Food safety knowledge among cadets of Military Academy in Republic of Serbia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of food safety knowledge among cadets of Military Academy in the Republic of Serbia. For that purpose, a structured, self-administrative questionnaire was designed and used to assess the level of food handling practices and food safety knowledge. In total, 120 cadets were involved in the study. For each participating cadet, the food handling practice score (FHPS) and food safety knowledge score (FSKS) was calculated by dividing the sum of correct answers by the total number of correct responses. Additionally, knowledge gaps were identified for each question. Our results indicated that on the average FHPS among Serbian cadets was 44.5%, while FSKS was 50.5%. Female cadets showed better scores compared to males, although this was not statistically significant. Better FHPS scores were determined among cadets living with parents (48.7%), compared to cadets living with roommates (43.6%, p?0.05), while an opposite was determined for FSKS. In total, 95.8% of cadets apply good practice of hand hygiene before preparing food, 90.8% of them knew that is not safe to consume food when the shelf-life is expired, and 89.2% knew that the opened sterilized milk should not be stored outside the refrigerator. Also, 91.7% of cadets knew that content of blown can is not safe for the consumption. Almost 64.2% of all cadets could successfully make association between meat and Trichinella, while merely 27.5% of them knew that Escherichia coli O157 is the most important pathogen for raw minced meat, and only 13.3% of cadets knew that Listeria monocytogenes is associated with ready-to-eat meat products. Finally, only 10% of cadets knew that Campylobacter is food-borne pathogen mostly associated with raw and undercooked chicken meat. Also, our cadets were not aware that color, smell or appearance of food would not give any indication of food contamination, as only 6.7% of cadets knew this. Results obtained in this study pointed out some food safety areas which need further improvement via educational program, but also via media and internet courses, material or short clips.

Degradation of an organophosphorus insecticide in aqueous medium by Electro-Fenton process

This work proposes the remediation of toxic and/or refractory pollutants, such as the organophosphorus insecticide (Phosmet) which cannot be completely degraded by conventional methods like biological treatment, adsorption, flocculation, electro-flocculation, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, coagulation. However, these techniques have some disadvantages such as incomplete removal, therefore, the Electro-Fenton process was used. The major factors affecting the removal of Phosmet, namely the current intensity, catalyst concentration (Fe3+), temperature solution, nature of the electrolytes and oxygenation duration of the solution were studied in this work. The optimal operating conditions appeared to be: current intensity 200 mA, 0.5 mmol L-1 of Fe3+, T= 20?C, pH =3 using Na2SO4 (50 mmol L-1) as supporting electrolyte and an oxygen supply throughout all the experiments (120 min). Under these optimal conditions, the removal efficiency of the phosmet was 88%.

Functional handmade minions - consumers and experienced tasters sensory evaluation of the new product

The study examines consumer sensory preferences of 12 different handmade pastry products in the form of minions, made of rice and flaxseed flour, tapioca starch with natural taste ingredients and with addition of prebiotic (inulin), herbs and other ingredients. The sensory evaluation was performed by professionals (experienced tasters). Preferred minion flavour was tested at group of 324 consumers (hotel guests) of different nationality. ANOVA and t-test were performed to reveal differences in attitudes related to socio-demographic characteristics of the consumers. Also, determination of taste preferences according to consumer nationality was examined as an additional consumer care aspect. The evaluation of equality of the samples? average rates, as well as the groups of minions, is done by parametric or nonparametric model of variance analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied in order to group the investigated minions regarding their sensory properties, while the sum of ranking differences (SRD) was used to determine the minions with the best sensory properties. Consumers and experienced tasters have almost the same opinion about the sensory quality of minions, which indicates that assessment of the consumer can be considered as a representative opinion in the near future. Such functional food - minions could be widely used as a substitute for the most common commercial sweets rich in sugar and fat.

Optimization of baker`s yeast production on grape juice using response surface methodology

There is an increasing interest in improving biological processes, including fermentation processes, improving fermentation conditions is difficult, as it requires the use of an appropriate improvement method that allows operating the biological fermenter under optimal conditions in order to obtain the largest possible amount of the final product. The aim of this work was to succeed in examples of fermentation conditions to produce the largest possible quantity of dry yeast biomass Saccharomyces cerevisiae using grape juice as the sole carbon source. The optimum values of five factors that have an effect on the production of dry biomass from baker`s yeast were determined. The design of the experiments was carried out using the central composite experimental design (CCD) and the number of experiments according to the design was (54) experiments, the response surface methodology method was used to determine the best possible amount of production of yeast, and has reached (41.44 g/L) after 12 hours of fermentation, under the following optimal conditions (temperature (30.11??), pH (4.75), sugar concentration (158.36 g/L), the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (an essential nutrient for yeast growth ) is (11.9), initial concentration of yeasts (2.5 g/L), the amount of urea was 6.65 g/L and the amount of ammonium sulfate used was 6.65 g/L, so that the concentration of added urea and ammonium sulfate was (50-50)% and the required C/N ratio was achieved, and the used agitation speed was equal to 200 r.p.m during the fermentation process. The fermenter power of the obtained yeast was 470 ml. Three kinematic models (Monod, Verhulst, and Tessier) were also selected for the purpose of studying the kinetic performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. Monod and Tessier`s models did not give satisfactory results, while the best results were according to the Verhulst model. Also, the Leudeking Piret model has also been successfully used to predict substrate consumption during fermentation time.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of encapsulated thyme essential oil in alginate and soy protein-based carriers

The aim of this study was to develop a stable hydrogel carrier system for thyme essential oil (TEO) that could protect its sensitive polyphenol compounds. The impact of wall material (soy protein and alginate) on encapsulation efficiency and thymol release in simulated gastrointestinal conditions, was investigated. The release of thymol was ~ 80 % and 20 % in simulated gastric and pancreatic solutions, respectively. Thyme essential oil plays an important role as an antimicrobial and antioxidant agent. Results indicated that encapsulated TEO inside the hydrogel matrix exhibited antioxidant activity demonstrated by CUPRAC and ABTS analysis, even after thermal treatment of the beads, indicating the metal chelate effect as dominant. In vitro antimicrobial activity of encapsulated TEO has been studied against several pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. Beads coded as Ca-A1.5/SP1.5 showed anti-Candida albicans activity, while modified bead formulations Ca-A1.5/SP1.5* and Ca-A1.5/SP0.25** showed bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

First study of water quality in the San Camilo and Mojahuevo estuaries located in Guayas for being used in aquaculture

The water quality of the San Camilo and Mojahuevo estuaries was monitored in the months of April (rainy season) and June (dry season) of 2016. The water of the Mojahuevo estury presented in both seasons the lowest values of turbidity between 17.20 and 33.70 UNT, biochemical oxygen demand being in a range between 14.00 and 19.00 mg/L, zinc content (0.02-0.05 mg/L) and copper content (0.07 mg/L), ammonia content (0.21-0.35 mg/L), fats and oils (0.23-0.29 mg/L), phosphates (0.39-2.34 mg/L) and nitrates (0.84-2.29 mg/L), while the water of the two estuaries San Camilo and Mojahuevo (rainy season) showed similar phenolic content (0.019 mg/L). The results showed that the Mojahuevo estuary presented the high quality of water recommended for being used in productive process like aquaculture due to the low presence of pollutants.

The effect of cultivation time on xanthan production by Xanthomonas spp. on glycerol containing medium

In this study, the influence of cultivation time on xanthan biosynthesis by different Xanthomonas strains, reference strain and crucifers? and pepper leaves? isolates, was examined. Biopolymer was produced by submerged cultivation of fourteen producing strains on medium with glycerol as a sole carbon source. Each experiment was performed at a laboratory level under aerobic conditions at 30?C and 150 rpm for 168 h and 240 h. Bioprocess efficacy was estimated based on the xanthan quantity and its average molecular weight that was selected as quality parameter. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that all applied strains have a statistically significant effect on xanthan concentration in medium and on its average molecular weight, while cultivation time significantly affect the bioprocess efficacy only when biosynthesis is performed by Xanthomonas strains isolated from crucifers. Further, when only Xanthomonas strains isolated from crucifers are observed, statistically obtained data suggest that the largest amount of the best quality xanthan in applied experimental conditions can be accomplished by the cultivation of CB strain for 240 h. On the other hand, when it comes to Xanthomonas strains isolated from pepper leaves, the highest productivity is shown by PL 2, PL 4 and PL 5 strains regardless of the cultivation time, while the PL 3 strain was responsible for the synthesis of biopolymers with the highest average molecular weight. The results obtained in this study represent valuable information for development of biotechnological process for xanthan production on glycerol containing media using new producing strain.

Essential oil and ethanolic extract composition from Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab. and their biological evaluations

This study aims to evaluate the chemical composition and biological effects of an endemic Algerian species Myrtus nivellei belonging to the Myrtaceae family. The aerial parts of the plant were submitted to hydrodistillation and analysed with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This oil was yielded 0,75% (w/w). The GC-MS revealed that 1,8 cineole is the most abundant component (53,44%) while other compounds were present in high contents: 2,2,6,7-tetramethyl-10-oxatricyclo [4.3.0.1(1,7)]- decan-5-one (11,73%), trans ocimene (7,54%), linalyl propirionate (6,81%) and lavandulyl acetate (5,24%). In addition ethanolic extract of studied plant was prepared. Total phenol, tannin, flavonoid, and condensed tannin?s contents were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride and vanillin colorimetric methods, respectively. Three tests were used for the investigation of antioxidant activity of both extract and oil. Strong antioxidant activity was shown mainly by crude extract. Antibacterial screening was evaluated against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Ethanolic extract and oil were active especially against Staphylococcus aureus.

Antimicrobial activities of different agents including pyrophyllite against foodborne pathogens: A brief review

There has been worldwide an increasing interest and more strict criteria for food/feed safety including absence or reduction of the total number of microorganisms (bacteria, moulds and yeasts). Besides heavy metals, materials of biological origin (plant extracts, bio waste, chitosan etc.), some mineral adsorbents also have antimicrobial properties. There is much information about the antibacterial activity of the modified bentonite, montmoriollonite, smectute, zeolites and antifungal activity of various metal ion-exchanged zeolites and natural mineral clay, but there is almost no information about the antimicrobial properties of pyrophyllite, a monoclinic mineral from the group of phyllosilicates. This work summarizes the recent developments of antimicrobial agents and their application, current research, and trends in the area, highlighting pyrophyllite and its potential applications. Pyrophyllite, an unexploited mineral, possesses antimicrobial properties such as antibacterial and antifungal activities against foodborne pathogens which contributes to the protection of consumer?s health and preservation of the environment. Results from preliminary investigations indicate that pyrophyllite showed antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and antifungal properties against fungal pathogens (Fusarium oxysporum, Phoma glomerata and Rhizoctonia solani). This mineral can also be used for biological control of F. oxysporum in the soil for growing potato.

Characterization of new adsorbent prepared from apricot stones activated carbon mixed with amorphous SiO2 from Algerian diatomite for removal of p-nitroaniline

This work aims to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of p-nitroaniline (PNA) onto apricot stones activated carbon (ASAC) mixed with treated extract of amorphous SiO2 (TEAS), prepared from Algerian diatomite (AD). The best removal percentage (85%) is obtained for a ratio ASAC/TEAS (1/1). Adsorbent characteristics are investigated by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The impregnation of TEAS and ASAC produces good adsorbent properties towards PNA especially in the ratio (1/1) and an increase in the specific surface. The isotherm data are well fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The maximum PNA uptake obtained is 94.34 mg g-1. The performances of ASAC/TEAS for the PNA adsorption were compared with some adsorbents previously studied for the same purpose, and results show that the composite in the present work exhibit better performances. The adsorption behavior of the concerned material is explained on the basis of its chemical nature and porous texture.