Food Hazards Research Articles

Exploring the health benefits of food bioactive compounds from a perspective of NLRP3 inflammasome activation: an insight review.

The food industry has been focusing on food bioactive compounds with multiple physiological and immunological properties that benefit human health. These bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and terpenoids, have great potential to limit inflammatory responses especially NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which is a key innate immune platform for inflammation. Current studies have revealed numerous food bioactive compounds with promising activities for unraveling immune metabolic disorders and excessive inflammatory responses by directly and indirectly regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. This review explores the food hazards, including microbial and abiotic factors, that may trigger NLRP3-mediated illnesses and inflammation. It also highlights bioactive compounds in food that can suppress NLRP3 inflammasome activation through various mechanisms, linking its activation and inhibition to different pathways. Especially, this review provided further insight into NLRP3-related targets where food bioactive compounds can interact to block the NLRP3 inflammasome activation process, as well as mechanisms on how these compounds facilitate inactivation processes.

Preparation of Metal Nanocluster Supraparticles for Ultrasensitive Sensing of Tetracycline Based on Multiple Interactions between a Target and Sensor.

New strategies for enhancing the fluorescence emission of metal nanoclusters (MNCs) are very crucial for the highly sensitive sensing of food hazards. In this work, we prepared MNC supraparticles (Sc-CB/AuNCs) by simultaneously introducing cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and Sc3+ ions into ATT-AuNCs for the first time. The obtained supraparticles exhibited strong emission enhancement due to synergistic aggregation-induced emission enhancement and restriction of intramolecular motion effects. Notably, the fluorescence of ATT-AuNCs was enhanced by 24-fold due to the combination of CB[7] and Sc3+ ions, and the quantum yield reached 69.1%. Moreover, we found that tetracycline (TC) could bind to the Sc-CB/AuNCs through simultaneous host-guest recognition and ionic complexation, which effectively quenched the Sc-CB/AuNCs through the synergy of photoinduced electron transfer and inner filter effect. Based on the above multiple interactions between TC and Sc-CB/AuNCs, an ultrasensitive sensing method for TC was constructed with an LOD of 0.3 nM. Furthermore, a portable fluorescent gel sensor was constructed and successfully used for TC detection in honey samples. The test took only 2 min. This work not only provided a simple and effective fluorescence enhancement strategy for MNCs but also offered a novel sensing strategy, which may largely extend the potential of host-guest recognition-based sensors for food and environmental hazards.

Innovative E-beam technology for validation of Salmonella inactivation kinetics in fresh shell eggs: A predictive modeling approach

FDA and IFT defined fresh shell eggs as “potentially hazardous food”. By FDA, ≥5-log of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) must be inactivated in pasteurized eggs. Only about 1 % of eggs are pasteurized in the U.S. E-beam was used to reduce SE and S. Typhimurium in fresh shell eggs. Two-sided e-beam showed adequate uniformity of dose absorbed (1.43 kGy). Predictive model for dose absorbed was developed and validated. D-value for SE was 0.34 ± 0.006 and 0.33 ± 0.018 kGy on TSA and XLD, respectively. S. typhimurium was more (P < 0.05) radio-resistant at 0.40 ± 0.007 and 0.39 ± 0.009 kGy, respectively. Predictive model for Salmonella inactivation was developed and validated. Two-sided e-beam at 3 and 5 kGy resulted in ≥13.0-log and ≥ 21.7-log reduction of SE, respectively; while S. typhimurium was reduced at ≥11.1-log and ≥ 18.5-log, respectively. The predictive model indicated that lower doses such as 1.25 kGy of two-sided e-beam would result in FDA compliance for ≥5-log reduction of SE. Industrial relevanceThis work is relevant to non-thermal food processing, specifically to non-thermal inactivation of Salmonella in fresh shell eggs that are already packed in a standard retail container. Electron beam was used in this work to reduce Salmonella without heat to comply or exceed current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements targeting ≥5-log destruction of Salmonella Enteritidis.

Quick Methods used to Avoid Hazards in Food

A food contaminant of the consumer refers to any substance that is present in the food and can potentially cause harm to the consumers. The contaminated food of the consumer may be biological, chemical, or physical in nature. They can be naturally occurring in the food material or introduced during the food production, handling, or storage. The food business of the consumer is mandated to establish controls and monitoring procedures against the food contaminants. A food object of the consumer is referred to as contaminated if it comes in contact with an unwanted substance and could result in severe disease or injury to the consumer if it is consumed. The Contamination can occur through various means, including biological, chemical, or physical sources, and it is a significant concern for the food safety of the consumer and quality assurance in the industry.

UJI FORMALIN DAN BORAKS PADA IKAN ASIN, IKAN SEGAR, TAHU

Food safety is an effort that needs to be considered to prevent food from chemicals that can interfere, harm and endanger health. One of the causes of food poisoning is the presence of hazardous food additives in the food such as borax and formalin. Salted fish, fresh fish and tofu are foods that are widely favored by the public because of their taste and high nutritional content. The high water content of the three samples makes the samples not last long. The large number of foods sold on the market makes consumers have to be smart and careful in choosing food ingredients to consume. Formalin is a preservative that is sometimes misused as a preservative in food ingredients, the purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there was formalin and borax content in the three samples. One of the causes of food poisoning is the presence of food additives such as formalin, and borax, and textile dyes in a food. The purpose of this study was to test formalin and borax in the samples tested, namely salted fish, fresh fish and tofu. The method used was directly on the samples to be tested, namely salted fish, fresh fish, and tofu by testing the formalin and borax content in the samples. The conclusion of the results of this activity is that salted fish, fresh fish and tofu show positive for formalin and negative for borax.

Ultra-processed food hazard education for students of SMK Manbaul Ulum, Cirebon

People tend to consume high-fat foods such as fast food. The purpose of this community service activity is to determine the habits of consuming fast food and to increase students' knowledge about healthy and balanced food at SMK Manbaul Ulum. The method used is through education to students of SMK Manbaul Ulum. The results of the activity showed that education about the dangers of junk food succeeded in increasing knowledge by 6.4%.

Controllable fabrication of high-quantum-yield bimetallic gold/silver nanoclusters as multivariate sensing probe for Hg2+, H2O2, and glutathione based on AIE and peroxidase mimicking activity

The grave threat posed by heavy metals and food hazards has increased the urgency of rapid and precise detection for food security and human health. Efficient multivariate sensing probes are imperatively required for sensing heavy metals and tumor markers, which are still facing great challenge in terms of multi-functional integration. Here, bimetallic gold-silver nanoclusters (NG-AuAgNCs) were developed with unique aggregation-induced-emission (AIE) property and peroxidase (POD) mimicking activity towards the efficient multivariate sensing via optimization of the precursors. The NG-AuAgNCs emitted at 614 nm and enable AIE feature with lifetime of 12.61 μs and high quantum yield of 40.5%. Possessing AIE and POD activity, the NG-AuAgNCs show great potential as fluorimetric and colorimetric dual-mode probe for multivariate sensing Hg2+, H2O2 and GSH, with good recoveries in real samples. The NG-AuAgNCs paper sensors further integrating with smartphone, achieved portable detection of Hg2+ with limit of detection (LOD) of 19 nM, while the colorimetric-mode presented consecutive response to H2O2 and GSH via a reversible oxidase tetramethylbenzidine process with LODs of 7.02 and 0.45 μM, respectively. This work not only demonstrates a multivariate probe for environment and human health, but also provides valuable insights for the function integration of the nanocluster via synthetic manipulation.

Molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence-colorimetric dual-mode sensor based on Mn@NC nanozyme amplification for the detection of phoxim

The common detection methods of phoxim mostly rely on the output mode of single signal, which is easily disturbed by complex environmental media and causes errors. Herein, in order to improve the reliability of detection, we developed a dual-mode detection strategy based on nanozyme for the detection of phoxim. Firstly, manganese-nitrogen co-doped carbon nanozyme (Mn@NC) with peroxidase-like activity was synthesized by one-step pyrolysis, which was used to construct in the luminol-H2O2 electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology. Among them, Mn@NC can act as a co-reaction promoter to catalyze H2O2 to produce large amounts of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), thereby significantly amplifying the cathode signal of luminol and improving the stability of the signal. Benefiting from the specific selection of phoxim by MIP, this molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence (MIECL) mode has considerable sensitivity and selectivity, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.011 ng/mL (S/N = 3). Moreover, the •OH produced by Mn@NC-catalyzed H2O2 oxidized the colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB). Taking advantage of the fact that the simultaneous presence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and acetylthiocholine (ATCh) inhibited the activity of Mn@NC. A sensitive and simple colorimetric pesticide sensing platform was constructed by combining the nanozyme with the TMB-H2O2 system to achieve the colorimetric detection of phoxim, with the LOD as low as 1.27 ng/mL. The dual-mode sensor was successfully applied to the determination of phoxim in agricultural products with satisfactory results, showing its great potential in the monitoring of food hazards.

Covalent Organic Framework-Involved Sensors for Efficient Enrichment and Monitoring of Food Hazards: A Systematic Review.

The food safety issues caused by environmental pollution have posed great risks to human health that cannot be ignored. Hence, the precise monitoring of hazard factors in food has emerged as a critical concern for the food safety sector. As a novel porous material, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have garnered significant attention due to their large specific surface area, excellent thermal and chemical stability, modifiability, and abundant recognition sites. This makes it a potential solution for food safety issues. In this research, the synthesis and regulation strategies of COFs were reviewed. The roles of COFs in enriching and detecting food hazards were discussed comprehensively and extensively. Taking representative hazard factors in food as the research object, the expression forms and participation approaches of COFs were explored, along with the effectiveness of corresponding detection methods. Finally, the development directions of COFs in the future as well as the problems existing in practical applications were discussed, which was beneficial to promote the application of COFs in food safety and beyond.

Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the programming of biological hazard sampling at official controls

Abstract The General State Administration establishes the food safety control and cooperation mechanisms with the competent authorities of the administrations responsible for official controls. In order to improve the quality and homogeneity of official controls related to biological hazards in food, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) and the autonomous communities have a Guidance document for the scheduling of biological hazard sampling within the framework of the National Plan for Official Control of the Food Chain 2021‐2025, which establishes a semi‐quantitative model that takes into account, on the one hand, the impact on health, considering incidence and severity, and, on the other, the prevalence, composed of data from non‐compliant samples and alert notifications. At AESAN's request, the Scientific Committee has assessed this Guidance document, and the final conclusion is that this Guidance document is suitable at the present time, for the intended purpose. Specifically, the criteria based on the calculation of the health impact are considered valid for the biological hazards studied. Regarding the prevalence calculation, different percentile levels could be considered for the parameters of percentage of non‐compliant samples and number of alert notifications. The use of the correction factor for inactivating treatment for the correction of the score associated with prevalence is positively assessed. Regarding the distribution of food categories and hazards analysed, it is considered suitable and it is recommended to re‐evaluate this distribution considering average consumption data of the different food categories in each of the autonomous communities. The procedure to calculate the number of samples and the risk score intervals used for the different hazard‐food pairs is also considered suitable for the intended purpose. Finally, some suggestions are made for revising some criteria in the future in the event that information is available, and it is indicated that the Guidance document should be updated periodically in the light of the experience of its application, progress in scientific knowledge, changes in legislation and guidelines and tools on prioritisation and frequency of risk‐based inspection that may be developed at national or European Union level.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Food Hygiene among Mothers from Rural Communities in Malawi

This study assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to food hygiene among mothers from Malawi’s rural communities against the WHO Five Keys to Safer Food (WHO-FKSF) and good pre-and post-harvest practices (GPPHPs) as reference points. Five hundred twenty-two mothers from six rural communities across two districts were selected for the survey. The results indicated limited knowledge among participating mothers regarding managing food hazards, including mycotoxins, bacteria, viruses, and parasites (BVPs). A significant proportion (89.5%) of women reported inconsistent or no handwashing with soap after using the toilet. In addition, 48.7% failed to plant with the first good rains, 38.7% neglected to check for moldy cobs during harvesting, 57.4% dried maize on bare soil, and 99.2% bought maize with noticeable mold. Higher education, knowledge, and positive attitudes were associated with enhanced BVP control practices, while larger households and positive attitudes were linked to improved mold/mycotoxin management (p &lt; 0.05). Mothers showed lower (p &lt; 0.05) knowledge and attitude levels regarding molds than BVPs but demonstrated relatively better practices for mold control. A comprehensive education program based on the WHO Five Keys to Safer Foods, tailored to local socio-cultural norms and incorporating mold and mycotoxin management guidelines, is recommended.

Harnessing gold nanomaterials for advanced multicolor colorimetric biosensors in food hazards detection.

Hazards such as pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxins, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metal ions, etc., cause serious food safety problems worldwide due to their toxicity and frequent contamination. Rapid screening is an effective way for food safety control, which highly relies on the development of sensitive, specific, and convenient detection methods. The multicolor colorimetric biosensors based on gold nanomaterials have evolved into advanced tools for detecting various hazards in food, with intuitive readout. The excellent localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of gold nanomaterials enable them to exhibit bright colors when used as chromophores. In addition, the small changes in the morphology of gold nanomaterials can lead to significant changes in the wavelength of the LSPR peak, resulting in vivid color changes. Since the color discrimination ability of the normal human eye is usually superior to the intensity change ability, the way in which different concentrations of targets represent vivid color changes makes it feasible to fabricate sensors with improved accuracy in visual semi-quantitative detection. By combining with various signal amplification strategies, the detection sensitivity of the constructed sensors can be further improved, even reaching the level of pg/mL. In this review, two strategies for changing the morphology of gold nanomaterials in constructing multicolor colorimetric biosensors, namely the etching strategy and the growth strategy were discussed. We also highlight current progress in developing different gold nanomaterial-based multicolor colorimetric biosensors for detecting various hazards in food. The hazards in food samples are classified as pathogens, mycotoxins, indicators of food freshness, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metal ions, food additives, and hazards from food processing and packaging. The multicolor colorimetric biosensors based on gold nanomaterials represent a promising tool for visual detection of hazardous materials in food.

Direct competitive immunoassay method for sensitive detection of the histamine in foods based on a MI-Cu-GMP nanozyme marker and molecularly imprinted biomimetic antibody.

Histamine may lead to low blood pressure, skin flushing and edema when it accumulates in large amounts in the body. Therefore, establishing sensitive methods for the detection of histamine in foods is extremely important to ensure food safety and human health. The MI-Cu-GMP NPs (2-methylimidazole-copper-guanosine monophosphate nanozymes) with high laccase-like activity were synthesized. Using the prepared molecular imprinted membrane as biomimetic antibody and MI-Cu-GMP NPs as marker, a sensitive direct competitive biomimetic enzyme-linked immunoassay (BELISA) method for rapid detection of the histamine in foods was developed. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD, IC15) and sensitivity (IC50) of the BELISA method for histamine was 0.05 mg L-1 and 1.22 mg L-1, respectively. The liquor samples spiked with histamine was detected by the BELISA method with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 90.00% to 116.00%. Further, the level of histamine in three samples (cooking wine, rice vinegar and soy sauce) was tested by the BELISA and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with no significant difference found between the two methods. Given the advantages, the established BELISA method is expected to provide practical guidance for the monitoring of histamine in food and provides a foundation for the detection of other food hazards. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Molecularly imprinted polymers-coated magnetic covalent organic frameworks for efficient solid-phase extraction of sulfonamides in fish

In this study, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were grown in situ on magnetic nitrogen-doped graphene foam (MNGF), and the resulting composite of COFs-modified MNGF (MNC) was wrapped by molecularly imprinted polymers (MNC@MIPs) for specifically capturing SAs. A magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) method for SAs was established using MNC@MIPs with good magnetic responsiveness. The adsorption performance of MNC@MIPs was superior to that of non-molecularly imprinted polymers (MNC@NIPs), with shorter adsorption/desorption time and higher imprinting factors. A high-efficiency SAs analytical method was developed by fusing HPLC and MNC@MIPs-based MSPE. This approach provides excellent precision, a low detection limit, and wide linearity. By analyzing fish samples, the feasibility of the approach was confirmed, with SAs recoveries and relative standard deviations in spiked samples in the ranges of 77.2–112.7 % and 2.0–7.2 %, respectively. This study demonstrated the potential use of MNC@MIPs-based MSPE for efficient extraction and quantitation of trace hazards in food.

β-Cyclodextrin/calix[4]arene hybrid porous organic polymer membrane for synergistic extraction of fluorescent whitening agents migrating from food contact materials

Acurate and sensitive determination of hazards from food contact materials is important to monitor food safety. It is necessary to excavate efficient adsorbent for simultaneous recognition and adsorption of food hazards of trace level for sample preparation. In this work, β-cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene were employed as hybrid functional monomers to prepare macrocyclic porous organic polymer (β-CD-CX4 POP). It was proved that the supramolecular cavities of β-CD-CX4 POP could form inclusion complexes with fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) through host-guest recognition, which greatly improved the adsorption performance. The hydrophobic cavities of β-cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene of β-CD-CX4 POP exhibited synergistic effect for simultaneous recognition of FWAs. The high-throughput enrichment of FWAs was realized by β-CD-CX4 POP membranes coupled with a multiple-channel syringe pump. Based on membrane-based solid-phase extraction combined with UHPLC-MS/MS, a sensitive analytical method was established to determine six FWAs. The LODs was in range of 3-50 ng/L with the linear range of 0.02-100 μg/L. The developed method was used to quantify FWAs in bread wrapper and bread, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 78.1%-119% with RSD of 2.3%-9.7%. This work indicated that β-CD-CX4 POP was promising for the simultaneous recognition and adsorption of FWAs migrating from food contact materials.

Emerging Nano/Microporous Architectures for Food Hazards: New Strategies for Precise Inspection and New Principles for Controllable Regulation.

The big progress of materials science along with chemical engineering and biotechnology has significantly promoted interdisciplinary development, achieving advanced analytical methodologies, improved inspection performance, as well as promising regulation principles for food safety. The very recent progress on nano/microporous architectures for agri-food science, including new strategies for precise inspection and new principles for controllable regulation of food hazards, are summarized and discussed. Major attention is paid to the newly emerged porous architectures with their derivative nano/microstructures contributing to food safety through their instinctive advantages including special material surface, extraordinary porous structure, ease-of-modification, and excellent diversity and variability. This review clearly and logically displays the research road maps and development trends for current food safety issues and give suggestive directions for future outlook as well as the bottleneck problems to be solved, not only smart inspection and analysis but also elimination and control of ever-emerging food hazards.

Discovery and design of an aptamer that inhibits Shiga toxin type 2 activity by blocking Stx2 B subunit-Gb3 interaction

Shiga toxin (Stx) is the definitive virulence factor of Stx-producing Escherichia coli. This bacterial pathogen can contaminate food and threaten human health. Binding of the B subunit of Stx to the specific receptor globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) on the cell membrane is a key step for Stx to enter cells and exert its toxicity. In this work, we aimed to screen for aptamers targeting the Stx 2 B subunit, to interfere with the interaction of Stx2 B subunit and Gb3, thereby blocking Stx2 from entering cells. The results of molecular simulation docking, competitive ELISA, flow cytometry, and laser confocal microscopy confirmed that aptamers S4, S5, and S6 can mediate the interaction between Stx2 B subunit and Gb3. To further improve the inhibition effect, multiple aptamer sequences were tailored and were fused. The bivalent modification aptamer B2 inhibited Stx2 toxicity to Vero cells with inhibition rate of 53 %. Furthermore, the aptamer B2 reduced Stx2 damage to the mice, indicating that it has great potential to interfere with Stx2 binding to Gb3 receptors in vivo and in vitro. This work provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the application of aptamers in the inhibition of Stx2 toxicity and control of food hazards.

Research Progress of Biosensor Based on Organic Photoelectrochemical Transistor.

In order to solve the food safety problem better, it is very important to develop a rapid and sensitive technology for detecting food contamination residues. Organic photoelectrochemical transistor (OPECT) biosensor rely on the photovoltage generated by a semiconductor upon excitation by light to regulate the conductivity of the polymer channels and realize biosensor analysis under zero gate bias. This technology integrates the excellent characteristics of photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis and the high sensitivity and inherent amplification ability of organic electrochemical transistor (OECT). Based on this, OPECT biosensor detection has been proven to be superior to traditional biosensor detection methods. In this review, we summarize the research status of OPECT biosensor in disease markers and food residue analysis, the basic principle, classification, and biosensing mechanism of OPECT biosensor analysis are briefly introduced, and the recent applications of biosensor analysis are discussed according to the signal strategy. We mainly introduced the OPECT biosensor analysis methods applied in different fields, including the detection of disease markers and food hazard residues such as prostate-specific antigen, heart-type fatty acid binding protein, T-2 toxin detection in milk samples, fat mass and objectivity related protein, ciprofloxacin in milk. The OPECT biosensor provides considerable development potential for the construction of safety analysis and detection platforms in many fields, such as agriculture and food, and hopes to provide some reference for the future development of biosensing analysis methods with higher selectivity, faster analysis speed and higher sensitivity.

Food process contaminants: formation, occurrence, risk assessment and mitigation strategies - a review.

Thermal treatment of food can lead to the formation of potentially harmful chemicals, known as process contaminants. These are adventitious contaminants that are formed in food during processing and preparation. Various food processing techniques, such as heating, drying, grilling, and fermentation, can generate hazardous chemicals such as acrylamide (AA), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), furan, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), monochloropropane diols (MCPD) and their esters (MCPDE) which can be detrimental to human health. Despite efforts to prevent the formation of these compounds during processing, eliminating them is often challenging due to their unknown formation mechanisms. It is critical to identify the potential harm to human health in processed food and understand the mechanisms by which harmful compounds form during processing, as prolonged exposure to these toxic compounds can lead to health problems. Various mitigation strategies, such as the use of diverse pre- and post-processing treatments, product reformulation, additives, variable process conditions, and novel integrated processing techniques, have been proposed to control these food hazards. In this review, we summarize the formation and occurrence, the potential for harm to human health produced by process contaminants in food, and potential mitigation strategies to minimize their impact.

Systematic risk ranking of microbiological hazards in infant foods

Ensuring food safety, particularly for vulnerable groups, like infants and young children, requires identifying and prioritizing potential hazards in food chains. We previously developed a web-based decision support system (DSS) to identify specific microbiological hazards (MHs) in infant and toddler foods through a structured five-step process. This study takes the framework further by introducing systematic risk ranking (RR) steps to rank MH risks with seven criteria: process survival, recontamination, growth opportunity, meal preparation, hazard-food association evidence, food consumption habits of infants and toddlers in the EU, and MH severity. Each criterion is given a semi-quantitative or quantitative score or risk value, contributing to the final MH risk calculation via three aggregation methods: semi-quantitative risk scoring, semi-quantitative risk value, and outranking multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). To validate the criteria and ranking approaches, we conducted a case study to rank MH risks in infant formula, compared the results of the three risk ranking methods, and additionally evaluated the ranking results against expert opinions to ensure their accuracy. The results showed strong agreement among the three methods, consistently ranking Salmonella non-Typhi and Cronobacter spp. and Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli as the top MH risks in infant formulae, with minor deviations. When MHs were ranked after an initial hazard identification step, all three methods produced nearly identical MH rankings, reinforcing the reliability of the ranking steps and the selected criteria. Notably, the risk value and MCDA methods provided more informative MH rankings compared to the risk scoring method. The risk value and risk scoring methods were implemented into an online tool, called the MIcrobiological hazards risk RAnking decision support system (Mira-DSS), available at https://foodmicrobiologywur.shinyapps.io/MIcrobial_hazards_RAnking/. In conclusion, our framework enables the ranking of MH risks, facilitating intervention comparisons and resource allocations to mitigate MH risks in infant foods, with potential applicability to broader food categories.