Means Of Food Preservation Research Articles

Hygiene Practices of Food Handlers and their Health Implications in Fast Food Resturants in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

The trend in global food safety production, processing, distribution, and preparation is creating an increasing demand for food safety research in order to ensure a safer global food supply. The aim of this study is to assess the level of food hygiene practises of food handlers and their health implications in fast food restaurants in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive survey to investigate the hygiene practises of food handlers. Also, an experimental method of analysis was used to determine the microbial quality of food served in restaurants. The data were also collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. A Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 20.0) was used to analyse the collected data. Descriptive statistics were used to display the results of the study, and the statistical association was ascertained with the chi-square test. From the results, 105 (66%) reported having good knowledge of food hygiene practises. 70 (36.8%) received training and had a certificate in cooking, while 120 (63.2%) did not. The respondents were assessed on their means of food preservation; 140 (73.7%) reported they stored food in refrigerators. Personal observation from the restaurants showed that adequate protection of food from flies and dust scored 40 (44%), while no protection scored 50 (56%). In conclusion, there is relatively low knowledge among respondents about the health implications of fast food restaurants. The majority of restaurant owners are not well or fully aware of the HACCP system in formal setups. The Ministry of Health, through the public health authorities in the urban centre, should adequately educate all restaurant owners, managers, staff, and other stakeholders on system implementation.

Impact of ozone treatment on food polyphenols – A comprehensive review

Increasing the bioavailability of bioactive ingredients in foods, mainly phenolic compounds, is essential for enhancing health status and preventing chronic diseases. However, the challenge in front of food processors is to maintain bioactive compounds in food while achieving a long shelf life and fresh-like sensory quality. Consequently, ozone technology offers a competitive advantage over thermal processing as a means of food preservation. The interaction between ozone and food induces the antioxidant defence system against oxidative damage and enhances the production of antioxidant and stress-related secondary metabolites. This article examines the effect of ozone treatment on polyphenolic compounds in food. Among the areas of greatest interest are not only the pre and post-harvest treatments of food matrixes, but also the explanation of mechanisms involved in the ozone-related response and the main pathways for secondary metabolites biosynthesis. The available literature indicates that ozone treatment has significant effects on secondary metabolites accumulation and health-related properties depending on many factors such as cultivar, ozone form (aqueous or gaseous), dose, and application method. According to most published literature, ozone boosts the bioavailability of antioxidant compounds (e.g., polyphenols) and stress-related volatiles, supporting the hypothesis that polyphenols could be enhanced in different foods by means of ozone.

Plant-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides: Novel Preservatives for the Food Industry.

Food spoilage is a widespread issue brought on by the undesired growth of microbes in food products. Thousands of tons of usable food or food products are wasted every day due to rotting in different parts of the world. Several food preservation techniques are employed to prevent food from rotting, including the use of natural or manufactured chemicals or substances; however, the issue persists. One strategy for halting food deterioration is the use of plant-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have been investigated for possible bioactivities against a range of human, plant, and food pathogens. The food industry may be able to benefit from the development of synthetic AMPs, produced from plants that have higher bioactivity, better stability, and decreased cytotoxicity as a means of food preservation. In order to exploit plant-derived AMPs in various food preservation techniques, in this review, we also outline the difficulties in developing AMPs for use as commercial food preservatives. Nevertheless, as technology advances, it will soon be possible to fully explore the promise of plant-derived AMPs as food preservatives.

EFFECT OF CARROT DRYING CONDITIONS ON SURFACE CAROTENE CONTENT AND DRYING CURVE

Because of the seasonal character of many fruits and vegetables, some affordable means of preserving in farm or home garden produce is necessary. This will prevent waste during the harvest season and extend the time, which food can be used, increasing the possibility of a year-round supply. Artificial drying, or simply laying the food under the sun is a popular traditional method of preserving fruits and vegetables in African and Asian countries. In areas where there is a shortage of water, it may be the only means of food preservation. However, excessive loss of carotenoids, which play an important role in human nutrition as natural antioxidants, can occur. So, this manuscript was carried out to show effect of carrot drying conditions such as, carrot shape (cubes, slices and flakes), blanching and drying temperatures (50, 60 and 70°C) on surface carotene content and drying curve. From obtained results, it could be concluded that studied drying conditions had a valuable effect on carotene content and drying curve. Also, calculated carrot drying and carotene equations will help to expect moisture content and surface carotene content after specific time at different temperatures.

Thelmo1078gene encoding a putative UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is involved in growth ofListeria monocytogenesat low temperature

The gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen with the ability to grow at low temperature. Given the importance of refrigeration as a means of food preservation, the psychrotolerant nature of this microorganism poses a significant public health hazard. In order to better understand the mechanisms underlying cold adaptation of L. monocytogenes, a library of Tn917-lac insertional mutants was screened. A cold-sensitive mutant, named cs1, was isolated and found to be also sensitive to salt-stress. Analysis of the transposon insertion site allowed the identification of a gene, lmo1078, encoding a putative UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase with 68% identity to GtaB from Bacillus subtilis. In gram-positive bacteria, this enzyme catalyses the formation of UDP-glucose, a precursor of membrane glycolipids and cell envelope teichoic acids. Complementation of mutant cs1 with a wild-type copy of lmo1078 restored its ability to grow at low temperature and high salt concentration, indicating that UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity is important for cold and salt tolerance. These results are thus consistent with previous studies showing the importance of the cell envelope in L. monocytogenes adaptation to stressful conditions.

Studies on the mechanism of the osmoresistance of spores of Bacillus subtilis.

To determine the reason that spores of Bacillus species, in particular Bacillus subtilis, are able to form colonies with high efficiency on media with very high salt concentrations. Spores of various Bacillus species have a significantly higher plating efficiency on media with high salt concentration (termed osmoresistance) than do log or stationary phase cells. This spore osmoresistance is higher on richer media. Bacillus subtilis spores lacking various small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP) were generally significantly less osmoresistant than were wild-type spores, as shown previously (Ruzal et al. 1994). Other results included: (a) spore osmoresistance varied significantly between species; (b) the osmoresistance of spores lacking SASP was not restored well by amino acid osmolytes added to plating media, but was completely restored by glucose; (c) the osmoresistance of spores lacking SASP was restored upon brief germination in the absence of salt in a process that did not require protein synthesis; (d) significant amounts of amino acids generated by SASP degradation were retained within spores upon germination in a medium with high but not low salt; (e) slowing but not abolishing SASP degradation by loss of the SASP-specific germination protease (GPR) did not affect spore osmoresistance; (f) sporulation at higher temperatures produced less osmoresistant spores; and (g) spore osmoresistance was not decreased markedly by the absence of the stress sigma factor for RNA polymerase, sigmaB. Spore osmoresistance appears as a result of three major factors: (1) specific characteristics of spores and cells of individual species; (2) the precise sporulation conditions that produce the spores; and (3) sufficient energy generation by the germinating and outgrowing spore to allow the spore to adapt to conditions of high osmotic strength; the substrates for this energy generation can come from either the endogenous generation of amino acids by SASP degradation or from the spore's environment, in the form of a readily taken up and metabolized energy source such as glucose. SIGNFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: These results provide information on the mechanisms of spore osmoresistance, a spore property that can be of major applied significance given the use of high osmotic strength with or without high salt as a means of food preservation.

Detection of ochratoxin produced by A. ochraceus in feedstuffs and its control by γ radiation

γ-Irradiation has been proposed as a means of food preservation and as an appropriate process for decontamination of toxigenic moulds in animal feeds prior to their production of mycotoxins. The investigation of 295 samples of livestock feedstuffs revealed that Aspergillus ochraceus occurs with high incidence in straw samples (90%), in 40–60% of hay, cotton-seed cake, and rice samples and in 10–30% of wheat, yellow corn, barley, broiler's concentrates, kidney beans and tibn samples. Ochratoxin A was detected in 98 of 295 samples of stored feedstuffs at levels ranging from 700 to 8000 ppb. At a radiation dose 4 kGy, the growth of A. ochraceus and the subsequent ochratoxin production in poultry feed concentrates were completely inhibited. A dose of 15 or 20 kGy was sufficient for complete destruction of ochratoxin in yellow corn and soyabean. A dose of 20 kGy, however, controlled the occurrence of ochratoxin in poultry layer's concentrates, broiler's concentrates and cotton-seed cake by only 40, 47 and 36%, respectively.

The quest for natural antimicrobials as novel means of food preservation: Status report on a European research project

At a time when consumers are demanding the partial or complete removal of chemically synthesized preservatives from foods, there is also an increased demand for convenience foods with long shelf-lives. These consumer-led trends have fuelled a renewed interest in the development of ‘more natural’ preservatives for extending the shelf-life and maintaining the safety of foods. Although the antimicrobial properties of many compounds from plant, animal and microbial sources have been reported, their potential for use as natural food preservatives has not been fully exploited. In this paper, the possible uses of natural antimicrobial compounds as food preservatives, used either singly or in combination, are explored. Specific examples are given from a current transnational research project on Natural Antimicrobial Systems sponsored jointly by the European Commission and a consortium of eight food companies. The results of trials with a range of potential natural preservatives including lytic enzymes, bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria and plant antimicrobials in laboratory media and in a variety of foods and beverages including apple juice, milk, hard-cooked cheese (Emmental) and fresh fruit slices are discussed.

Stability of Surlyn® Ionomer Films To Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation is a growing means of sterilizing medical de vices, and as a means of food preservation. These uses require packaging materials which maintain useful properties through a sterilization cycle. In the study presented here, films of "Surlyn" 1601 sodium ionomer and "Surlyn" 1652 zinc ionomer were exposed to sterilizing doses of gamma and electron-beam radiation, and the effects on mechanical and heat seal properties determined over a one-year period. The results showed that ionomers retain their mechanical properties following radiation. The strength of heat seals is also maintained. A special zinc ionomer, "Surlyn" AD-8273, gives both interfacial peelable and fusion seals depending on sealing temperature. Following radia tion exposure, heat seal strength in the peelable range increased in a predict able fashion.

Radiation Preservation of Meats and Seafoods

Preservation of foods by gamma irradiation has been the subject of intensive research in the United States during the past 12 to 15 years. Early pioneering work was accomplished by investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Electronized Chemicals Corporation and the General Electric Company. This early research definitely pointed the way toward application of ionizing radiation in preserving foods. Many types of foods were irradiated with varying success. Problems associated with a loss or change in color, flavor, texture, aroma, and consistency became evident. Nevertheless, those problems appeared to be amenable to solution. In 1953 and 1954 the U. S. Army, through the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute (QMFCI), initiated and has continued to support research on problems associated with this new means of food preservation. The Army was interested in this method of food preservation as one capable of improving the dietary regimen of personnel in the forward, intermediate and rear echelon areas as well as for logistics reasons.

Pork Storage in Freezer Lockers

Cold storage has long been used as a means of food preservation but only during the last decade has it been generally possible for families to store their surplus food by freezing. Fruits, vegetables, meats and many other products are being stored in small locked compartments at temperatures from zero to ten degrees Fahrenheit. Mackintosh (1938) stated that the first freezer locker service to be offered in Kansas was at Hutchinson in 1912. There were few developments in the industry during the following ten to fifteen years. Eggert (1940) has found that the number of frozen food lockers in Kansas increased from one plant in 1929 to ninety-eight plants in 1940. This rapid rise of the freezer locker industry in Kansas is characteristic of that in many of the states. With the new industry came problems of methods of freezing, wrapping, and cooking. In fact, problems arose dealing with all practices involved in the new industry. The work here reported was conducted to acquire more specific knowledge on some of these problems as they pertain to meat storage. An attempt was made to follow methods which could be used by any freezer locker patron. Studies were conducted to determine the value of several types of meat wrappers, to determine the maximum time pork can be stored, to determine the influence of oat flour as an antioxidant or oxidation inhibitor with pork, and to observe the general changes in the quality of the pork over successive periods of storage. REVIEW OF LITERATURE