RESEARCH.

Current research efforts focus on improving the safety and quality of cheese. Our research  interests include understanding the microbial ecology of traditional cheeses and their manufacturing environments, the role of food and microbes in human health, and improving the quality and safety of dairy foods with particular interest in the use of protective and probiotic bacteria for the control of pathogens in the production of raw milk cheese. 

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  • Sun, L.and D'Amico, D.J.*, 2023. The impact of environmental conditions and milk type on microbial communities of wooden vats and cheeses produced therein. Food Microbiology, p.104319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2023.104319
  • Aljasir, S.F, and D. D'Amico. 2022. Anti-infective properties of the protective culture Hafnia alvei B16 in food and intestinal models against multi-drug resistant Salmonella. Food Microbiology. Under review.
  • Sun, L., and D'Amico, D.J. 2022. Characterization of microbial community assembly on new wooden vats for use in cheese production. Food Microbiology.  Food Microbiology, p.104154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2022.104154
  • Sun, L., and D'Amico, D.J. 2021. Composition, Succession, and Source Tracking of Microbial Communities Throughout the Traditional Production of a Farmstead Cheese.  mSystems. September/October 2021  Volume 6  Issue 5  e00830-21
    https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00830-21
  • Aljasir, S.F, and D. D'Amico. 2021. Effect of pre-exposure to protective bacterial cultures in food on Listeria monocytogenes virulence. LWT Food Science and Technology. 152:112373
  • Aljasir, S.F, and D. D'Amico. 2021. Dairy-associated protective cultures as probiotics to protect against Listeria monocytogenes infection. Food Research International.
  • Dutta, M., Yamamoto, J., D’Amico, D., Stubbs, T., Chapman, B. and Stevenson, C.D., 2021. Development and Evaluation of an Online Food Safety Course for Artisan Cheesemakers in the United States. Food Protection Trends, 41:284-292.
  • Sun, L., Atkinson, K, Zhu, M., and D'Amico, D.J., 2021. Antimicrobial effects of a bioactive glycolipid on spore-forming spoilage bacteria in milk. Journal of Dairy Science. 104:4002-4011.  doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-19769.  Epub 2021 Feb 13.
  • Robinson, B.R. and D’Amico, D.J., 2020. Hydrogen peroxide treatments for the control of Listeria monocytogenes on high-moisture soft cheese. International Dairy Journal, p.104931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2020.104931
  • Sun, L., Forauer, E.C., Brown, S.R. and D'Amico, D.J., 2020. Application of bioactive glycolipids to control Listeria monocytogenes biofilms and as post-lethality contaminants in milk and cheese. Food Microbiology, p.103683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2020.103683
  • Aljasir, S.F, and D. D'Amico. 2020. The effect of protective cultures on Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin production. Food Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2020.10354. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Gensler, C.A., Brown, S.R.B., Aljasir, S.F, and D. D'Amico. 2020. Compatibility of commercially produced protective cultures with common cheesemaking cultures and their antagonistic effect on foodborne pathogens. J Food Prot.. doi: 10.4315/JFP-19-614. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Aljasir, S.F., Gensler, C., Sun, L. and D'Amico, D.J., 2019. The efficacy of individual and combined commercial protective cultures against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, O157 and non-O157 shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in growth medium and raw milk. Food Control, 109: p.106924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.106924
  • Jordan, K., S. Forsythe, and D.J. D’Amico. Pathogens in Milk and Milk Products. In Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products. 18th ed. Eds Wehr, H.M., J. Kornacki, and E. Ryser. American Public Health Association. Under review.
  • Brown, S.R.B., E. C. Forauer‚ and D. J. D'Amico*. 2018. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the growth of spoilage microorganisms and Listeria monocytogeneson fresh cheese. Journal of Dairy Science. 101:7768-7779. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-14217
  • Brown, S.R.B., Kozak, S.M., and D. J. D’Amico*. 2018. Applications of Edible Coatings Formulated with Antimicrobials Inhibit Listeria monocytogenesGrowth on Queso Fresco. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2018.00001
  • Kozak, S.M., Y. Bobak, and D.J. D’Amico.  Efficacy of antimicrobials applied individually and in combination for controlling Listeria monocytogenes as surface contaminants on Queso Fresco.  Journal of Food Protection. 81(1):46-53.
  • Kozak, S.M., Y. Bobak, and D.J. D’Amico*. 2018. Control of Listeria monocytogenesin whole milk using antimicrobials applied individually and in combination. Journal of Dairy Science. 101:1–12. doi:10.3168/jds.2017-13648.
  • Barnes, S. R., N.C. Millán-Borrero, J.C.  Carbonella, A.J.P.  Micheletti and D.J. D’Amico. 2017. Acidification of model cheese brines to control Listeria monocytogenes. Journal of Food Protection. 81(1):79-83.
  • Kozak, S.M., K.M. Margison, and D.J.  D’Amico. 2017. Synergistic antimicrobial combinations inhibit and inactivate Listeria monocytogenes in neutral and acidic broth systems. Journal of Food Protection. 80:1266-1272.
  • D’Amico. D.J. 2017. Recommendations and Outcomes from the First Artisan Cheese Food Safety Forum. Food Protection Trends. 37:332–339
  • D'Amico, D.J., and C.W. Donnelly. 2017. Growth and Survival of Microbial Pathogens in Cheese. In Cheese: Chemistry, Physics & Microbiology. 4th Edition. Academic Press.  ISBN: 9780124170124
  • Trmčić , A., R. Ralyea , L. Meunier-Goddik , C. Donnelly, K. Glass, D. D’Amico, E. Meredith, M. Kehler, N. Tranchina, C. McCue, M. Wiedmann. 2016. Consensus categorization of cheese based on water activity and pH – a rational approach to systemizing cheese diversity. Journal of Dairy Science 100:841–847
  • Sauders, B.D., and D.J. D’Amico. 2016. Listeria monocytogenes cross-contamination of cheese: risk throughout the food supply chain. Epidemiology and Infection, 144:2693-2697. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268816001503
  • D'Amico, D. 2016. Contributions In The Oxford Companion to Cheese: Codex Alimentarious; General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization; Hygiene; Salmonella; Standards of Identity; United States Department of Agriculture; and Equivalence. Oxford University Press. New York, NY. ISBN: 9780199330881
  • D'Amico, Dennis. 2016. Artisan Cheese Food Safety Forum: 2015 Conference Summary. Food Protection Trends. May/June: 226-228.
  • American Cheese Society. 2017. Best Practices Guide for Cheesemakers. Available at: http://www.cheesesociety.org/events-education/best-practices-guide-for-cheesemakers/
  • Microbes Make the Cheese. 2015. Report on an American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium held in Washington, DC, in June 2014. Ed. Jeffrey Fox. American Academy of Microbiology. Washington, DC.
  • D'Amico, Dennis. 2014. Microbiological Quality and Safety Issues in Cheesemaking. In Cheese and Microbes (pp. 251–309 (59)). Eds. C. Donnelly. American Society for Microbiology.
  • D’Amico, Dennis. 2014. Adventitious Microbes Can Affect the Safety and Quality of Cheese. Microbe. 9(3).
  • ​​D’Amico, Dennis. 2014. Microbiological Quality and Safety Issues in Cheesemaking. Microbiol Spectrum 2(1). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec. CM-0011-2012.