquisition, and immune evasion loci. Overall, the population was diverse but strongly lineage-structured, dominated by a few successful clones, highlighting the value of lineage-resolved surveillance for understanding and controlling bovine mastitis. Full article