Journal of food protection最新文献

{"title":"The Impact of Training Intervention on Levels of Indicator Bacteria and Prevalence of Selected Pathogens in Raw Milk From Smallholder Women Dairy Farmers in Central Ethiopia","authors":"Achenef Melaku Beyene ,&nbsp;Seleshe Nigatu ,&nbsp;Juan C. Archila-Godinez ,&nbsp;Kebede Amenu ,&nbsp;Barbara Kowalcyk ,&nbsp;Desalegne Degefaw ,&nbsp;Binyam Mogess ,&nbsp;Baye Gelaw ,&nbsp;Mucheye Gizachew ,&nbsp;Araya Mengistu ,&nbsp;Ahmed G. Abdelhamid ,&nbsp;James Barkley ,&nbsp;Ahmed Yousef","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Contamination of milk is a serious public health risk, particularly in developing countries such as Ethiopia. Training is a tool for improving the quality and safety of milk. However, its effect on the microbial quality and safety of milk has not been well documented. This study assessed the impact of training interventions on the microbial quality and safety of milk, with a specific focus on smallholder dairy farms. The study was conducted from January to June 2022 in four locations in Central Ethiopia. Milk samples were collected from 120 dairy farmers one week before and four to six weeks after the training and analyzed for total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, <em>Escherichia coli</em>, Shiga toxin-producing <em>E. coli</em> (STEC), <em>Salmonella enterica,</em> and <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em>. Total and thermotolerant coliforms were determined by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method; categorized as high (≥1,001 MPN/ml), medium (101 10³ MPN/ml), low (21–10² MPN/ml), and very low (≤20 MPN/ml); and analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Prevalence of <em>E. coli</em>, STEC, <em>S. enterica</em>, and <em>C. jejuni</em> in raw milk samples were 67, 12, 3, and 4% pretraining and 45, 4, 3, and 2% posttraining, respectively. The prevalence of <em>E. coli</em> (<em>p</em> = 0.0389) and STEC (<em>p</em> = 0.0005) was significantly lower posttraining compared to pretraining. Most samples had total coliform counts exceeding 10³ MPN/ml pretraining (71%); this proportion decreased to 62% posttraining. The estimated cumulative probability of being in the high category was marginally significantly higher (<em>p</em> = 0.0581) pretraining (76%) compared to posttraining (64%). In conclusion, reductions in the detection of some milk quality and safety parameters were observed. However, a considerable proportion of the milk samples were highly contaminated even after the training. Hence, comprehensive and continued risk mitigation strategies are needed to ensure milk safety for consumers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100446"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survival of Salmonella on Biodegradable Mulch, Landscape Fabric, and Plastic Mulch","authors":"Alyssa A. Rosenbaum ,&nbsp;Claire M. Murphy ,&nbsp;Annette L. Wszelaki ,&nbsp;Alexis M. Hamilton ,&nbsp;Steven L. Rideout ,&nbsp;Laura K. Strawn","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ground covers are used in produce production to enhance plant growth and control diseases and pests. While various factors are considered when selecting commercial ground covers, food safety, particularly the survival of foodborne pathogens, is often overlooked. This study aimed to assess the survival of <em>Salmonella</em> on different ground covers, including biodegradable mulch, landscape fabric, and plastic mulch. New rolls of each ground cover were cut to fit a 100 × 15 mm petri dish and spot inoculated with a seven-strain <em>Salmonella</em> cocktail at approximately 6 log CFU/cm². The inoculated coupons were stored in a climate-controlled chamber (23°C, 55% relative humidity) and sampled at 0, 0.06 (1.5 h), 0.17 (4 h), 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 30, 60, 90, and 140 days postinoculation (dpi). If counts dropped below the detection limit (&lt;0.12 log CFU/cm²), enrichments were performed following the Food and Drug Administration’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual <em>Salmonella</em> protocol. <em>Salmonella</em> survived 140 dpi on all tested ground covers, with reductions &gt;5 log CFU/cm². Survival rates at 140 dpi were highest on landscape fabric (83%, 25/30) followed by plastic mulch (50%, 15/30) and biodegradable mulch (13%, 4/30) coupons (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). During the first 30 dpi, biodegradable mulch exhibited the smallest reduction in <em>Salmonella</em> (2.47 ± 0.26 log CFU/cm²), compared to landscape fabric (3.07 ± 0.30 log CFU/cm²) and plastic mulch (3.86 ± 0.72 log CFU/cm²). After 60 dpi, <em>Salmonella</em> reductions stabilized across all materials (∼4 log CFU/cm²) and by 90 dpi, no significant differences were observed between ground cover types (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05). Although <em>Salmonella</em> survival varied among ground covers in the short-term (0–30 dpi), a &gt;5 log CFU/cm² reduction of <em>Salmonella</em> was observed among all materials by 140 dpi. Findings suggest that ground cover material influences <em>Salmonella</em> survival and should be factored into food safety risk management strategies, especially when ground covers are reused.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100444"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of Antimicrobial Biopolymer Film Incorporated with a Mixture of Sodium Lactate and Diacetate and Studying its Efficacy Against Listeria monocytogenes and Microbiological Spoilage in Deli Meat Over 12 Weeks of Storage","authors":"Katherine Sierra ,&nbsp;Luis Guzman ,&nbsp;Vianca Tashiguano ,&nbsp;Micah T. Black ,&nbsp;Payten Leeds ,&nbsp;Jakob Doster ,&nbsp;Laura J. Garner ,&nbsp;Sungeun Cho ,&nbsp;Yucheng Peng ,&nbsp;Amit Morey","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food packaging is a major contributor to environmental pollution and is a concern among customers who are pushing the food industry towards innovative, sustainable, and biodegradable plastic-alternative packaging materials. The integration of biomolecules derived from agricultural waste has the potential to enhance the mechanical properties of these novel packaging materials. Additionally, incorporating antimicrobial agents can improve food safety and extend shelf life, thereby increasing the market acceptance of these environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Research was conducted to (1) develop and evaluate mechanical properties of plastic-alternative films with chicken skin gelatin and antimicrobials (a mixture of sodium lactate and sodium diacetate (LD)); and (2) evaluate the efficacy of the antimicrobial films against <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> and microbiological spoilage of fully cooked, beef bologna. Through the 12-week storage, the LD biopolymer film initially exhibited bacteriostatic effects, followed by bactericidal (decrease of ∼2 log CFU/g), and again bacteriostatic effect on the pathogen during weeks 0–4, 5–6, and 7–12, respectively. The biopolymer film with antimicrobial reduced the spoilage microorganism’s growth by 0.6 log CFU/g over the 12-weeks of storage. Our research demonstrates that biopolymer films can be incorporated with antimicrobials and can be highly effective in controlling <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products during storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142828427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of Dietary Acrylamide Exposure of Ethiopian Population Through Coffee Consumption","authors":"Dhaba Mengesha ,&nbsp;Negussie Retta ,&nbsp;Henok Ashagrie Deribew ,&nbsp;Markos Makiso Urugo ,&nbsp;Paulos Getachew","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study estimated the acrylamide exposure of the Ethiopian population through traditional brewing of <em>Coffee arabica</em>. Acrylamide concentrations in traditionally processed Ethiopian <em>C. arabica</em> varieties from Jimma, Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Nekemte, and Hararge were measured. A qualitative survey in Addis Ababa was used to develop a traditional coffee brewing flowchart, which was then applied in a laboratory setting. Acrylamide concentrations in roasted coffee powders were found to be 944.01, 861.67, 739.63, 726.35, and 326.60 μg/kg for Hararge, Nekemte, Jimma, Yirgacheffe, and Sidama, respectively. First brew concentrations were 119.97, 112.10, 108.68, 94.07, and 6.67 μg/L, and second brew concentrations were 21.41, 16.45, 16.77, 3.92, and 6.31 μg/L for the respective varieties of Nekemte, Yirgachefe, Jimma, Hararge, and Sidama. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of acrylamide, based on coffee consumption data, were well below harmful levels (&lt;200 μg/kg bw/day), with Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) values indicating minimal noncarcinogenic risk (&lt;1). The study also found low concern for nonneoplastic effects (intake &lt; 0.2 μg/kg bw/day) from Sidama and Nekemte coffees, although a relatively higher concern was observed for Nekemte in specific areas. The findings suggest that reducing acrylamide content in coffee through preventive actions and mitigation strategies is advisable to minimize potential health risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100441"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142895204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Dairy Manure Compost with Alkaline Walnut Hull Biochar","authors":"Joshua B. Gurtler,&nbsp;Charles A. Mullen","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100438","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biochar has been used to accelerate heating profiles during composting by increasing oxygenation, which could also reduce microbial pathogens. However, the antimicrobial inactivation of foodborne pathogens in compost, by amending with biochar without increased heating profiles, has not been evaluated. In this study, we examined the ability of biochar to inactivate <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 (EC) in fresh dairy manure compost by amending with one of four types of biochar. Two slow pyrolysis biochars (high-temperature walnut hull biochar [HTWHB], and walnut hull cyclone biochar [WHCB]), and two fast pyrolysis biochars were examined. Compost with 8.1 log CFU/g of EC + 10% amended biochar was held at 22 °C and analyzed for EC weekly. The control treatment sustained ca. 8.7 log CFU of EC through week 7; however, the bacterium was not detected by direct plating in WHCB compost (below the detection limit) by day 7, through the entire 49 days (which may be attributed to increased compost alkalinity [i.e., pH 10.76]). Populations of EC in compost supplemented with 10% of the three other biochars sustained EC populations ≥9.2 log through the balance of the study. The four biochars were further tested in soil at 17% moisture to determine if concentrations as low as 3.5% could inactivate EC. When 3.5% HTWHB was added to soil, populations were 5.1 log CFU lower than when 10% of the same biochar was amended into dairy compost by week 3. This may indicate that alkaline biochar, amended into lower moisture, soil may be more biocidal than when alkaline biochar is added to high moisture manure compost. The current study demonstrates that highly alkaline walnut hull cyclone biochar is capable of reducing up to 8 log of EC in high moisture fresh compost in only 7 days, while as little as 3.5% alkaline WHCB in 17% moisture soil can reduce 6.7 log of EC in only 14 days. These results may assist farmers in amending compost, manure, cattle feedlots, or soil with biochar to reduce EC, and potentially other pathogens (e.g., <em>Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni,</em> and <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em>)<em>,</em> with the goal of reducing the dissemination of human bacterial pathogens to meat, poultry, and fresh produce.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100438"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142871241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of Immersion Precooling and Drip Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures on Weight, Temperature, Microbiological Quality, and Safety of Chicken Carcasses","authors":"Angela B.P.S. Fernandes ,&nbsp;Clair F.S. Pereira ,&nbsp;Hiago M. Pereira ,&nbsp;Marco A.C. Batista ,&nbsp;Luiz F.S. Dionisio ,&nbsp;Amauri A. Alfieri ,&nbsp;Bruna Alexandrino ,&nbsp;José C. Ribeiro-Júnior","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to validate sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) of the precooling system in two immersion stages with different temperatures followed by dripping for 3 min. The variables evaluated were temperature, weight, microbiological quality, and safety of chicken carcasses. Groups of indicator microorganisms were quantified and the occurrence of <em>Salmonella</em> spp., <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em>, diarrheagenic <em>Escherichia coli</em> (non-157), and <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> with enterotoxigenic potential was investigated, before and after cooling by immersion and dripping. <em>Salmonella</em> serovars were determined by real-time PCR. Immersion of the carcasses in water at 9.5 (±2.89) and 2.33 (±1.30) °C in the first and second stages was sufficient to considerably reduce the carcass temperature to 5.70 and 7.41 °C at the system outlet and after dripping, respectively. The weight gain was 5.5%, in accordance with Brazilian legislation (&lt;8%). Immersion cooling significantly reduced (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) the total counts of enterobacteria, total coliforms, and <em>E. coli</em>. Contamination was reduced in the carcasses, which increased the water counts in the system to 3.76 log CFU/mL for psychrotrophs. <em>Salmonella</em> spp. was identified in 100% of the carcasses evaluated and in the water from the first and second stages of cooling. The main serovars were <em>S.</em> Newport and <em>S.</em> Minnesota. Pathotypes of diarrheagenic <em>E. coli</em>, mainly atypical EPEC and STEC, and <em>S. aureus</em> with enterotoxigenic potential were highly prevalent in the carcasses even before entering the precooling systems by immersion, which was not sufficient to rule out the occurrence of any pathogen studied. Despite the notable SSOP effect on the quantification of microbiological indicators during immersion cooling, the high occurrence of different pathogens underlies the need to review procedures and techniques not only in slaughterhouses but also throughout the production chain, acting in an integrated manner to provide biosecurity and reduce risks to the consumption of chicken meat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100451"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142950043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of 16s Long Read Metabarcoding for Characterizing the Microbiome and Salmonella Contamination of Retail Poultry Meat","authors":"Zachary Tobar,&nbsp;Katie Y. Lee,&nbsp;Megan E. Gaa,&nbsp;Bryshal P. Moore,&nbsp;Xunde Li,&nbsp;Maurice E. Pitesky","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100434","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100434","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The traditional gold standard for detection of <em>Salmonella</em> in meat products is bacterial culture with enrichment. While this method is highly sensitive, it is slow and provides an incomplete assessment of isolate taxonomy in positive samples. This study presents a novel PCR-based detection assay which amplifies the 16s-ITS-23s region which is an approximately 2,500 base pair region of the larger ribosomal <em>rrn</em> operon. Intra-assay variation was assessed by splitting each biological sample into 3 technical replicates. Limits of detection (LOD) were assessed by utilizing a serial dilution of a pure culture of <em>Salmonella enterica</em> subsp<em>. enterica</em> serovar Heidelberg spiked into either sterile 1 × PBS or 1 × PBS rinsate of a <em>Salmonella</em> culture-negative chicken meat sample. Results indicate the 16s metabarcoding assay evaluated here could not be reliably used for the detection of <em>Salmonella</em> in adulterated retail meat samples as the LOD observed, 4.70 log colony forming units (CFU)/ml, is above the expected concentration of <em>Salmonella</em> in retail poultry meat samples which previous studies have shown range from under 1 to 2 log CFU/ml. However, due to greater taxonomic resolution afforded by using 16s long reads, the assay allowed alpha diversity assessment of the microbiome of raw poultry meat with the ability to assign taxonomy to the species and strain level for some amplicon sequence variants (ASV). This indicates this process may have value characterizing biodiversity and pathogen contamination of poultry samples in earlier steps of the poultry meat production process where bacterial contamination concentrations are likely to be higher.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100434"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142837119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public Health Risks Associated with Food Process Contaminants – A Review","authors":"Ahmadullah Zahir ,&nbsp;Zhiwen Ge ,&nbsp;Iftikhar Ali Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing complexity of food production and processing has raised concerns regarding food process contaminants, which pose significant public health risks. Food process contaminants can be introduced during diverse phases of food processing such as drying, heating, grilling, and fermentation, resulting in the synthesis of harmful chemicals including acrylamide (AA), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), furan and its naturally occurring derivatives, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), 2-chloropropane-1,2-diol esters (2-MCPDE), and 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE), ethyl carbamate (EC), glycidyl esters (GE), and 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), all of these are harmful to human health. Although these compounds can be somewhat prevented during processing, eliminating them can often be challenging due to their unknown formation mechanism. Moreover, prolonged exposure to these dangerous compounds might harm human health. There is limited understanding of the sources, formation processes, and hazards of food processing contaminants, and a lack of knowledge of the mechanisms involved in how to control their generation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the harmful effects associated with food process contaminants generated during thermal processing and fermentation, alongside elemental process contaminants and their potential threats to human health. Furthermore, this study identifies existing knowledge gaps proposes avenues for future inquiry and emphasizes the necessity of employing a multi-disciplinary approach to alleviate the public health risks posed by food process contaminants, advocating for cooperative initiatives among food scientists, public health officials, and regulatory entities to enhance food safety and protect consumer health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100426"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142791960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health Inspections of Restaurant Establishments in the Attica Region, Greece. Non-compliance Data Within the Food Hygiene Sector","authors":"Olympia Chatzimpyrou ,&nbsp;Elias Chaidoutis ,&nbsp;Dimitrios Keramydas ,&nbsp;Petros Papalexis ,&nbsp;Nikolaos S. Thomaidis ,&nbsp;Vassiliki C. Pitiriga ,&nbsp;Panagiota Langi ,&nbsp;Foteini Koutsiari ,&nbsp;Ioannis Drikos ,&nbsp;Maria Giannari ,&nbsp;Georgios Chelidonis ,&nbsp;Andreas Ch. Lazaris ,&nbsp;Nikolaos Kavantzas","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ensuring food safety is a fundamental priority for public health. The catering sector has become prominent as a convenient and cost-effective method of food supply worldwide. Adherence to proper food hygiene practices is crucial for preventing foodborne diseases. The inspection of food items is a key component of internal controls that enables the identification of non-compliance with food hygiene standards. The present study aims to assess Attica restaurant businesses’ compliance with international food hygiene standards (FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius) and European legislation on unsafe food.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>From January to July 2023, 74 randomly selected restaurants of small, medium, and large capacity in Attica were examined through inspections in terms of compliance for food hygiene standards. The inspections were based on (a) the completion of forms and (b) the collection of water and food samples for laboratory microbiological analysis.</div><div>Data were collected using a predefined form, referencing the manual of Codex Alimentarius regarding food hygiene standards (CAC/RCP 1-1969/CAC/RCP 39-1993). Additionally, the assessment included the identification of unsafe food placement in accordance with Regulation EC/178/2002 on food safety, as well as Greek national legislation (European Commission, 2002; Hellenic Republic, 2006, 2014).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The highest non-compliance rates are in “adequacy of facilities” (14.12%), “equipment maintenance and sanitization” (12.30%), “pest control” (12.45%), “personal hygiene” (7.58%), and “efficient separation of raw materials” (9.76%). Non-compliance rates for other food hygiene parameters (cooking practices, meal apportionment, storage, transport, reheating, etc.) were considerably lower. The inspection results showed that medium-sized restaurant businesses present the highest rate (56.41%) of total non-compliance compared to large-sized businesses (29.68%) and small-sized businesses (13.91%).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study demonstrates that restaurant businesses generally adhere to food hygiene and safety standards at a satisfactory level. There is a need for restaurant operators to prioritize enhancing compliance, particularly in addressing critical issues that could potentially result in outbreaks of foodborne diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100452"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142965553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the Growth of Staphylococcus aureus During Slow Cooking of Beef and Turkey Formulations from 10 °C to 54.4 °C for an Extended Time","authors":"Subash Shrestha ,&nbsp;Michelle Riemann ,&nbsp;Vijay K. Juneja ,&nbsp;Abhinav Mishra","doi":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>USDA FSIS recommends meat dwell ≤6 h during cooking from 10 to 54.4 °C to limit the growth of <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and prevent its production of heat-stable enterotoxins. This study evaluated the growth of <em>S. aureus</em> in irradiated beef and turkey formulations with no antimicrobial, lactate-diacetate (2.5% w/w), or vinegar (1.98% w/w). Individual experimental units consisting of a 5 g portion of meat in a plastic bag were inoculated with 3 log CFU/g of <em>S. aureus</em> and then spread thin within the bag. Units were heated from 10 to 54.4 °C in 9.3 h in a water bath, representing a process deviation case in a commercial establishment. <em>S. aureus</em> populations were enumerated on Baird-Parker agar plates from five inoculated units before cooking, and three units each at 4.5, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.3 h. Likewise, two uninoculated units each were evaluated at 0, 6, and 9.3 h to verify the absence of competition from background microflora. Data from three trials were reported as mean ± SD. Beef formulations had pH, moisture, and salt content of 6.41 ± 0.25, 74.1 ± 0.5%, and 0.6 ± 0.1%, respectively, whereas turkey had 6.74 ± 0.08, 76.4 ± 0.6%, and 0.6 ± 0.1%, representing the most optimum condition for growth present in the commercial products. Maximum growth of 1.1 ± 0.2 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), 0.9 ± 0.3 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), and 0.2 ± 0.1 (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05) log CFU/g was observed by the 6th h in beef with no antimicrobial, lactate diacetate, and vinegar, respectively, and 1.6 ± 0.2 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), 1.3 ± 0.3 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), and 0.5 ± 0.3 (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05) log CFU/g in the turkey formulations also by the 6th h. The counts declined thereafter (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) in all formulations, reaching below the inoculation level by 9.3 h. In comparison, UW Therm 2.0 and DMRI Staphtox Predictor, after adjusting for their temperature limitations per USDA FSIS guidelines, estimated a 4.2 and 3.3 log increase, respectively, in beef with no antimicrobial, and 4.3 and 3.7 log increase in turkey. The models provide fail-safe but overly conservative predictions of <em>S. aureus</em> growth in beef and turkey.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of food protection","volume":"88 2","pages":"Article 100445"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}