Escherichia coli in the Americas

GALLI LUCIA; BRUSA VICTORIA; RODRIGUEZ RICARDO; SIGNORINI MARCELO; OTEIZA JUAN MARTIN; LEOTTA GERARDO

Escherichia coli in food products

Springer International Publishing

Año: 2016; p. 173 - 203

Foodborne diseases, as a result ofthe consumption of food contaminated by diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC), have been recognized as one of the most prevalent healthissues worldwide. Certain pathogroups are typicallytransmitted by contaminated food and water; however, their prevalence in foodis restricted to outbreaks and research studies in certain regions. Thesebacteria are affected by a multiplicity of limiting factors present in food,e.g., temperature, pH, water activity, food processing, and intrinsicmicroorganism factors such as injury and inoculum. Emergingintervention processing techniques are receiving good attention because oftheir potential for food quality and safety improvement. During the lastdecade, some of these technologies ? high-pressure processing, high-pressure homogenization, pulsedelectric field, ultraviolet light, intense light pulses, ultrasound, radiation,ozone and organic acids, among others ? have been tested to control DEC infood. Food safety must be principally ensured by a more preventative approach,such as product and process design and the application of the Good Hygiene andManufacturing Practices and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Pointprinciples. Epidemiological studies provide invaluable information to definemore effective management strategies. In this context, risk analysis tools haveproven effectiveness to reduce foodborne diseases through the design,development, implementation, evaluation, and communication of control measuresto protect the public health. To achieve a strategic control of E. coli infections, a multidisciplinaryapproach through stages of the agro-food chain is required to generateevidence-based risk management measures. Only in this way will it be possibleto protect the health of consumers.