The effects of cooking, storage, and ionizing irradiation on carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Past research conducted by our lab demonstrated that potatoes contain significant levels of phytochemicals important to human health. However, since potatoes are not consumed raw, it is important to determine the effects of processing on these levels. Therefore, the changes in carotenoid content, antioxidant activity, and phenolic content were investigated using combinations of cultivars, cooking methods, storage treatments, and low-dose ionizing irradiation. Carotenoid content was measured via absorbance at 445 nm, 450 nm, and HPLC identification. Antioxidant activity was measured initially and at stabilization via the DPPH method and phenolic content was measured via the Folin method and HPLC identification. Microwaved, baked, fried, and raw potato samples contained more carotenoids than boiled samples. The samples microwaved, baked, and fried contained higher antioxidant activity and phenolics than the boiled or raw samples. However, the compound quercetin dihydrate appeared to decrease with cooking. Carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics appeared to decrease with storage; however, high storage temperatures and long storage times were believed to cause a dehydration and concentration of compounds, which caused levels to be equal to or greater than before storage. However, this decreasing trend was not linear and there were multiple significant interactions. The compound chlorogenic acid appeared to be quite sensitive to high temperature storage. Irradiation dose appeared to have only a minor, if any, effect on carotenoid levels. The interaction between storage time and irradiation dose was very influential on antioxidant activity. In early stages of storage, higher doses of irradiation had greater antioxidant activity, while, with continued storage, low doses had higher antioxidant activity. Exposure to irradiation appeared to cause an increase in phenolic content, determined by the Folin method. There may be a stimulation, induction, or release of some compounds due to processing; however, its magnitude is not believed to be as great as genetic control. The effects of processing can not be denied and should continue to be investigated. Future studies investigating the health properties of fruits and vegetables, particularly potatoes should include processing effects

Leptospirosis Frequency in Animals and their Habitats in the Southern United States: A Systematic Review

Leptospirosis is zoonotic disease with symptoms ranging from subclinical to serious and fatal. Understanding the frequency and dynamics of Leptospira in animals in the southern United States can aid in prevention efforts. A systematic review of the frequency of animal leptospirosis in 17 states and jurisdictions covering the southern continental U.S. was performed. Fifty-two articles met the analysis criteria. Seroprevalence and bacterial isolation data were collected from 14 states, 22 animal families, and over 100 years. There were wide ranges of disease frequencies reported. The disease frequency for Muridae and Mephitidae were consistently high. Differences in habit, age, breeding season, interactions, and population density were highlighted as possible reasons for variability. For animals in wild habitats, seroprevalence and isolation frequency trends increased slightly over time. This review and analysis highlights the need for stronger partnerships across the public and animal health fields to enhance diagnostics, surveillance, and reporting.Master of Public Healt

A microbiological hazard analysis of California Walnut production and handling

Indigenous microbiota (aerobic plate count (APC), Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts/ molds, coliforms, and Escherichia coli) were enumerated on California walnuts collected from key points including directly from trees, the orchard floor, points after harvesting, during mechanical hull removal, and before and after dehydration. Walnuts were also inoculated with Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes and held under laboratory conditions that simulated commercial conditions. Indigenous microbiota enumerated from fruit collected from the tree canopy or the orchard floor increased as walnut fruit matured. At relative humidities (RH) less than 40%, inoculated bacteria declined during storage while at RH greater than 40% inoculated bacteria survived or grew on walnut hulls. After harvest, walnuts are transported to hulling facilities, where the hull is removed both mechanically and with the aid of water, producing a slurry of crushed hulls and orchard debris. In hulling facilities, populations of indigenous microbiota increased in the water after exposure to harvested materials while removing the hull had little impact on reducing the microbiota on the walnut fruit. Indigenous microbiota and inoculated S. Enteritidis declined in freshly crushed/blended green hulls, while mature, brown hulls supported both the survival and growth of indigenous microbiota and S. Enteritidis. After hulling, walnuts are dehydrated at temperatures less than 43ºC, stored at ambient or cool temperatures, and sold either in-the-shell or as kernels after cracking. Microbial declines of < 1 log CFU/nut in APC were observed during commercial dehydration. In laboratory dehydration studies, S. Enteritidis declined by <1 - 2 log CFU/nut. Inoculated bacterial pathogens survived for extended periods on in-shell walnuts and kernels; decline rates were generally slower at colder temperatures; greater declines were observed on in-shell walnuts and with E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes. The data provided in this dissertation may be applied to the development of walnut-specific Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices

Response of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center to the Emergence of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus in the United States

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the first diagnosed case of PEDV in U.S. swine on May 17, 2013. NBIC has been monitoring this epidemic primarily due to economic concerns. Without a formal response protocol by a single coordinating agency, PEDV spread rapidly between states. Though APHIS have been actively involved from the beginning of emergence, the Federal Order announced on June 5, 2014 marks more formalized and coordination response, which NBIC predicts will exert greater control over the epidemic despite the predicted viral surge in the colder months

A dry-inoculation method for nut kernels

a b s t r a c t A dry-inoculation method for almonds and walnuts was developed to eliminate the need for the postinoculation drying required for wet-inoculation methods. The survival of Salmonella enterica Enteritidis PT 30 on wet-and dry-inoculated almond and walnut kernels stored under ambient conditions (average: 23 C; 41 or 47% RH) was then compared over 14 weeks. For wet inoculation, an aqueous Salmonella preparation was added directly to almond or walnut kernels, which were then dried under ambient conditions (3 or 7 days, respectively) to initial nut moisture levels. For the dry inoculation, liquid inoculum was mixed with sterilized sand and dried for 24 h at 40 C. The dried inoculated sand was mixed with kernels, and the sand was removed by shaking the mixture in a sterile sieve. Mixing procedures to optimize the bacterial transfer from sand to kernel were evaluated; in general, similar levels were achieved on walnuts (4.8e5.2 log CFU/g) and almonds (4.2e5.1 log CFU/g). The decline of Salmonella Enteritidis populations was similar during ambient storage (98 days) for both wet-and dry-inoculation methods for both almonds and walnuts. The dry-inoculation method mimics some of the suspected routes of contamination for tree nuts and may be appropriate for some postharvest challenge studies

An Analysis of the Health Hazards Posed by a Surge of Unaccompanied Alien Children to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Border

The health hazards posed by the 2104 surge of unaccompanied alien children to the Lower Rio Grande Valley border were minimal

An Analysis of the International and Domestic Health Hazards Posed by the 2014 West African Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

An epidemic of "ebolavirus" in West Africa, which was first identified in March 2014, is now the largest Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak on record. The West African epidemic will only be quelled through widespread adherence of public health initiatives promoting barrier-nursing techniques, health education, and the rapid identification of cases. The ongoing EVD outbreak in West Africa is unlikely to affect public health in the U.S. significantly

FDA’s tracking and analysis of surveillance sampling isolates for outbreak detection

ObjectiveTo create a forum and database for FDA and CDC epidemiologists,laboratorians, and outbreak scientists for tracking recent food andenvironmental surveillance sampling isolates identified throughReportable Food Registries reports and regulatory inspectionalfindings, and analyzing them for matches to clinical isolates for earlyoutbreak detection.IntroductionIdentifying, solving, and stopping foodborne outbreaks in theU.S. requires the collaboration and coordination of multiple federalagencies and centers as well as state and local authorities. FDA’sCoordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Networkis responsible for outbreak surveillance, response, and post-responseactivities related to incidents involving multiple illnesses linked toFDA-regulated food. CORE collaborates with CDC to obtain data onfoodborne illnesses and illness clusters and with FDA Centers andfield staff to obtain laboratory and inspectional information relatedto contaminated foods and foodborne illness outbreaks. CORE’sSignals and Surveillance team coordinates isolate tracking activitiesamong several organizations within FDA and CDC and the isolatedatabase was developed for timely information sharing and earlysignal detection.MethodsThe isolate tracking database combines information fromestablished laboratory, inspectional, and regulatory programs;investigators across FDA and CDC evaluate the information forearly outbreak signals. PulseNet is a national laboratory network thatcompares the Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns ofclinical and non-clinical bacterial isolates and identifies increases innumbers of isolates with matching PFGE patterns as outbreak clusters.Foodborne outbreak investigational partners, including the CDC andFDA, utilize the CDC/Palantir Technologies-developed platform, theSystem for Enteric Disease Response, Investigation, and Coordination(SEDRIC), to evaluate clinical, food, and environmental isolates.CORE provides additional firm-identifying metadata for new foodand environmental isolates from FDA, contract lab, and ReportableFood Registry (RFR)-reported samples and analyzes them for PFGEpatterns matching those of recent clinical isolates. FDA laboratoriansprovide early information about food and environmental isolatesthat are in queue for PFGE and whole genome sequence analyses,trend analysis for recently completed isolates, and genetic clusteringwith clinical and other isolates. The RFR is a FDA-hosted platformfor industries and public health officials to report when there is areasonable probability that a human or animal food that is regulatedby FDA will cause serious adverse health consequences. The RFRcoordinator tracks patterns of adulteration in food, and gathersinformation from FDA district investigators on the availability ofpathogen isolates for FDA analysis, from FDA inspections of firms,and from investigations into the root-cause of contamination. Eachpathogen detection is evaluated for associations to current outbreakclusters.ResultsThe isolate tracking activities have provided investigatorswith information for hypothesis development, identified trends inlaboratory and inspectional findings, aided in the identification ofcausal food sources in illness clusters, and provided early laboratoryand inspectional information to outbreak investigations. Within thepast year, isolate tracking activities identified early indicators of thepresence ofListeria monocytogenesin frozen foods before a multistateoutbreak of listeriosis was linked to frozen vegetables; identifiedearly indicators of the presence ofSalmonellain pistachios beforeidentification of a multistate outbreak ofSalmonellaMontevideo andSalmonellaSenftenberg; further characterized the microbial hazardsof cucumber and pepper contamination through FDA’s enhancedsurveillance sampling program; and expanded the forum’s scope toinclude animal foods and their link to human and animal illnesses.ConclusionsThe database and forum provides a platform for informationsharing, and collaboration between agencies, offices, and centersby informing the participating groups about early signals ofcontamination and emerging food risk trends

FDA’s tracking and analysis of surveillance sampling isolates for outbreak detection

ObjectiveTo create a forum and database for FDA and CDC epidemiologists,laboratorians, and outbreak scientists for tracking recent food andenvironmental surveillance sampling isolates identified throughReportable Food Registries reports and regulatory inspectionalfindings, and analyzing them for matches to clinical isolates for earlyoutbreak detection.IntroductionIdentifying, solving, and stopping foodborne outbreaks in theU.S. requires the collaboration and coordination of multiple federalagencies and centers as well as state and local authorities. FDA’sCoordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Networkis responsible for outbreak surveillance, response, and post-responseactivities related to incidents involving multiple illnesses linked toFDA-regulated food. CORE collaborates with CDC to obtain data onfoodborne illnesses and illness clusters and with FDA Centers andfield staff to obtain laboratory and inspectional information relatedto contaminated foods and foodborne illness outbreaks. CORE’sSignals and Surveillance team coordinates isolate tracking activitiesamong several organizations within FDA and CDC and the isolatedatabase was developed for timely information sharing and earlysignal detection.MethodsThe isolate tracking database combines information fromestablished laboratory, inspectional, and regulatory programs;investigators across FDA and CDC evaluate the information forearly outbreak signals. PulseNet is a national laboratory network thatcompares the Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns ofclinical and non-clinical bacterial isolates and identifies increases innumbers of isolates with matching PFGE patterns as outbreak clusters.Foodborne outbreak investigational partners, including the CDC andFDA, utilize the CDC/Palantir Technologies-developed platform, theSystem for Enteric Disease Response, Investigation, and Coordination(SEDRIC), to evaluate clinical, food, and environmental isolates.CORE provides additional firm-identifying metadata for new foodand environmental isolates from FDA, contract lab, and ReportableFood Registry (RFR)-reported samples and analyzes them for PFGEpatterns matching those of recent clinical isolates. FDA laboratoriansprovide early information about food and environmental isolatesthat are in queue for PFGE and whole genome sequence analyses,trend analysis for recently completed isolates, and genetic clusteringwith clinical and other isolates. The RFR is a FDA-hosted platformfor industries and public health officials to report when there is areasonable probability that a human or animal food that is regulatedby FDA will cause serious adverse health consequences. The RFRcoordinator tracks patterns of adulteration in food, and gathersinformation from FDA district investigators on the availability ofpathogen isolates for FDA analysis, from FDA inspections of firms,and from investigations into the root-cause of contamination. Eachpathogen detection is evaluated for associations to current outbreakclusters.ResultsThe isolate tracking activities have provided investigatorswith information for hypothesis development, identified trends inlaboratory and inspectional findings, aided in the identification ofcausal food sources in illness clusters, and provided early laboratoryand inspectional information to outbreak investigations. Within thepast year, isolate tracking activities identified early indicators of thepresence ofListeria monocytogenesin frozen foods before a multistateoutbreak of listeriosis was linked to frozen vegetables; identifiedearly indicators of the presence ofSalmonellain pistachios beforeidentification of a multistate outbreak ofSalmonellaMontevideo andSalmonellaSenftenberg; further characterized the microbial hazardsof cucumber and pepper contamination through FDA’s enhancedsurveillance sampling program; and expanded the forum’s scope toinclude animal foods and their link to human and animal illnesses.ConclusionsThe database and forum provides a platform for informationsharing, and collaboration between agencies, offices, and centersby informing the participating groups about early signals ofcontamination and emerging food risk trends

Emerging Infectious Diseases and Health Surveillance at U.S. Air Travel Ports of Entry: Perspective From Within the Department of Homeland Security

More than 150 U.S. international airports process an estimated two billion passengers and 50 million metric tons of cargo arriving in the U.S. from more than 1,000 international airports located outside the U.S. Entry and customs screening are points where travelers from international destinations pass; a logical location for assessing health of incoming travelers in order to identify and control import of diseases of emerging diseases. NBIC examined peer-reviewed literature, region-specific disease spectrum/frequency, and air travel patterns to assess options for ports of entry health screening as well as the challenges and potential benefits for active screening programs