Non-alcohol beers have been around since the early 1900s. But it wasn’t until the 1920s and the implementation of Prohibition Laws in the U.S. that they became “popular”. Despite their legal status and availability, they were never considered to be very good. This was because the ethanol was removed using …
Fermented foods, a global perspective
It’s fun to consider how our eating habits have changed over time. When I was in college, I was aware of only a few fermented foods – cheese, sour cream, pickles, bread, beer, and wine. I had never heard of kimchi, kefir, or miso, and perhaps no one in America …
Stressed out
Quercetin is a natural polyphenolic compound found in plants. It has several beneficial health benefits, due, in part, to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. It may also have antimicrobial properties. In this 2020 paper published in Food Microbiology, the authors showed that quercetin damaged bacterial membranes (making them more permeable) …
Extending yogurt shelf-life, naturally
I noted in class that yogurt has a long shelf-life, usually many weeks longer than indicated on the labels “use-by” dates. After all, yogurt is made from milk that has received a high-temperature heat process. Most yogurts are made in a hygienic environment with minimal exposure. Importantly, the final product …
Psychrotrophic bacteria in foods, an old problem that never went away.
In class, I described a paper from the 1960s that discussed how low temperature storage of milk has selected for psychrotrophic spoilage bacteria. I also showed data on the increased expression of proteolytic enzymes by these bacteria when grown at low temperature. Flash forward 60 years, and food microbiologists are …
Food preservation not always so easy
One of the best examples of modified atmosphere packaged foods are the fresh salad greens and spinach products one finds in the produce section of the grocery. The reduced oxygen levels in these products, whether in bags or clam-shell packages, inhibits growth of Pseudomonas and other aerobic psychrotrophs. As we …
Some like it cold
When we consider food preservation and shelf-life of foods in the home, one of the most important determinants is often the most over-looked. It’s your home refrigerator. After all, that’s where we keep our milk, meat, poultry, eggs, and most of our fruits and vegetables. If the refrigerator is not …
Food Microbiology approaches to combat Cronobacter sakazakii
In 2022, the US experienced an infant formula shortage that was partially caused by contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii. This situation might lead you to wonder what food microbiologists are doing to prevent future contamination events and outbreaks. Looking at the recently published literature, it is clear that food microbiologists are …