Lynne McLandsborough

Professor of Food Science University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Amherst MA

Lynne McLandsborough's research focuses on food safety including biofilm formation of pathogenic and spoilage organisms in food processing.

Contact

University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Expertise

Food Safety
Biofilm Formation and Removal
Cleaning and Safety in the Food Industry

Biography

Lynne McLandsborough is a highly respected food microbiologist who has made significant contributions in the study of food safety including biofilm formation of pathogenic and spoilage organisms in the food processing environment and how to remove them. One of her major accomplishments is the development of antimicrobial delivery systems, and she is currently working on developing non-water-based cleaning and sanitation systems for use in the food industry.

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Education

University of Minnesota

Ph.D.

Food Science

University of Minnesota

M.S.

Food Science

Miami University (Ohio)

B.A.

Microbiology

Select Recent Media Coverage

Slowing recalls: Inside the UMass Amherst Labs working to make your food safer

Boston 25 News  tv

2025-02-25

A feature story looks at the research of three UMass Amherst food scientists working to make food safer. Professor Lynne McLandsborough describes an award-winning process her lab developed to sanitize facilities that process low-moisture foods like peanut butter and chocolate. In a campus pilot lab,

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2024 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize goes to food scientist Lynne McLandsborough

Scienmag  online

2024-05-31

The 2024 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize has been awarded to UMass Amherst food science professor Lynne McLandsborough for her patent-pending method to sanitize facilities that process low-moisture foods like peanut butter and chocolate. McLandsborough is in talks with the chocolate manufacturer Marsand with the owner of Jif peanut butter to test the method in their pilot plant facilities.

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Fact Check: Chicken Is NOT 'Poison'

Lead Stories  online

2023-01-18

Lead Stories reached out to Lynne McLandsborough, head of the department of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, for comment on the claim. She responded in a January 18, 2023, email:

Chicken is not poisonous. It is a protein-rich food that is rich in B vitamins needed for the human diet.

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Select Publications

Exploring Washing Procedures for Produce Brush Washer

Journal of Food Protection

2023

Previous environmental monitoring projects in food production facilities have revealed inconsistencies in how produce brush washer machines are cleaned after use; thus, study of effective sanitation procedures for these machines is needed. Four chlorine solution treatments (ranging from 25-200ppm), as well as a water-only treatment, were tested for efficacy in reducing bacterial loads for a selected small brush washer machine. Results indicate that rinsing with the machine's power and water alone, a frequent practice among some produce processors, yielded a reduction of 0.91-1.96 log CFU per brush roller in bacterial counts, which was not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, the chlorine treatments were found to be effective in reducing bacterial loads significantly, with higher concentrations being the most effective.

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Efficacy of acidified water-in-oil emulsions against desiccated Salmonella as a function of acid carbon chain-length and membrane viscosity

Frontiers in Microbiology

2023

Sanitizing low-moisture food (LMF) processing equipment is challenging due to the increased heat resistance of Salmonella spp. in low-water activity (a w ) environments. Food-grade oils mixed with acetic acid have been shown effective against desiccated Salmonella . In this study, different hydrocarbon chain-length (C n ) organic acids were tested against desiccated Salmonella by using 1% v/v water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion as the delivery system for 200 mM acid. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) was utilized with a BODIPY-based molecular rotor to evaluate membrane viscosity under environmental conditions such as desiccation and temperature elevation. Drying hydrated Salmonella cells to 75% equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) increased the membrane viscosity from 1,199 to 1,309 mPa·s (cP) at 22°C.

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Oil-Based Sanitization in Low-Moisture Environments: Delivery of Acetic Acid with Water-in-Oil Emulsions

Microbiology Spectrum

2023

Contamination with Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes is concerning across low-moisture food (LMF)-processing environments due to the pronounced survival of these organisms under dry conditions. This study treated desiccated bacteria with acetic acid delivered by oil with and without water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. The influences of cellular desiccation, emulsion water concentration, water activity (aw), and treatment temperature were investigated. Acetic acid dissolved in oil (i.e., acidified oil) showed low levels of antimicrobial efficacy. After treatment with acidified oil (200 mM acetic acid at 22°C for 30 min), Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis phage type 30 cells desiccated to 75% equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) and 33% ERH were reduced by 0.69 and 0.05 log CFU/coupon, respectively. The dispersion of a low level of water (≥0.3%, vol/vol) within the acidified oil with the surfactant (i.e., acidified W/O emulsion) significantly enhanced the antimicrobial efficacy.

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