Robert E. Levin | Department of Food Science

Professor Emeritus of Food Microbiology

Field of Study:

Food safety, detection of mutagens and carcinogens; microbial food spoilage enzymes; immuno assays, fermentation technology and PCR detection and quantitation of E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in seafood.

Details

Research

Major areas of research concentration have included (1) bacteriophage infectious for refrigerated food spoilage bacteria, (2) fishery microbiology, (3) characterization of microbial proteases and DNases, (4) immunological identification of food borne bacterial pathogens, (5) fermentation technology, (6) production of paralytic shellfish toxins by dinoflagellated algae, (7) production of fish silage and fish hydrolysates, (8) detection of carcinogens in foods, (9) quantitative real-time PCR detection of bacterial pathogenic bacteria in foods.

Awards

Past Chairman Atlantic Fisheries Technological Conference, Past President Connecticut Valley Chapter of American Society for Microbiology, past member Edit. Bd. J. Food Biochem., Ed. Bd. J. Food Safety, and present member Ed. Bd. J. Food Protection. Past member NSF Biomedical Ph.D. Fellowship Review Panel, and past member U.S.D.A NRI review Panel., hoc reviewer for Cornell University and University of Maryland Sea Grant proposals, USDA SB proposals, BARD proposals, J. Agric. & Food Chem., and J. Food Science.

Publications

Abolmaaty, A, C. Vu, J. Oliver, and R. E. Levin. 2000. Development of a new lysis solution for releasing genomic DNA from bacterial cells for DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction. Microbios. 101: 181-189.

Ferenc, J., Oliver, J., Witkowski, R., McLandsborough, L. and Levin, R. E. 2000. Studies on the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains at 45oC. J. Food Protection. 63: 1173-1178.

Guan, J. and Levin, R. E. 2002. Quantitative Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef by the polymerase chain reaction. Food Microbiol. 19: 159-165.

Abolmaaty, A. and Levin, R. E. 2002. Development of a microslide aglutination assay with the aid if an inexpensive projection microscope. J. Microbiol. Methods. 51: 421-423.

Zhang, Y.,Lu, H. and Levin, R. E. 2003. Enhanced storage-life of fresh haddock fillets with stabilized sodium chlorite in ice. Food Microbiol. 20: 87-90.

Guan, J. and Levin, R. E. 2002. Quantitative detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef by immunomagnetic separation and polymerase chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 16: (2) 135-144.

Guan, J. and Levin, R. E. 2002. Sensitive and rapid detection of Escerichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef by nested PCR incorporating immunomagnetic separation. Food Biotechnol. 16: (2) 145-154.

Guan, J. and Levin, R. E. 2002. Quantitative detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef by immunomagnetic separation and competitive polymerase chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 16: (3) 155-166.

Levin, R. E. 2003. Application of the polymerase chain reaction for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods: a review of methodology. Food Biotechnology. 17: (2) 99-116.

Kim, J. and Levin R. E. 2003. Influence of caffeine on the repair of mitomycin C induced DNA damage. Food Biotechnology. 17: (2) 151-161.

Levin, R. E. 2003. Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PGFE) analysis to Listeria monocytogenes: A review of methodology and results. Food Biotechnol. 17: (3) 203.

Levin, R. E. 2004. The application of real-time PCR to food and agricultural systems. A review. Food Biotechnol. 18(1):97-133.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2004. Quantitative determination of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by polymerase chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 18: (3) 279-287.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2005. Quantification of Vibrio vulnificus using the polymerae chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 19(1):27-35.

Levin, R. E. 2005. Vibrio vulnificus, a notably lethal human pathogen derived from seafood: a review of its pathogenicity, subspecies characterization, and molecular methods of detection. Food Biotechnol. 19(1):69-93.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2005. Quantification of Vibrio vulnificus using the polymerae chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 19(1):27-35.

Discrimination of viable vibrio vulnificus cells from dead cells in real-time PCR. 2005. J. Microbiol. Methods. On-line.

Cao, J. k, Witkowski, R. k, Lu, H., Abolmaaty, A., Lu, S., and Levin, R. E. 2005. Detection, enumeration, and RAPD analysis of Listeria monocytogenes isolates in fish derived from retail sources in Western Massachusetts. Food Biotechnol. 19: 145-160.

Vattem, D. A., Jang, H-D, Levin, R. and Shetty, K. Synergism of cranberry phenolics with ellagic acid and rosmarinic acid for antigenic and DNA-protection functions. Submitted to J. Fd. Biochem. In press.

Cao, J., Cronin, C.,Mclandsborough,L. and .Levin, R. E. 2005. Effects of primers and Taq polymerase on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis for typing Listeria monocytogenes from the environment of a shrimp processing plant. Food Biotechnol. 19(3):217-226.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2005. Quantitative detection of Vibrio vulnificus by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 19(3):193-204.

Cao, J., Clark, M., Witkowski, R., Lu, H., Sayedahman, A., Levin, R. E. ,McLandsborough, L. A. 2006. Concentration and tracking of Listeria monocytogenes strains in a seafood-processing environment using a most-probable number enrichment procedure and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. J. Food Protection 69(3):489-494.

Gu, W., Cao, J., and R. E. Levin. 2006. Quantification of Plesiomonas shigelloides using PCR based on 23S rRNA gene. Food Biotechnol. 20:211-218.

Gu, W., and R. E. Levin. 2006. Factors affecting quantitative PCR assay of Plesiomonas shigelloides. Food Biotechnol. 20:219-230.

Levin, R. E. 2006. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a notably lethal human pathogen derived from seafood: a review of its pathogenicity, characteristics, subspecies characterization, and molecular methods of detection. Food Biotechnol. 20:93-128.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2006. Rapid quantification of Vibrio vulnificus in clams (protochaca staminea) using real-time PCR. Food Microbiol. 23:757-761.

Gu, W., and Levin, R. E. 2006. Quantitative detection of Plesiomonas shigelloides in clam and oyster tissue by PCR. Int. J. food Microbiol. 111:81-86.

Gu, W., Gonzalez-Rey, C., Krovacek, K., Levin, R. (2006). Genetic variability among isolates of Plesiomonas shigelloides from fish, human clinical sources and fresh water, determined by RAPD typing. Food Biotechnol. 20:1-12.

Lee, Jung-Lim and Robert E. Levin. 2006. Selection of universal primers for PCR quantification of total bacteria associated with fish fillets. Food Biotechnol. 20(3):275-286.

Lee, Jung-Lim and Robert E. Levin. 2006. Direct application of the polymerase chain reaction for quantification of total bacteria on fish fillets. Food Biotechnol. 20(3):287-298.

Abolmaaty, A., Gu, W., Witkowsky, R. and Levin, R. E. 2007. The use of activated charcoal for the removal of PCR inhibitors from oyster samples. J. Microbiol. Meth. 68: 349 – 352.

Gu, W. and Levin, R. (2007). Quantification of viable Plesiomonas shigelloides in a mixture of viable and dead cells using ethidium bromide monoazide and conventional PCR. Food Biotechnol. 21:145-159.

Wang, Shishan and Levin, R. E. 2007. Thermal factors influencing detection of Vibrio vulnificus using real-time PCR. Journal of Microbiological Methods 69:358–363.

Gu, W. and Levin, R. (2007). 2007. Quantification of Plesiomonas shigelloides in pure culture and clams by competitive PCR. Bood Biotechnol. 21 (1):17-31.

Luan, C. and Levin, R. E. 2008. Use of activated carbon coated with bentonite for increasing the sensitivity of PCR detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Canadian oyster (Crassostrea gigas) tissue. J. Microbiol. Meth. 72:67-72.

Gu, W. and Levin, R E 2008. Innovative Methods for Removal of PCR Inhibitors for Quantitative Detection of Plesiomonas shigelloides in Oysters by Real-Time PCR. Food Biotechnol. 22: 98 -113.

Lee, J.-L. and Levin, R. E. 2008. Discrimination of gamma-irradiated and nonirradiated Vibrio vulnificus by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. J. Appl. Microbiol. 104: 728-734.
Levin, R. E. 2007. Campylobacter jejuni: A review of its characteristics, pathogenicity, ecology, distribution, subspecies characterization, and molecular methods of detection. J. Food Biotechnol. 21: 271-347.
Lu, S., Liu, B., Cao, J., Zhou,B., and R. E. Levin. 2006. Incidence and enumeration of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish from two retail sources and the genetic diversity of isolates as determined by RAPD-PCR analysis. Food Biotechnol. 20:193-210.

Lee, Jung-Lim and Levin, R. E. 2008. New approach for discrimination of Vibrio vulnificus by real-time PCR before and after -irradiation. J. Microbiol. Meth. 73: 1-6.

Lu, S. and Levin, R. (2008). Dominant bacterial Genera of a tilapia fish farm and RAPD typing of Vibrio isolates. Journal of fisheries Sciences. 2:183-195.

Levin, R. E. (2009). Molecular Methods for Detecting and Discriminating Shigella Associated with Foods and Human Clinical Infections. A Review. Food Biotechnol. 23:214-228.

Levin, R. E. (2008). Plesiomonas shigelloides - An Aquatic Food Borne Pathogen: A Review of its Characteristics, Pathogenicity, Ecology, and Molecular Detection. Food Biotechnol. 22:189-202.

Aspiraksakorn J., Nitisinprasert, S and Levin, R. E. (2008). Grass degrading b-1,3-1,4-D-glucanases from Bacillus subtilis GN156: Purification and characterization of glucanase J1 and pJ2 possessing extremely acidic pI. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 149:53–66

Levin R. E. 2009. Molecular methods for detecting and discriminating virulent aeromonads associated with foods and human clinical infections-A mini review. Food Biotechnol. 23:1-7.

Jung-Lim Lee and Robert E. Levin. 2009. Detection of Vibrio vulnificus before and after gamma-irradiation in quahog clam (Mercenaria mecenaria) tissue using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Food Biotechnol. 23:121-132.

Levin, R. E. 2009. The use of molecular methods for detecting and discriminating Salmonella associated with foods: A Review. Food Biotechnol. 23:313-367

Lee, J. -L., Levin, R. E. 2009. A comparative study of the ability of EMA and PMA to distinguish viable from heat killed mixed bacterial flora from fish fillets. J. Microbiol. Meth. 76:93-96.

Lee, J. -L., Levin, R. E. 2009. Improved detection of -irradiated Vibrio vulnificus after heat and cold shock treatment by using ethidium monozide real-time PCR. Food Sci. & Biotechnol. 18:788-792.

Lee, J. -L, Levin, R. E. 2009. Discrimination of viable and dead Vibrio vulnificus after refrigerated and frozen storage using EMA, sodium deoxycholate and real-time PCRS. J. Microbiol. Meth. 79:184-188.

Wang, S. and Levin, R. E. 2010. Interference of real-time PCR quantification of Vibrio vulnificus by a novel DNase from the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). 2010. Food Biotechnol. 24:121- 134 .

Lu, Shuxia and Levin, R. E. 2010. Shewanella in a tilapia farm. J. Fisheries Sciences. 4:159-170.

Lee, J. -L., Levin, R. E. 2010. Selective detection of mixed bacterial survivors from fish fillets after freezing and thawing by ethidium bromide monoazide and real-time PCR. Food Biotechnol. 24:270-281.

Lee, J. -L., Levin, R. E. 2011. Detection of 5 CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 on lettuce using activated charcoal and real-time PCR without enrichment. Food Microbiol. 28:562-567.

Books and book chapters

Levin, R. E. 2009. ELISA assays for detection and quantification of microorganisms and toxins in foods. Encyclopedia of Biotechnol. In Agric. and Food. 4 pages. In prss.

Levin, R. E. 2006. Food Microbiology. In Food Biotechnology, 2nd ed K. Shetty, G. Paliyath, A Pometto, and R. Levin, eds. CRC Press. Pg. 3-17.

Levin, R. E. 2006. Application of ELISA Assays for Detection and Quantitation of toxins in Foods. In Food Biotechnology, 2nd ed. K. Shetty, G. Paliyath, A Pometto, and R. Levin,. CRC Press. Pg. 1545-1567.

Levin , R. E. 2006. Application of microbial molecular techniques to food systems. In Food Biotechnology 2nd ed. K. Shetty, G. Paliyath, A Pometto, and R. Levin, eds. CRC Press. Pg. 1345-1359.

Levin, R. E. 2008. DNA-Based Technique: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). In Modern Techniques for Food Authentication, Da-Wen Sun, ed. Pp. 411 - 476.

Levin, R. E. 2008. Assessment of Seafood Spoilage and the Microorganisms Involved. In Handbook of Seafood and Seafood Products Analysis. Leo Nollet and F. Toldrá, eds. 27 pp.

Levin, R. E. 2010. The Use of Molecular Methods for Detecting and Discriminating Food Borne Infectious Bacteria. CRC Press. 548 pp.