Siska Aditya

The increasing global consumption of minimally processed leafy greens has frequently positioned them as vehicles for foodborne pathogens, imposing a heavy economic burden on healthcare systems. Although farm‐to‐fork transmission pathways have been documented extensively, a critical translational bottleneck persists between idealized experimental interventions and constrained industrial scale‐up. This review consolidates current evidence to evaluate this divergence. By appraising microbial hazards and safety control measures systematically, this study highlights specific scale‐up failure mechanisms – notably endophytic pathogen internalization, biofilm maturation, and the induction of viable but non‐culturable (VBNC) states – that limit the efficacy of industry‐standard chemical sanitization. Frameworks are outlined to refine current deterministic risk assessments by incorporating stochastic models and physiological stress adaptations to better capture real‐world processing dynamics. To bridge the gap between benchtop science and commercial realities, the fresh produce industry should transition from reactive compliance to proactive management. This synthesis proposes actionable modernization, including the adoption of green hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) frameworks, advanced viability‐based molecular diagnostics, and interoperable genomic surveillance to mitigate systemic farm‐to‐fork hazards proactively. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria play a key role in the pathophysiology of mastitis. Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) induces rumen dysbiosis, leading to LPS translocation and systemic immune activation. This study investigated the effects of a high-grain diet and intramammary LPS challenge on the milk microbiome of dairy cows. Cows were first fed a baseline control diet (day-7 to d-1; CON; 40% grain; n = 18). On d1, 12 cows were switched to a SARA diet (60% grain). On d30, six SARA (SARA_LPS) and the six CON cows (CON_LPS) were challenged intramammarily with LPS, while the other six SARA cows received a placebo (SARA_PLA). No CON_PLA group was enrolled. Milk samples were collected on d-2 (before feeding challenge), d30 (after feeding challenge; before LPS), and d32 (after LPS), and analysed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and qPCR. Results: During the feeding phases, more genera (70.1%) increased in CON than SARA cows, whereas more (65.3%) genera decreased their relative abundance in SARA compared to CON ( p < 0.001). This decline persisted in SARA_PLA cows, with more genera (62.4%) decreasing their abundance ( p < 0.001). However, LPS injection reversed the trend of the feeding effect, with more genera (79.3%) increasing in SARA_LPS cows in comparison to the other two groups, while more genera (85.5%) decreased in CON_LPS ( p < 0.001) in comparison to the other two groups. Alpha diversity correlated positively with bacterial cell equivalents. Of all genera, 22.1% correlated negatively with milk amyloid A (MAA), which increased post-LPS injection, 21.7% positively with lactose, and 13.4% positively with milk urea. SCC showed significant differences in beta-diversity, but no distinct visual clustering nor many correlations. Conclusion: The microbial dynamics suggest that high-grain diet and the LPS injection influence the milk bacterial community. More taxa correlated with MAA than with SCC, suggesting that MAA may better reflect immune-microbial interactions in milk. A roughage-rich diet promoted higher microbial abundance, whereas high-grain feeding reduced abundance over the timespan of 30 days. Intramammary LPS challenge decreased absolute abundance in CON but increased it in SARA cows, suggesting a diet-dependent immune modulation of the mammary environment. These findings indicate that mammary gland epithelial integrity and immune mediators jointly shape the milk microbiome under metabolic and inflammatory stress.

Background and Aim: Irradiation is one of the most effective microbial decontamination treatments for eliminating foodborne pathogens and enhancing chicken meat safety. The effect of gamma irradiation on the overall quality of chicken meat and its products must be observed to provide a comprehensive explanation to the public. This meta-analysis examined the effects of gamma irradiation on the oxidation parameters, microbial activity, physicochemical characteristics, sensory parameters, and nutrient quality of chicken meat and meat products. Materials and Methods: We conducted a literature search using various search engines (Scopus®, PubMed®, and Google Scholar®) with “irradiation,” “gamma,” “chicken,” and “meat” as keywords. Gamma irradiation treatment was set as a fixed effect, and the difference between experiments was set as a random effect. This study used a mixed-model methodology. After evaluation, we selected 43 articles (86 studies) for inclusion in the database. Results: Gamma irradiation significantly increased (p < 0.01) thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels on days 0, 7, and 14 of storage. Gamma irradiation reduced total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Salmonella, yeast, and mold activity (p < 0.01). According to our meta-analysis, 21.75 kGy was the best dose for reducing total aerobic bacteria. On day 0, gamma irradiation did not affect the color parameters (L*, a*, b*). However, a significant difference (p < 0.01) was noted for a* and b* parameters between the control and irradiation treatments at 7 and 14 days. Although irradiation treatment was less consistent in sensory parameters, overall acceptability decreased on days 0, 7, and 14 after storage (p < 0.05). Regarding nutrient composition, gamma irradiation reduced moisture content and free fatty acid (FFA) content (p < 0.05). Although irradiation significantly reduces the microbial population, it increases the oxidation of chicken meat and its products. Irradiation decreases FFA content and overall acceptability, but it does not affect flavor, tenderness, juiciness, or cooking loss. Conclusion: Gamma irradiation positively reduces the microbial activity in chicken meat and its products but increases the oxidation parameters. Although gamma irradiation does not alter the flavor, tenderness, juiciness, or cooking loss, gamma irradiation can reduce the FFA content and overall acceptability. Keywords: chicken, gamma irradiation, meat, meta-analysis, product.

Black cumin (Nigella sativa), also referred to as black cumin, is a versatile herbal treatment that has recently grown in popularity, it contains antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antiparasitic, antihistamine, antihypertensive, antitumor, anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-asthmatic properties are just a few of the positive and pharmacological effects of active ingredients in black cumin, such as thymoquinone and other compounds. This study aimed to evaluate black cumin activity ameliorates organophosphate toxicity in pregnant rats based on progesterone levels and fetal bone development. In this study, pregnant albino rats were divided into five treatment groups i.e. (K-) placebo; (K+) treated an organophosphate; treated an organophosphate and black cumin extract at a dose of (P1) 200 mg/kg BW, (P2) 400 mg/kg BW, and (P3) 600 mg/kg BW. The progesterone levels serum and fetal bone development were evaluated and calculated using ANOVA followed by Turkey. The results showed that P2 and P3 groups significantly increase in progesterone levels compared to K+ and P1 groups. Fetal bone was also reported increase in the growth of caudal vertebrae. In conclusion, 400 mg/kg BW of black cumin could ameliorated progesterone levels and fetal bone development in pregnant rats with organophosphate toxicity.

This study aimed to assess the impact of incorporating Citrullus colocynthis fruit pulp (CCFP) into the diet of broiler chickens as a replacement for antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) on growth performance, blood biochemistry, and intestinal microbial count. A total of 600 unsexed Ross-308 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 6 groups using a completely randomized design. Each group had 5 replicates, with 20 chicks per replicate. The study included a control group (T₁) that did not receive any CCFP or AGP supplementation. The other experimental groups were as follows: T₂ (0.15 g/kg AGP, 0 g/kg CCFP), T₃ (0.11 g/kg AGP, 0.75 g/kg CCFP), T₄ (0.075 g/kg AGP, 1.5 g/kg CCFP), T₅ (0.037 g/kg AGP, 2.25 g/kg CCFP), and T₆ (0 g/kg AGP, 3 g/kg CCFP). The results indicated a reduction in feed intake (p = 0.045) in group T₃ compared to the control group (T₁). Blood biochemical analysis showed that group T₆ had higher levels of serum total protein (p = 0.050) and globulin (p = 0.044) compared to the control group (T₁). The cecal microbial count revealed a lower total bacterial count (p = 0.01) in groups T₂ and T₃, and a reduced E. coli count (p = 0.050) in group T₃ compared to the group T₅. However, the ileal microbial count showed no significant differences between treatments. In conclusion, these findings suggest that a diet containing 0.75 g/kg CCFP combined with 0.11 g/kg AGP may improve the growth of broiler chickens while maintaining a healthy microbial balance.