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Aim: Since 2005, the French Food Safety Agency has recommended that very preterm or low-birthweight babies should be fed with pasteurised, expressed breastmilk, and feeding policies on this vary widely in French neonatal units. We investigated the differences between using a mother's expressed milk, in fresh or pasteurised forms, for very preterm infants.Methods: This observational multicentre study analysed data on 926 very preterm infants: 636 from neonatal units who used the mother's own fresh milk and 290 who used the mother's milk after pasteurisation. We analysed necrotising enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, in-hospital mortality, late-onset sepsis, weight gain, length of hospital stay, the duration of parenteral nutrition and the duration of enteral feeding with a nasogastric tube. Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the impact of maternal milk policies.Results: After adjustment, there was a reduced risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the fresh milk group with an odds ratio of 0.40 and 95% confidence interval of 0.27-0.67 (p < 0.001). No other statistically significant differences were observed.Conclusion: Feeding very preterm infants with their mother's expressed fresh milk was associated with a reduced risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and further investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical impact of this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurised liquid egg products represent around 70% of total egg products. Pasteurisation, necessary for microbiological safety, is a unit operation undergone by the totality of liquid whole egg commercialized. The present work aims to investigate the impact of a wide range of pasteurisation rates (among those classically used in industry) on the interfacial properties, in vitro digestibility and antigenicity of whole egg proteins, in order to optimize the unit operation parameters to ensure all whole egg qualities. Pasteurisation from 4 to 10 min at 60 °C improved protein interfacial properties, in vitro digestibility and decreased ovomucoïd antigenicity but did not significantly change ovotransferrin and lysozyme antigenicity. On the opposite, pasteurisation from 4 to 10 min at 66 °C decreased protein in vitro digestibility and increased drastically ovotransferrin antigenicity. Pasteurisation from 4 to 10 min at 60 °C enabled to reach all whole egg properties, but for safety reasons, higher pasteurisation rates at 62 or 64 °C are good compromises to ensure microbiological safety without excessively damaging the functional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a 15-month period, samples of commercially pasteurised liquid whole egg (LWE) were tested for the presence of spoilage microflora. The total bacterial counts were 2.2 ± 0.6 log CFU/g and total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts were 1.9 ± 0.6 log CFU/g. Enterobacteriaceae were detected in 2 samples. Out of the tested samples, 45 LAB were isolated and identified, with 30 strains identified as Enterococcus faecium, 12 as Enterococcus faecalis, and 3 as Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei. All strains, except 6 strains of E. faecium, possessed lipolytic activity. All the E. faecalis strains and one strain of E. faecium showed a high proteolytic activity, while moderate proteolytic activity was shown by 3 lactobacilli strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of nisin and Micocin X was measured against groups of isolated strains, and ranged from 10.4 µg/ml to 41.7 µg/ml for nisin and from 0.2 mg/ml to 1.6 mg/ml for Micocin X. The LWEs supplemented with 6.25 mg/l of nisin or with 500 mg/ml of Micocin X were pasteurised at 65°C for 2.5 minutes. The shelf life of LWE with the addition of nisin or Micocin X stored under refrigerator conditions was extended by a minimum of 5 weeks.

Abstract Bovine tuberculosis is an ongoing problem in Ireland, and herd incidence has remained at approximately 5% for some years. Spillover of infection from cattle to people remains an ever-present possibility, given the ongoing pool of infection in the Irish cattle population. This paper describes an outbreak of tuberculosis affecting cattle and people on a dairy farm in southeastern Ireland following the consumption of milk from a seven-year-old cow with tuberculous mastitis. Twenty-five of 28 calves born during autumn 2004 and spring 2005 were subsequently identified as TB reactors, and five of six family members were positive on the Mantoux test. During 2005, milk from this cow had mainly been used to feed calves, and was added only occasionally to the bulk tank. Therefore, the calves each received infected milk on an almost continuous basis between birth and weaning. The family collected milk from the bulk milk tank, and consumed it without pasteurisation. This case highlights the risks associated with the consumption of raw milk. In this family, TB has had a very significant impact on the health of two young children. These risks are well recognised, and relevant information for farmers is available. It is of concern, therefore, that raw milk consumption remains prevalent on Irish farms. New strategies are needed, in partnership with industry, to address this important issue. Keywords: bovine tuberculosis, Ireland, mastitis, milk, Mycobacterium bovis, pasteurisation, TB, zoonosis

Electrospray (ES) is a new non-thermal processing technology for pasteurising liquid foods. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ES on the cell structure and function of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and then compare the effects of ES and heat treatment (HT) on microbial inactivation and flavour composition in honey raspberry wine. First, we found that the inactivation effect of ES treatment on the three microorganisms was significantly influenced by the voltage intensity. The degree of damage to the cellular structures and functions of the three microorganisms increased with increasing voltage. Second, the environment in which the microorganisms were present significantly influenced the ES pasteurisation effect. Pasteurisation by ES was better when the three microorganisms were in honey raspberry wine than in saline. Finally, the total number of colonies in honey raspberry wine was reduced from 4.50 to 2.03 log colony forming units/mL after ES treatment, and the wine had good stability during storage (84 days at 4 °C). In the honey raspberry wine, the contents of the main flavour substances (ketones and esters) did not change significantly after ES treatment, but HT decreased the content of esters and ketones by 13.5 % and 75.4 %, respectively. • ES disrupted the cell structure and function of S. cerevisiae , E. coli and S. aureus. • ES reduced the total bacterial count of honey raspberry wine by 2.5 log CFU/mL. • The total bacterial count in the ES-treated wine did not increase significantly during the 12-weeks storage (4 °C). • The main flavour substances of the ES-treated wine remained stable during the 12-weeks storage (4 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new procedures for the elaboration of alkali-treated green table olives, without fermentation, preserved by sterilization or pasteurization were studied. In each case, the aim was to obtain a product with good quality and guaranteed safety. In the sterilized product, it was demonstrated that by including a pitting step during elaboration, a product was obtained with both flavour and texture similar to those of «green ripe olives», but without the need to apply an excessive number of washes. Alkalizing agents added to the packing solution negatively affected the organoleptic olive properties. In case of the pasteurized product, a pitting step during elaboration was also demonstrated to be effective in improving olive flavour. Fruit texture was not significantly affected by this step. Both herbal extracts and monosodium glutamate added to the packing solution successfully masked the «cooked» flavour of olives associated with pasteurisation.

Ethiopia is one among the nations that possesses the largest number of livestock population in the African continent estimated to be 33 million cattle, 24 million sheep and 18 million goats. In contrast to the huge livestock resource, the livestock productivity is however, found to be very low. The major biological and socio-economical factors attributing to the low productivity includes: the low genetic potential and performance, poor nutrition (in quality and quantity terms), the prevailing of different diseases, traditional way of husbandry systems and inadequate skilled manpower, among others. Ethiopia is one of the African countries where tuberculosis is wide spread in both humans and cattle and the endemic nature of tuberculosis in humans and cattle has long been documented. The disease is considered as one of the major livestock diseases that results in high morbidity and mortality, although the current status on the actual prevalence rate of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) at a national level is yet unknown. Detection of BTB in Ethiopia is carried out most commonly on the basis of tuberculin skin testing, abattoir meat inspection and very rarely on bacteriological techniques. Recently undertaken studies indicated the prevalence rate of BTB with a range of 3.4% (in small holder production system) to 50% (in intensive dairy productions) and a range of 3.5% to 5.2% in slaughterhouses in various places of the country. BTB in cattle remains to be a great concern due to the susceptibility of humans to the disease. The infections mainly take place by drinking raw milk and occur in the extra-pulmonary form, in the cervical lymphadenitis form in particular. The aim of this paper is to review the status of BTB in Ethiopia in relation with the existing animal husbandry systems and abattoir meat inspection surveillances. Control measures, economic impacts and the zoonotic aspect of the disease are also briefly addressed.

A comparative study on the effect of conventional thermal pasteurisation, microwave and ultrasound treatments on the phytochemical and antioxidant activities of juices from carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.), black jamun (Syzygium cumuni L.Skeels.), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var lanatus), pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr) and litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) was carried out. Depending on the type of fruit sample and treatment, increase or decrease in phytochemical values was observed. Overall, sonication had a positive effect on the total flavonoid content in all the juice samples followed by microwave treatment with exceptions in some cases. High-performance liquid chromatography study showed the presence of different phenolic acids depending on the sample type. The phenolic acids in some processed carambola juice samples showed decrease or complete destruction, while in some cases, an increase or appearance of newer phenolic acid originally not detected in the fresh juice was observed as seen in conventional thermal pasteurisation, microwaved at 600 W and sonicated juices. Both microwaved and sonicated samples were found to have positive effect on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity with exceptions in some cases. Therefore, microwave and sonication treatment could be used in place of thermal pasteurisation depending on the sample requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of mandatory pasteurisation on Category 3 offals, according to the Animal By-Products Regulation (ABPR 1069/2009/EC), was determined using Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) assays as well as kinetic and statistical analysis. Pasteurised and unpasteurised offals sampled from cattle, pig and chicken slaughterhouses were characterised and their specific methane yields (SMYs) and their bioavailability was assessed. The resultant SMYs were high (465–650 mLCH 4 gVS −1 ) with no statistically significant increase in methane production identified due to pasteurisation. However, the kinetics of the biogas transformation processes highlighted increased bioavailability of the organics due to pasteurisation. This was brought to light by the change in maximum daily SMY from day 22 to day 1 for the cattle offal ( p = 0.001), day 17 to day 1 for chicken offal ( p = 0.025) and an increase of 18.8% in the maximum daily SMY of the pig offal on day 1 ( p = 0.003). The increased bioavailability of the offals manifested itself in two ways with the determining factor being identified as the physical characteristics of the fats i.e. particle size. Firstly reducing the hydrolytic lag phase for the cattle offal, λ = 7.46–1.52 days ( p = 0.013). Secondly, causing increased accumulation of Long Chain Fatty Acids to acute inhibitory levels in the chicken and pig offal indicated by increased lag phases λ = 5.05–21.91 days ( p = 0.012), λ = 15.54–23.04 days ( p = 0.007) respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of nisin alone or in combination with pasteurisation or ethylene diamine tetra-acetate ( EDTA), on the shelf life of unpasteurised liquid whole egg ( LWE) stored at refrigerator temperature for a period of 21 days. The shelf life of samples was determined by counting total mesophilic bacteria, yeast and mould and also pH changes. It was observed that addition of 3 ppm nisin to pasteurised LWE was effective enough to extend the shelf life of this product from about 7 days to at least 21 days. However, for unpasteurised LWE nisin alone had no significant effect on shelf life while treatment of LWE with nisin in combination with EDTA showed a significant antibacterial and antifungal activity leading to extended shelf life of unpasteurised LWE from 1 to 4 days to at least 21 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes the determination of the average residence times during egg yolk - and whole liquid eggs pasteurisation in an industrial pasteurisation equipment (plate pasteuriser + tube holder). For the detection of the impulse the conductivity method was used. Conductivity was then monitored using the bridge method. In the system, the total of 3 probes were placed. To mark the particles of the flowing product, salted yolk with the content of salt of 1.3 or 1.8% was used. In addition, rheological properties of pasteurised yolk were determined at the temperatures of 5, 25, 45, and 65°C. Based on the geometry of the channels in the individual sections of the pasteurisation equipment, the character of the flow was estimated using the Re criterion and was found to be laminar in all parts of the system. The work includes the comparison of the average residence times obtained by (a) the method of volumes, (b) the analysis of the conductivity response, (c) the estimate made by using the TUPLEX software, and (d) the estimate of the peaks of the conductivity response.

A detailed assessment of the cumulative cost of clean water production by a natural circulation solar thermal system is presented. The system is designed and sized for sufficient residence time for pasteurisation, in a buoyancy-driven self-compensating circuit. Since it does not consume electricity, it is suitable for developing countries or emergency locations with safe drinking water issues. The principles for design and off-design simulations are explained and discussed. The simulations were performed for seven different locations, representing variable climate conditions in selected regions where there is an evident need for safe water. The results include an exergy and exergo-economic analysis. The production capacity reaches typically from 0.04 to 0.1 m3/day per m2 of solar collector depending on the location. The annual cost of water production ranges between 2.2 and 6.8 €/m3 making the proposed system fairly competitive; the energy- and price-performance of the system is compared to a reverse osmosis/photovoltaic system, representing a high-tech alternative for the purpose of water purification.

Natural orange juice pasteurised (pascalised) by high pressure was stored for 180 days at room temperature in dark conditions. Sensory evaluation of several quality parameters was made. At the same time the frozen and heat pasteurised parallel samples of the juice of the same origin were evaluated for comparison. The sensory evaluation consists of overall image, flavour, taste and sensorial viscosity. The instrumental evaluation of colour, pH and kinematic viscosity was made. The best overall image was received for frozen juice. The pressurised and heated samples were nearly the same as regards the flavour. The sensorial viscosity of all samples was evaluated as thin with very small differences during storage. The preference test was also made - the best quality for the test panel was received for samples of frozen juice followed by pressurised juice. The third rank was given to heat treated samples. The pressurised samples exhibited the acceptable quality for 150 days of storage at room temperature.

The flavour of pasteurised and stored beer was evaluated by a panel of 12 assessors. The sensory analysis consisted of combined hedonic evaluation and sensory profiling using unstructured graphical scales and 31 descriptors. The obtained results were evaluated by multivariate statistical methods (principal components analysis and linear discrimination analysis) which allow visualisation of relations between individual descriptors and samples and enable classification of samples to groups according to pasteurisation intensity and storage time.

Natural pigments are alternatives to synthetic colorants with growing industrial interest for food and non-food uses (e.g. textiles). However, they are generally thermally labile and therefore their practical interest depends on the loss under typical processing conditions being acceptable. Penicillium strains are producers of natural red pigments of potential interest. The loss of colour of these pigments was studied at relevant conditions for food and beverage pasteurisation. Thermal liability of colour was well described by a first order model (with a constant off-set) at pH 6 up to 80 °C, and at 80 °C for pH 4–8, with a z -value of 48.7 ± 0.9 °C and a D 80C,pH6 of 981 ± 5 min. The stability was significantly affected by pH, with an approximately linear increase of 173 ± 3 min in D 80 per pH unit. The high z -value, which is 5 times the z of typical target micro-organisms in thermal processing, suggests a good scope for process optimisation to minimise losses. At the middle point of pH 6 these kinetic parameters would suggest that losses of red colour intensity ( OD at 500 nm) of less than 1% in pasteurisation are feasible. Losses will be higher in matrices of lower pH, where process optimisation will therefore be more relevant. It was concluded that these red pigments are of industrial interest, as with further optimisation of industrial production yields to minimise costs, and then going through the process of acceptance as new food ingredients, they are potentially economically competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanogenic glycosides are natural plant toxicants. Action by endogenous plant enzymes can release hydrogen cyanide causing potential toxicity issues for animals including humans. We have quantified amygdalin in seeds from different apple varieties, determined the effects of processing on the amygdalin content of apple juice and quantified amygdalin in commercially-available apple juices. Amygdalin contents of seeds from fifteen varieties of apples ranged from 1 mg g −1 to 4 mg g −1 . The amygdalin content of commercially-available apple juice was low, ranging from 0.01 to 0.04 mg ml −1 for pressed apple juice and 0.001–0.007 mg ml −1 for long-life apple juice. Processing led to juice with low amygdalin content, ranging from 0.01 mg ml −1 to 0.08 mg ml −1 . The results presented show that the amygdalin contents of commercially-available apple juices are unlikely to present health problems to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of lipophilic vitamins A and E was determined in samples of sheep and goat milk of different breeds coming from 9 farms in central, eastern, and southern Bohemia. Samples were collected throughout the period of lactation (from April to September). Vitamins A and E were determined by HPLC using DAD and FLD detectors. Vitamin A was determined in all samples but only α-tocopherol (out of various forms of vitamin E) was detected in all samples. The total average content of vitamins A and E in raw milk of all sheep breeds during lactation was 0.93 ± 0.07 and 2.93 ± 0.87 mg/kg, levels of these vitamins in goat milk were 0.79 ± 0.08 and 1.29 ± 0.35 mg/kg, respectively. The results showed a significantly medium and strong correlation between the content of vitamin A and E and the content of fat (R² = 0.57 and 0.75, respectively). The year did not have any statistically significant influence on the content of monitored vitamins. The content of both vitamins is dependent on the phase of lactation. The levels of vitamins A and E were significantly lower in the early phase and significantly higher in the late phase of lactation. The amount of monitored vitamins slightly decreased during pasteurisation. A strong decrease in the content of both vitamins was observed during the first two weeks after milk storage in a freezing box at the temperature of -20°C (about 11-55%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of experiments were conducted to evaluate the bacterial reduction of milk as influenced by the heat treatments at pasteurisation temperature (72 °C for 15 s) considering the Indonesian Standard for raw milk values. The milk samples were collected from dairy farmers in Semarang, Salatiga and Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. The heat treatments were conducted in 45 mL glasses bottles dipped in water bath. Considering the temperature histories of the experiments and the bacterial counts, nine of twenty samples indicated their reductions were less than 2 logs cycle standardised although the initial numbers were surprisingly less than 1·10 6 cfu·mL -1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Thermal pasteurisation decreased immunoglobulins (Igs) A, M and G by 20%, 51% and 23%. [•] High pressure treatments (200/400MPa, up to 30min) had no/small effect on Igs. [•] D-values (min) for Igs ranged from 4941 to 452 at 400MPa and from 235 to 40 at 600MPa. [•] Activation volumes (V a, cm3/mol) were −19.8, −44.5, and −47.3 for IgG, IgA, and IgM. [•] Lysozyme activity was 44% lost after thermal pasteurisation but not affected by pressure treatments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pinot noir grapes have a unique phenolic profile which can impinge on the extraction and stabilisation of compounds such as anthocyanins and tannins which contribute to the colour and mouthfeel of red wine. This study examined the concentration of phenolic compounds in Pinot noir grape must and wine following application of a novel microwave maceration treatment for red grape must. Microwave maceration was shown to be highly effective for extraction of phenolics from grape solids into grape juice. When juices were fermented to wine, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry showed microwave maceration was associated with significantly higher concentrations of total phenolics, anthocyanin, tannin and pigmented tannin in wine at 18 months bottle age, compared with control wine. Mean tannin concentration in microwave treatment wine was 0.60 gm/L at 18 months, compared with 0.14 gm/L in control wine. The microwave treatment was also associated with a substantial and rapid decrease in the grape-associated yeast population, compared with control maceration, and a shorter lag phase at the outset of alcoholic fermentation. Based on this study, microwave maceration warrants further investigation as a potential industrial-scale application in red winemaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Assessed the effectiveness of dense phase CO2 treatment to inactivate different bacterial strains on solid food matrices. [•] Investigated the impact of operating conditions on the time evolution of bacterial concentration. [•] Mathematical models developed and identified against experimental inactivation data. [•] Proposed operational maps illustrating the time required to achieve an assigned inactivation degree. [•] Demonstrated the potential of relatively simple models to represent the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human milk (HM) is the recommended nutrition for premature infants, but it may require processing to ensure microbial safety. The current standard is Holder pasteurisation (HoP), i.e. heating milk at 62.5 ± 0.5°C for 30 min, which eliminates bacteria but destroys heat labile bioactive HM components. We aimed to test an alternative thermal method, high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurisation using a modified Holder pasteurisation platform as this method has shown to preserve proteins in experimental HM flow pasteurisers. We analysed the ability of this batch process to eliminate bacterial species and to retain alkaline phosphatase, secretory immunoglobulin A and lactoferrin in HM. HTST at 81°C/5 s was as effective as HoP in bacterial count reduction while the retention of bioactive components was only improved at 62°C/5 s as compared to 72°C/5 s and HoP. HTST is a promising alternative to HoP but an optimal temperature-time combination needs to be determined for each technical platform separately., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Manzardo, Toll, Müller, Nickel, Jonas, Baumgartner, Wenzel and Klotz.)

New non-thermal technologies are emerging, such as pulsed electric fields (PEF) and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), in order to provide a response to the need for greater nutritional and sensory quality in some manufactured foods in which the characteristics of freshness are especially affected by thermal treatments. The effect of non-thermal processing (PEF, 30 kV/cm, 100 μs and HHP, 4000 bars, 5 min) and pasteurisation (90°C, 20 s) on carotenoids of orange juice was studied. The total carotenoid concentration in the pasteurised juice (1195.4 ± 31.6 μg/100 ml) decreased significantly in comparison with the fresh juice (1367.2 ± 64.7 μg/100 ml), and the decrease was less in the juice treated by PEF (1275.2 ± 56.3 μg/100 ml). The decrease in the juice treated by HHP (1309.2 ± 46.7 μg/100 ml) was no significant in the conditions selected. Only the differences between the untreated orange juice and the pasteurised orange juice were significant. Thus, in refrigerated orange juice, the concentration of carotenoids is affected less by non-thermal treatments (PEF and HHP) than by conventional thermal treatments.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processing inactivates microorganisms without significant adverse effects on flavor and nutrients. In this work was studied the transformations of antheraxanthin and mutatoxanthin when natural orange juice is treated by pasteurisation (90°C, 20 s) or PEF (30 kV/cm, 100 μs), and also its evolution during seven weeks of storage in refrigeration at two different temperatures (2°C and 10°C). The results showed that antheraxanthin concentration decreased during the storage. The decrease was greater in the untreated, pasteurised and PEF-treated orange juices stored at 10°C and this carotenoid was not detected from the 6th week onwards. The same result was observed in the PEF-treated juice stored at 2°C. However, in the untreated and pasteurised juices stored at 2°C, this carotenoid was detected throughout the storage period, although its concentration decreased. Mutatoxanthin was detected in the 6th week of storage, appearing in the cases in which antheraxanthin disappeared. This was not observed in the untreated or pasteurised orange juices stored at 2°C.

The effects of supercritical CO2(SC-CO2) on the microbiological, sensory (taste, odour, and colour), nutritional (vitamin C content), and physical (cloud, total acidity, pH, and °Brix) qualities of orange juice were studied. The CO2treatment was performed in a 1 litre capacity double-walled reactor equipped with a magnetic stirring system. Freshly extracted orange juice was treated with supercritical CO2, pasteurised at 90°C, or left untreated. There were no significant differences in the sensory attributes and physical qualities between the CO2treated juice and freshly extracted juice. The CO2treated juice retained 88% of its vitamin C, while the pasteurised juice was notably different from the fresh juice and preserved only 57% of its vitamin C content. After 8 weeks of storage at 4°C, there was no microbial growth in the CO2treated juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Effect of processing units on polyphenols and antioxidant activity of carrot juices were investigated. [•] Polyphenols and antioxidant activity of carrot juices varied with different processes. [•] Polyphenols retain antioxidant activity after the processes, which have potential health benefits for consumers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To estimate the risk of dissemination of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus through potato residues from processing industries, the various processes and the usage of residues from plants from different processing branches were analysed with regard to the effect they can have on the pathogen. The residues were classified into different risk categories, from category 0 (no risk of dissemination) to category 4 (high risk of dissemination). Residues not heated during processing and used in agriculture, e.g., as fertilizer, were pooled in the highest risk category 4. Residues that were sanitised before use in agriculture, e.g., by composting or pasteurisation, were still classified as probably high risk (risk category 3), as no information on these treatments concerning the inactivation of the pathogen was available so far. Therefore the effect of composting and pasteurisation under varying conditions was tested on samples (ready-made compost mould) contaminated with Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus. Viable bacteria could be extracted after all experiments via bioassay on eggplants, and cultivated on semi-selective media from plant sap forming characteristic colonies. The viable pathogen could be extracted after composting for 6 days at maximum temperatures at 70 °C, 13 days at 55 °C and 90 min pasteurisation at 70 °C. It can be concluded that these sanitation treatments are not sufficient to inactivate Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus and the previous classification of treated residues in category 3 (probably high risk) could thus be confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of organic wastes is spreading throughout Europe. A number of restrictions on organic wastes which can be treated in anaerobic digestion facilities and the subsequent handling of the digested material are specified in European legislation. Regulation 1774/2002/EC as amended states that after reduction the material must be heated to either 70 °C or 90 °C for a minimum of 60 min. An alternative Irish national standard of 60 °C for 48 h twice has been introduced in place of the EU standard. Anaerobic digestion systems are successful only if they produce a significant energy output. The aim of this research was therefore to examine both the EU and Irish national standards as well as a number of alternative treatment scenarios to determine their respective pasteurisation efficiency and energetic requirement. Post-digestion pasteurisation above 60 °C was found to satisfactorily remove all viable Escherichia coli bacteria from the test feedstock. It was determined that the most energy and economically efficient heat treatments were 60 °C for 1 h, 70 °C for 1 h (EU standard), and 80 °C for 30 min. The Irish national standard was found to be prohibitively energy inefficient and expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]