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Novel Methods and Mathematical Tools to Predict the Quality and...
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Novel Methods and Mathematical Tools to Predict the Quality and Safety of Fresh Produce

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 4890

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Panagiotis Skandamis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Food Quality and Hygiene, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, GR-11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: food processing; food microbiology and safety; dairy; antimicrobials pathogens; microbiology; food processing and engineering; food science and technology; food analysis; predictive modeling
Dr. Anastasia Kapetanakou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Food Quality and Hygiene, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, GR-11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: food microbiology and safety; antimicrobial compounds; active packaging; edible coatings; predictive modelling; food spoilage; mycotoxins

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Fresh produce (intact and/or fresh cut) has gained worldwide popularity due to consumer demand for a healthier lifestyle. Given the post-harvest respiratory and enzymatic activity of fruits and vegetables, their microbial spoilage and quality deterioration is a dynamic multi-parameter process. At the same time, outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of fresh produce have reported a significant increase. Considering the above, the application of novel methods and/or mathematical tools to predict food quality and safety attributes are of utmost importance for the fresh produce industry in order to prevent recall costs or reputation damage.

In the above context, the objective of this Special Issue is to welcome both original research articles and reviews which highlight research fields in, but not limited to, the following areas:

  • Predictive microbiology of spoilage and safety of various fresh produce products, including fresh cut fruit and vegetable salads;
  • Analytical methods for identification and quantification of critical spoilage indicators of fresh produce;
  • Rapid, emerging, non-invasive techniques (spectroscopy, i.e., FT-IR; image analysis, i.e., multispectral analysis) capable of predicting microbial and/or sensory shelf-life of fresh produce.

Prof. Dr. Panagiotis Skandamis
Dr. Anastasia Kapetanakou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Fresh produce
  • Predictive modeling
  • Food quality
  • Food safety
  • Non-invasive techniques
  • Post-harvest physiology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2921 KiB  
Article
Investigation and Rapid Discrimination of Food-Related Bacteria under Stress Treatments Using IR Microspectroscopy
by Daniel Klein, René Breuch, Jessica Reinmüller, Carsten Engelhard and Peter Kaul
Foods 2021, 10(8), 1850; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081850 - 11 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1932
Abstract
Because the robust and rapid determination of spoilage microorganisms is becoming increasingly important in industry, the use of IR microspectroscopy, and the establishment of robust and versatile chemometric models for data processing and classification, is gaining importance. To further improve the chemometric models, [...] Read more.
Because the robust and rapid determination of spoilage microorganisms is becoming increasingly important in industry, the use of IR microspectroscopy, and the establishment of robust and versatile chemometric models for data processing and classification, is gaining importance. To further improve the chemometric models, bacterial stress responses were induced, to study the effect on the IR spectra and to improve the chemometric model. Thus, in this work, nine important food-relevant microorganisms were subjected to eight stress conditions, besides the regular culturing as a reference. Spectral changes compared to normal growth conditions without stressors were found in the spectral regions of 900–1500 cm−1 and 1500–1700 cm−1. These differences might stem from changes in the protein secondary structure, exopolymer production, and concentration of nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. As a result, a model for the discrimination of the studied microorganisms at the genus, species and strain level was established, with an accuracy of 96.6%. This was achieved despite the inclusion of various stress conditions and times after incubation of the bacteria. In addition, a model was developed for each individual microorganism, to separate each stress condition or regular treatment with 100% accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Mathematical Tools to Predict the Quality and Safety of Fresh Produce)
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18 pages, 3880 KiB  
Article
Effects of Combined Aerosolization with Ultraviolet C Light-Emitting Diode on Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Attached to Soft Fresh Produce
by Chae-Lim Lee, Geun-Hyang Kim and Ki-Sun Yoon
Foods 2021, 10(8), 1834; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081834 - 8 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2418
Abstract
Washing soft fresh produce such as strawberries, baby leaves, and sliced onions with sanitizing agents is challenging due to their fragile texture. Thus, treatments like aerosolization using slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and ultraviolet C light-emitting diode (UVC LED) irradiation may be good [...] Read more.
Washing soft fresh produce such as strawberries, baby leaves, and sliced onions with sanitizing agents is challenging due to their fragile texture. Thus, treatments like aerosolization using slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and ultraviolet C light-emitting diode (UVC LED) irradiation may be good alternatives. In the present study, the reduction effects of a combined treatment of aerosolization using SAEW and UVC LED irradiation on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Staphylococcus aureus attached to strawberries, baby leaves, and sliced onions were investigated. The behaviours of EHEC and S. aureus, moisture loss, colour measurement, and visual appearance were also analyzed at 10 and 15 °C for 7 days. The reduction effect of the combined treatment with 100 SAEW and UVC LED was higher (0.53–0.92 log CFU g−1) than a single aerosolization treatment (0.11–0.41 log CFU g−1), regardless of samples or pathogens. A greater effect on EHEC and S. aureus reduction was observed in strawberries (0.74 and 0.92 log CFU g−1) than in baby leaves (0.62 and 0.53 log CFU g−1) and sliced onions (0.55 and 0.62 log CFU g−1). The combined treatment further reduced the EHEC and S. aureus populations in strawberries during 7 days of storage at 10 and 15 °C. However, the EHEC and S. aureus populations were maintained in baby leaves and sliced onions at 10 °C for 7 days. Additionally, the greatest effect on the maintenance of colour and appearance was obtained in the combined treatment. Since the combined treatment reduces EHEC and S. aureus populations and preserves visual quality, it could be expected to extend the shelf life of soft fresh produce at the retailer stage of the supply chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Mathematical Tools to Predict the Quality and Safety of Fresh Produce)
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