Ahmed E. Yousef

yousef.1@osu.edu

Professor, Microbiology;
Professor, Food Science and Technology;
Bazler Food Safety Professor.

Key words: Microbial safety of food; foodborne pathogens; antimicrobial peptides; mechanism of resistance.

RESEARCH

1. Quest for natural antimicrobial peptides suitable for food and other applications.
1. Discovery of novel and potent antimicrobial peptides to control foodborne pathogens.
2. A new lantibiotic was recently discovered; patenting and licensing are pending.
2. Applications of ozone as potent and environment-friendly sanitizer.
1. Comprehensive studies to use ozone, in lieu of chlorine, for production of safer fresh produce.
2. Developing ozone-based technology to produce Salmonella-free shell eggs. The technology has been patented and is currently in the implementation phase.
3. Evaluate and enhance the efficacy of ultra-high pressure, pulsed electric field, and other emerging food preservation technologies.
1. Improve the efficacy of these emerging technologies against processing-resistant pathogens.
2. Reveal the mechanism of inactivation of pathogens by the emerging technologies, particularly the ultra-high pressure treatment.

AWARDS

• Pomerence Departmental Teaching Excellence Award, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Science, 2007.
• Departmental Research Award, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University. 2000.
• Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University. 1998.
• Departmental Research Team Award, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University. 1996.

(Selected from over 120 publications)

Books

Sapers, G.  M. Gorny, J. R., and Yousef, A. E. 2006. Microbiology of fruits and vegetables.  CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Book Chapters

Chung, Y-K, Malone, A.S., Yousef, A.E. 2007.  Sensitization of microorganisms to high-pressure processing by phenolic compounds, p 145-172. In C.J. Doona, F.E. Feeherry, and C.P. Dunne (eds.), High pressure processing and bacterial spore inactivation, mechanisms and mathematical models. Blackwell Pub., Ames, Iowa.

Lado, B. H. and Yousef, A. E. 2007. Characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes important to food processors, p. 157-213. In  E. T. Ryser and E.H. Marth (eds.), Listeria, listeriosis and food safety, 3rd ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York.

Research Papers

He, Z., Yuan, C., Zhang, L., and Yousef, A. E. 2008. N-terminal acetylation in paenibacillin, a novel lantibiotic. FEBS Lett. 582:2787-2792.

Loghavi, L., Sastry, S. K., and Yousef, A. E. 2008. Effect of moderate electric field frequency on growth kinetics and metabolic activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Biotechnol. Prog. 24:148-153.

Malone, A.S., Chung, Y-K. and Yousef, A.E. 2008. Proposed mechanism of inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 by ultra-high pressure in combination with tert-butylhydroquinone. J. Appl. Microbiol. (in press)

Männig, A., Baldauf, N.A., Rodriguez-Romo, L.A., Yousef, A.E., and Rodriguez-Saona, L.E.  2008. Differentiation of Salmonella enterica serovars and strains in cultures and food using infrared spectroscopic and microspectroscopic techniques. J. Food Protect. 71:2249–2256.

Perry, J.J., Rodriguez-Romo, L.A., and Yousef, A.E. 2008. Inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in shell eggs by sequential application of heat and ozone.  Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 46:620-625.

Waite, J.G. and Yousef, A.E. 2008. Enhanced inactivation of foodborne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria by FD&C Red No. 3 and other xanthene derivatives during ultrahigh pressure processing.  J. Food Protect. 71:1861-1867.

Zhang, W., Azevedo, M.S.P., Gonzalez, A.M., Saif, L. J., Nguyen, T.V., Wen, K., Yousef, A. E., and Yuan, L. 2008. Influence of probiotic lactobacilli colonization on neonatal B cell responses in a gnotobiotic pig model of human rotavirus infection and disease. Vet. Immunol. Immunopath. 122:175-181.

He, Z., Kisla, D., Zhang, L., Yuan, C., Green-Church, K. B., and Yousef, A. E. 2007. Isolation and identification of a Paenibacillus polymyxa strain that co-produces a novel lantibiotic and polymyxin. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:168-178.

LINKS
http://fst.osu.edu/foodsafetylab/index.htm