Italian Journal of Food Safety最新文献

{"title":"Multidisciplinary management of a norovirus outbreak in Tuscany, Italy.","authors":"Clara Girardi, Lucia Kundisova, Francesca Marconi, Alessandra Guidi, Johanna Alexandra Iamarino, Veronica Gallinoro, Silvia Mele, Giovanni Nardone, Maurizio Grani, Giovanni Munaò, Luca Cianti, Paola Picciolli, Ylenia Zizzo, Loria Bianchi, Martina Sartoni","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2025.13521","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Norovirus (NoV) is one of the most frequent agents responsible for foodborne outbreaks. Transmission occurs through the consumption of contaminated food or water or via contact with contaminated surfaces. The low infectious dose and high environmental resistance of the virus facilitate its spread within communities and healthcare settings, complicating epidemiological investigations. This study aims to highlight the management strategies and key entities involved in outbreak response, emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts to share best practices. The outbreak occurred in Tuscany in April 2024 and affected multiple school groups. The response team was activated in accordance with guidelines for managing foodborne diseases and comprised various public health authorities. The team undertook a series of coordinated actions, including epidemiological investigation, official controls, sampling, and analysis of relevant matrices to identify high-risk foods. Food and water samples collected during the official inspection at the accommodation facility involved in the outbreak during the first wave were tested for potential pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, fecal samples from ten hospitalized cases were analyzed for pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Among all these analyses, only the fecal samples from the examined cases tested positive for NoV genogroups GI and GII. In light of these results, during the second wave, food and water were tested again for the same potential pathogenic bacteria and for the presence of NoV. Furthermore, NoV was investigated in staff fecal samples and environmental surfaces. A total of four fecal samples from staff and two environmental swabs tested positive for NoV genogroups GI and GII. Our multidisciplinary investigation suggests that an initial foodborne transmission may have led to environmental contamination. This finding underscores the critical role of food safety culture in outbreak prevention and control. To reduce the risk of viral gastroenteritis, specific awareness initiatives and training programs should be offered to both food sector operators and the general public.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144266215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of ozonated water's efficacy in sanitizing surfaces in a processed fishery products industry.","authors":"Chiara Di Vittori, Massimo Monti, Gianluigi Ferri, Annarita Festino, Alberto Vergara","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13569","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2025.13569","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In response to the modern consumer demands for safe and high-quality food, industries are adopting innovative decontamination methods. Ozone emerges as a promising one, being economical, safe, and chemical-free. It effectively inactivates bacteria, molds, yeasts, parasites, and viruses with short contact times and at low concentrations. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ozonated water as an eco-friendly, chemical-free, and safe alternative to conventional sanitizers in the processed fishery products industry. More specifically, it compares ozonated-water efficacy with the company's standard method of sanitizing boxes used for soaking cod (spraying the boxes with hydrogen peroxide before placing them in the dishwasher) and its efficacy on boxes stored for 21 days after the standard sanitation. A total of 175 boxes were tested for microbial contamination. The standard sanitization method significantly reduced the microbial load on the boxes after their use compared to the ozone one, resulting in a reduction of 98.29% compared to 48.29% for total mesophilic count (TMC) and 97.96% compared to 37.32% for total psychrophilic count (TPC), respectively. On day 21, the ozonated water achieved a TMC reduction of 80.46% and 98.87% for the TPC on stored boxes. The percentage reduction given by ozonated water on stored boxes was higher than on dirty ones; the presence of organic matter reduces the sanitizing efficacy of ozone. Based on the obtained evidence, ozonated water would appear to be a good sanitation method for surfaces in the processed fishery products industry after adequate cleaning, contributing to the industry's push toward sustainable practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144258059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preliminary results from monitoring perfluoroalkyl substance contamination in the livers of broiler chickens raised in Italy.","authors":"Giacomo Depau, Marco Zampiga, Giulia Rampazzo, Elisa Zironi, Federico Sirri, Giampiero Pagliuca, Teresa Gazzotti","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2025.13520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of the analytical method proposed for the assessment of the amount of European Union (EU)-regulated perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in broiler chicken livers and to perform preliminary monitoring of hepatic contamination in chickens raised in Italy under different rearing systems. A total of 21 liver samples were analyzed, revealing widespread PFAS contamination, with perfluorooctanoic acid detected in all samples at 0.48-0.66 μg/kg. Perfluorononanoic acid and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid were also found, while perfluorooctanesulfonic acid contamination was observed only in specific samples. The total PFAS amount varied across groups, even though none of the samples exceeded the EU regulatory limits. The PFAS content in livers from rural free-range chickens tended to be higher than that of their indoor counterparts (upper bound: 0.83 vs. 0.67 µg/kg; lower bound: 0.87 vs. 0.71 µg/kg, respectively; p=0.08 and p=0.06), suggesting that access to outdoor environments is a key factor involved in PFAS contamination. Further monitoring across more diverse samples is needed to confirm these preliminary findings and define mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of PFAS contamination.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144225453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simultaneous determination of antibiotic residues in edible tissue of farmed fish (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>) from the Umbria and Marche regions.","authors":"Irene Diamanti, Raffaella Branciari, Giorgio Saluti, Cristiano Carloni, Rossana Roila, Laura Fioroni","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12947","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors in global food production, and its expansion has driven the adoption and consolidation of intensive and semi-intensive production methods, which can increase the risk of infectious diseases. The use of various antibacterial compounds for therapeutic purposes has become increasingly common. Monitoring the presence of antimicrobial substances in aquaculture is of the utmost importance to prevent antibiotic resistance and ensure food safety. A multi-residue method was applied to investigate the incidence and the concentration of antibiotic residues in fish flesh collected from Umbria and Marche aquaculture farms over the 4-year period 2020-2023. Due to its rapidity and reliability, this method allowed for the evaluation of 70 antimicrobial molecules in fish flesh and the verification of European Union legislation compliance. Overall, 102 samples were analyzed, and only three antibiotic substances were detected, namely, sulfadiazine, oxytetracycline, and trimethoprim, with a variable presence of positive samples and residue concentration through different seasons, with higher values in winter. The highest value of positive samples was registered in 2021, with 63.2%, followed by 62.2% in 2022 and 51.7% in 2020; 11.1% was registered in 2023. Non-compliant samples were recorded for sulfadiazine (only one at the concentration of 222 μg/kg) and trimethoprim (the concentration ranged from 10 μg/kg to 226 μg/kg). The results indicated that 53.9% of the samples contained residues of authorized substances, with a 6.9% above the respective maximum residue limits.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143414168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological effects claimed for hemp seeds contained in food preparations: an update.","authors":"Andrea Zovi, Antonio Vitiello, Sauro Vittori, Germana Borsetta","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13653","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13653","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food supplements are one of the most widely marketed food categories in the world. In relation to several cases of adverse effects reported due to the plant substances contained in these products, the attention of the scientific communities and public decision-makers should be directed to the physiological effects that can be attributed to these substances and that encourage their increasing sales to consumers. This is the case of the plant Cannabis sativa L. In order to evaluate the scientific validity of the physiological effects attributable to Cannabis sativa, a bibliographic search was carried out on the evidence published. This short manuscript has highlighted how, despite the presence on the market of a large number of plant substances present in food preparations, there is not always clear evidence to support the physiological effects attributed to these products. As a result, it is essential to monitor the market to safeguard the food safety of consumers worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating the nexus: unraveling the impact of sustainability and the circular economy on food safety.","authors":"Tauqeer Ahmad, Zahid Mehmood, Murad Ali, Janat Ul Mawa, Muhammad Asim Irshad","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12580","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12580","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sustainable food production systems can be achieved through a circular economy, yet the whole system remains susceptible to various known, emerging, or even unknown/novel food safety hazards and contaminants. These upcycled foods can introduce related risks for human or animal health and ecological balance. These potential risks can be effectively mitigated by adopting integrated smart \"safe-by-design\" approaches. These multi-effective strategies can cascade far beyond consequences by addressing all potential food safety risks at each stage of the food supply chain, even at the post-consumption stage. Sustainability through circularity without harming food production systems can be achieved by integrating and harmonizing evidence-based risk control strategies, fostered with extensive and objective-oriented research and development, and preemptive ideological relationships with relevant stakeholders. The current review aimed at addressing the possible occurrence and risks associated with potential emerging or unknown hazards/contaminants linked to various production systems, along with relevant mitigation strategies. It also highlights the importance of implementing quality control measures and safety precautions throughout the food supply chain to prevent the occurrence and propagation of hazardous substances. Agricultural production systems can be transformed into sustainable entities by vigilant monitoring of end-product quality through the use of upcycled technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Food safety of Thai tea sold through an online platform application in Indonesia.","authors":"Nadila Cahyaningtyas, Trias Mahmudiono, Hsiu-Ling Chen, LiewPhing Pui, Rarinthorn Thammakulkrajang, Martina Puspa Wangi","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.11136","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.11136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Thai tea is one of the beverage products that are often ordered by Generation Z through online applications. With the rise of Thai tea drinks in the market, it is suspected that some individuals cheat by adding cyclamate to Thai tea drinks when concocting them to get a good taste and sweetness at a low price. This study aimed to examine the correlation between the level of knowledge and the attitudes of traders regarding the use of cyclamate food additives in Thai tea processed drinks, which are sold through online application-based food delivery services in the Surabaya and Sidoarjo regions. This research was an observational analysis and had a cross-sectional design. The study sample of 46 Thai tea beverage products was taken by simple random sampling. Research shows that there is no link between knowledge (p=0.654), attitudes (p=0.950), and behavior (p=0.849) with the use of cyclamate in Thai tea beverage products. The conclusion of this study is the absence of any connections between knowledge, attitude, behavior, and the use of cyclamates. The results classify Thai tea products, both qualitatively and quantitatively, as safe. Based on questionnaires, respondents had good knowledge, but they also had negative attitudes and behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143408067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporary increase of official controls at border control posts in the European Union: theoretical assessment of the measures laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation EU/2019/1793.","authors":"Cesare Ciccarelli, Angela Marisa Semeraro, Vittoria Di Trani, Melina Leinoudi, Vincenzo Martelli, Elena Ciccarelli","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13307","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13307","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of measures provided for by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 by determining the rate of consignments not complying with European Union legislation placed on the European market despite increased controls through the use of probability theory and Bayes' theorem methods. In addition, it takes into account different provisions for intensified official controls to improve performance. The study revealed that the effectiveness of measures provided, intended as a reduction in the rate of non-compliant consignments placed on the market, appeared limited despite a great effort in terms of performed official controls. This rate was always lower than the rate of the increased controls and closely linked to the test sensitivity and specificity, determined by the combination of sampling procedures with analytical methods. Furthermore, the efficiency, intended as the ratio between the number of analyses carried out and the number of non-compliant consignments found, was just related to the starting prevalence and sensitivity. Instead, the provision for intensified official controls, based on additional checks carried out following each non-compliant result, was able to significantly reduce the rate of non-compliant consignments placed on the market. In conclusion, this study showed that the protection level offered by the measures laid down might not be proportionate to the effort made. To improve effectiveness and efficiency, sampling procedures and analytical methods with high sensitivity and specificity are needed, aided by the availability of reliable information to identify subsets of consignments with a higher prevalence of non-compliance.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Food safety and consumption patterns in the Campania region during the COVID-19 emergency.","authors":"Roberta Brunetti, Stefania Cavallo, Eloise Peirce, Roberta Pellicanò, Diletta Mandato, Francesca Romano, Ivana Elefante, Germana Colarusso, Pellegrino Fenizia, Federica Gargano, Loredana Baldi, Rosa D'Ambrosio","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13375","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.13375","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between consumers' experience of COVID-19 and changes in their food purchasing decisions during the lockdown as a result of their risk perception. An online questionnaire was created to analyze consumer purchasing behavior and awareness during the pandemic. At the end of the online administration period, the replies collected were downloaded. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out through the construction of tables of individual variables; for each variable, the patterns, frequencies, and percentages with which they occurred were determined. Subsequently, a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was conducted; this is one of the most widely used statistical techniques for the \"multiple\" analysis of qualitative or mixed data collected through questionnaires. The final extraction of the completed questionnaires returned the replies of 114 individuals. In the MCA, not all the variables of the matrix were considered, as they were not proportional to the number of individuals. We considered 7 active variables and 1 supplementary variable, which contributed to the formation of factors. The most notable pattern was that those people who were most worried about the risk of contagion not only sanitized their purchases but also reduced their online purchases and deliveries, believing that these measures could reduce the risk of contagion.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global perceptions and acceptance of irradiated food: a comparative systematic review.","authors":"Jaber Maataoui, Malek Abduljaber, Mohamed Khaddor","doi":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12885","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ijfs.2025.12885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Irradiated food acceptance around the world exhibits systematic variabilities across many facets related to citizens' perceived approval ratings of the product. The present research summarizes the empirical evidence on the extent to which people around the world accept irradiated food. A systematic review methodology structured the design and implementation of the present analysis. The authors performed comprehensive searches for studies featuring acceptance rates in two broad databases: Web of Science and Scopus. A total of 27 peer-reviewed articles in the English language covering 24,474 people in 15 different countries provided the survey-based data for the investigation. Results indicated that acceptance of irradiated food increased by a large margin in the past 35 years (33% in 1992 to 67% in 2024). Citizens' refusal to purchase irradiated food decreased from 19% to 16% globally in the same period. One of the emerging trends in the results was the rate of irradiated food familiarity, which remained relatively unchanged at 50% in the same time frame. Globally, acceptance of irradiated food is high and rising. Information campaigns and education about the benefits of irradiated food have led to increases in awareness and familiarity. Despite improving perceptions globally, stark variability still exists in acceptance rates, with developing countries having lower acceptance compared to highly industrialized countries. This is the first comparative analysis of different populations' perceptions of irradiated food worldwide. The paper provides new estimates on global acceptance of irradiated food and highlights variability among countries, offering valuable insights for policymakers interested in investing in it.</p>","PeriodicalId":14508,"journal":{"name":"Italian Journal of Food Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143483132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}