JOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY AND HAZARDS CONTROL
Year:2018 | Volume:5 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

Tunisia is one of the rich olive countries which has several olive oil production companies but there is obviously the lack of effective quality control programs in the olive oil industries. So, it is necessary to set out an approach to the implementation of a food safety management system in this regard...

We eat food to survive and maintain our health in an appropriate status, so it is essential to guarantee the absence of hazardous elements. The foods sold by stores or restaurants come from a complex supply chain that is usually inspected by the authorities of the considered country, according to the national laws; but, the globalization phenomenon has increased the need to find a way to ensure commercial food trades in the respect of national or local food laws. The development of international food standards abstractly guarantees at worldwide level a basic safeguard on food safety, but some countries would apply stricter requirements such as what happened in about 20 years ago for European Union and the directives against the imports of meat and meat products derived from cattle fed with natural/synthetic hormones. In this regards, standards sharing is an effective and useful tool, especially for the emerging economies, but the first necessary step is to ensure for applying the standard controls. So, the national authorities of the emerging economies should monitor the food safety in the respect of international standards and guidelines, and withdraw the potentially contaminated batches from the market. In this regard, one of the most useful tools to ensure compliance with these standards is the Codex Alimentarius.

Background: Parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis in many parts of the world. The aim of this study was to determine the parasitic contamination in fruits and vegetables in the Bauchi area, North-East Nigeria. Methods: From May to July 2017, a total of 776 samples comprising 182 samples of four different types of fruits, and 594 samples of six different types of vegetables were screened by simple floatation and formol-ether concentration techniques. The isolated parasitic ova and cysts were identified on the basis of morphological characteristics with reference to the standard keys. The data were analyzed by chi-square test using SPSS computer software version 21. 0. Results: Totally, 26 out of 182 fruit samples (14. 3%), and 82 out of 594 vegetable samples (13. 8%) were contaminated with various parasitic ova and cysts. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most common parasitic contaminant in both fruits and vegetable samples. The differences were not statistically significant in the prevalence rates of contamination among different types of fruits and vegetables (p>0. 05). Conclusion: This study showed that contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in Bauchi, Nigeria are the major sources of parasitic infections and may have serious public health implications. It seems that health education with respect to personal hygiene and eating habits is the most practical and useful approach in order to desired control in the studied area. The local people must be effectively trained for proper washing and disinfecting of the fruits and vegetables prior to consumption.

Background: Cryptosporidium spp. is one of the most important parasitic pathogen which causes acute gastroenteritis in human. This study aimed to determine and compare the contamination rates of Cryptosporidium oocysts in some common vegetables that are cultured and consumed in Koya City, Iraq. Methods: Totally, 400 vegetable samples were collected randomly from vegetable farms in Koya city during spring and summer, 2016. The vegetables, including celery, parsley, leek, radish, and green onion were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. by Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast staining method. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 21). Results: The prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in parsley, celery, leek, radish, and green onion were 6. 25, 7. 50, 6. 25, 6. 25, and 6. 25%, respectively, showing no significant differences (p>0. 05). Also, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were detected in 12 out of 200 (6%) samples from spring and 14 out of 200 (7%) samples from summer, without any significant difference (p>0. 05). Conclusion: Our findings highlighted that if the proper washing as well as disinfecting actions are neglected before consumption of the vegetables, consumption of raw vegetables could be potentially hazardous, inducing Cryptosporidium infection in Iraqi people.

Background: Salmonella is one of the most common food-borne pathogens that can cause illness. In this study, the sensitivity and the specificity of Aptamer-Magnetic bead Separation-Polymerase Chain Reaction (AMS-PCR) method were determined for Salmonella spp. detection. Methods: Different concentrations of Salmonella enterica were mixed with streptavidinmagnetic beads coated with biotinylated DNA aptamer. The bound bacteria were eluted and tested with PCR targeting the invA gene of Salmonella. Ten different serovars of Salmonella enterica and four non-Salmonella were tested to determine the specificity of the DNA aptamer. For field application, 14 different food samples were tested and compared with the culture method. Results: The limit of detection of AMS-PCR method was 102 CFU/ml which was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR without AMS (103 CFU/ml). The AMS-PCR assay showed high specificity as it detected ten different serovars of Salmonella enterica with no cross-reactivity with other food-borne pathogens. AMS-PCR reduced the analytical duration from 6 to 7 h instead of 4 days by the culture method. Conclusion: In comparison with the culture method, AMS helped to improve the upstream sample preparation in reducing the pre-enrichment and enrichment times. So, it seems that combining AMS with PCR is cost-effective and time-saving. In addition, it is highly specific for monitoring of Salmonella spp. in food chain.

Background: Ensuring food safety and minimizing risks require coordinated efforts of various institutions. The objective of this study was to determine how Ghanaian consumers score the competence of public institutions in controlling food safety risks and the effects of this perceived score on their level of concerns about food safety risks. Methods: Totally, semi-structured questionnaire administered to 444 Ghanaian consumers in 2017. Public perception of the competence of food safety institutions was assessed by asking a set of questions in addressing each food safety issues. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The highest and lowest mean scores were 2. 81± 1. 198 and 2. 41± 1. 218, respectively for consumer perception of public institutions’ competence in ensuring food safety, in the range of 1-5 where 1 represents very poor and 5 represents excellent. Also, the mean score for the degree of public concern was ranged from 1. 46± 0. 776 to 2. 32± 1. 248 about various food safety hazards and risks on a scale of 1-5, where 1 represents ‘ extremely worried’ , and 5 represents ‘ not at all worried’ . Conclusion: Consumer perception of public institutions’ competence was below average in ensuring food safety people, showing an unsatisfied situation. For certain specific food safety hazards and risks, consumer perception about the competence level of public institutions affected their degree of worry about those risks.

Background: One of the most well-known Iranian traditional cheeses is Koozeh. The aim of present work was to evaluate the survival of L. monocytogenes during ripening of Iranian traditional Koozeh cheese made from raw ewe's milk. Methods: A 2-factor experimental design was applied to study the effect of ripening conditions, including different temperatures (4, 9, and 14 ° C) and different concentrations of NaCl (0, 8, 12, and 15%) on the survival of L. monocytogenes in the Koozeh cheese. Microbial analysis was carried out over a period of 150 days with sampling in every 10 days. SPSS software (v. 16. 0) was used for statistical analysis. Results: Three NaCl concentrations (8, 12, and 15%) significantly affect the inactivation L. monocytogenes (p<0. 05). After inoculation, L. monocytogenes populations were reduced most rapidly during the first ten days of storage (~0. 5-1. 5 log Colony Forming Unit/g) at three mentioned temperatures; after that, the bacteria were continually decreased, being below the detection limit (1 log CFU/g) at the end of ripening. Numbers of L. monocytogenes were reduced more effectively at 14 ° C storage temperature than 9 and 4 ° C (p<0. 05). Conclusion: L. monocytogenes was declined drastically during ripening days and eliminated at the end of ripening of Koozeh cheese. L. monocytogenes counts were decreased during ripening of Koozeh cheese under adverse conditions such as high salt concentrations and high temperatures. However, since Iranian Koozeh cheese is made from raw and unpasteurized milk, there are still some concerns about health risk of L. monocytogenes in this product. Also, the effects of temperature and salting parameters on the sensorial properties of Koozeh cheese should be investigated in future.

Dear Editor As we know, during spring and summer of 2018, Iran had three unexpected outbreaks over the last decade; so far, there have been three separate outbreaks. At the first month of spring, a microbial outbreak occurred in Sepidan, Southern Iran and about 500 people became infected with coliform bacteria due to water contamination. A few later, a viral outbreak was happened by Norovirus in Kelardasht, Northern Iran due to water contamination which affected about 500 inhabitants of that area. In late June, another microbial outbreak occurred in Ramhormoz, Southwestern Iran, and about 400 people were affected by drinking water contaminated with Escherichia coli. In general, disinfecting drinking water is one of the most important strategies in control and prevention programs for water-borne diseases. In Iran, all three recent outbreaks in 2018 were directly related to drinking contaminated and non-chlorinated water. Accordingly, it is recommended more researches in order to reduce the risk of water-borne infectious diseases in such situation in Iran.