AUTHOR=De Bock Thomas , Jacxsens Liesbeth , Maes Femke , Van Meerhaeghe Svenya , Reygaerts Marina , Uyttendaele Mieke TITLE=Microbiological profiling and knowledge of food preservation technology to support guidance on a neutropenic diet for immunocompromised patients JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1136887 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1136887 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
The current society consists of an increasing number of people vulnerable to infections. For certain people with severe immunodeficiency, a neutropenic or low-microbial diet is being prescribed, which substitutes high-risk foods that are more likely to contain human (opportunistic) pathogens with lower-risk alternatives. These neutropenic dietary guidelines are typically set up from a clinical and nutritional perspective, rather than from a food processing and food preservation perspective. In this study, the current guidelines in use by the Ghent University Hospital were evaluated based on the current knowledge of food processing and preservation technologies and the scientific evidence on microbiological quality, safety, and hygiene of processed foods. Three criteria are identified to be important: (1) the microbial contamination level and composition; (2) the potential presence of established foodborne pathogens such as