Assessment of Available Micronutrients Status in the Soils of Melur Block, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, Using GIS and GPS Techniques

A soil resource inventory was conducted at village level in the Melur block of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu to assess the micronutrients status in the soils and to prepare fertility maps depicting the extent of soil micronutrient deficiency/sufficiency using GIS and GPS techniques. Soil samples were collected at revenue village wise along with geo coordinates and analysed for available micronutrients such as Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn by adopting standard procedures. Based on the nutrient status, the soils were grouped as deficient or sufficient using the critical limits. Per cent deficiency of micronutrients in Melur block was worked out and the thematic maps showing status of different available micronutrients were generated. The results indicated that, Fe and Zn deficiency is most prevalent in the soils of Melur block in Madurai district to an extent of more than 35 per cent, followed by Cu (1.1%) and Mn (10%).

Food product quality and safety control based on HACCP principles

The quality and safety of the resulting food product depend on many factors, including action coordination at all stages of the production process. A high level of control makes it possible to ensure it. In this sense, the HACCP system is the most suitable quality control system. The paper considers the possibility of the HACCP principles’ application to the technological process of bakery product production from wheat flour in the conditions of the Kemerovo Bread Factory. Then the authors present the possible risk analysis, identify critical points of the technological process, establish critical limits for each of the points, and define a monitoring system.

A study of Irrigation Water Pollution By Some Heavy Metals in Baghdad Governorate

A study of irrigation water was conducted Baghdad city to find out extent of its pollution by some heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, CU, Cr, Zn and Fe). Water samples were collected randomly from different sources (river, well and stream). Results showed that the concentration of studied heavy metals were as follows: Lead between 0.43-11.75 mg L-1, Cadmium between 0.01-0.95 mg L-1, Nickel between 0.008-0.46 mg L-1, Cobalt between Nil - 0.185 mg L-1, Copper is between 0.326 - 1.58 mg L-1, Chromium is between Nil-0.068 mg L-1, Zinc 0.398-1.182 mg L-1, as for Iron between 0.794 - 3.253 mg L-1, and high concentrations of heavy metals were in all samples, The most sites were higher than a critical limits permitted by the International Food and Agriculture Organization.

Implementation of HACCP Management System: Case Study of a Baking Industry (cake) in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The study aims to provide technical information on the development and application of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) in one of Dhaka's popular baking (cake) industries. A generic HACCP plan in accordance with legal requirements was created after a detailed analysis of data collected from the company. Every step of the production was examined for biological, chemical, and physical hazards. The prerequisite program was designed to address some hazards prior to production, thereby simplifying the HACCP plan. The critical control points were determined by answering the questions in the decision trees. Finally, the HACCP control chart was created to include critical limits, monitoring, and corrective action as components of several HACCP principles. One critical control point (CCP) and two operational pre-requisite programs (oPRPs) were identified throughout the manufacturing process.

Development of a methodology for determining the critical limits of the critical control points of the production of bakery products in the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study was conducted to determine the impact of the HACCP management system on the safety of final products in baked goods production. The object of the study is two critical control points of the production of bakery products, which in turn affect the indicator of microbiological quality and safety of finished products. Using a mathematical model, the critical limits of critical control points (CCP) were determined – in the baking and cooling processes of baked goods. For the two CCPs, measures for continuous monitoring have been defined and critical limits have been developed. For CCT 1, a theoretical calculation using a mathematical model is given: the critical limit of the baking process (95.2–99.1 °C in the center of the crumb), by controlling this process, the company controls the biohazard factor, for CCP 2 the critical limit of cooling the finished product to a temperature of 22.84 °C in the center of the crumb for safe packing. The presentation of the results of the development of critical control limits and critical points of the production of bakery products using the construction of mathematical modeling is the theoretical beginning of further research. When compiling the model, the physical parameters of a specific dough with a certain geometric shape were used, from which the bakery product is baked. The use of a mathematical model allows predetermining the baking parameters for the dough of any initial concentration. The results can be used in the production of baked goods to better ensure the quality and safety of the final product

Modelling of long-term Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb dynamics from soils fertilised with organic amendments

Soil contamination by trace elements (TEs) is a major concern for sustainable land management. A potential source of excessive inputs of TEs into agricultural soils are organic amendments. Here, we used dynamic simulations carried out with the Intermediate Dynamic Model for Metals (IDMM) to describe the observed trends of topsoil Zn (zinc), Cu (copper), Pb (lead) and Cd (cadmium) concentrations in a long-term (>60-year) crop trial in Switzerland, where soil plots have been treated with different organic amendments (farmyard manure, sewage sludge and compost). The observed ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA)-extractable concentrations ranged between 2.6 and 27.1 mg kg−1 for Zn, 4.9 and 29.0 mg kg−1 for Cu, 6.1–26.2 mg kg−1 for Pb, and 0.08 and 0.66 mg kg−1 for Cd. Metal input rates were initially estimated based on literature data. An additional, calibrated metal flux, tentatively attributed to mineral weathering, was necessary to fit the observed data. Dissolved organic carbon fluxes were estimated using a soil organic carbon model. The model adequately reproduced the EDTA-extractable (labile) concentrations when input rates were optimised and soil lateral mixing was invoked to account for the edge effect of mechanically ploughing the trial plots. The global average root mean square error (RMSE) was 2.7, and the average bias (overestimation) was −1.66, −2.18, −4.34 and −0.05 mg kg−1 for Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd, respectively. The calibrated model was used to project the long-term metal trends in field conditions (without soil lateral mixing), under stable climate and management practices, with soil organic carbon estimated by modelling and assumed trends in soil pH. Labile metal concentrations to 2100 were largely projected to remain near constant or to decline, except for some metals in plots receiving compost. Ecotoxicological thresholds (critical limits) were predicted to be exceeded presently under sewage sludge inputs and to remain so until 2100. Ecological risks were largely not indicated in the other plots, although some minor exceedances of critical limits were projected to occur for Zn before 2100. This study advances our understanding of TEs' long-term dynamics in agricultural fields, paving the way to quantitative applications of modelling at field scales.