Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen frequently associated with food processing environments. Its presence is particularly concerning in facilities handling minimally processed and ready-to-eat foods. Recent outbreaks associated with fresh produce, such as packaged salads and mushrooms, highlight the need to better understand and control these pathogens in environments that...
The budding yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis has the potential to spoil fermented beverages and cause financial losses, but also contribute positively to certain products such as Lambic beer. It is most notorious for causing “Brett” spoilage of wine, which is characterized by undesirable aromas such as “bandaid” and “barnyard”, therefore most...
Corals provide a diversity of ecosystem services, are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, and directly support ~500 million people globally; however, corals are increasingly experiencing significant threats and are undergoing severe bleaching events as the result of the warming climate. Using a two-year data set surrounding a...
Climate change is causing people around the world to experience extreme temperature and air pollution events such as wildfires more frequently, and for longer periods of time. Extreme heat events have been widely associated with an increased risk of emergency room visits, occupational heat-related injuries and illnesses, and mortality overall...
Approximately ninety percent of urban Vietnamese households are connected to septic tanks, from which up to three-quarters of the sludge is reported to be dumped into waterways in residential areas. Vietnam has a considerable prevalence of antibiotic misuse and resultant antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in the human microbiome. Due to the...
Whey protein is a functional food comprised of numerous bioactive peptides and proteins, including glycomacropeptide (GMP), a hydrophilic casein peptide that separates with the whey fraction during cheesemaking. GMP has a unique amino acid composition, making it a viable nutritional therapy in disorders where certain amino acids are implicated, while...
Whey protein isolate (WPI) and glycomacropeptide (GMP) have shown potential immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we investigated their effects on pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion using both in vitro and in vivo models. In LPS-stimulated THP-1-derived macrophages, digested WPI and GMP reduced cytokine expression, while whole GMP increased secretion. The in human...
Cheese has been produced since ancient times and continues to be an important nutrient-dense staple in many diets around the world. Cheese quality is of high importance to consumers, and it is important for cheese producers to establish process controls to prevent and control cheese spoilage. Fungal spoilage is of...
Soft matter encapsulates a large array of materials ranging from electronics, plastics, and cosmetics to the biofluids making up all organisms. One of the most important properties of these materials that dictate their functionality is their rheology, which is the flow and deformation behavior in response to stress. The focus...