Production of fresh produce takes place outdoors, and therefore, is exposed to many routes of contamination (e.g., soil, contaminated water, manure, etc.) by human pathogens. Although precautions are taken to reduce this risk, pathogens can be regularly introduced to produce handling facilities. To manage the risk of cross-contamination from potentially...
Covering half of South America, Brazil is one of the largest agricultural and commercial forest producers globally, with a correspondingly complex road network necessary to support the production and marketing processes of such goods. Contrary to global statistics, almost 90% of the country’s road network is classified as unsealed or...
Kombucha is a traditional fermented beverage that has become increasingly popular in the United States due to its perceived health benefits and unique flavor profiles. The drivers of kombucha flavor have not been fully characterized, at least in part because it is produced using a complex microbial community, leading to...
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...
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was unprepared for such a massive challenge to global health. Individual testing kits and personal protective equipment were scarce. There were minimal ways to track the rapid spread of the disease, until researchers discovered that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,...
Rework is a common practice in the dairy industry as a way for processors to minimize waste while recovering costs for dairy products that are unsaleable. The regulations available for reworking fluid dairy products only outline product eligibility requirements with a focus on repasteurization of the products containing rework as...
Mass timber has been considered as a promising building material because of its structural rigidity, environmental sustainability, and renewability nature. In Europe and Australia, mass timber materials have been used for many different types of construction such as residential, commercial, education, and industrial. However, the construction practitioners in the U.S....
Mixtures of 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D) and chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) are common and hazardous groundwater contaminants that can be challenging to address with traditional remediation strategies. Bioremediation through aerobic cometabolism has the potential to be an effective in-situ treatment strategy for these contaminants. Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain ATCC 21198 is capable of...
The cometabolic ability of Burkholderia vietnamiensis G4 grown on aromatic substrates was first assessed by resting suspended cells, and subsequently for cells encapsulated with and without slow release compounds (SRCs). In Chapter 3, benzyl alcohol was assessed as a food-grade growth substrate for promoting cometabolism of trichloroethene (TCE), via the...
Chlorinated solvents are common groundwater pollutants that often exist as mixtures resulting from the use of multiple solvents and their transformation into chlorinated daughter products. These sites are often co-contaminated with the solvent stabilizer 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D), which is not treated by traditional chlorinated solvent remediation techniques. Both 1,4-D and chlorinated...