SummaryTo explore the feasibility of using radio frequency (RF) heating as a method to process kiwi puree, this study compared the effects of RF heating with traditional heat pasteurisation (TP) on various properties of kiwi puree. RF treatment completely inactivate of microbes in kiwi puree, with total aerobic bacteria counts (TAC) decreased by 4.81 log CFU mL À1 and yeast and mould counts (YMC) decreased by 2.62 log CFU mL À1, which are similar to TP treatment. During the 7 weeks' storage, RF-treated puree showed retarded growth of microbes. The pH, titratable acidity and°Brix values of RF-treated samples were significantly different from those of the control. The vitamin C, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of RF-treated samples were significantly higher than those of TP-treated samples during storage. RF-treated sample retained better colour than TP-treated sample throughout storage. The customer satisfaction analysis indicated that consumers prefer RF-treated kiwi puree than TP-treated samples. These findings suggest that RF heating has potential applications in processing of kiwi puree or similar products.

The study was examined the fresh, cabinet dehydrated and sun-dried cauliflower samples were analyzed for proximate as well as mineral analysis. Proximate analysis was cauliflower samples contained 90.62% moisture, 4.42% carbohydrate, 1.98% protein, 0.23% fat, 2.03% dietary fiber and 0.62% ash. Cabinet dehydration and sun drying substantially decreased moisture content to 9.99% and 13.27, respectively. Proportions of others components were increased, which include carbohydrate (42.44% and 38.37% for cabinet and sun drying, respectively, protein(19.06% and 18.37%), fats (2.24% and 2.16%),dietary fiber (18.59% and 18.80%) and ash (5.98% and 5.76%).In terms of mineral composition, fresh cauliflower samples were rich in phosphorus (61.35 mg/100 g), calcium (41.16 mg /100 g) and potassium (1.68 mg/100 g). These findings suggest that cauliflower is good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus and calcium. Both cabinet dehydration and sun drying are effective in preserving the chemical composition of cauliflower and preventing deterioration by reducing moisture.

Pomegranate rind has been found to inhibit numerous pathogens, mostly attributed to its tannin fraction. The present study was conducted to investigate the quorum sensing (QS) inhibition effect of tannin-rich fraction from pomegranate rind (TFPR) by using an indicator strain Chromobacterium violaceum. Meanwhile, its effect on biofilm formation and motility of Escherichia coli was evaluated. It was shown that TFPR inhibited QS-regulated violacein pigment production. Biofilm formation and motility of E. coli were also hindered by TFPR. Transcriptional analysis further showed that TFPR repressed expressions of curli genes (csgB and csgD) and various motility genes (fimA, fimH, flhD, motB, qseB, and qseC). Our findings indicated that TFPR has potential application for controlling E. coli contaminations or biofilms in the food industry.

These findings suggested that TQ, together with mild heat, may have potential application in infant formula to control C. sakazakii before consumption and therefore is a possible way to prevent infections associated with C. sakazakii in infant formula.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of citral plus mild heat on nondesiccated and desiccated Cronobacter sakazakii in reconstituted infant formula. Various concentrations of citral (0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9%) combined with various temperatures (25, 45, 50, and 55°C) were applied to nondesiccated and desiccated cocktails of three C. sakazakii strains (approximately 6.0 log CFU mL) in reconstituted infant formula, and the bacterial populations were assayed periodically. The combined treatments had marked antimicrobial effects on C. sakazakii compared with the control. Desiccated cells were more susceptible to citral than were nondesiccated cells in reconstituted infant formula. These findings suggest there is a potential application of citral in combination with mild heat to control C. sakazakii during preparation of reconstituted infant formula.

The aim of this study was to determine the presence and characteristics of Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. A total of 300 RTE foods samples were collected in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China: 50 samples of cooked meat, 165 samples of vegetable salad, 50 samples of cold noodles, and 35 samples of salted boiled peanuts. All samples were collected during summer (in July to October) 2011 and 2012 and surveyed for the presence of E. coli . E. coli isolates recovered were classified by phylogenetic typing using a PCR assay. The presence of Shiga toxin genes 1 (stx) and 2 (stx) was determined for these E. coli isolates by PCR, and all isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of class 1 integrons. Overall, 267 (89.0%) RTE food samples were positive for E. coli : 49 cold noodle, 46 cooked meat, 150 salad vegetable, and 22 salted boiled peanut samples. Of the 267 E. coli isolates, 73.0% belong to phylogenetic group A, 12.4% to group B1, 6.4% to group B2, and 8.2% to group D. All isolates were negative for both Shiga toxin genes. Among the isolates, 74.2% were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 17.6% were resistant to three or more antimicrobial agents. Resistance to ampicillin (75.6% of isolates) and tetracycline (73.1% of isolates) was most frequently detected; 26.2% of E. coli isolates and 68.8% of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates were positive for class 1 integrons. All isolates were sensitive to amikacin. Our findings indicate that RTE foods in Shaanxi were commonly contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli , which may pose a risk for consumer health and for transmission of antibiotic resistance. Future research is warranted to track the contamination sources and develop appropriate steps that should be taken by government, industry, and retailers to reduce microbial contamination in RTE foods.

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This study brings to the front the reports on the importance of dates, its local processing, and associated all the challenges in the Thari Mirwah sub-district, Khairpur. A survey was planned to collect data based upon the interviews of local farmers. A questionnaire was structured with a total of 20 respondents (each of 4 per village). The demographic results show that the major proportions of the population under study were male (100 %). A 50 % of them were of an age ranging between 30-50 years. Almost, all the respondents were married, with a literacy rate of 20 %. The analysis showed that the dwellers make use of date fruit at variable stages of maturity and prepare different traditional dishes from the flesh of the fruit. Also, they responded that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were observable losses that occurred without any proper attention and influence on a timely harvest and supply chain of date fruit. It is concluded that a strong ethnobotanical relation exists between fruit trees and local dwellers of studied Taluka. Limited studies were conducted about the importance and challenges of date fruit in this area. It is recommended that the consumption of natural fruit with enormous antioxidants may help to trigger effective control over challenging issues of food insecurity or malnutrition, being an indigenous food source for the local population of the studied region.