ORCID

0000-0002-3693-6375

Department

Biological Sciences

Year of Study

2

Full-time or Part-time Study

Full-time

Level

Postgraduate

Presentation Type

Poster

Supervisor

Michael Callanan

Supervisor

Maire Begley

Abstract

An increase in vegan diet preference, lactose intolerance, calorie concern and environmental awareness has led to a rise in the popularity of plant-based alternatives to bovine milk. Non-dairy products are a fast-growing food industry sector; however, there are still gaps in understanding how the known bacterial food contaminants behave in plant-based beverages. The present study is the first to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica and an industrial milk product isolate, spore-forming Paenibacillus, in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) bovine milk and plant-based milk alternatives (coconut, almond, cashew). Beverage samples were inoculated with a strain cocktail or individual strains of either Listeria, Salmonella, or Paenibacillus, respectively (approximately 1 x 103 CFU/mL) and stored at chilled and ambient temperatures (4oC, 8oC or 20oC). The findings indicate that the bacterial strains used in the study were capable of proliferating in plant-based beverages at higher rates than in bovine milk at 8oC and 20oC for Listeria and 20oC for Salmonella and Paenibacillus, respectively. No statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in growth rates between different types of tested beverages was observed at 4oC and at 8oC for Listeria and Salmonella cocktails, respectively. The data presented sheds new light on plant-based beverages to assist food safety authorities in estimating the risk of contamination of plant-based products coming from the raw materials and listeriosis or salmonellosis arising from the consumption of potentially contaminated plant-based beverages.

Keywords:

Plant-based beverages, bovine milk, Listeria, Salmonella, Paenibacillus, listeriosis, salmonellosis

Start Date

June 2022

End Date

June 2022

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Jun 14th, 10:45 AM Jun 14th, 2:00 PM

Growth of foodborne pathogens Listeria and Salmonella and spore-forming Paenibacillus in commercial plant-based milk alternatives

An increase in vegan diet preference, lactose intolerance, calorie concern and environmental awareness has led to a rise in the popularity of plant-based alternatives to bovine milk. Non-dairy products are a fast-growing food industry sector; however, there are still gaps in understanding how the known bacterial food contaminants behave in plant-based beverages. The present study is the first to compare the growth of food-pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica and an industrial milk product isolate, spore-forming Paenibacillus, in commercially available ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) bovine milk and plant-based milk alternatives (coconut, almond, cashew). Beverage samples were inoculated with a strain cocktail or individual strains of either Listeria, Salmonella, or Paenibacillus, respectively (approximately 1 x 103 CFU/mL) and stored at chilled and ambient temperatures (4oC, 8oC or 20oC). The findings indicate that the bacterial strains used in the study were capable of proliferating in plant-based beverages at higher rates than in bovine milk at 8oC and 20oC for Listeria and 20oC for Salmonella and Paenibacillus, respectively. No statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in growth rates between different types of tested beverages was observed at 4oC and at 8oC for Listeria and Salmonella cocktails, respectively. The data presented sheds new light on plant-based beverages to assist food safety authorities in estimating the risk of contamination of plant-based products coming from the raw materials and listeriosis or salmonellosis arising from the consumption of potentially contaminated plant-based beverages.