Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Department of Food Science
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Prof John Taylor and his research team have developed methods to produce bioplastic films from the sorghum prolamin protein kafirin. Recently, Prof Taylor invented a simple, novel method for making kafirin protein microparticles (microspheres) together with Dr Janet Taylor. These protein microparticles have unique properties, including an extremely large internal surface area. Manipulation of the preparation conditions results in microparticles with differing characteristics. For example, they can be used to form very thin, edible, biodegradable free-standing films, bioplastic coatings, or ingestible encapsulation agents for micronutrients. The microparticles have many other potential applications in the food, biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. This is the subject of ongoing research. The invention is the subject of intellectual property protection
Contact person: Prof JRN Taylor.
The aims of this project were to determine the link between irrigation water quality and the food safety of fresh and minimally processed vegetables, to investigate which bacterial and viral contaminants are found in surface water used for irrigation, and to highlight their potential risks should they be present on vegetables cultivated by using surface water. Surface water (that is, water from dams and rivers) used for the irrigation of vegetables in South Africa are susceptible to contamination by pathogens because this water is subject to waste and sewage that is disposed of in the rivers and dams. This water is not treated before the irrigation of fresh produce. The problem of the contamination of irrigation water and, subsequently, vegetables, might lead to the suspension of export to the European Union (EU) and the USA. Furthermore, the consumption of vegetables contaminated with foodborne pathogens by South Africans might lead to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, bearing in mind that a large proportion of citizens have immune system compromised diseases like HIV and tuberculosis. The data generated will be used to create an awareness of the potential health risks. Urgent steps will be sought to prevent the pollution of surface water (water in rivers and dams). Aerobic and anaerobic spore formers were present in low numbers on the vegetables. At the Skeerpoort River site, the water could not be established as a source of contamination. However, at the Loskop Dam site, the Wilge River, in particular, had high levels of aerobic and anaerobic spore formers and definitely contributed to the presence of these organisms on the vegetables. All the pathogens included in the study were detected in the water samples at the selected sites. It is clear from the preliminary results that if the pathogen is present in the water, it will also be found on the vegetable samples at the various sites. Similarly, if the pathogen is not present in the water, it is not found to be prevalent on the vegetables. Incidence of pathogens Salmonella, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus were higher in the water from the Loskop Dam site than in the water from the Skeerpoort River sites. At this stage of the project, the preliminary data clearly indicates that the quality of the water impacts on the presence of food pathogens on vegetables sampled during this study
Contact person: Prof A Minnaar.
The aims of this project were to determine the link between irrigation water quality and the food safety of fresh and minimally processed vegetables, to investigate which bacterial and viral contaminants are found in surface water used for irrigation, and to highlight their potential risks should they be present on vegetables cultivated by using surface water. Surface water (that is, water from dams and rivers) used for the irrigation of vegetables in South Africa are susceptible to contamination by pathogens because this water is subject to waste and sewage that is disposed of in the rivers and dams. This water is not treated before the irrigation of fresh produce. The problem of the contamination of irrigation water and, subsequently, vegetables, might lead to the suspension of export to the European Union (EU) and the USA. Furthermore, the consumption of vegetables contaminated with foodborne pathogens by South Africans might lead to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, bearing in mind that a large proportion of citizens have immune system compromised diseases like HIV and tuberculosis. The data generated will be used to create an awareness of the potential health risks. Urgent steps will be sought to prevent the pollution of surface water (water in rivers and dams). Aerobic and anaerobic spore formers were present in low numbers on the vegetables. At the Skeerpoort River site, the water could not be established as a source of contamination. However, at the Loskop Dam site, the Wilge River, in particular, had high levels of aerobic and anaerobic spore formers and definitely contributed to the presence of these organisms on the vegetables. All the pathogens included in the study were detected in the water samples at the selected sites. It is clear from the preliminary results that if the pathogen is present in the water, it will also be found on the vegetable samples at the various sites. Similarly, if the pathogen is not present in the water, it is not found to be prevalent on the vegetables. Incidence of pathogens Salmonella, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus were higher in the water from the Loskop Dam site than in the water from the Skeerpoort River sites. At this stage of the project, the preliminary data clearly indicates that the quality of the water impacts on the presence of food pathogens on vegetables sampled during this study
Contact person: Prof EM Buys.
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