Bioaerosols in the Food and Beverage Industry

Abstract

Bioaerosol monitoring is a rapidly emerging area of industrial hygiene. Microbial roles in atmospheric processes are thought to be species specific and potentially depend on cell viability. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to bioaerosols may cause adverse health effects, including disease. Studies of bioaerosols have primarily focused on chemical composition and biological composition, and the negative effects thereof on ecosystems and human health have largely gone unnoticed. This gap can be attributed to international standards on acceptable maximum bioaerosol loads not being uniform and the lack of uniform standardized methods for collection and analysis of bacterial and fungal bioaerosols. In this chapter, bioaerosol composition, relevance of bioaerosols to the food processing facility, sampling and detection approaches, and complications were discussed.

Contribution of Particulates to Airborne Disease Transmission and Severity: A Review

“…Studies on livestock production facilities suggest airborne dust particles, mainly smaller than 10 μm, contain substantial microorganism content, with Gram-positive bacteria being the predominant group, along with low levels of Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. , Primary bioaerosols released from cropland areas typically contains bacteria, fungi, pollen, and plant detritus, with increased emissions during crop harvesting. In food processing facilities, diverse genera of bacteria, yeasts, and molds have been detected, as aerosolized water droplets from food processing and sanitation, and solid dust particles released from workers can carry microorganisms. , Besides microbes, primary bioaerosols from these facilities may contain toxins (endotoxins, exotoxins, and mycotoxins) and other microbial constituents that could pose potential health risks. , However, most studies on the facilities reviewed lack quantitative analysis of the total composition of airborne particles, including microorganisms, urging further investigation.…”

“…In food processing facilities, diverse genera of bacteria, yeasts, and molds have been detected, as aerosolized water droplets from food processing and sanitation, and solid dust particles released from workers can carry microorganisms. 50,51 Besides microbes, primary bioaerosols from these facilities may contain toxins (endotoxins, exotoxins, and mycotoxins) and other microbial constituents that could pose potential health risks. 50,59 However, most studies on the facilities reviewed lack quantitative analysis of the total composition of airborne particles, including microorganisms, urging further investigation.…”

“…50,51 Besides microbes, primary bioaerosols from these facilities may contain toxins (endotoxins, exotoxins, and mycotoxins) and other microbial constituents that could pose potential health risks. 50,59 However, most studies on the facilities reviewed lack quantitative analysis of the total composition of airborne particles, including microorganisms, urging further investigation.…”

Mycobiota recovered from the trachea and lungs of pigeons (Columba livia) captured in a grain mill

“…Their granivorous habits affect in natura or industrialized grain-food industries from the processing to the final consumer, besides the importance as a vector of pathogens (Ferreira et al, 2016). Studies are scarce about the dust from activity in grain mill, which is the main responsible for respiratory clinical conditions in workers in these industries (Straumfors et al, 2021), as well as in the surrounding community (Theisinger;Smidt, 2017;Permatasari & Kolibu, 2020), being fungi important etiological agents involved in these processes.…”

“…High concentrations of airborne fungi were identified at the grain mill from Lithuania, where allergenic genus such as Penicillium, Cladosporium and Geotrichum prevailed (Straumfors et al, 2021). Thus, it is possible that fungal propagules have been inhaled by the birds, indicating, therefore, that they could also be inhaled by grain mill workers and cause acute respiratory symptoms through occupational exposure by the inhalation of large fungal inoculum (Theisinger & Smidt, 2017;Permatasari & Kolibu, 2020;Straumfors et al, 2021). All fungi isolated from the respiratory tract of pigeons are saprophytic and coexist on diverse organic matters, and the majority is considered as potentially pathogenic and involved in acute respiratory symptoms, increasing the possibility of interfering in the health of workers or the surrounding community (Senbeta & Gure, 2014;Pelliser et al, 2016;Theisinger & Smidt, 2017).…”