Date of Award

12-11-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Food and Animal Sciences (M.S.)

First Advisor

Aliyar Fouladkhah

Abstract

Food safety strategies are being developed in the hopes of combating foodborne pathogens and their risks. Previous techniques and technologies are struggling to meet the needs of the public, leading to the demand for new, innovative methods. Mild high-pressure processing (HPP) of 350 MPa was used in a synergetic combination with mild heat of 60°C and the antimicrobial carvacrol for the decontamination of non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars that resulted in a >5 log CFU/mL reduction. Additionally, a secondary study was conducted comparing a single Salmonella Tennessee strain with a 4-strain Salmonella cocktail to examine sensitivity to pressure-based treatments resulting in a comparable (p ≥ 0.05) reduction for both pathogens. Endospores are a current burden in the food industry due to their ability to survive many current food decontamination techniques. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus atrophaeus, and Geobacillus stearothermophilus were treated in buffered and acidic environments with natural bioactive compounds including malic acid, lactic acid, nisin, thymol, citric acid, Citricidal™, and carvacrol and pressure reaching 650 MPa at 55°C resulting in efficient decontamination of two out of three endospore producing bacterium. To combat the influx of inefficient sanitation practices due to biofilm formation, Listeria monocytogenes wild-type and pressure-stressed on both plain and nisin coated stainless-steel coupons were subjected to treatment of 60s submersion in 5% thymol. The findings of this study highlight the effective nature of thymol as a potential food additive to reduce the public health burden of foodborne biofilms and listeriosis.

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