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Antimicrobial activities of eucalyptus oil in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria have been examined during this project. The essential oil was directly purchased from market. The effect of eucalyptus oil was tested against the Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) by using dilution broth assay and disk diffusion method. As per the data obtained from research, eucalyptus oil has more antimicrobial activity against E. coli than S. aureus. Which conclude that eucalyptus oil is more sensitive with gram negative bacteria compare to gram positive bacteria.
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This study was investigated and illustrates the importance of ingredients on egg-based sauces, such as mayonnaise and aioli, as a co-factor for Staphylococcus Aureus growth. Contaminated foods with toxins produced by Staph bacteria can lead to food poisoning and other gastrointestinal illness. The topic was chosen as the relevance of consumer purchase and the lack of studies towards this bacterium; additionally, homemade sauces have a higher probability of carrying more risks if they are not appropriately handled.
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Packaging has a crucial role in the existence of a product in the market, providing protection and increasing the shelf life of the food so that the product is delivered safely to the consumers. Unfortunately, the most common materials we can find today for food packaging are non-degradable polymers, producing a huge amount of waste that can’t be entirely recycled. This is a global concern that could worsen in the next decades if action is not promptly taken. Our project is aimed at the synthesis of a fully biodegradable material by co-processing industrial and household organic waste as a feasible solution to tackle this issue. Furthermore, this material can be enhanced with Active Antimicrobial Packaging (AAP) that, even if not entirely new, is a technology that is gaining attention for its cost-effectiveness and synergistic protection of food, especially when incorporated with other methods such as Modified Atmosphere Packaging. To meet these goals, we developed a new procedure to generate biodegradable plastic films by acid hydrolysis of parsley, which is a promising source of antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. To enhance the AAP property of the film, cinnamon essential oil was added at different concentrations.
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Safe Potable water is key to good health. The project was focused on purifying water with the help of natural Moringa seeds. Water purification plants use chemicals like Chlorine to make water drinkable which can cause serious health issues. Moringa seeds are natural seeds, found in the South East Asian region that have water purifying properties. Along with that, they have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties due to which they are also known as ‘Miracle Tree’. Water from Lake Ontario was used as a sample for testing the efficacy of Moringa seeds. Lake Ontario water was intentionally spiked with coliforms to make results more valuable. A comparison between Raw lake Ontario water with water containing seed extract and Spiked water with seed extract was made. To make the comparison, different techniques like pH to check acidity, Nephelometer to check the Turbidity, MPN (Most Probable Number) to check the coliform count, and MF (Membrane FIltration) to check the specific type of coliform were done. It was found that the samples with seed extract had far less number of coliforms and the water was less turbid than the raw water samples.
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Consumers have become increasingly more aware of what they are eating and what is in their food. Many staple foods contain beneficial bacteria also known as probiotics. When ingested probiotics can benefit the host in many ways such as modifying the host immune system and preventing pathogens from colonizing the host. The aim of this project is to isolate, enumerate and identify the bacteria present in mozzarella cheese produced by Silani Cheese Company. Also, further testing was done to observe the tolerance of probiotics in-vivo conditions. The results of this research include the isolation of microorganisms present in commercially available cheese, specifically pathogens and lactic acid bacteria. Whether the isolated organisms can survive the harsh in-vivo conditions and the total microbial load in selected cheese. The results can thereby help the industry improve production methods so that they stay within guidelines. Results of the probiotic tolerance to in-vivo conditions allow more insight into our understanding of probiotics.
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The overall purpose of this study was to identify and develop the essential oils in hand sanitizer and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol, oil and nanoparticle sanitizers by using standard test. Main objectives include: To develop an effective and safe herbal-based sanitizer with comparable antimicrobial effects to alcoholic sanitizers. To increase the effective period by adding aloe vera gel, extract, to the active ingredients, e.g., clove essential oilTo evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol sanitizer, essential oil, and nanoparticle sanitizer to assess which concentration of herbal and nanoparticle hand sanitizer will be effective.
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The experiment was designed to reduce yeasts and mold species which were responsible for undesired qualities in GoodyGuts' water kefir product. The techniques involved include membrane filtration, growing samples in elevated temperatures and screening for pathogens.
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Plastic waste is a major concern that is getting worse as its production is set to double in the next 20 years. Bacterial degradation of plastic is an interesting and potentially promising field of research that can help solve plastic waste problem. This study explored ways of degrading plastic by comparing different organisms with different methods of degradation to determine the most efficient process to degrade plastic. Flasks containing minimal salt broth, plastic pieces as the sole-carbon source, and other applicable ingredients were inoculated with the appropriate bacteria on a shaking incubator at room temperature for 14 days. Plate counts and initial/final plastic masses were made for calculation and analysis. Two species of bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis were studied in the experiment. It was observed that P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis degraded 1.39% and 1.04% plastic by weight, respectively, within the 14-day incubation period. The understanding of plastic degradation using bacteria is complex and requires long-term observations, as such, discussion related to changes and improvements to protocol and techniques are also addressed.
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The experiment that was undertaken was with respect to the testing of mask efficacy of surgical and cloth mask. To check the level of efficacy of each type of mask in wet and dry conditions we subjected them to different closed environment and tested it. We inoculated the closed environmental space with microbial contamination and measured the growth rate on two different sides of the mask which was kept as a barrier to understand the efficacy of mask. Another aspect was the use of smoke particle detector (P600) to see the effectiveness of mask against small sized virus particles. We used candles to generate smoke and checked both types of mask if they prove to be resilient and stop the passage of minute particles, as virus could not be used in the project we used smoke. Lastly, we used silver nanoparticles as a coating on surgical mask if it can increase the efficiency and protect from infections.
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According to WH0, infectious diseases still remain as one of the three leading concerns to global health due to the high incidence of newly emerging infections and bacterial resistance to the currently available antimicrobials for their indiscriminate use. Therefore, need of the hour is the development of new broad-spectrum antimicrobials to encounter this ever-increasing incidence of bacterial resistance. Over time, numerous approaches have been introduced to curb this transmission including the use of plain soaps, nitrile gloves, alcohol rubs, antimicrobial soaps/wipes, hand sanitizers etc. However, each of them has its own drawback. Therefore, the idea of developing the invisible glove struck our minds; which will provide a significant broad-spectrum, fairly long lasting antimicrobial effect, moisturizing and above all a great alternative sustainable alternative to the mentioned approaches. The primary component for the invisible glove formulation are the Nanoparticles (NP'S)-Bioactive from NAVCO pharmaceuticals and chitosan linked together with the help of tween-80 along with other moisturizing, water-resistant ingredients used in skin barrier creams.
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Antimicrobial resistance has been a challenge as microorganisms are adapting into ever changing resistant strains. Herbal nanoparticles are chitosan-based, a component of its antimicrobial effect. The design of project was based on nanoparticles and its effect against selected bacteria: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This project aimed for three objectives:
- To formulate the herbal nanoparticles which will inhibit the microbial growth using the chitosan particles.
- To observe the resistance of microbes for antimicrobial activity of herbal nanoparticles using linear gradient plates.
- To determine the level of herbal nanoparticle concentration required for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
It was hypothesized that the herbal nanoparticles would have an effect on E. coli and S. aureus. Linear gradient plate was chosen to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of each bacteria, acting as a guide in overusing antimicrobial agents. The slope of the plate allows a gradient of antibiotic to concentrate into the media such that the higher the slope, the more concentrated the media is with the antibiotic.
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To prevent the spread of infectious diseases an efficient disinfection method is crucial. Chemical disinfection method is not suitable for disinfecting food and packaging materials because of its toxic effect. UVC LED is promising to eliminate these hazards. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the effectiveness of UVC LED by comparing the growth of both bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli) and MS2 a viral representative before and after the treatment with UVC radiation. The bacterial and viral cultures were applied on pieces of aluminum foils and disinfected with UV irradiation for 1 -2 min, then after serial dilution, spread plate culture was done for bacteria on blood agar plates and a double agar assay was done on E. coli K12 for MS2. A 3-4 log reduction of bacterial growth and 2 log reduction of plaques were observed on UV treated plates compared to UV untreated. These results provided strong evidence of effectiveness of UVC LED in disinfecting food packaging materials against bacteria and viruses.
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Cloth masks and surgical masks are less effective in comparison to nanoparticle-coated masks. During necessary conditions, cloth masks and surgical masks may be employed transiently in closed, packed indoor and outdoor public venues. Cloth masks, on the other hand, have been found to be relatively less effective against pathogens in hospital settings. Previous studies also confirm that it should not be used by healthcare professionals. The performance of a nanoparticle-coated cotton mask is significantly greater than cloth masks and surgical masks; it provides superior protection while eradicating harmful pathogens
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This project analyzes two types of manufactured Coca-Cola distribution: a bottled sample and a soda dispenser filtration system at A&W restaurant. The microbial quality was tested for both sample to compare and contrast the sterility of bottled packaging versus a soda dispenser filtration. We utilized the membrane filtration technique to enumerate different types of heterotropic microorganisms capable of growing in carbonated drinks and acidic environments. The TSA media was used for a more diverse growth factor for different species and further tested through different biochemical testing for identification such as, coliforms, fungi, and more. To prevent cross-contamination while obtaining the soda dispenser sample, we transferred the coke sample into a sterile glass bottle. We hypothesizes that the soda dispensed coke sample will contain more CFU/mL. The filtered volume of 100mL, 50mL, and 20mL was required to be reduced to 1mL, 2.5mL, and 5mL due to excess colony growth (TNTC), concluding in a high CFU concentration in a small amount of volume.
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UV irradiation has the capacity to kill microbes associated with surfaces. Perishable fruits like strawberries and raspberries have very short shelf life, which can be enhanced using UV radiations. UV irradiation as a method of physical treatment was tested on perishable fruits, strawberries and raspberries for enhancing the shelf life of these fruits and to increase germination percentage in soybean seeds by decreasing the total microbial load. The UV treatment showed significant results for strawberries and raspberries in increasing shelf life. Also, soybeans showed increased germination rate in UV treatment at 275 nm.
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Disinfectants have been widely for inactivating the micro-organisms on high touch surfaces and their demand has been increased extensively during the covid-19 to reduce the spread of virus. The antimicrobial activity of disinfectants involves static and lethal action due to the presence of various active chemical compounds called biocides ranging from aldehydes to alcohols to hydrogen peroxides to quaternary ammonium compounds. Wipes work by the mechanism of degermination, or decontamination divided into two parts- Mechanical action (germs are taken away by the wipe due to force/pressure applied) and Microbicidal action of the liquid liberated by the wipe on the surface involving chemical disinfection. Due to porous surface of wipes, they tend to transfer bacteria leading to accidental transfer from one surface to another that needs to be addressed with a little more attention to achieve & understand disinfection procedures, ingredients to achieve maximum log reduction of bacteria improving the disinfection efficacy of commercially available antimicrobial disinfectant wipes. Four field testing is an effective method for lab testing of efficacy of disinfectant wipes as it replicate the use of disinfectant wipes in real world environment and evaluating the potential for cross- contamination caused by the wipes. The project emphasized on testing the disinfectant efficacy of various commercially available wipes such as Clorox, PreEmpt and baby wipes against some common pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Clorox was found out to be the most effective wipe due to the presence of didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride responsible for bringing about 6 log reduction of the microorganisms. Gram positive organisms were found out to be the most susceptible ones due to the lack of outer membrane as compared with the gram-negative ones in which Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be the most resistant one against tested wipes.