Endophytes are microorganisms that inhabit plant tissues without causing disease. Some endophytes help their hosts to combat pathogens. Here we explored the hypothesis that the plant-derived foods consumed by humans and other animals host endophytes that also antagonize foodborne pathogens or food-rotting agents. Our laboratory previously cultured a library of bacterial endophytes from differen...

Microbial spoilage of food causes losses of up to 40% of all food grown for human consumption worldwide. Yeast growth is a major factor in the spoilage of foods and beverages that are characterized by a high sugar content, low pH, and low water activity, and it is a significant economic problem. While growth of spoilage yeasts such as Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can us...

As world population increases, lactic acid fermentation is expected to become an important role in preserving fresh vegetables, fruits, and other food items for feeding humanity in developing countries. However, several fermented fruits and vegetables products (Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Gundruk, Khalpi, Sinki, etc.) have a long history in human nutrition from ancient ages and are associated with the ...

Emiria Soendjojo is a senior majoring in food science. As a sophomore in Dr. Lisa Mauer’s lab, she learned standard microbiological laboratory techniques and applied them to the analysis of fresh produce obtained from grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Following this research experience, Soendjojo worked with H. J. Heinz Company in Escalon, California, as a microbiologist intern on a spoilage...

The study was aimed at evaluating the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of aqueous extract of Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon) bark in order to prevent the spoilage and rancidity of food. The extract was tested for antibacterial activity against three gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecali) and two gram negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis) food bor...

This study was undertaken to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activities of 15 commercial essential oils and their main components in order to pre-select candidates for potential application in highly perishable food preservation. The antibacterial effects against food-borne pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7) ...

The global demands compel a consistent food supply that too in good quality. These demands are fulfilled by the intensive aquaculture practices in particular to provide enormous quantities of protein rich food. Fish reaches the consumers either in fresh or processed conditions. The advantage of preservation is to reduce wastage of fresh products, extends the shelf life, develops, value added pr...