Maintaining Food Safety Research Articles

Pullulan Films Containing Rockrose Essential Oil for Potential Food Packaging Applications.

Active packaging is designed to control the development of decay- and disease-causing microorganisms and is emerging as a promising technology for extending shelf-life, maintaining food safety, reducing waste, and minimizing the risks for foodborne diseases. The goal of this work was to develop and characterize bioactive pullulan-based films, containing rockrose (Cistus ladanifer) essential oil. Among other abundant compounds (camphene, bornyl acetate and trans-pinocarveol), α-pinene was identified as the major compound of rockrose essential oil (39.25%). The essential oil presented stronger antibacterial activity against Gram-positive than against Gram-negative bacteria. The antioxidant results indicate the potential of the developed films to be used to package foods susceptible to oxidation and rancification, thus improving their shelf-life. Also, this study reflects the potential of rockrose essential oil, free or incorporated in pullulan, as a promising quorum sensing inhibitor, since it was able to interrupt intercellular communication, inhibiting violacein production. Electronic microscopy images showed the antibiofilm activity of the films with rockrose essential oil that were able to influence bacterial adhesion, which may be explained by the differences in the surface free energy of the films, as also determined.

THE TRANSITION OF THE FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW 2019 EDITION OF THE EN ISO 22000 STANDARD

The paper presents the activities and results obtained to make the transition of the food safety management system to the requirements of SR EN ISO 22000 revised in 2019. It presents the importance of food safety for human health and HACCP principles and methods of food safety. The novelties brought by the revision of the reference standard are shown and the activities necessary for their inclusion in the food safety management system are made explicit. The obtained results consist in ensuring the management of risks and opportunities associated with the context and objectives of the organization, establishing prerequisite programs to ensure the conditions and activities for maintaining food safety, establishing the hazard control plan that includes the necessary control measures, procedures for monitoring the limits imposed on technological parameters and the persons responsible for eliminating or reducing to an acceptable level the significant hazards for food safety as well as in reviewing the documentation of the management system.

Growth Inhibition of Common Enteric Pathogens in the Intestine of Broilers by Microbially Produced Dextran and Levan Exopolysaccharides.

Antibiotics are generally applied for treatment or as subtherapeutic agents to overcome diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Enterococcus species in poultry. However, due to their possible adverse effects on animal health and to maintain food safety, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been proposed as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry production. In this study, the effects of prebiotics on the augmentation of broiler's indigenous gut microbiology were studied. Day old 180 broilers chicks were divided into four treatment groups: G, L, C1, and C2. The groups G and L were fed with basal diet containing 3% dextran and 3% levan, respectively. Control groups were fed with basal diets without antibiotic (C1) and with antibiotics (C2). The experimental groups showed decreased mortality as compared to control groups. After 35days, the chickens were euthanized and intestinal fluid was analyzed for enteric pathogens on chromogenic agar plates and by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Inhibition of the growth of E. coli and Enterococcus was observed in groups G and L, respectively, whereas Salmonella was only present in group C1. Also, high populations of lactic acid bacteria were detected in the intestine of prebiotic fed birds as compared to controls. These results depict that dextran and levan have the potential to replace the use of antibiotics in poultry feed for inhibiting the growth of common enteric pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where effects of dextran and levan on intestinal microbiota of broilers have been reported.

Antimicrobial Activity of Polylactic Acid Film Incorporated With Marjoram and Clove Essential Oils on Microbial and Chemical Properties of Minced Beef During Refrigerated Storage

Background: Active packaging is one of the new packaging technologies which causes interaction between packaging material and food with the aim of food shelf life extension while maintaining food safety and quality. Biodegradable films like polylactic acid (PLA) can be good alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics because of environmental pollution and concerns about the limitations of petroleum resources. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PLA film incorporated with marjoram and clove essential oils (EOs) (0.5 and 1% v/v) in maintaining the microbial and chemical quality of minced beef during refrigerated storage. Materials and Methods: Minced beef was packaged with PLA film incorporated with marjoram and clove EOs (0.5 and 1% v/v) alone and in combination and stored at refrigerator temperature for 10 days. Then, microbiological and chemical analyses were done at 0, 2, 4, 7 and 10 days of examination. Results: A reduction of 1 log CFU/g in total count was observed between groups with simultaneous use of EOs and control group (P<0.05) at day 7; however, there was not any significant difference between the mentioned groups at day 10. Active packaging with marjoram and clove EOs decreased the number of psychrotrophs in comparison to the control group and it was more evident at days 7 and 10. The number of Enterobacteriaceae in control and 1% clove EO/1% marjoram EO groups showed a difference of 3 log units at day 10. TVB-N of 1% clove EO/1% marjoram EO and 0.5% clove EO/1% marjoram EO showed significant differences from control at day 10 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study have shown that the active PLA films can be a promising approach in order to maintain microbial and chemical quality of minced beef at refrigerator temperature for 10 days.

Enterotoxin Genes, Antibiotic Susceptibility, and Biofilm Formation of Low-Temperature-Tolerant Bacillus cereus Isolated from Green Leaf Lettuce in the Cold Chain.

The prevalence and characteristics of low-temperature-tolerant Bacillus cereus (psychrotolerant B. cereus) in green leaf lettuce collected during cold chain were investigated. Among the 101 isolated B. cereus samples, only 18 were capable of growth at 7 °C, and these isolates shared potential health hazard characteristics with mesophilic isolates. Most psychrotolerant B. cereus isolates contained various combinations of nheA, nheB, nheC, hblA, hblA, hblC, hblD, cytK, and entFM. Most isolates of psychrotolerant B. cereus possessed at least two enterotoxin genes and 28% of isolates harbored tested nine enterotoxin genes. Additionally, the psychrotolerant B. cereus isolates showed resistance to tetracycline and rifampin and intermediate levels of resistance to clindamycin. A total of 23% of isolates among psychrotolerant B. cereus displayed a high level of biofilm formation at 7 °C than at 10 °C or 30 °C. The results of this study indicate that cold distribution and storage for green leaf lettuce may fail to maintain food safety due to the presence of enterotoxigenic, antibiotic-resistant, and strong biofilm forming psychrotolerant B. cereus isolates, which therefore poses a potential health risk to the consumer. Our findings provide the first account of the prevalence and characteristics of psychrotolerant B. cereus isolated from green leaf lettuce during cold storage, suggesting a potential hazard of psychrotolerant B. cereus isolates to public health and the food industry.

PENEGAKAN HUKUM TERHADAP PELAKU USAHA AIR MINUM DALAM KEMASAN YANG TIDAK DILENGKAPI IJIN EDAR GUNA MENJAGA KEAMANAN PANGAN

The problems described in this study is law enforcement against bottled drinking water business actors not equipped with marketing permits to maintain food security and what factors are obstacles to law enforcement against bottled drinking water business operators that are not equipped with marketing permits in order to maintain food safety.
 This type of research is normative legal research that is moved from the absence of legal norms or legal principles. The absence of legal norms in this study is contained in the provisions of Law No. 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection which does not explicitly regulate bottled drinking water business actors that are not equipped with a marketing authorization to maintain food safety. This study uses a statutory approach and a case approach.
 The conclusion of this study is the law enforcement against bottled drinking water business actors that are not equipped with a marketing permit to maintain food security, namely by confiscating and destroying bottled drinking water without a distribution permit in maintaining food security based on statutory regulations namely Law Number 18 Year 2012 concerning Food, besides that, administrative sanctions are also given, namely warning letters and statements to bottled water companies that have not yet completed distribution licenses. Inhibiting factors in law enforcement against bottled drinking water business actors that are not equipped with marketing permits to maintain food safety are bottled drinking water companies that are unwilling to be inspected, implementation of supervision conducted by the Central Agency for Drug and Food Supervision, lack of supervisory personnel from the Food and Drug Supervisor, consumers do not understand the rights and obligations as consumers and retailers or retailers of bottled drinking water products are less responsible for their obligations.
 Keywords : Business actors in bottled drinking water, consumer protection, distribution permit.

Leading by example: A three-wave sequential mixed method food safety study

Abstract Foodservice employees that fail to adhere to food safety practices may directly introduce pathogens that can cause illness and death. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore managerial practices that influence employee’s food safety behaviors, using a two-phase sequential mixed-method approach. A total of 642 foodservice employees currently working in the United States participated in a survey about food safety knowledge and food safety behavioral intentions. Among these, 263 were invited to answer a set of open-ended qualitative questions, 36 participants responded to the questions, and two participants were selected for in-depth interviews. The majority of the employees are optimistic about their daily food safety practices. However, cross-analyses noted that the majority of employees failed the quiz regarding basic food safety knowledge. Further analyses documented that time-constraint and lack of managerial role modeling in daily food safety practices can post a considerable threat to maintaining food safety behaviors.

Evaluation of Raman microscopy for the detection of additional monosodium glutamate in dry soup mix

This article presents Raman chemical mapping application for the detection of adulterant monosodium glutamate (MSG) in dry soup mix. MSG may cause various damages to the health of people. Therefore, there are legal regulations for this compound both in Turkish Food Codex and European Union Directives. Most of the times, the main problem is that MSG is added into dry soup products without declaration on the label. Food control mechanisms need effective and real-time monitoring methods to check the reliability of the product labels in order to maintain food safety and alleviate public doubts. In this study, MSG was added into dry soup mix at a concentration (w/w) of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6% and chemical maps were obtained using multivariate data analysis techniques such as direct classical least squares (DCLS) component analysis. MSG was successfully detected and spectral and spatial distribution of the MSG within the commercial and laboratory-prepared dry soup samples was accomplished, with a detection limit of 0.1%. The results obtained were confirmed by a robust liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique.

Bio-inspired facile fabrication of silver nanoparticles from in vitro grown shoots of Tamarix nilotica: explication of its potential in impeding growth and biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes and assessment of wound healing ability.

Novel, safe, and effective antilisterial agents are required in order to prevent Listeria monocytogenes infections and maintain food safety. This study synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the shoot extract of in vitro-grown Tamarix nilotica (TN) and characterized them using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We also assessed the antilisterial potential of the synthesized TN-AgNPs by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against two strains of L. monocytogenes and L. innocua. TN-AgNPs (2×MICs) showed a significant decrease in growth in all Listeria test strains. Release of cellular content and cell morphology analysis of TN-AgNP-treated bacterial cells demonstrated the mechanism of bactericidal activity of AgNPs. In addition, TN-AgNPs induced a significant decrease in swimming motility (62–71%), biofilm formation (57–64%), and preformed biofilms (48–58%) in all Listeria test strains at sub-inhibitory concentrations. Microtitre plate assay results for biofilm inhibition were confirmed by SEM and CLSM visualization of TN-AgNP-treated and TN-AgNP-untreated Listeria test strains. TN-AgNPs also showed wound-healing activity in MCF-7 cells by inhibiting cell migration in a scratch plate assay. TN-AgNP-induced enhanced reactive oxygen species generation in treated cells could be a plausible reason for the biofilm inhibitory activity of AgNPs. TN-AgNPs having antilisterial, antibiofilm, and wound-healing properties can be effectively used to prevent L. monocytogenes infections in the food industry and healthcare.

European standards of food safety and consumer protection

In this work, the authors explored the concepts of «consumption» and «consumer» in the context of food safety and consumer protection. It also set out the main objectives of European consumer policy and the ways in which they can be implemented. Based on an analysis of European legislation aimed at ensuring the health, economic and legal interests of consumers, it was determined how the European Union provides a general level of legal protection in the field of consumer policy. The authors found that each member state of the European Union has an obligation to implement generally accepted norms and standards in national law, in order to ensure a high level of protection of the rights of its citizens in the consumer sphere. In addition, the article provides an explanation of the terms «food safety» and «safe food», as well as identifies the main factors for maintaining food safety for the human body. The authors analyzed the concepts, purpose and role of European standardization in the context of consolidation of the united European market; the concepts of «standard» and «European standard» are explored, as well as the main ways of their creation and use. This article also outlines the legal status of the European Committee for Standardization, its key areas of activity and its impact on the European market. In addition, the process of creating a series of international ISO standards was investigated and its purpose established. Much attention was paid to the EU-wide HACCP system, its features and benefits. The GFSI International Standards and Certification System and its individual representatives were characterized, including the Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000), the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRCGS) and the International Food Standard (IFS). Requirements for implementation of these standards, their purpose, features and advantages were also identified. The authors found that in order to ensure a high level of consumer protection, it is advisable to simultaneously implement several European standards, along with the HACCP system, the most appropriate of which were proposed in the article presented.

EUROPEAN STANDARDS OF FOOD SAFETY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

In this work, the authors explored the concepts of «consumption» and «consumer» in the context of food safety and consumer protection. It also set out the main objectives of European consumer policy and the ways in which they can be implemented. Based on an analysis of European legislation aimed at ensuring the health, economic and legal interests of consumers, it was determined how the European Union provides a general level of legal protection in the field of consumer policy. The authors found that each member state of the European Union has an obligation to implement generally accepted norms and standards in national law, in order to ensure a high level of protection of the rights of its citizens in the consumer sphere. In addition, the article provides an explanation of the terms «food safety» and «safe food», as well as identifies the main factors for maintaining food safety for the human body. The authors analyzed the concepts, purpose, and role of European standardization in the context of consolidation of the united European market; the concepts of «standard» and European standard» are explored, as well as the main ways of their creation and use. This article also outlines the legal status of the European Committee for Standardization, its key areas of activity, and its impact on the European market. In addition, the process of creating a series of international ISO standards was investigated and its purpose established. Much attention was paid to the EU-wide HACCP system, its features, and benefits. The GFSI International Standards and Certification System and its individual representatives were characterized, including the Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000), the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRCGS), and the International Food Standard (IFS). Requirements for implementation of these standards, their purpose, features, and advantages were also identified. The authors found that in order to ensure a high level of consumer protection, it is advisable to simultaneously implement several European standards, along with the HACCP system, the most appropriate of which were proposed in the article presented. Keywords: standardization, European standards, food safety, consumer protection.

Production and export performance of spices from India

Non Tariff Barriers to Trade is becoming a big constraint to many nations in respect of export of farm produce because of the restrictions towards maintaining food safety and standards for the health awareness Due to this restriction many of the export has become decreased in terms of its quantity and value and few of the commodities have performed well in respect of production and export Red Chilli is one of the spice commodity performed well amidst different Non Tariff Measures and hence this paper has presented the production and export performance that took place in a three decade of time revealed that the production and export of spices found to be on the increasing phase

Combined Effect of Spirulina Platensis and Punica Granatum Peel Extacts: Phytochemical Content and Antiphytophatogenic Activity

Biological control is one of the effective methods for managing plant diseases in food production and quality. In fact, there is a growing trend to find new bio-sources, such as marine algae and vegetal by-products. In this study, pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel (S1) and Spirulina platensis (S2) alone and in combinations, pomegranate peel/Spirulina: 25%/75% (S3) and 50%/50% (S4) were evaluated for antimycotoxigenic and antiphytopathogenic fungal properties. The chemical composition (moisture, dry matter, protein, lipid and ash) as well as total polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins content were evaluated in the four extracts. Using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods, the anti Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata activities were measured and their correlations with phytochemical content were evaluated. Interestingly, combinations between Spirulina at 75% and pomegranate peel at 25% (S3) have a significant impact (p < 0.05) on the antifungal activity compared to S1, S2 and S4. These findings underlie the effectiveness of biocontrols over standard fungicides and imply that existing methods can be further improved by synergistic effects while maintaining food safety in an eco-friendly manner.

Profiles of antibiotic resistome with animal manure application in black soils of northeast China

Black soils (Mollisols) are important soil resources for crop production and maintain food safety in China. For keeping soil fertility, the application of animal manure is commonly practiced in black soils. However, the impact of this application on abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in black soils of China remains unclear. Here, we surveyed the profiles of ARGs in 72 soil samples collected from four long-term experimental stations with different fertilization regimes and from open farmlands in two sites across northeast China using high-throughput quantitative PCR. Results showed that a total of 178 ARGs including mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected, and the diversity and abundance of ARGs were significantly increased with manure application. Additionally, the finding of a significant positive correlation between relative abundance of ARGs and MGEs (P < 0.0001), suggesting that horizontal gene transfer may potentially impact the transmission of ARGs. Furthermore, two genes aadA-1-01 and mexF, encoding resistance to aminoglycoside and multidrug, respectively, were recognized as indicators to estimate the abundance of other co-occurring ARGs. These findings provided insights into the soil resistome in black soils of northeast China and also highlighted the environmental risks caused by manure application should not be ignored.

Study on physical and mechanical properties of the biopolymer/silver based active nanocomposite films with antimicrobial activity

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by reducing AgNO3 using biopolymer pullulan as both a reducing and stabilizing agent. The prepared AgNPs solution was blended with pectin to make active nanocomposite films. The formation of AgNPs in the solution was confirmed by characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of AgNPs at 400–500 nm, using UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The prepared composite and nanocomposite films were characterized using UV, FE-SEM, and FT-IR. In addition, films color, optical, water contact angle, water vapor permeability, mechanical and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. FE-SEM analysis showed uniform distribution of AgNPs in the resulting nanocomposites films. The presence of AgNPs could affect the physical and mechanical properties of the prepared films. The color, moisture content, water vapor barrier properties, hydrophobicity, thickness, and elongation at break of the films were significantly increased after formation of composite with AgNPs, but tensile strength and elastic modulus of the films were decreased. FT-IR results indicated that AgNPs had good compatibility with biopolymers. In addition, nanocomposite films, especially pullulan/AgNPs and pullulan/pectin/AgNPs films exhibited better antimicrobial activity against food born pathogens, which suggests that prepared nanocomposite films can be used as active food packaging material to maintain food safety and to improve shelf life of the packaged food.

Supply Chain Network Analytics Guiding Food Regulatory Operational Policy

Food adulteration poses a serious threat to public health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a major role in maintaining food safety in the U.S. through various activities including sampling of imported shipments and site inspections. However, resource constraints limit the number of these interventions, making risk-based allocation essential to ensure effectiveness. This paper aims to develops a data-driven, risk analytics approach to identify high-risk firms importing food (consignees). Leveraging supply chain analytics, based on shipment history and other data sources, network features are constructed to model risk, specifically predicting which consignees are likely to fail FDA site inspections. The approach is applied to consignees of shrimp, a product with frequent food safety problems. The main findings are that supply chain network complexity, and website network engagement, are predictive of risk. For instance, firms that import a more unusual portfolio of products, as measured through subgraph modularity on a product network graph, are more likely to fail site inspections. The results suggest that network-based risk analytics could significantly improve the effectiveness of regulatory activities related to food supply chains, and substantially increase the number of failed site inspections and imported shipment samples.

Chlorine Dioxide Generation Method and Its Action Mechanism for Removing Harmful Substances and Maintaining Quality Attributes of Agricultural Products

Agricultural products are perishable and easily contaminated by spoilage microorganisms or foodborne pathogens, causing decay of food and illness in consumers. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has many advantages as a fungicide in comparison to chlorine, NaClO, and ozone, and it can be used for sterilization and preservation due to its strong oxidizing properties. ClO2 gas is more widely used in food safety and food preservation than its aqueous solutions. However, the ClO2 gas produced on a large scale from a chemical reactor cannot be applied to food in small packages. Several recent reports have discussed the use of ClO2 self-releasing packaging. This article highlights the systematic evaluation of the performance of ClO2 alone and in combination with other treatments, such as 1-MCP, chitosan, and UV irradiation, in maintaining food safety and freshness of agricultural products. This article also focuses on the biological functions and mechanisms of ClO2-mediated preservation of plant or animal food, including damage to the cell wall and the membrane of pathogens, inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis, restoration of redox balance, and change of the compound structure of toxins, such as pesticides, insecticides, and mycotoxins.

Stochastic modeling of variability in survival behavior of Bacillus simplex spore population during isothermal inactivation at the single cell level using a Monte Carlo simulation

The control of bacterial reduction is important to maintain food safety during thermal processing. The goal of this study was to illustrate and describe variability in bacterial population behavior during thermal processing as a probability distribution based on individual cell heterogeneity regarding heat resistance. Toward this end, we performed a Monte Carlo simulation via computer, and compared and validated the simulated estimations with observed values. Weibullian fitted parameters were estimated from the kinetic survival data of Bacillus simplex during thermal treatment at 94 °C. The variability in reductions of bacterial sporular populations was illustrated using Monte Carlo simulation based on the Weibull distribution of the parameters. In particular, variabilities in viable spore counts and survival probability of the B. simplex spore population were simulated in various replicates. We also experimentally determined the changes in survival probability and distributions of survival spore counts; notably, these were successfully predicted by the Monte Carlo simulation based on the kinetic parameters. The kinetic parameter-based Monte Carlo simulation could thus successfully illustrate bacterial population behavior variability during thermal processing as a probability distribution. The simulation approach may contribute to improving food quality through risk-based processing designs and enhance risk assessment model accuracy.

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Application of Biological Detection Technology in Food Inspection

Food safety issues are related to people’s livelihood issues and are deeply valued by the society. They affect the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of people. In recent years, food safety issues have been frequent, and government departments, food processing enterprises and private consumer organizations should work together to strengthen and pay attention to food inspection, in order to ensure food supply quality, maintain food safety, and develop healthy lifestyles. Therefore, how to efficiently and accurately detect the harmful substances contained in food has become a key topic in food quality monitoring. As a new technology field in the 21st century, bioassay technology has unique advantages in food safety monitoring. Explain the application of bio-inspection technology in food inspection, in order to providing reference for relevant personnel and promote the rapid development of food testing industry.