Overview of Research Program
- Survival mechanisms and control of pathogenic bacteria in low water activity foods,
- Safety of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Environmental control using blue light
- Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Hispanic cheeses
- Stress responses of foodborne pathogens
Publications (2016 - present)
Hur, M., and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2025. Comparison of the inactivation of seven foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria under 405 nm blue light treatment in liquid media and on solid surfaces. Microbiol. Spectrum. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00093-25.
Rivera-Santiago, A., and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2025. Combination of blue light and chemical sanitizers for inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes dried cells on inert surfaces. J. Food Protec, 88(5), 100490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100490.
Olszewska, M. A., G. Dev Kumar, M. Hur, and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2023. Inactivation of dried cells and biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes by exposure to blue light at different wavelengths and the influence of surface materials. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01147-23.
Gedas, A., A. Draszanowska, H. den Bakker, F. Diez-Gonzalez, M. Simoes, and M. A. Olszewska. 2023. Prevention of surface colonization and anti-biofilm effect of selected phytochemicals against Listeria innocua strain. Coll. Surf. B: Biointer. 228: 113391
Chick, M., A. Lourenco, A. Maserati, R. C. Fink, and F. Diez-Gonzalez, F. 2022. Thermal death kinetics of three representative Salmonella enterica strains in toasted oats cereal. Microorgan., 10, 1570. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10081570
Esseili, M.A., A. Mann, R. Narwankar, I. I. Kassem, F. Diez-Gonzalez, and R. J. Hogan. 2022. SARS-CoV-2 remains infectious for at least a month on artificially-contaminated frozen berries. Food Microbiol. 107:104084. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2022.104084.
Den Bakker, M., H. C. den Bakker, and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2021. Heat inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on pecans, macadamia nuts, and sunflower seeds. Microbiol. Spect. 9: e01134-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.01134-21.
Olszewska, M. A., and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2021. Characterization of binary biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes and Lactobacillus and their response to chlorine treatment. Front. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1080/10454438.2020.1871151.
Smith CJ, Olszewska MA, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2021. Selection and application of natural antimicrobials to control Clostridium perfringens in sous-vide chicken breasts. Int J Food Microbiol. 347:109193. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109193.
Lamm KW, Randall NL, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2021. Critical food safety issues facing the food industry: A Delphi Analysis. J Food Prot. 84:680-687. doi: 10.4315/JFP-20-372.
Forghani F, Li S, Zhang S, Mann DA, Deng X, den Bakker HC, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2020. Detection and serotyping of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in wheat flour by a quasi-metagenomic approach assisted by magnetic capture, multiple displacement amplification and real-time sequencing. Appl Environ Microbiol. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00097-20.
Gadotti C, Forghani F, and Diez-Gonzalez F. 2020. Evaluation of single and combined antimicrobial treatments to inhibit Salmonella in queso fresco. Food Microbiol. 85: 103286 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2019.103286.
Deen B, Diez-Gonzalez, F. 2019. Assessment of Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8042 as potential Salmonella surrogate for thermal treatments of toasted oats cereal and peanut butter. Food Microbiol. 83:187-192.
Forghani F, den Bakker M, Liao J-Y, Payton AS, Futral AN, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2018. Salmonella and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serogroups O45, O121, O145 in wheat flour: effects of long-term storage and thermal treatments. Front. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00323.
Kirkland, C, Black E, Forghani F, Pomraning A, Sadowsky MJ, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2019. Room temperature growth of Salmonella enterica serovar Saintpaul in fresh Mexican salsa. J Food Prot. 82: 102-108.
Shaughnessy, MK, Snider T, Sepulveda R, Boxrud D, Cebelinski E, Jawahir J, Holzbauer S, Johnston BD, Smith K, Bender JB, Thuras P, Diez-Gonzalez F, Johnson JR. 2018. Prevalence and molecular characteristics of Clostridium difficile in retail meats, food producing and companion animals, and humans in Minnesota. J. Food Prot. 81: 1635–1642.
Forghani F, den Bakker M, Futral AN, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2018. Long-term survival and thermal death kinetics of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coliserogroups O26, O103, O111 and O157 in wheat flour. Appl Environ Microbiol. 84. pii: e00283-18. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00283-18.
Foutz, C. A. S.M. Godden, J. B. Bender, F. Diez-Gonzalez, M. L. Akhtar, A. Vatulin. 2018. Exposure to antimicrobials through the milk diet or systemic therapy is associated with a transient increase in antimicrobial resistance in fecal Escherichia coli of dairy calves. J. Dairy Sci. doi: 10.3168/jds.2018-14598
Maserati A, Lourenço A, Diez-Gonzalez F, and Fink RC. 2018. iTRAQ-based global proteomic analysis of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in response to desiccation, low aw, and thermal treatment. Appl Environ Microbiol doi: 10.1128/AEM.00393-18.
Maserati A, Fink RC, Lourenco A, Julius ML, Diez-Gonzalez F. 2017 General response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to desiccation: a new role for the virulence factors sopD and sseD in survival. PLOS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187692
Tong, C., M. Scherman, F. Diez-Gonzalez, and J. D. Rossbach. 2017. Food safety risks of leafy greens from small-acreage farms in Minnesota. J. Ext. 55: 4RIB4.
Rossbach, J. D., R. C. Fink, M. J. Sadowsky, C. Tong, and F. Diez-Gonzalez, 2017. Factors Influencing the Salmonella Internalization into Seedpods and Whole Plants of Arachis hypogaea (L.). Food Microbiol. 66: 184–189.
Fink, R. C., J. M. Popowski, J. E. Anderson, J. L. Tran, S. Kalyanikutty, G. I. Crawford, A. DiCostanzo, R. B. Cox and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2017. Impact of distillers grain solids (DGS) and seasonality on the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 at an abattoir in the U. S. Upper Midwest. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 46: 237-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2017.1288628
Lourenço, A., M. B. Kamnetz, C. Gadotti, and F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2017. Antimicrobial treatments to control Listeria monocytogenes in queso fresco. Food Microbiol. 64: 47-55.
Akhtar, M., S. Viazis, K. Christensen, P. Kraemer, F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2017. Isolation, characterization and evaluation of virulent bacteriophages against Listeria monocytogenes Food Control. 75: 108-115.
Jaykus, L.-A., F. Diez-Gonzalez, F., K. A. Stevens, R. Gyure, R. Nobles, and T. M. Taylor. 2016. Changes in academic food safety microbiology teaching laboratories: Are we throwing the baby out with the bath water? Food Prot. Trends. 36: 62–71.
Akhtar, M., A. Maserati, F. Diez-Gonzalez. 2016. Does antibiotic resistance influence shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O26 and O103 survival to stress environments? Food Control 68:330-336