scholarly journals Approaches to Inactivating Aflatoxins—A Review and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13322
Author(s):  
Kinga Kutasi ◽  
Nina Recek ◽  
Rok Zaplotnik ◽  
Miran Mozetič ◽  
Mitja Krajnc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Processing Parameters ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chemical Methods ◽  
Gaseous Plasma ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Technological Challenge ◽  
Scientific Challenge ◽  
Ultraviolet Photons ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Global Food

According to the World Health Organization, the contamination of crops with aflatoxins poses a significant economic burden, estimated to affect 25% of global food crops. In the event that the contaminated food is processed, aflatoxins enter the general food supply and can cause serious diseases. Aflatoxins are distributed unevenly in food or feedstock, making eradicating them both a scientific and a technological challenge. Cooking, freezing, or pressurizing have little effect on aflatoxins. While chemical methods degrade toxins on the surface of contaminated food, the destruction inside entails a slow process. Physical techniques, such as irradiation with ultraviolet photons, pulses of extensive white radiation, and gaseous plasma, are promising; yet, the exact mechanisms concerning how these techniques degrade aflatoxins require further study. Correlations between the efficiency of such degradation and the processing parameters used by various authors are presented in this review. The lack of appropriate guidance while interpreting the observed results is a huge scientific challenge.

scholarly journals Michael Elliott CBE. 30 September 1924 — 17 October 2007

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 109-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Pickett
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
World Health ◽  
Individual Contribution ◽  
Pyrethroid Insecticides ◽  
New Class ◽  
Structure Activity ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Global Food

Michael Elliott was the leader of work at Rothamsted that invented and subsequently commercially developed the pyrethroids, a new class of insecticides. Michael made probably the greatest individual contribution to the control of insect pests that not only constrain global food production but also affect the health of ourselves and our livestock. In one of the first pioneering structure–activity relationship studies, Michael led the multidisciplinary team that invented the major pyrethroid insecticides bioresmethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin. In the 1980s these represented two-thirds of the global pyrethroid market; at that time pyrethroids captured more than 25% of the total insecticide market and were used on 33 million hectares of crops (Wirtz et al . 2009). In 2002 deltamethrin was the world's largest-selling pyrethroid, with annual sales worth $208 million (information from Cropnosis Ltd). In terms of human health, in 2009 it was estimated that pyrethroid-treated bednets significantly decreased the number of deaths due to malaria among children under five years of age by about one-fifth as well as reducing all incidents of malaria, and in 2011 the World Health Organization recommended its vastly expanded use. Reference Wirtz, K., Bala, S., Amann, A. & Elbert, A. 2009 A promise extended—future roles of pyrethroids in agriculture. Bayer CropSci. J. 62 , 145–158.

scholarly journals A Study on the Pollution Status of Akata Lake Sediments, Katsina-Ala Benue State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Yebpella G.G ◽  
Magomya A.M ◽  
Hikon B.N ◽  
Joshua Y ◽  
Gani J
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Pollution Load Index ◽  
World Health ◽  
Pollution Status ◽  
Accumulation Index ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Air Intake ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Geo Accumulation Index

Heavy metals accumulation in biological system are by inhalation of contaminated air, intake of contaminated food or drinking water has been considered to be an ecological menace to man and other organisms. This study was carried out to ascertain the pollution status of Cr, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in sediment of Akata Lake, Katsina- Ala Benue State, Nigeria. Sediment samples were collected, digested using 30% H2O2 followed by 0.5M HCl and the metal concentrations were determined with Varian AA240 Atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with Zeeman’s background correction (Varian, New Jersey, USA). The mean level of the heavy metals, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd and Cr are 31.05, 2.72, 19.22 and 0.88 mg/kg while the concentration of Cr was below the detection limit of the instrument. The values obtained were compared with the established soil and sediment standard by World Health Organization (WHO). The contamination factors value for Zn, Cu and Cd are <1 while that of Pb is >1, hence it shows that the sediment is polluted by lead. The pollution load index (PLI) and Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) levels for Cr, Zn, Cu, Cd heavy metals in sample A - E were less than 1 except for Pb which is >1, this show that, the sediment were polluted with Pb.

scholarly journals Bacterial Contamination of Food Handlers in X Hospital Palembang

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 01006
Author(s):  
Sri Utari ◽  
Irsan Saleh ◽  
Hermansyah ◽  
Rindit Pambayun
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
World Health ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Food Handlers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pathogenic Organism ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Health Organization

The food handlers in Hospital with the bad personal hygiene could be a potential source of infection of a pathogenic organism. The responsibility of hospital food handlers is greater compared with the common food handlers such as in restaurants, etc. This is because they should provide the healthy food to the patients in Hospital who might have low immunity, and the contaminated food could have very dangerous consequences. This study aimed to investigate the potential contamination of food handlers in X hospital, Palembang. The study was carried out by a cross-sectional method on food handlers’. There were 30 respondents examined in this study. The bacterial examination was conducted by following the standard procedures of World Health Organization (WHO). The results showed that there were 11 (36.7%) from 30respondents positively contaminated by Escherichia coliand there all respondent contaminated in samples were women. There was no worker contaminated by Staphylococcus aureus. The study proved that in X hospital of Palembang, there were some food handlers contaminated by Escherichia coli.

scholarly journals Designing a National Restaurant Inspection Disclosure System for New Zealand

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 1869-1874 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATIE FILION ◽  
DOUGLAS POWELL
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Consumer Confidence ◽  
World Health ◽  
Restaurant Inspections ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Foodborne Outbreaks ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Service Inspection

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 30% of individuals in developed countries become ill from contaminated food or water each year, and up to 70% of these illnesses are estimated to be linked to food service facilities. The aim of restaurant inspections is to reduce foodborne outbreaks and enhance consumer confidence in food service. Inspection disclosure systems have been developed as tools for consumers and incentives for food service operators. Disclosure systems are common in developed countries but are inconsistently used, possibly because previous research has not determined the best format for disclosing inspection results. This study was conducted to develop a consistent, compelling, and trusted inspection disclosure system for New Zealand. Existing international and national disclosure systems were evaluated. Two cards, a letter grade (A, B, C, or F) and a gauge (speedometer style), were designed to represent a restaurant's inspection result and were provided to 371 premises in six districts for 3 months. Operators (n = 269) and consumers (n = 991) were interviewed to determine which card design best communicated inspection results. Less than half of the consumers noticed cards before entering the premises; these data indicated that the letter attracted more initial attention (78%) than the gauge (45%). Fifty-eight percent (38) of the operators with the gauge preferred the letter; and 79% (47) of the operators with letter preferred the letter. Eighty-eight percent (133) of the consumers in gauge districts preferred the letter, and 72% (161) of those in letter districts preferring the letter. Based on these data, the letter method was recommended for a national disclosure system for New Zealand.

scholarly journals Perspective on Clinically-Relevant Antimicrobial Resistant Enterobacterales in Food: Closing the Gaps Using Genomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanza Díaz-Gavidia ◽  
Francisca P. Álvarez ◽  
Jose M. Munita ◽  
Sandra Cortés ◽  
Andrea I. Moreno-Switt
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Genomic Relationships ◽  
Closing The Gaps ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Tract Infections

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most important public health concerns—it causes 700,000 deaths annually according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Enterobacterales such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, have become resistant to many relevant antimicrobials including carbapenems and extended spectrum cephalosporins. These clinically relevant resistant Enterobacterales (CRRE) members are now globally distributed in the environment including different food types (meats, produce, dairy). Unlike known foodborne pathogens, CRRE are not usually part of most food surveillance systems. However, numerous reports of CRRE highlight the importance of these bacteria in food and have been shown to contribute to the overall crisis of antimicrobial resistance. This is especially important in the context of carriage of these pathogens by immuno-compromised individuals. CRRE infections upon consumption of contaminated food could colonize the human gastrointestinal tract and eventually be a source of systemic infections such as urinary tract infections or septicemia. While different aspects need to be considered to elucidate this, whole genome sequencing along with metadata could be used to understand genomic relationships of CRRE obtained from foods and humans, including isolates from clinical infections. Once robust scientific data is available on the role of CRRE in food, countries could move forward to better survey and control CRRE in food.

scholarly journals Impact of hygienic slaughter practices on Salmonella contamination of broiler carcasses in Biskra, Algeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-470
Author(s):  
Nadjah Guergueb ◽  
Laila Aoun ◽  
Omar Bennoun ◽  
Ammar Ayachi ◽  
Ilhem Chachoua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Poultry Meat ◽  
World Health ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Broiler Meat ◽  
Food Of Animal Origin ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Live Bird

Poultry meat is the primary meat consumed in Algeria, surpassing sheep and beef in the 1980s. However, this product is often at risk of being contaminated by Salmonella. Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease with tens of millions of human cases estimated to occur worldwide, and resulting in more than a hundred thousand deaths per year. According to the World Health Organization, salmonellosis in humans is generally contracted through the consumption of contaminated food of animal origin, including poultry. The main objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with Salmonella contamination of broiler carcasses at the slaughterhouse. Sixty fresh chicken carcasses from six slaughterhouses were subjected to bacteriological analysis in accordance with AFNOR (French Standardization Association) standards. Statistical analyses showed an impact of the hygienic quality of the slaughter process on the likelihood of Salmonella contamination of poultry meat. A correlation (r=0.84) was found between hygienic slaughter practices and Salmonella contamination of chicken carcasses. The average level of TAMB (total aerobic mesophilic bacteria) was high in carcasses positive for Salmonella (t-test = 0.019). Not washing live bird transport crates was associated with an increasing risk of Salmonella contamination carcasses (odds ratio/OR = 28). The mean level of TAMB was higher in the presence of the following risk factors: old and small slaughterhouse, not washing live bird transport crates, manual bleeding, scalding type (soaking), non-renewal of scalding water, no disinfectant in water, no ventilation drying, no sanitary facilities. The identification of risk factors responsible for bacterial contamination of broiler meat is essential to determine the most effective methods of prevention.

scholarly journals Food Safety Concerns in “COVID-19 Era”

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Carlotta Ceniti ◽  
Bruno Tilocca ◽  
Domenico Britti ◽  
Adriano Santoro ◽  
Nicola Costanzo
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Food Contamination ◽  
Cold Chain ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infected People ◽  
The World ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Health Organization

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 outbreak can be characterized as a pandemic. Human-to-human transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may initially be blamed as the first cause of spread, but can an infection be contracted by ingestion of contaminated food or touching contaminated food surfaces? Recently cold-chain food contamination has been indicated as a possible source of many human cases in China. However, the risk of a food-related COVID-19 infection is still debated since the virus may reach people through a fresh product or packaging, which have been touched/sneezed on by infected people. This review summarizes the most recent evidence on the zoonotic origin of the pandemic, reports the main results regarding the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through food or a food chain, as well as the persistence of the virus at different environmental conditions and surfaces. Emphasis is also posed on how to manage the risk of food-related COVID-19 spread and potential approaches that can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 contamination.

Microorganisms Isolated from Stored Meat in India, with Potential Antimicrobial Activity against Food Pathogens

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gokila Thangavel ◽  
Subramaniyan Thiruvengadam
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Microtiter Plate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Microtiter Plate Assay ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Food Pathogens ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
De Man

Background:World Health Organization has estimated that 1 in 10 people fall ill and 4, 20, 000 die every year from eating contaminated food. Food pathogens like Escherichia, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Listeria pose a serious threat to human health.Objective:The objective was to isolate microbes from meat stored at refrigerated conditions and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the cell-free supernatant against food pathogens.Methods:Chicken and Pork samples were procured and stored at refrigerated conditions (4-7ºC) for 2 weeks. The samples were plated on to Nutrient agar (NA) and De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar for isolation of aerobic and lactic acid bacteria. Cell-free supernatants of the isolates were screened for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus by microtiter plate assay. The 5 most - effective strains were screened for hemolytic activity and identified by 16s rRNA sequencing.Results:A total of 110 strains were isolated, out of which the top 5 most - effective strains were all from MRS agar. They showed 88-90% inhibition against E. coli and S. typhimurium, whereas 60 to 70 % against S. aureus and L. monocytogenes. These strains were found to be non - hemolytic and were identified as Leuconostoc spp. namely, L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides J18, CP003101; L. mesenteroides LM2; L. mesenteroides ATCC 8293, CP000414; L. gelidum subsp. gasicomitatum LM G 18811 and L. mesenteroides; LM2, AY675249.Conclusion:Leuconostoc are known to be effective in controlling foodborne pathogens and therefore, these strains have the potential for application in food and human.

scholarly journals Heavy metal contamination and health risk assessment of mechanically milled delicacy called fufu

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Asantewah Nkansah ◽  
Patrica-Ivy Agorsor ◽  
Francis Opoku
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Heavy Metal Contamination ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Questionnaire Administration ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
Exposure Routes ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractContamination of food by heavy metals is a concern as consumption of contaminated food is one of the most likely human exposure routes to metals. Fufu is a delicacy in Ghana consumed mainly by the Akans. Human exposure to some heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Zn, Mn and Ni) through mechanically processed fufu consumption was analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer and ascertaining consumer awareness of potential exposure by questionnaire administration. A total of 30 milled and un-milled fufu samples (cassava and plantain) were sampled from Bomso, Kotei, Ayeduase, Ayigya and Kentikrono, all within Kumasi. The results showed that Fe and Zn levels after milling were elevated in the range: 2.816–7.297 and 0.753–7.529 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of Fe and Zn were below the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) permissible limits except Zn concentration at Bomso. Cr, Mn and Ni were below the detection limit (0.05). Hazard quotients and indices were less than the US Environmental Protection Agency’s permitted level of one, indicating no possible harm to consumers. Findings from the questionnaire administration indicated a complete lack of knowledge on consumer exposure due to the food processing method.

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