Among the different naked and quasi-enveloped viruses, the hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and norovirus genogroups I and II (NoV GI and NoV GII) are considered the main microbiological noxae involved in foodborne outbreaks. Mussels can harbor pathogens in their tissues. In addition to epidemiological attention, marine water temperature changes are considered a crucial variable influencing viral loads. This study aimed to biomolecularly screen 1775 farmed mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequence detection (belonging to the HAV, HEV, and NoV GI and GII genogroups) in three different sampling periods (spring, summer, and winter), with the mussels collected from three farms located in the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy). The results showed that 10.42% of the screened animals harbored at least one type of pathogen RNA, more specifically, 5.35% HEV, 4.51% NoV GI, and 0.56% HAV. The highest genetic equivalent (GE) amounts were majorly observed in the winter season (NoV GI 1.0 × 10³ GE/g and HEV 1.0 × 10² GE/g), resulting in statistical differences when compared to summer and spring (p-value: <0.001). The original data obtained serve to bring scientific attention to the possible influence of environmental and climatic aspects on viral loads, highlighting the crucial role played by biomolecular assays as preventive medicine tools.

In response to the modern consumer demands for safe and high-quality food, industries are adopting innovative decontamination methods. Ozone emerges as a promising one, being economical, safe, and chemical-free. It effectively inactivates bacteria, molds, yeasts, parasites, and viruses with short contact times and at low concentrations. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ozonated water as an eco-friendly, chemical-free, and safe alternative to conventional sanitizers in the processed fishery products industry. More specifically, it compares ozonated water efficacy with the company’s standard method of sanitizing boxes used for soaking cod (spraying the boxes with hydrogen peroxide before placing them in the dishwasher) and its efficacy on boxes stored for 21 days after the standard sanitation. A total of 175 boxes were tested for microbial contamination. The standard sanitization method significantly reduced the microbial load on the boxes after their use compared to the ozone one, resulting in a reduction of 98.29% compared to 48.29% for total mesophilic count (TMC) and 97.96% compared to 37.32% for total psychrophilic count (TPC), respectively. On day 21, the ozonated water achieved a TMC reduction of 80.46% and 98.87% for the TPC on stored boxes. The percentage reduction given by ozonated water on stored boxes was higher than on dirty ones; the presence of organic matter reduces the sanitizing efficacy of ozone. Based on the obtained evidence, ozonated water would appear to be a good sanitation method for surfaces in the processed fishery products industry after adequate cleaning, contributing to the industry’s push toward sustainable practices.

Hygiene and health parameters were monitored at several Carabinieri canteens in central and southern Italy to assess the management aspects related to collective catering services. Between February 2024 and March 2025, 89 food matrices normally served in 23 canteens located in six Italian regions were subjected to microbiological assessment. Food sample aliquots (100-150 g) were sterilely collected and tested for total mesophilic count (TMC) and, using qualitative and quantitative detection methods, pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, and Salmonella spp. Suspicious colonies were identified using the Vitek 2 system (bioMérieux, Paris, France) and confirmed by performing end-point polymerase chain reaction assays. Statistical analysis calculated the following parameters: mean, standard deviations (SD), Shapiro-Wilk test, and the two-tailed t-test (p<0.05). The mean TMC value was 2.65 log CFU/g (SD=1.21); more specifically, the highest [3.22 log CFU/g (SD=1.36)] was observed in Puglia, while the lowest [1.74 log CFU/g (SD= 0.63)] was observed in Molise. The t-test showed statistically significant differences in TMC values among the following regions: Abruzzo-Puglia (p=0.038), Campania-Marche (p<0.001), and Lazio-Campania (p=0.04). The three tested pathogens (L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157, and Salmonella spp.) were never observed. This work and the data obtained provide a picture of the good hygiene and health status of the Carabinieri canteens in central and southern Italy; however, the anthropogenic bacterial detection highlights the importance of the correct application of good hygiene practices to ensure the protection of the health of the military community.

Cod has long held substantial economic and cultural importance in northern European societies. Today, rehydrated cod, obtained by desalting salted and dried products, is increasingly marketed as a ready-to-cook seafood product but remains highly perishable. The increased water activity, reduced salt content, and structural modifications induced by rehydration can promote microbial growth and quality deterioration, resulting in a limited refrigerated shelf life. This review critically examines available evidence on emerging non-thermal technologies for rehydrated cod, considering how rehydration-induced changes may influence treatment performance. High-pressure processing (HPP), non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, pulsed light, ozonation, and other approaches are evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial effectiveness, effects on quality, advantages, and limitations. Available evidence indicates that HPP is the most extensively investigated technology for delaying microbial spoilage, whereas evidence supporting NTAP, UV radiation, and pulsed light remains limited and does not establish their effectiveness as stand-alone treatments. Hurdle strategies warrant further investigation, although treatment interactions and outcomes depend strongly on matrix properties and processing conditions. Preservation strategies must therefore be optimized and validated directly in rehydrated cod rather than extrapolated from other seafood matrices. Further studies under industrially relevant conditions are needed to establish treatment efficacy and support industrial implementation.

Aim. Plasma-Activated Water (PAW) has emerged as a promising technology in the fish food industry owing to its antimicrobial properties, which contribute to extending the shelf life of products, and its potential to modify mass transfer during food processing. Rehydration of salted cod is a critical step that involves prolonged soaking under refrigerated conditions with repeated water replacements, resulting in considerable water and energy consumption. Therefore, this study evaluated the use of PAW as a rehydration medium for salted cod (Gadus macrocephalus and Gadus morhua), investigating its ability to enhance sodium chloride (NaCl) release during rehydration to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the process.Methods. Four independent trials were performed in which salted cod was rehydrated at a fish-to-water ratio of 1:3 (w/v) for 72 h at 4°C, with complete renewal of the soaking water every 24 h. NaCl concentration in the soaking water was determined by argentometric titration (Mohr method) using silver nitrate (AgNO₃). A sequential experimental approach was adopted. In Trial 1, the desalination kinetics of salted cod rehydrated in tap water were characterised, Trial 2 verified the reproducibility of NaCl release following water replacement through an independent rehydration experiment. Based on the preliminary desalination trials, the first 8 h of soaking were selected for the remaining experiments. PAW was generated using a dielectric barrier discharge plasma device (Leap100, PlasmaLeap Technologies Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia) with compressed air as working gas. In Trial 3, PAW produced from tap water and distilled water was compared to evaluate the influence of the water matrix on NaCl release and to identify the most suitable water source. Finally, Trial 4, evaluated five PAW operating conditions, obtained by varying the applied voltage and discharge frequency while maintaining a constant activation time (240s), to identify the conditions that maximized NaCl release during rehydration.Results. Trial 1 showed that during salted cod rehydration the first 8 h of soaking corresponded to the period of maximum NaCl release. Trial 2 confirmed the reproducibility of the NaCl release profile following water replacement. In Trial 3, comparable NaCl release profiles were observed for PAW generated from tap and distilled water. Since no substantial differences were detected, tap water was selected for subsequent experiments because of its greater industrial applicability. In Trial 4, four of the five PAW operating conditions resulted in higher NaCl release than the control during the first 8 h of soaking. The highest NaCl concentration was recorded with treatment P2 (4.30% w/v), corresponding to the lowest voltage and discharge frequency conditions, compared with 3.22% for the control, whereas P5, corresponding to the highest voltage and discharge frequency conditions, produced the lowest value (1.52% w/v). These findings identified PAW operating conditions with contrasting effects on NaCl release during the early stages of rehydration.Conclusions. The results suggest that optimising PAW operating parameters may enhance NaCl release during the early stages of rehydration, potentially reducing soaking time and, consequently, water consumption and refrigeration energy requirements. Future studies will validate these findings under replicated conditions and investigate whether the antimicrobial properties of PAW can further improve the microbiological quality and extend shelf life of rehydrated salted cod.

Ozonated water may represent a complementary approach to improve routine hygiene during fish processing. This study evaluated its effectiveness in reducing microbial contamination on food-contact surfaces of a cod-processing machine during scheduled production breaks and at the end of production. Tap water and ozonated water were compared under routine industrial conditions by monitoring Total Mesophilic Counts (TMC) and Total Psychrotrophic Counts (TPC) at multiple time points throughout the working day. Both treatments reduced microbial loads, but ozonated water achieved significantly greater reductions in TPC during morning and end-of-day rinsing and in TMC during morning rinsing after Holm’s correction for multiple comparisons. No significant differences were observed during lunch rinsing or for TMC during end-of-day rinsing. Microbial loads increased again during subsequent processing periods under both treatments. After final chlorine-based sanitation, neither TMC nor TPC differed significantly between treatments after Holm’s correction. Overall, ozonated water improved the effectiveness of selected rinsing procedures under real processing conditions and should be considered complementary to conventional end-of-day cleaning and disinfection. Its use during production breaks may therefore represent a practical complementary measure for controlling microbial accumulation in fish processing environments.