Anas Nabulsi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Anas Nabulsi

Fermentation

Utilizing agricultural byproducts, such as date pulp residue (DPR), can contribute significantly ... more Utilizing agricultural byproducts, such as date pulp residue (DPR), can contribute significantly towards achieving sustainable food production. This paper aimed to investigate the physicochemical properties of DPR and evaluate the health benefits of nonfermented and fermented DPR samples both pre- and post-digestion (bioaccessible portions). Additionally, it aimed to analyze the carbohydrates and untargeted metabolites in the bioaccessible portions. Fermentation of DPR by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia kudriavzevii resulted in an abundance of malic acid (over 2400 mg/100 g) and the identification of 42 volatiles, with different degrees of predominance observed in the samples. Twenty phenolics were determined by UPLC in fermented DPR, with (-)-epicatechin, tyrosol, and gallic acid being the most abundant. Bioaccessibility studies revealed that fermented DPR samples retained at least ~44% of α-glucosidase inhibition and exhibited improved α-amylase inhibition compared to nonferme...

International Dairy Journal

Frontiers in Microbiology

Acrylamide is an unsaturated amide that forms in heated, starchy food products. This study was co... more Acrylamide is an unsaturated amide that forms in heated, starchy food products. This study was conducted to (1) examine the ability of 38 LAB to remove acrylamide; (2) optimize acrylamide removal of selected LAB under various conditions (pH, temperature, time and salt) using the Box–Behnken design (BBD); (3) the behavior of the selected LAB under the simulated gastrointestinal conditions; and (4) investigate the mechanism of adsorption. Out of the 38 LAB, Enterococcus durans and Enterococcus faecalis had the highest results in removing acrylamide, with 33 and 30% removal, respectively. Those two LAB were further examined for their binding abilities under optimized conditions of pH (4.5–6.5), temperature (32°C - 42°C), time (14–22 h), and NaCl (0–3% w/v) using BBD. pH was the main factor influenced the acrylamide removal compared to other factors. E. durans and E. faecalis exhibited acrylamide removal of 44 and 53%, respectively, after the in vitro digestion. Zeta potential results i...

Microorganisms, 2022

Acrylamide is a toxic compound that is formed in cooked carbohydrate-rich food. Baking, roasting,... more Acrylamide is a toxic compound that is formed in cooked carbohydrate-rich food. Baking, roasting, frying, and grilling are cooking methods that cause its formation in the presence of reducing sugar and asparagine. To prevent acrylamide formation or to remove it after its formation, scientists have been trying to understand acrylamide formation pathways, and methods of prevention and removal. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) screen newly isolated LAB for acrylamide removal, (2) optimize conditions (pH, temperature, time, salt) of the acrylamide removal for selected LAB isolates using Box–Behnken design (BBD), (3) investigate the acrylamide removal abilities of selected LAB isolates under the in vitro digestion conditions using INFO-GEST2.0 model, and (4) explore the mechanism of the acrylamide removal using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement, and Fourier transf...

Italian Journal of Food Science, 2016

E. coli O157:H7 is an emerging public health concern worldwide because of its low infectious dose... more E. coli O157:H7 is an emerging public health concern worldwide because of its low infectious dose and ability to survive under adverse conditions. Tests were conducted to determine the ability of unstressed E. coli O157:H7 cells or those stressed by acid, cold, salt exposure or starvation to survive on the surfaces of rocket leaves after contamination by three methods (dip, spray or spot inoculation) and following storage at 10 or 25oC. E. coli O157:H7 numbers recovered from rocket leaves contaminated by the different techniques were in the order of dip > spot > spray inoculation. Numbers of stressed E. coli O157:H7 recovered after inoculation by all three methods increased significantly over 7d storage at 10 or 25oC, while unstressed E. coli O157:H7 only grew following dip inoculation. Exposure to adverse environmental conditions may increase the risk of E. coli O157:H7 survival and spread on leafy green vegetables.

Food Control, 2021

The impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has spanned across the various aspects of... more The impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has spanned across the various aspects of life globally. Understanding public reactions is vital for effective risk communication and outbreak control and prevention. The Arab world has diverse cultural, economic, and social structures, so public choices and decisions also vary. To investigate the changes in behavior related to food shopping and handling, precautions measures, and hygiene practices of the public during the pandemic, a web-based survey tool was developed and conducted on 1074 subjects in three Arab countries, Lebanon, Jordan, and Tunisia, using a snowball sampling technique. The results showed a significant reduction in RTE consumption during the pandemic, as shown in the 19.2% and 12.2% rise in the proportion of respondents not ordering hot and cold RTE food delivery, respectively. Compared to pre-COVID-19 times, a substantial increase in behaviors related to hygiene and disinfection practices (22.0%-32.2%) was observed with a lesser increase (11.2%) in handwashing practices before food preparation. Moreover, public concerns about contracting COVID-19 from food led to almost doubling the number of Tunisians using cleaning agents for washing fresh fruits and vegetables (e.g., soaps, non-food grade chlorine bleach) besides a 16% and 26.1% increase in use among the Jordanian and Lebanese, respectively. However, a third of the respondents did not follow instructions on labels for the use of chemical products. In conclusion, this study identified culture-specific shortfalls in handwashing and unsafe food handling practices during COVID-19 in the Arab countries and sheds light on the paramount role of coordinated efforts between the local health authorities and the food safety and public health stakeholders in risk communication. To reduce health risks, there need to be rigorous educational campaigns and targeted messages that reach out to the general audience on hand hygiene, the health effects of haphazard use of unsafe chemical compounds on food, and recommendations on following label instructions.

Frontiers in Public Health, 2021

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) amon... more Objective: This study aimed to evaluate food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) amongst university students in Jordan and changes in food-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlation between food safety KAP scores and general characteristics of university students was also evaluated.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted where an Internet-based questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms. The sample consisted of 1,739 respondents from 29 Jordanian universities. The participants completed a 58-item questionnaire covering demographical characteristics and different food safety aspects which were namely “COVID-19 food-related attributes,” “food cooking and storage,” “personal hygiene.” “cross-contamination prevention/disinfection procedures.” and “restaurant hygiene.” Descriptive statistics, Chi square tests and binary logistic analysis were used to assess the data.Results: The sample consisted of 67.2% females with a mean age of 21....

Food Science and Technology, 2020

Tahini (sesame seed paste) is a low water activity product that has been involved in several salm... more Tahini (sesame seed paste) is a low water activity product that has been involved in several salmonellosis outbreaks. The objectives of the study were to examine over a year the impact of a w and storage temperature of tahini on the viability of Salmonella serovars previously stressed by drying or heat exposure. Tahini samples adjusted to a w values of 0.17, 0.35 and 0.50 were inoculated with a mixed culture containing 10 6-10 7 CFU/g of 4 serovars of unstressed, desiccation-or heat-stressed Salmonella and stored for up to 12 months at 10 and 25 °C. Generally, viability of stressed or unstressed Salmonella decreased as the storage temperature and time increased or the a w of tahini decreased. The survival of stressed or unstressed Salmonella in all samples decreased during storage for up to 12 months by ca. 6.0 and 3.3log 10 CFU/g, respectively. Exposing Salmonella to heat stress had no significant effect on survival in tahini, while desiccation stress significantly decreased survival during storage, especially at 25 °C in low a w tahini.

International Journal of Food Microbiology, 2020

White brined cheese may serve as an ideal medium for the growth of foodborne pathogens including ... more White brined cheese may serve as an ideal medium for the growth of foodborne pathogens including E. coli O157:H7. The objectives of this study were i) to evaluate the inhibitory effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles against E. coli O157:H7 at 10 or 37°C using broth dilution; ii) to address the post-process contamination of white brined cheese with E. coli O157:H7 by using chitosan coating with or without ZnO nanoparticles during storage for 28 d at 4 and 10°C; and iii) to study the physicochemical characteristics of chitosan coating containing ZnO nanoparticles. ZnO nanoparticles at ≥0.0125% inhibited the growth of three E. coli O157:H7 strains at both 37 and 10°C. The chitosan coating with or without ZnO nanoparticles significantly reduced the initial numbers of E. coli O157:H7 in white brined cheese by 2.5 and 2.8 log CFU/g, respectively, when stored at 4°C or by 1.9 and 2.1 log CFU/g, respectively, when stored at 10°C. The chitosan-ZnO nanoparticle coating was not significantly different (p > 0.05) but was slightly better than chitosan alone as an active, smart packaging material in food applications.

Food Chemistry, 2020

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2020

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that improve the health of the host when administer... more Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that improve the health of the host when administered in adequate quantities. Nonetheless, probiotics encounter extreme environmental conditions during food processing or along the gastrointestinal tract. This review discusses different environmental stresses that affect probiotics during food preparation, storage, and along the alimentary canal, including high temperature, low temperature, low and alkaline pH, oxidative stress, high hydrostatic pressure, osmotic pressure, and starvation. The understanding of how probiotics deal with environmental stress and thrive provides useful information to guide the selection of the strains with enhanced performance in specific situations, in food processing or during gastrointestinal transit. In most cases, multiple biological functions are affected upon exposure of the cell to environmental stress. Sensing of sublethal environmental stress can allow for adaptation processes to occur, which can in...

Food Science of Animal Resources, 2020

Fermented products, including sausages, provide several health benefits, particularly when probio... more Fermented products, including sausages, provide several health benefits, particularly when probiotics are used in the fermentation process. This study aimed to examine the cytotoxicity (against Caco-2 and MCF-7 cell lines), antihypertensive activity via angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, antioxidant capacity, antidiabetic activity via ⍺-amylase and ⍺-glucosidase inhibition, proteolysis rate, and oxidative degradation of fermented camel and beef sausages in vitro by the novel probiotic Lactococcus lactis KX881782 isolated from camel milk. Moreover, camel and beef sausages fermented with commercial starter culture alone were compared to those fermented with commercial starter culture combined with L. lactis. The degree of hydrolysis, antioxidant capacity, cytotoxicity against Caco-2 and MCF-7, ⍺-amylase, ⍺glucosidase, and ACE inhibitory activities were higher (p<0.05) in fermented camel sausages than beef sausages. In contrast, the water and lipid peroxidation activity were lower (p<0.05) in camel sausages than beef sausages. L. lactis enhanced the health benefits of the fermented camel sausages. These results suggest that camel sausage fermented with the novel probiotic L. lactis KX881782 could be a promising functional food that relatively provides several health benefits to consumers compared with fermented beef sausage.

LWT, 2019

In vitro investigation of health-promoting benefits of fermented camel sausage by novel probiotic... more In vitro investigation of health-promoting benefits of fermented camel sausage by novel probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum: A comparative study with beef sausages

Malaysian Journal of Microbiology, 2016

Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram positive pathogen distributed worldwide and represents a ri... more Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram positive pathogen distributed worldwide and represents a rising problem for both hospitals and community. The aims of the study were to examine the antibiograms, toxin profiles as well as the genetic diversity of a set of S. aureus isolates from clinical and food samples. Methodology and results: To get some insights on the genetic heterogeneity and test for the presence of certain virulence genes, all isolates were subjected to different PCR amplifications and antibiotic sensitivity analysis. The mecA gene was detected in both clinical and food isolates. Resistance to penicillin and amoxicillin was observed in both clinical and food isolates. About 88% of both food and clinical isolates harbored the toxin gene sea, while 70% and 29% of clinical and food isolates respectively, harbored sec. The seb gene was detected in 59% and 18% of clinical and food isolates, respectively. Dendrograms prepared from the VNTR, antibiograms and toxin profiles, revealed 89, 52 and 12 clusters, respectively. Thus, suggesting a very high heterogeneity among the isolates. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Strains used in this study showed high heterogeneity when examined by VNTR or antibiograms, while appeared less heterogeneous when dendrogram was generated based on toxin profiles. This study highlights the fact that methicillin resistance in S. aureus might be generated within the health institutions or the community. Obtained results also might help health authorities understand the origin of methicillin resistant clones within the study area.

Journal of medical microbiology, 2014

The genus Cronobacter consists of a diverse group of Gram-negative bacilli and comprises seven sp... more The genus Cronobacter consists of a diverse group of Gram-negative bacilli and comprises seven species: Cronobacter sakazakii, Cronobacter malonaticus, Cronobacter muytjensii, Cronobacter turicensis, Cronobacter dublinensis, Cronobacter universalis and Cronobacter condimenti. Cronobacter are regarded as opportunistic pathogens, and have been implicated in newborn and infant infections, causing meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis and bacteraemia or sepsis. Cronobacter virulence is believed to be due to multiple factors. Some strains were found to produce diarrhoea or cause significant fluid accumulation in suckling mice. Two iron acquisition systems (eitCBAD and iucABCD/iutA), Cronobacter plasminogen activator gene (cpa), a 17 kb type VI secretion system (T6SS), and a 27 kb filamentous haemagglutinin gene (fhaBC) and associated putative adhesins locus are harboured on a family of RepFIB-related plasmids (pESA3 and pCTU1), suggesting that these are common virulence plasmids; 98% of ...

Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2013

Journal of Food Science, 2010

The effect of curd washing on functional properties of low-moisture mozzarella cheese made with g... more The effect of curd washing on functional properties of low-moisture mozzarella cheese made with galactosefermenting culture was investigated. A total of 4 curd washing levels (0%, 10%, 25%, 50% wt/wt) were used during low-moisture mozzarella cheese manufacture, and cheeses were stored for 63 d at 4 • C and the influence of curd washing on proteolysis and functionality of low-moisture mozzarella cheese were examined. Curd washing had a significant effect on moisture and ash contents. In general, moisture contents increased and ash contents decreased with increased curd washing levels. Low-moisture mozzarella cheese made with 10% curd washing levels showed higher proteolysis, meltability, and stretchability during storage than other experimental cheeses. In general, galactose contents decreased during storage; however, cheeses made with 25% and 50% curd washing levels had lower galactose contents than those with control or 10%. L *-values (browning) decreased and proteolysis increased in low-moisture mozzarella cheeses during storage.

Journal of Food Science, 2006

Lactoferrin (LF) was encapsulated in 2 types of emulsion to protect it from contact with agents l... more Lactoferrin (LF) was encapsulated in 2 types of emulsion to protect it from contact with agents like divalent cations, which interfere with its antimicrobial activity. First, paste-like microcapsules were prepared as water-in-oil (W 1 /O) emulsions from mixtures of 20% w/v LF in distilled water, 20% w/v LF in 3% w/v sodium lactate or in 20 mM sodium bicarbonate, which were emulsified with an oil mixture of 22% butter fat plus 78% corn oil and 0.1% polyglycerol polyricinoleate. Second, freeze-dried double emulsion (W 1 /O/W 2), powdered microcapsules were produced following emulsification of paste-like microcapsules in an external aqueous phase (W 2) consisting of a denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) solution. The release of LF from the W 1 /O microcapsules was dependent on temperature and NaCl concentration. LF was not released from the W 1 /O emulsion at <5.5 • C. Its release was greater from W 1 /O microcapsules when suspended in 5% aqueous NaCl than in water at ≥10 • C, whereas LF release from freeze-dried microcapsules was not controlled by temperature change. Paste-like microcapsules were incorporated in edible WPI packaging film to test the antimicrobial activity of LF against a meat spoilage organism Carnobacterium viridans. The film was applied to the surface of bologna after its inoculation with the organism and stored under vacuum at 4 or 10 • C for 28 d. The growth of C. viridans was delayed at both temperatures and microencapsulated LF had greater antimicrobial activity than when unencapsulated. The temperature-sensitive property of the W 1 /O microcapsules was reduced when they were incorporated into a WPI film.