Andreia Bianchini

Use of Enterococcus faecium as a surrogate for Salmonella enterica during extrusion of a balanced carbohydrate-protein meal.

Multiple outbreaks of salmonellosis have been associated with the consumption of low-moisture products, including extruded products. Therefore, there is a need for a nonpathogenic, surrogate microorganism that can be used to validate extrusion processes for Salmonella. The objective of this research was to determine if Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 is an adequate surrogate organism for Salmonella during extrusion. Extrusions at different temperatures were done in material contaminated with both organisms. Results indicated that the minimum temperature needed to achieve a 5-log reduction of E. faecium was 73.7°C. Above 80.3°C, the enumeration of E. faecium showed counts below the detectable levels (<10 CFU g(- 1)). Salmonella was reduced by 5 log at 60.6°C, and above 68.0°C the levels of this organism in the product were below the detection limit of the method. The data show that E. faecium is inactivated at higher temperatures than Salmonella, indicating that its use as a surrogate would provide an appropriate margin of error in extrusion processes designed to eliminate this pathogen. Attempting to minimize risk, the industry could validate different formulations, in combination with thermal treatments, using E. faecium as a safer alternative for those validation studies.

Characterisation and potential application of pineapple pomace in an extruded product for fibre enhancement

This study characterised pineapple pomace (PP) and evaluated its application in extrusion to enhance fibre content of the final product. The pomace had low fat (0.61%) and high dietary fibre (45.22%), showing its potential for fibre enrichment of nutritionally poor products, as some extruded snacks. Results also showed low microbiological counts, water activity, and pH indicating good microbiological quality and low risk of physicochemical deterioration. During extrusion, pomace (0%, 10.5% and 21%), moisture (14%, 15% and 16%) and temperature (140 and 160°C) were evaluated. The PP addition decreased expansion and luminosity; while increasing redness of the extrudates compared to the control (0% pomace/14% moisture/140°C). When hardness, yellowness, water absorption, and bulk density were compared to the control, there was no effect (p>0.05) of 10.5% PP addition on the extrudates, indicating that, at this level, PP could be added without affecting the properties of the final extruded product.

Reduction of fumonisin B1 in corn grits by single-screw extrusion.

This study was designed to determine the efficacy of extrusion in reducing fumonisin B1 in corn flaking grits in the presence and absence of glucose. In addition, degradation products of fumonisin B1 during extrusion were identified and quantitated with a mass balance approach. Uncontaminated clean corn grits, grits spiked with 30 microg/g fumonisin B1, and grits fermented with Fusarium verticillioides M-2552 (40-50 microg/g fumonisin B1) were extruded in the presence and absence of glucose (10%, w/w) using a single-screw extruder. Extrusion decreased fumonisin B1 by 21-37%, whereas the same process with added glucose further decreased fumonisin B1 by 77-87%. LC-fluorescence and LC-MS showed that most fumonisin in the extruded samples without added glucose was the fumonisin B1 form, whereas the main degradation product in grits extruded with glucose was N-(deoxy- d-fructos-1-yl)fumonisin B1. The formation of hydrolyzed fumonisin B1 was not significant during extrusion. Results suggest that extrusion in the presence of glucose may reduce fumonisin B1 in corn grits significantly.

Extrusion cooking with glucose supplementation of fumonisin-contaminated corn grits protects against nephrotoxicity and disrupted sphingolipid metabolism in rats

SCOPE Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a mycotoxin found in maize and maize-based foods. It causes animal diseases and is a suspected risk factor for cancer and birth defects in humans. Extrusion cooking reduces FB1 concentrations in maize however toxicity caused by unknown degradation or FB1-matrix reaction products might persist. METHODS AND RESULTS To test the efficacy of extrusion to reduce FB1 toxicity, Fusarium verticillioides fermented corn (= maize) grits (Batch-1= 9.7 ppm FB1; Batch-2= 50 ppm FB1) were extruded without (Batch-1E; Batch-2E) or with 10% glucose supplementation (Batch-1EG; Batch-2EG). FB1 concentrations were reduced 64% (Batch-2E) to 94% (Batch-1EG) after cooking. When the uncooked and processed grits were fed (50% w/w in rodent chow) to rats for up to 8 weeks, FB1 intakes averaged 354, 103, and 25.1 çg/kg body weight/day for Batch-1, Batch-1E and Batch-1EG and 1804, 698, and 222 çg/kg body weight/day for the Batch-2, Batch-2E and Batch-2EG, respectively. Nephrotoxicity including apoptotic lesions and elevated sphingoid base concentrations decreased in a dose-dependent manner in groups fed Batch-1, Batch-1E, Batch-2, Batch-2E, or Batch-2EG and was absent in the Batch-1EG group. CONCLUSION Extrusion cooking, especially with glucose supplementation, is potentially useful to reduce FB1 concentrations and toxicity of FB1-contaminated maize.

Reduction of Fumonisin B1 in Corn Grits by Twin-Screw Extrusion

UNLABELLED This study was designed to investigate the fate of fumonisins in flaking corn grits during twin-screw extrusion by measuring fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) and its analogs with a mass balance approach. Food grade corn grits and 2 batches of grits contaminated with FB₁ at 10 and 50 μg/g by Fusarium verticillioides M-2552 were processed with or without glucose supplementation (10%, w/w) with a twin-screw extruder. Extrusion reduced FB₁ in contaminated grits by 64% to 72% without glucose and 89% to 94% with added glucose. In addition, extrusion alone resulted in 26% to 73% reduction in the levels of fumonisin B₂ and fumonisin B₃, while levels of both mycotoxins were reduced by >89% in extruded corn grits containing 10% glucose. Mass balance analysis showed that 38% to 46% of the FB₁ species detected in corn extruded with glucose was N-(deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)-FB₁, while 23% to 37% of FB₁ species detected in extruded corn grits with and without added glucose was bound to the matrix. It was also found that the hydrolyzed form of FB₁ was a minor species in extruded corn grits with or without added glucose, representing <15% of the total FB₁ species present. Less than 46% of FB₁ originally present in corn grits could be detected in the fumonisin analogues measured in this study. Research is needed to identify the reaction products resulting from extrusion processing of fumonisin-contaminated corn products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Twin-screw extrusion is widely used in food industry for its versatility. This technology may reduce the level of fumonisins in corn particularly with added glucose.

DON occurrence in grains: A North American perspective

In agricultural commodities, the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON) has been reported all over the world, with levels varying among grain types and years of production. The grain supply chain, including growers, buyers, and end users, have effectively managed DON with strategies to control this issue systematically. The safety of consumers is ensured through use of these management strategies. This is observed in this review of the North American systems. This article describes the occurrence and management of DON in North America, which is accomplished by 1) a review of the toxicological effects of DON; 2) a review of publically available data and introduction of new information regarding the occurrence of DON in wheat, maize, and barley in North America, including variability due to growing regions, grain varieties, and year of production; 3) an overview of industry practices to reduce DON contamination from field through milling when necessary; 4) a review of how all in the value chain, including growe...

Reduced Toxicity of Fumonisin B1 in Corn Grits by Single-Screw Extrusion

Corn grits spiked with 30 microg/g fumonisin B1 and two batches of grits fermented with Fusarium verticillioides (batch 1 contained 33 microg/g, and batch 2 contained 48 microg/g fumonisin B1), which were extruded by a single-screw extruder with and without glucose (10%, dry weight basis) supplementation were fed to rats. Control groups were fed uncontaminated grits. Extrusion with glucose more effectively reduced fumonisin B1 concentrations of the grits (75 to 85%) than did extrusion alone (10 to 28%). With one exception, the fumonisin B1-spiked and fermented extrusion products caused moderately severe kidney lesions and reduced kidney weights, effects typically found in fumonisin-exposed rats. Lesions in rats fed the least contaminated grits (batch 1) after extrusion with 10% glucose were, however, significantly less severe and not accompanied by kidney weight changes. Therefore, extrusion with glucose supplementation is potentially useful for safely reducing the toxicity of fumonisins in corn-based products and studies to determine the optimal conditions for its use are warranted.

Validation of extrusion as a killing step for Enterococcus faecium in a balanced carbohydrate-protein meal by using a response surface design.

Outbreaks of salmonellosis and recalls of low-moisture foods including extruded products highlight the need for the food and feed industries to validate their extrusion processes to ensure the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. Response surface methodology was employed to study the effect of moisture and temperature on inactivation by extrusion of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 in a carbohydrate-protein mix. A balanced carbohydrate-protein mix was formulated to different combinations of moisture contents, ranging from 24.9 to 31.1%, and each was inoculated with a pure culture of E. faecium to a final level of 5 log CFU/g. Each mix of various moistures was then extruded in a pilot scale extruder at different temperatures (ranging from 67.5 to 85°C). After the extruder was allowed to equilibrate for 10 min, samples were collected in sterile bags, cooled in dry ice, and stored at 4°C prior to analysis. E. faecium was enumerated with tryptic soy agar and membrane Enterococcus media, followed by incubation at 35°C for 48 h. Each extrusion was repeated twice, with the central point of the design being repeated four times. From each extrusion, three subsamples were collected for microbial counts and moisture determination. Based on the results, the response surface model was y = 185.04 - 3.11X(1) - 4.23X(2) + 0.02X(1)(2) - 0.004X(1)X(2) + 0.08X(2)(2), with a good fit (R(2) = 0.92), which demonstrated the effects of moisture and temperature on the inactivation of E. faecium during extrusion. According to the response surface analysis, the greatest reduction of E. faecium for the inoculation levels studied here (about 5 log) in a carbohydrate-protein meal would occur at the temperature of 81.1°C and moisture content of 28.1%. Other temperature and moisture combinations needed to achieve specific log reductions were plotted in a three-dimensional response surface graph.

Methods for Reducing Microbial Contamination of Wheat Flour and Effects on Functionality

Recent food-borne illness outbreaks have been attributed to the consumption of raw wheat flour. This has caused many in the grain industry to rethink the assumption that wheat flour will undergo heat treatment (e.g., baking, cooking, frying, etc.) before consumption. Ozone, heat, and irradiation are among the treatments that have been explored as possible means of inactivating microorganisms in flour. In general there is a tradeoff between the destruction of microorganisms and the effects on the functional properties of wheat flour: moderate treatments that do not negatively affect flour functionality have little impact on microbial inactivation, while severe treatments are very effective at reducing bacteria but also reduce flour functionality. Research in this area is necessary and urgent to provide safe products for consumers.

From Field to Table: A Review on the Microbiological Quality and Safety of Wheat-Based Products

Throughout history, wheat-based foods have been considered among the safest of all foods produced for human consumption. In part, this claim reflects both the low risk profile of low-moisture foods and the thermal processes used to produce the finished product. Nevertheless, raw flour contains a number of potential hazards, which, if not properly managed, may have the potential to result in serious public health consequences. These hazards are mostly microbiological in origin and arise mainly during production and distribution through the wheat supply chain. The physical processes carried out during milling have minimal impact on the level of contamination present on grain; therefore, the initial microbiological quality of wheat grain has a strong influence on the ultimate quality and safety of milling end products. Although most flour-based foods are processed and consumed in forms that are less likely to be contaminated with pathogens, refrigerated dough products have the potential to be a safety hazard...