This free-of-charge, full-day seminar on 12.06.2014 in Manchester provides an overview on recent developments for challenging applications in Food Safety such as analysis of mycotoxins, pesticides and other contaminants.
The seminar will also discuss approaches for reducing over analysis time, especially in sample preparation.
Scientists and lab technicians working in Food Safety will benefit most from this seminar
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RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 5.8 µg/kg – ppb) in chilli pepper from India in the UK
RASFF – Hepatitis A virus (presence) in frozen mussels (Ruditapes decussatus) from Tunisia in Italy
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Tagged frozen mussels, hepatitis a virus, Ruditapes decussatus
RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (180 CFU/g) in mascarpone gorgonzola from Italy in Austria
RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (<10 CFU/g) in smoked trout fillet from Denmark in the Netherlands
RASFF -high count of Escherichia coli (2600 CFU/g) in cheese from Hungary in Finland
RASFF – Bacillus cereus (1.5x10e7; 4.8x10e5; 1.2x10e7; 1.8x10e6; 6.7x10e4; 2.9x10e6; >1.5x10e7; >1.5x10e7; 8.8x10e5 CFU/g) in edible insects from Thailand in the UK
In a move to clean up China’s international reputation for appalling food safety, new food safety laws will ban firms caught producing or selling unsafe foods from operating. As a result of these new laws, if a company’s food license is revoked, company executives and employees will not be allowed to work in the food industry for five years.
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Tagged company executives, food license, food safety news, international reputation
Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) is found naturally in coastal saltwater. In the United States, Vp causes an estimated 35,000 domestically acquired foodborne infections annually (1), of which most are attributable to consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish. Illness typically consists of mild to moderate gastroenteritis, although severe infection can occur. Demographic, clinical, and exposure information (including traceback information on implicated seafood) for all laboratory-confirmed illnesses are reported by state health departments to CDC through the Cholera and Other Vibrio Surveillance system. Vp isolates are distinguished by serotyping (>90 serotypes have been described) and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
Food terrorism poses an eminent danger to the United States, according to antiterrorism specialists. While the need for higher quantities of food is only increasing, the standards for food safety have been at a standstill or worse—nonexistent. The Voice of Russia got to interview three antiterrorism food experts on the rising threats in American society. Not only did they mention the dairy sector of being in danger, but the US’ produce is also in a compromising position.
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has many checks and balances in place to give consumers a solid guarantee that their food is safe to consume. As early as December 2013, the FDA announced a new proposal entitled the Food Safety Modernization Act. This would be a proposed rule under Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. To get into specifics, the guideline pinpoints terrorist-tampering within the food cycle.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
A model to predict the population density of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) throughout the elaboration and storage of fermented raw-meat sausages (FRMS) was developed. Probabilistic and kinetic measurement data sets collected from publicly available resources were completed with new measurements when required and used to quantify the dependence of VTEC growth and inactivation on the temperature, pH, water activity (aw), and concentration of lactic acid. Predictions were compared with observations in VTEC-contaminated FRMS manufactured in a pilot plant. Slight differences in the reduction of VTEC were predicted according to the fermentation temperature, 24 or 34°C, with greater inactivation at the highest temperature. The greatest reduction was observed during storage at high temperatures. A population decrease greater than 6 decimal logarithmic units was observed after 66 days of storage at 25°C, while a reduction of only ca. 1 logarithmic unit was detected at 12°C. The performance of our model and other modeling approaches was evaluated throughout the processing of dry and semidry FRMS. The greatest inactivation of VTEC was predicted in dry FRMS with long drying periods, while the smallest reduction was predicted in semidry FMRS with short drying periods. The model is implemented in a computing tool, E. coli SafeFerment (EcSF), freely available from http://www.ifr.ac.uk/safety/EcoliSafeFerment. EcSF integrates growth, probability of growth, and thermal and nonthermal inactivation models to predict the VTEC concentration throughout FRMS manufacturing and storage under constant or fluctuating environmental conditions.
Campylobacteriosis is an emerging foodborne illness of high relevance and implication for public health and is frequently linked to the consumption of inadequately prepared poultry. Despite extensive scientific efforts to find possibilities to eradicate the bacteria at the production stage and particular measures currently implemented, it has not been possible to provide Campylobacter-free poultry to the consumer. Therefore, it is important to inform consumers about the risk and appropriate mitigation measures. The primary goal of this study was to investigate Swiss consumers’ knowledge of pathogenic bacteria and mitigation measures and domestic food safety behaviour. Thus, the relevant information that should be included in risk communications could be identified. The secondary goal was to identify target groups for risk communication who exhibit particularly unsafe behaviour when preparing poultry. These research questions were investigated in a mixed-method study, combining findings from a qualitative pre-study with the quantitative findings from a survey administered to a large sample of people who occasionally cook poultry (N = 465). The core of the questionnaire was behaviour and knowledge scales, as well as variables assessing risk perception and cooking experiences. Despite a high overall level of knowledge about pathogenic bacteria in poultry and mitigation measures, prevalent misconceptions and knowledge gaps were uncovered. Major violations of food safety behaviour were reported related to avoiding cross-contamination. Lack of specific knowledge and personal risk perception were estimated to be central reasons for violations of food safety behaviour during poultry preparation. Three different consumer groups were identified and analysed according to socio-demographics and socio-psychological variables: unsafe cooks, who reported overall unsafe behaviour, intermediate cooks, who reported some unsafe behaviour, and safe cooks, who reported only little food safety violations. As a last step, the study’s findings were discussed in terms of implications for further research and risk communication practice by isolating the most important knowledge and behaviour aspects. Furthermore, targeted risk communication strategies are considered for the three different target groups.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light inactivation as affected by the location of pathogens on the surface and at stem scars of whole grape tomatoes. A mixed bacterial cocktail containing a three strain mixture of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (C9490, E02128 and F00475) and a three serotype mixture of Salmonella enterica (S. Montevideo G4639, S. Newport H1275, and S. Stanley H0558) were used. Tomatoes were spot inoculated using approximately 100 μL of inocula to achieve a population of about 107±1 CFU/tomato. Additionally, the effects of treatment on color, texture, lycopene content, and background microbial loads during post UV-C storage at 4 °C for 21 days were determined. Results showed that UV-C doses of 0.60–6.0 kJ/m2 resulted in 2.3–3.5 log CFU per fruit reduction of E. coli O157:H7 compared to 2.15–3.1 log CFU per fruit reduction for Salmonella on the surfaces. Under the same conditions, log reductions achieved at stem scar were 1.7–3.2 logs CFU for E. coli O157:H7 and 1.9–2.8 logs CFU for Salmonella. The treatment was effective in controlling native microbial loads during storage at 4 °C as the total aerobic mesophilic organisms (PCA) and anaerobic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts of treated tomatoes were significantly (p < 0.05) lower during storage compared to the control group and the yeast and mold populations were reduced significantly below the detection limit. Furthermore, the firmness of tomato and its color was not affected by the UV-C doses during storage. UV-C radiation could potentially be used for sanitizing fresh tomatoes and extending shelf-life. The results of this study indicate that the specific location of pathogens on the produce influences the effectiveness of UV-C treatment, which should be taken into consideration for the design of UV-C systems for produce sanitization.
According to Amanda Harris of the Charlotte North Carolina Observer, at least 1,650 Charlotte residents sought hepatitis A vaccines after being exposed at the Papa John’s at 8016 Cambridge Commons Drive, where an employee was recently diagnosed with the virus.
Residents flocked to the clinic at the Cato campus of Central Piedmont Community College on Sunday. The clinic saw about 350 people over roughly 4 1/2 hours, said Rick Christenbury, a Mecklenburg County spokesman.
According to press reports, more than 300 people who had eaten at La Fontana restaurant in Nyack between March 29 and April 1 received free vaccines last weekend for Hepatitis A.
The Rockland County Department of Health gave out the free vaccines after announcing last week that a case of Hepatitis A had been identified in a worker at the restaurant.
But not everyone who may have been exposed was vaccinated.
