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A rapid supercritical fluid extraction method for the qualitative detection of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in gamma-irradiated fresh and sea water fish.

2-Alkylcyclobutanones are routinely used as chemical markers for irradiated foods containing lipids. However, current extraction procedures (soxhlet-Florisil chromatography) for the isolation of these markers involve a long and tedious clean-up regime prior to GC-MS identification. A simple and rapid method for the isolation of these markers using carbon dioxide as a super critical fluid is described for low lipid content fish samples (fresh and sea water) irradiated up to 8kGy. The presence of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB), a radiolytic marker, was confirmed in all irradiated fish samples at all doses. This was a clear indication that the fish samples had been irradiated and that both methods of isolation (florisil and supercritical fluid extraction) were capable of qualitatively extracting this marker. Supercritical fluid extraction is proposed as an alternative extraction procedure to the florisil chromatography method currently in use and has the added advantage of a considerably shorter extraction time.

Animals↗

Identification of irradiated foodstuffs: results of a European test intercomparison.

The results of an intercomparison, organized by the Community Bureau of Reference (Commission of the European Communities), on the use of Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy for the identification of irradiated food are presented. A qualitative intercomparison was carried out using beef and trout bones, sardine scales, pistachio nut shells, dried grapes and papaya. Protocols are proposed for meat bones, fish bones (with some restrictions) and fruits such as dried grapes and papaya. The protocol for pistachio nuts and fruits such strawberries is more complicated and further research is needed prior the organization of future intercomparisons. A quantitative intercomparison on poultry bones was also organized. Laboratories were able to distinguish between chicken bones irradiated at 1 to 3 kGy or 7 to 10 kGy.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

Foodborne enteric infections.

Foodborne infections are estimated to affect one in four Americans each year. Most these (67%) are caused by the Norwalk-like viruses, but Campylobacter and nontyphoidal Salmonellae together account for about one fourth of cases of illness in which a pathogen can be detected. Less common bacterial infections, such as with Listeria monocytogenes and the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, cause fewer infections but are important because of their severe complications or high mortality rate, or both. This review describes the recent development of a national surveillance system for foodborne illness, newer methods for molecular characterization of organisms for epidemiologic studies, and individual etiologic agents in the order of frequency of occurrence. Methods for decreasing the disease burden are discussed, including education of health care professionals and the public, modification of food-handling behaviors, the use of food irradiation, and the application of probiotics to foods.

Journal Article↗

Emerging foodborne pathogens: keeping your patients and your families safe.

Changes in food production and societal pressures have led to a continuing increase in the incidence of foodborne illness. Many pathogens are associated with specific foods, e.g., E. coli O157:H7 with hamburgers or Salmonella with eggs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved irradiation for sterilization of meat, but public acceptance of irradiated food is low. Because contaminated foods are seldom detected before they reach store shelves, care in food preparation by professional and home cooks is crucial.

Animals↗

Supercritical fluid extraction of hydrocarbons and 2-alkylcyclobutanones for the detection of irradiated foodstuffs.

Supercritical carbon dioxide can be used to carry out a selective and fast extraction (30 min) of volatile hydrocarbons and 2-alkylcyclobutanones contained in irradiated foods. After elimination of the traces of triglycerides still contained in the extracts on a silica column, the compounds were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (2-alkylcyclobutanones) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (volatile hydrocarbons). The present method was applied successfully to freeze-dried samples (1 g or less) of cheese, chicken, avocados and to various ingredients (chocolate, liquid whole eggs) included in non-irradiated cookies. It was faster (4-5 h) than the reference methods EN 1784 (volatile hydrocarbons) and EN 1785 (2-alkylcyclobutanones), which take 1.5 days each. The minimal dose detectable by this method is, in addition, slightly lower than those of the reference methods.

Cyclobutanes↗

Effects of gamma radiation on the allergenic and antigenic properties of milk proteins.

This study was carried out to evaluate the application of food irradiation technology as a method for reducing milk allergies. Bovine alpha-casein (ACA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) were used as milk proteins. Using milk-hypersensitive patients' immunoglobulin E (IgE) and rabbit IgGs individually produced to ACA and BLG, the changes of allergenicity and antigenicity of irradiated proteins were observed by competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Allergenicity and antigenicity of the irradiated proteins were changed with different slopes of the inhibition curves. The disappearance of the band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and increase of the turbidity showed that solubility of the proteins decreased by radiation, and this decrease might be caused by agglomeration of the proteins. These results indicated that epitopes on milk allergens were structurally altered by gamma irradiation.

Allergens↗

Effect of food additives and irradiation on survival of Salmonella in oysters.

Salmonella typhimurium and S. enteritidis were inoculated into blended oysters, both raw and autoclaved. The oysters were also treated with sodium benzoate (0.1%) or potassium sorbate (0.1%), and irradiated (0.1 Mrad). In both non-irradiated and irradiated samples, greater numbers of Salmonella were recovered after storage at 7 C in the presence of sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate. The results of the autoclaved samples and studies in buffer indicated that this effect was not due to the reduction of competition from the natural flora when the additives were present.

Animals↗

Radiation flavor--fact or fancy.

Experimental results indicate that sensory evaluations in different laboratories give equivalent results if standardized procedures and a standard sample are used. Conflicting results concerning the flavor of irradiated foods are due largely to different methods of evaluation and to incorrect interpretation of results. Unusual flavor due to irradiation should be considered different, not necessarily objectionable.

Food Preservation↗

Generic ionizing radiation quarantine treatments against fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) proposed.

Tephritid fruit flies comprise the most important group of quarantined pests of fresh produce. Most quarantine treatments of fresh agricultural commodities are directed against these pests, and considerable effort in detection, trapping, and population control is expended worldwide to prevent these pests from invading new territories. Ionizing radiation has been studied for 70 yr for its possible use as a quarantine treatment against fruit flies, but has only been applied commercially on a limited basis since 1995. The treatment has great potential and will probably be used extensively in the future as it is tolerated by more species of fruits than any other major treatment. The U.S. Department Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service only recently proposed allowing irradiation for fresh agricultural imports from other countries, and other countries are studying proposals to do likewise. In 1991, the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation recommended a generic dose against all tephritid fruit flies of 150 Gy. This article examines the literature dealing with irradiation quarantine treatments against fruit flies and recommends minimum absorbed doses of 70 Gy for Anastrepha spp., 101 Gy for Bactrocera jarvisi and B. tryoni, and 150 Gy for all Tephritidae except when fruits have been stored in hypoxic atmospheres.

Animals↗

Public perceptions of everyday food hazards: a psychometric study.

In this paper, we discuss the conduct and results of a study aimed at eliciting public perceptions of food-related hazards. This study employs the psychometric approach of Paul Slovic and colleagues and aims to extend the recent work of Sparks and Shepherd on defining the primary dimensions of food-related risk perceptions. The study surveyed a nationally representative sample of the general public (respondents = 293; adjusted response rate = 30.1%). Respondents provided ratings on subsets of 22 potential food hazards (e.g., food irradiation and presence of listeria) on a total of 19 risk characteristics (e.g., "perceived severity of risk" and "adequacy of governmental regulations"). In spite of the use of a number of new characteristics and food hazards, Principal Components Analysis revealed a broadly similar factor structure to that obtained by Sparks and Shepherd, suggesting the generalizability of the key dimensions (concerning the severity and awareness of hazards). Interestingly, the positioning in the factor space of potential hazards about which little was generally known (e.g., campylobacter) as being serious and in need of regulation, may suggest a possible "starting position" in the perception of new hazards that have not previously been the subject of risk communications.

Communication↗

Estimating the incidence of food-borne Salmonella and the effectiveness of alternative control measures using the Delphi method.

The paper describes the use of the Delphi method to estimate the incidence of food-borne Salmonella in the UK and the effectiveness of alternative control measures. A panel of experts of food-borne Salmonella participated in the Delphi survey, which involved five rounds of questioning taking place in the period July 1993 to January 1994. Participants were asked to give initial estimates for a number of parameters and invited to revise these estimates through progressive rounds of the survey at which the group responses were reported back. This process resulted in a reduction in the variation between the estimates given by individual experts. The final estimated annual incidence of food-borne Salmonella in the UK was 537,000, although significant variation remained between, individual estimates. The foods judged to be the most important modes of transmission were poultry and poultry products (50% of cases) and eggs and egg products (26% of cases). The panel was also requested to estimate the effectiveness of strategies available to reduce the incidence of food-borne Salmonella from all sources. The most effective methods were judged to be food irradiation and mandatory application of HACCP, although there were significant differences in the judged effectiveness of these technologies for individual respondents. The paper demonstrates the efficacy of the Delphi method as a mechanism for reconciling differences between expert judgements of the incidence of food-borne disease and the effectiveness of alternative control strategies.

Animals↗

Determination of relationship between heating value and the thermal resistance of microorganisms in canned meat.

Meat was sterilized with gamma-radiation in an aluminum foil bag and then contaminated with a determined quantity of Bacillus subtilis spores. The bag was then placed in the centre of a can filled with meat. After autoclave sterilization, the whole contents of the aluminum foil bags were examined for the quantity of survived bacteria. This procedure enables the determination of thermal resistance of some bacteria on the condition that appears during typical heating processes. Moreover from all the critical areas all surviving microorganisms can be determined.

Aluminum↗

Effect of some factors used to the chicken meat preservation and processing on the protease activity.

The obtained results indicated that the cathepsin activity was higher by about 60% in the extract from thigh than from breast muscles. Freezing and defrosting (not stored) of chicken meat did not influence the breast muscle cathepsin activity while they caused a decrease of activity of about 20% in the case of thigh muscles. The increase in cathepsin activity was noticed in both kinds of muscles during storage at -20 degrees C up to 4 months (45.6% and 19.4% for thigh and breast muscles respectively). The activity of cathepsin in extract from 5 months stored meat reached 80% in case of breast muscles and 83% in case of thigh muscles in relation to control sample respectively. The cathepsin activity significantly increased during heating of breast muscles up to 60 degrees C, but in case of thigh muscles it was slightly higher than at 50 degrees C. The heating of cured chicken breast muscles up to 60 degrees C caused a non significant growth in cathepsin activity opposite to raw muscles. The cathepsin activity from all cured samples heated up to 70 degrees C were several times lower in relation to control samples. The cathepsin activity of both thigh and breast muscles were resistant to gamma radiation. The investigated factors caused changes in the activity of cathepsin but none of them caused its total inactivation. The changes of cathepsin activity depended on the kind of muscles and the kind and the value of acting factors.

Animals↗