Evaluation of microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods (pizza, frankfurters, sausages in the city of Ilam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akbar Eslami

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Today in the world, disease resulting from food is considered one of the most important problems in public health. This study aimed to determine the bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods, i.e. fast food, in Ilam city. Methods: In this cross-sectional, analytical study, 270 samples of ready-to-eat food, including pizza, frankfurters, and sausages, were randomly collected and tested for contamination with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella arizonae, and Enterococcus faecalis. After examination, the collected data was analyzed using SPSS 20 software and logistic regression. Results: From a total of 270 samples of ready-to-eat food, 27.77% was contaminated with E. coli, 21.48% with S. aureus, 13.33% with S. sonnei, 14.44% with S. arizonae, and 5.9% with E. faecalis. The results showed higher rates of E. coli and S. aureus contamination in pizza, frankfurters, and sausages. Also, a higher percentage of frankfurters were contaminated with microbial species than pizza or sausages. There were significant differences in microbial contamination rates (P < 0.05 among the three groups of food. In addition, factors such as indicators (health, sanitation, and lack of hygiene, age, gender, and education level of the operating staff had no effect on the results. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods is significantly high in the city of Ilam; therefore, it is suggested that the examination of food in various stages of production and distribution can help reduce bacterial contamination, and training for the operators of shopping centers’ ready-to-eat food shops and controlling pathogens are essential.

Evaluation of microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods (pizza, frankfurters, sausages in the city of Ilam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akbar Eslami

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Today in the world, disease resulting from food is considered one of the most important problems in public health. This study aimed to determine the bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods, i.e. fast food, in Ilam city. Methods: In this cross-sectional, analytical study, 270 samples of ready-to-eat food, including pizza, frankfurters, and sausages, were randomly collected and tested for contamination with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella arizonae, and Enterococcus faecalis. After examination, the collected data was analyzed using SPSS 20 software and logistic regression. Results: From a total of 270 samples of ready-to-eat food, 27.77% was contaminated with E. coli, 21.48% with S. aureus, 13.33% with S. sonnei, 14.44% with S. arizonae, and 5.9% with E. faecalis. The results showed higher rates of E. coli and S. aureus contamination in pizza, frankfurters, and sausages. Also, a higher percentage of frankfurters were contaminated with microbial species than pizza or sausages. There were significant differences in microbial contamination rates (P < 0.05 among the three groups of food. In addition, factors such as indicators (health, sanitation, and lack of hygiene, age, gender, and education level of the operating staff had no effect on the results. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods is significantly high in the city of Ilam; therefore, it is suggested that the examination of food in various stages of production and distribution can help reduce bacterial contamination, and training for the operators of shopping centers’ ready-to-eat food shops and controlling pathogens are essential.

The STARTEC Decision Support Tool for Better Tradeoffs between Food Safety, Quality, Nutrition, and Costs in Production of Advanced Ready-to-Eat Foods

Science.gov (United States)

Gefferth, Andras; Spajic, Miroslav; Estanga, Edurne Gaston; Vitali, Silvia; Pasquali, Frederique; Bovo, Federica; Manfreda, Gerardo; Mancusi, Rocco; Tessema, Girum Tadesse; Fagereng, Tone; Moen, Lena Haugland; Lyshaug, Lars; Koidis, Anastasios; Delgado-Pando, Gonzalo; Stratakos, Alexandros Ch.; Boeri, Marco; From, Cecilie; Syed, Hyat; Muccioli, Mirko; Mulazzani, Roberto; Halbert, Catherine

2017-01-01

A prototype decision support IT-tool for the food industry was developed in the STARTEC project. Typical processes and decision steps were mapped using real life production scenarios of participating food companies manufacturing complex ready-to-eat foods. Companies looked for a more integrated approach when making food safety decisions that would align with existing HACCP systems. The tool was designed with shelf life assessments and data on safety, quality, and costs, using a pasta salad meal as a case product. The process flow chart was used as starting point, with simulation options at each process step. Key parameters like pH, water activity, costs of ingredients and salaries, and default models for calculations of Listeria monocytogenes, quality scores, and vitamin C, were placed in an interactive database. Customization of the models and settings was possible on the user-interface. The simulation module outputs were provided as detailed curves or categorized as “good”; “sufficient”; or “corrective action needed” based on threshold limit values set by the user. Possible corrective actions were suggested by the system. The tool was tested and approved by end-users based on selected ready-to-eat food products. Compared to other decision support tools, the STARTEC-tool is product-specific and multidisciplinary and includes interpretation and targeted recommendations for end-users. PMID:29457031

The STARTEC Decision Support Tool for Better Tradeoffs between Food Safety, Quality, Nutrition, and Costs in Production of Advanced Ready-to-Eat Foods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taran Skjerdal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A prototype decision support IT-tool for the food industry was developed in the STARTEC project. Typical processes and decision steps were mapped using real life production scenarios of participating food companies manufacturing complex ready-to-eat foods. Companies looked for a more integrated approach when making food safety decisions that would align with existing HACCP systems. The tool was designed with shelf life assessments and data on safety, quality, and costs, using a pasta salad meal as a case product. The process flow chart was used as starting point, with simulation options at each process step. Key parameters like pH, water activity, costs of ingredients and salaries, and default models for calculations of Listeria monocytogenes, quality scores, and vitamin C, were placed in an interactive database. Customization of the models and settings was possible on the user-interface. The simulation module outputs were provided as detailed curves or categorized as “good”; “sufficient”; or “corrective action needed” based on threshold limit values set by the user. Possible corrective actions were suggested by the system. The tool was tested and approved by end-users based on selected ready-to-eat food products. Compared to other decision support tools, the STARTEC-tool is product-specific and multidisciplinary and includes interpretation and targeted recommendations for end-users.

Microbiological Safety of Ready-to-eat Foods Sold in Primary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study was conducted to assess the microbial safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold in private and public primary schools in Abeokuta, South-western Nigeria. One hundred and sixty RTE food samples were collected from forty food vendors in thirty primary schools and analysed microbiologically. Socio-economic status ...

Study on intervention sterile irradiation of ready to eat foods given to narcotics rehabilitation residents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simanungkalit, B.; Irawati, Z.; Siagian, C.M.; Widasari, L.

2013-01-01

Lack of macro and micro nutrient elements, that serve as primary factor in regulating a human immune response, might lead to malnutrition and declining the body immune. This phenomenon is commonly found in immunocompromised patients such as people infected with HIV and known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (NAIDS). One of the efforts to improve the nutritional status in immunocompromised patients is delivering high-quality of foods that improve the immune status resulting in lower morbidity and mortality. Sterile, safe, high quality with complete nutritional composition and wholesome ”ready to eat” food products can be supplied. Sterilization process using ionizing radiation in food is one of the means to eliminate pathogenic bacteria as well as preserve among others, without affecting their nutritional content of the final product. Different types of radiation sterilization of ready to eat foods based on traditional recipes can be prepared without adhering the recommended dietary allowance, and patients will be more flexible and comfortable in choosing the serving menu. Such dishes based on high-quality protein and fat from fish, beef and chicken meat irradiated at a dose of 45 kGy in terms of ”pepes gold fish”, ”pepes anchovy”, ”beef semur”, ”beef rendang” and different processed chicken such as yellow seasoning, roasted and sweet, administered for 21 days to resident Therapy and Rehabilitation Unit of the National Narcotics Board (NNB). Activities undertaken in this study include the selection of respondents, consisted of the evaluation willingness to participate, inclusion criteria, and blood test performed in the laboratory of respondents before and after eating the foods. The results showed that various ready to eat foods in vacuum packed in a laminate pouch then irradiated at the dose of 45 kGy under cryogenic condition could improve the nutritional and immunity status of the selected residents considered as immuno compromised

Listeria monocytogenes isolated in ready-to-eat food in South Bačka region of Vojvodina province, Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gusman Vera

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Listeria monocytogenes is pathogenic bacterium that can contaminate food products during and after processing. As ready-to-eat food does not undergo any treatment to ensure its safety before consumption, the risk of foodborne disease must be considered if this pathogen is present in the food. As diseases caused by contaminated food are an important public health problem today, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in different ready-to-eat food products. In the seven-month period from June 1 to December 31, 2011, a total of 1 380 food samples were examined in the Division of Sanitary Bacteriology, Center for Microbiology, Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina in Novi Sad. A total of 912 samples were analyzed for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes according to ISO 11290-2. The identity of suspected Listeria monocytogenes was confirmed using the VITEK 2 Compact system (BioMerieux, France. Out of 912 samples, Listeria monocytogenes was detected in 18 (1.97%. Listeria monocytogenes was mostly found in cooked meals (in 6 samples out of 18, sandwiches (4 samples and frozen food, such as ice-cream and frozen vegetables (4 samples. It was also found in tofu bread spreads (2 samples, cream cheese (1 sample and cakes (1 sample. The presence of Listeria monocytogenes in some ready-to-eat food could present a public health hazard, particularly to the high-risk population group, because of the high mortality rate associated with listeriosis and the widespread nature of the organism. Monitoring of listeriosis is essential to prevent foodborne outbreaks, and in assessing human health risk in ready-to-eat foods.

Occurrence and significance of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis in ready-to-eat food

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenquist, Hanne; Ørum-Smidt, Lasse; Andersen, Sigrid R

2005-01-01

Among 48,901 samples of ready-to-eat food products at the Danish retail market, 0.5% had counts of Bacillus cereus-like bacteria above 10(4) cfu g(-1). The high counts were most frequently found in starchy, cooked products, but also in fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Forty randomly selected strains....../or content of cry genes. Thus, a large proportion of the B. cereus-like organisms present in food may belong to B. thuringiensis....

Delay discounting and intake of ready-to-eat and away-from-home foods in overweight and obese women.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelhans, Bradley M; Waring, Molly E; Schneider, Kristin L; Pagoto, Sherry L; DeBiasse, Michelle A; Debiasse, Michelle A; Whited, Matthew C; Lynch, Elizabeth B

2012-10-01

A shift from home-prepared to away-from-home and ready-to-eat foods has occurred in recent decades, which has implications for obesity and health. This study tested whether delay discounting, a facet of impulsivity reflecting sensitivity to immediate reward, is associated with the frequency of consumption and typical amount consumed of home-prepared, away-from-home, and ready-to-eat foods among overweight and obese women. Seventy-eight participants completed a binary choice task assessing discounting of delayed monetary rewards. Nutrient analysis of weighed food records characterized dietary intake over seven consecutive days. Foods were categorized as home-prepared, away-from-home, or ready-to-eat by a registered dietitian from information provided by participants. Delay discounting was not associated with the frequency of consuming home-prepared, away-from-home, and ready-to-eat foods as reflected in the percentages of recorded foods or total energy intake from each category. However, once consuming away-from-home and ready-to-eat foods (but not home-prepared foods), impulsive women consumed more energy than less impulsive women. Exploratory analyses indicated that more impulsive women chose away-from-home foods with a higher energy density (kcal/g). Impulsivity was associated with the quantity of away-from-home and ready-to-eat foods consumed, but not the frequency of their consumption. Home food preparation may be critical to weight control for impulsive individuals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fungal Contamination of Ready-to-Eat Cooked foods in Catering ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fungi are ubiquitous and are found in a variety of habitats, either as transient or permanent dwellers. They grow in a wide range of substrates which may serve as vehicles for their spread to various other environments, including the human body. Ready-to-eat foods are those foods that are eaten without washing, cooking or ...

Consumer Perceptions of the Safety of Ready-to-Eat Foods in Retail Food Store Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Katrina; Yavelak, Mary; Luchansky, John B; Porto-Fett, Anna C S; Chapman, Benjamin

2017-08-01

To better understand how consumers perceive food safety risks in retail food store settings, a survey was administered to 1,041 nationally representative participants who evaluated possible food safety risks depicted in selected photographs and self-reported their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Participants were shown 12 photographs taken at retail stores portraying either commonly perceived or actual food safety contributing factors, such as cross-contamination, product and equipment temperatures, worker hygiene, and/or store sanitation practices. Participants were then asked to specifically identify what they saw, comment as to whether what they saw was safe or unsafe, and articulate what actions they would take in response to these situations. In addition to the survey, focus groups were employed to supplement survey findings with qualitative data. Survey respondents identified risk factors for six of nine actual contributing factor photographs >50% of the time: poor produce storage sanitation (86%, n = 899), cross-contamination during meat slicing (72%, n = 750), bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat food in the deli area (67%, n = 698), separation of raw and ready-to-eat food in the seafood case (63%, n = 660), cross-contamination from serving utensils in the deli case (62%, n = 644), and incorrect product storage temperature (51%, n = 528). On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 was very unsafe and 5 was very safe, a significant difference was found between average risk perception scores for photographs of actual contributing factors (score of ca. 2.5) and scores for photographs of perceived contributing factors (score of ca. 2.0). Themes from the focus groups supported the results of the survey and provided additional insight into consumer food safety risk perceptions. The results of this study inform communication interventions for consumers and retail food safety professionals aimed at improving hazard identification.

Listeria spp. in Street-Vended Ready-to-Eat Foods

OpenAIRE

El-Shenawy, Moustafa; El-Shenawy, Mohamed; Ma?es, Jordi; Soriano, Jose M.

2011-01-01

Street-vended ready-to-eat food sold in Egypt, including sandwiches and dishes of traditional food, was examined for the presence of Listeria species. Out of 576 samples, 24% were found to contain Listeria species. L. monocytogenes and L. innocua were isolated from 57% and 39% of the contaminated samples, respectively. Other Listeria spp. were detected with lower frequency. L. monocytogenes of ≥103 CFU/g were detected in 7% of the total examined samples, which represent 49% of the contamina...

Potential risk and sodium content of children's ready-to-eat foods distributed at major amusement parks in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, N-Y; Park, S-Y; Lee, Y-M; Choi, S-Y; Jeong, S-H; Chung, M-S; Chang, Y-S; Choi, S-H; Bae, D-H; Ha, S-D

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to help better understand the current sodium intake of Korean children and to establish children's good eating habits through investigation of the sodium content of ready-to-eat foods collected from nine major amusement parks in Korea. The sodium content of a total of 322 products was analysed by using ICP and then the potential risk based on the recommended daily intake of sodium as described in the Korean dietary reference intakes was determined. The results showed that sodium content was the lowest in muffins (245 mg/100 g) and the highest in seasoned dried filefish (1825 mg/100 g). The average amounts of sodium per serving of seasoned dried filefish, tteokbokki and fish paste were 1150, 1248 and 1097 mg, respectively. The values were above 50% of the daily intake of sodium recommended by the Korean dietary reference intake. The ready-to-eat foods were also classified into high, medium and low sodium content on the basis of standards recommended by the Korean Food and Drug Administration. Most snacks were classified as high sodium foods because they exceeded "300 mg (84.5% of the total daily allowance)". Furthermore, the meal substitution foods such as kimbab, tteokbokki, mandus, sandwiches and hamburgers exceeded "600 mg (90.3% of the total daily allowance)" and were also classified as high sodium foods. In addition, ready-to-eat foods in amusement parks are similar to foods eaten on streets and foods around school zones, which contain high sodium content; thus, the intake frequency might be high, which would induce high risk to children health. Koreans already consume a high amount of sodium daily via their usual diets. So, the sodium content in snacks and substitution foods needs to be reduced. Consequently, this study noted that parents and guardians should carefully consider their children's consumption of ready-to-eat foods from Korean amusement parks.

Potential Use of Gamma-Irradiated Ethnic Ready-to-Eat Foods to Improve the Nutritional Status of Landslide Victims.

Science.gov (United States)

Koenari, Zubaidah Irawati; Siagian, Carmen M; Simanungkalit, Bona; Nilatany, Asti; Pratama, Indra Mustika; Lasmawati, Deudeu; Nurcahya, Cecep M

2016-07-26

The safety and high quality of ethnic ready-to-eat foods as a source of nourishment and food supplies chain to the remote areas become particularly important. Consuming healthy and balanced nutritional foods means eating better quality foods in proper quantities. Such foods can be developed through a preservation technique by using ionizing radiation. Although implementation of the technology for certain foodstuffs has been implemented in some countries, application of the process to a complete set of meals for selected target groups is still very limited. The various recipes of ready-to-eat food rations based on soy bean, fish, red meat, and poultry, were first developed in collaboration with medium-sized food enterprises prior to quality assessments. The products were individually packed and sealed either in a laminate pouch of Nylon-PE or polyester-aluminum foil-LLDPE and exposed to ionizing radiation at 8 kGy or 45 kGy, respectively, under cryogenic conditions throughout the process, to protect the essential dietary nutrients against free radical attack, and to reduce the undesirable chemical migration from packing material to the food and oxidative changes within the food matrix containing fats. The irradiated foods were stored at room temperature without impairing the overall quality. The high quality of irradiated ethnic foods, i.e., bacem tofu, pepes gold fish, rendang beef, semur beef, and semur chicken, have been administered through an intervention study on adult groups as landslide victims in Cikadu, Pemalang for 30 days continuously at breakfast time: 7.00-9.00 A.M. The results showed that body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²), skin fold caliper (SFC) (mm), hemoglobin (g/dL), and total lymphocyte counts (%) of the targeted respondents did not tend to increase (at p ≥ 0.05) after consuming the irradiated foods, while the albumin content (g/dL) showed a significant increase in blood serum (at p ≤ 0.05). Sensory attributes, such as general appearance

Potential Use of Gamma-Irradiated Ethnic Ready-to-Eat Foods to Improve the Nutritional Status of Landslide Victims

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zubaidah Irawati Koenari

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The safety and high quality of ethnic ready-to-eat foods as a source of nourishment and food supplies chain to the remote areas become particularly important. Consuming healthy and balanced nutritional foods means eating better quality foods in proper quantities. Such foods can be developed through a preservation technique by using ionizing radiation. Although implementation of the technology for certain foodstuffs has been implemented in some countries, application of the process to a complete set of meals for selected target groups is still very limited. The various recipes of ready-to-eat food rations based on soy bean, fish, red meat, and poultry, were first developed in collaboration with medium-sized food enterprises prior to quality assessments. The products were individually packed and sealed either in a laminate pouch of Nylon-PE or polyester-aluminum foil-LLDPE and exposed to ionizing radiation at 8 kGy or 45 kGy, respectively, under cryogenic conditions throughout the process, to protect the essential dietary nutrients against free radical attack, and to reduce the undesirable chemical migration from packing material to the food and oxidative changes within the food matrix containing fats. The irradiated foods were stored at room temperature without impairing the overall quality. The high quality of irradiated ethnic foods, i.e., bacem tofu, pepes gold fish, rendang beef, semur beef, and semur chicken, have been administered through an intervention study on adult groups as landslide victims in Cikadu, Pemalang for 30 days continuously at breakfast time: 7.00–9.00 A.M. The results showed that body mass index (BMI (kg/m2, skin fold caliper (SFC (mm, hemoglobin (g/dL, and total lymphocyte counts (% of the targeted respondents did not tend to increase (at p ≥ 0.05 after consuming the irradiated foods, while the albumin content (g/dL showed a significant increase in blood serum (at p ≤ 0.05. Sensory attributes, such as general

Evaluation of microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods (pizza, frankfurters, sausages) in the city of Ilam

OpenAIRE

Akbar Eslami; Zeinab Gholami; Shokofeh Nargesi; Bahareh Rostami; Moayed Avazpour

2017-01-01

Background: Today in the world, disease resulting from food is considered one of the most important problems in public health. This study aimed to determine the bacterial contamination of ready-to-eat foods, i.e. fast food, in Ilam city. Methods: In this cross-sectional, analytical study, 270 samples of ready-to-eat food, including pizza, frankfurters, and sausages, were randomly collected and tested for contamination with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Salmonell...

Mathematical modeling the cross-contamination of food pathogens on the surface of ready-to-eat meats while slicing

Science.gov (United States)

The knowledge regarding food pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp.) surface transfer on ready-to-eat (RTE) deli meat and the slicer used for slicing different RTE products are needed to ensure RTE food safety. The objectives of this study were to investigat...

Quality loss assessment in fish-based ready-to-eat foods during refrigerated storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pourashouri, P.; Chapela, M. J.; Atanassova, M.; Cabado, A. G.; Vieites, J. M.; Aubourg, S. P.

2013-05-01

The present research addresses the quality loss in two different ready-to-eat (RTE) sea foods. With this aim, chemical and microbiological parameters were measured in tuna lasagne (TL) and hake roe foods which were refrigerated (4 degree centigrade) for up to 35 and 71 days, respectively. Both foods showed a significant lipid oxidation (peroxide and interaction compound formation) development with storage time, which was especially marked in the case of the TL product, which also underwent an important lipid hydrolysis development. Both RTE products showed a low microbial development, no matter how much time had elapsed since the expiration dates; thus, low total viable count scores and volatile amine formation were attained while the presence of pathogen microorganisms was not detected. In view of the current increasing consumer demand for high quality refrigerated foods, the assessment of lipid damage related to nutritional and sensory values is recommended when fish-based RTE products are encountered. (Author) 46 refs.

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods sampled from a catering service in Apulia, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Caggiano, Giuseppina; De Giglio, Osvalda; Lovero, Grazia; Rutigliano, Serafina; Diella, Giusy; Balbino, Stella; Napoli, Christian; Montagna, Maria Teresa

2015-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is currently considered a relevant emerging food-borne pathogen. In particular, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) illustrates its widespread presence in different foods. In the present article, L. monocytogenes prevalence was estimated in cooked ready-to-eat foods sampled from a catering service in a Apulia city, southern Italy. The study was carried out from January to June 2014 in according to Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004, and ISO 11290-1:1996/Amd.1:2004 methods. Listeria spp. was isolated in 8.3% of the samples: L. monocytogenes was identified with the highest prevalence in potato gateau (66.6%), followed by rice dishes (11.1%), Listeria innocua was isolated from potato purea (11.1%) and cooked vegetables (11.1%). These preliminary results confirm the diffusion of the microorganism in ready-to-eat products; therefore, strategies aimed at protecting the consumers should be adopted. First of all, correct hygiene procedures should be followed and then microbiological tests should be implemented in order to early detect Listeria spp. (not only LM) contamination in cooked foods.

Irradiation of ready-to-eat foods at USDA'S Eastern Regional Reasearch Center-2003 update

Science.gov (United States)

Sommers, Christopher; Fan, Xuetong; Niemira, Brendan; Rajkowski, Kathleen

2004-09-01

Ionizing radiation is a safe and effective method for eliminating bacterial pathogens from food products and disinfestation of fruits and vegetables. Since 1980 research has been conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center pertaining to the elimination of food-borne pathogens from meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable products. Recent work has focused on elimination of pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from ready-to-eat (RTE) food products including hot dogs, bologna, lettuce, cilantro, sprouts and seeds, and frozen vegetables. The ionizing radiation dose required to eliminate those pathogens from RTE foods has been found to be commodity, formulation and temperature dependent. The need to eliminate bacterial pathogens from RTE food products must always be balanced with the maintenance of product quality. In addition to determining the effective ionizing radiation doses required for pathogen elimination the effects of irradiation on product chemistry, nutritional value and organoleptic quality have also been determined. A review of the studies conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center in 2002 and 2003 is presented in this article.

Irradiation of ready-to-eat foods at USDA'S Eastern Regional Reasearch Center - 2003 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sommers, Christopher; Fan Xuetong; Niemira, Brendan; Rajkowski, Kathleen

2004-01-01

Ionizing radiation is a safe and effective method for eliminating bacterial pathogens from food products and disinfestation of fruits and vegetables. Since 1980 research has been conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center pertaining to the elimination of food-borne pathogens from meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable products. Recent work has focused on elimination of pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from ready-to-eat (RTE) food products including hot dogs, bologna, lettuce, cilantro, sprouts and seeds, and frozen vegetables. The ionizing radiation dose required to eliminate those pathogens from RTE foods has been found to be commodity, formulation and temperature dependent. The need to eliminate bacterial pathogens from RTE food products must always be balanced with the maintenance of product quality. In addition to determining the effective ionizing radiation doses required for pathogen elimination the effects of irradiation on product chemistry, nutritional value and organoleptic quality have also been determined. A review of the studies conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center in 2002 and 2003 is presented in this article

Guidelines for the Interpretation of Results of Microbiological Testing of Ready-to-Eat Foods Placed on the Market (Revision 2)

OpenAIRE

Food Safety Authority of Ireland

2016-01-01

This document provides guideline microbiological limits for ready-to-eat foods placed on the market. These guideline limits can be used if legal microbiological criteria (Appendix 1) do not exist for a particular combination of food and microorganism. This Guidance Note is intended to be used by: • Food business operators • Enforcement officers, and • Laboratories performing microbiological testing on ready-to-eat foods Food business operators may also use the limits prese...

A description of interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England: a systematic mapping and evidence synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hillier-Brown, Frances C; Summerbell, Carolyn D; Moore, Helen J; Wrieden, Wendy L; Adams, Jean; Abraham, Charles; Adamson, Ashley; Araújo-Soares, Vera; White, Martin; Lake, Amelia A

2017-01-19

Ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away or to be delivered) sold by food outlets are often more energy dense and nutrient poor compared with meals prepared at home, making them a reasonable target for public health intervention. The aim of the research presented in this paper was to systematically identify and describe interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England. A systematic search and sift of the literature, followed by evidence mapping of relevant interventions, was conducted. Food outlets were included if they were located in England, were openly accessible to the public and, as their main business, sold ready-to-eat meals. Academic databases and grey literature were searched. Also, local authorities in England, topic experts, and key health professionals and workers were contacted. Two tiers of evidence synthesis took place: type, content and delivery of each intervention were summarised (Tier 1) and for those interventions that had been evaluated, a narrative synthesis was conducted (Tier 2). A total of 75 interventions were identified, the most popular being awards. Businesses were more likely to engage with cost neutral interventions which offered imperceptible changes to price, palatability and portion size. Few interventions involved working upstream with suppliers of food, the generation of customer demand, the exploration of competition effects, and/or reducing portion sizes. Evaluations of interventions were generally limited in scope and of low methodological quality, and many were simple assessments of acceptability. Many interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England are taking place; award-type interventions are the most common. Proprietors of food outlets in England that, as their main business, sell ready-to-eat meals, can be engaged in implementing

Delay discounting and intake of ready-to-eat and away-from-home foods in overweight and obese women

OpenAIRE

Appelhans, Bradley M.; Waring, Molly E.; Schneider, Kristin L.; Pagoto, Sherry L.; DeBiasse, Michelle A.; Whited, Matthew C.; Lynch, Elizabeth B.

2012-01-01

A shift from home-prepared to away-from-home and ready-to-eat foods has occurred in recent decades, which has implications for obesity and health. This study tested whether delay discounting, a facet of impulsivity reflecting sensitivity to immediate reward, is associated with the frequency of consumption and typical amount consumed of home-prepared, away-from-home, and ready-to-eat foods among overweight and obese women. Seventy-eight participants completed a binary choice task assessing dis...

A description of interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England: a systematic mapping and evidence synthesis

OpenAIRE

Hillier-Brown, Frances C.; Summerbell, Carolyn D.; Moore, Helen J.; Wrieden, Wendy L.; Adams, Jean; Abraham, Charles; Adamson, Ashley; Ara?jo-Soares, Vera; White, Martin; Lake, Amelia A.

2017-01-01

$\\textbf{Background:}$ Ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away or to be delivered) sold by food outlets are often more energy dense and nutrient poor compared with meals prepared at home, making them a reasonable target for public health intervention. The aim of the research presented in this paper was to systematically identify and describe interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England. $\\...

A description of interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered sold by specific food outlets in England: a systematic mapping and evidence synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frances C. Hillier-Brown

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away or to be delivered sold by food outlets are often more energy dense and nutrient poor compared with meals prepared at home, making them a reasonable target for public health intervention. The aim of the research presented in this paper was to systematically identify and describe interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered sold by specific food outlets in England. Methods A systematic search and sift of the literature, followed by evidence mapping of relevant interventions, was conducted. Food outlets were included if they were located in England, were openly accessible to the public and, as their main business, sold ready-to-eat meals. Academic databases and grey literature were searched. Also, local authorities in England, topic experts, and key health professionals and workers were contacted. Two tiers of evidence synthesis took place: type, content and delivery of each intervention were summarised (Tier 1 and for those interventions that had been evaluated, a narrative synthesis was conducted (Tier 2. Results A total of 75 interventions were identified, the most popular being awards. Businesses were more likely to engage with cost neutral interventions which offered imperceptible changes to price, palatability and portion size. Few interventions involved working upstream with suppliers of food, the generation of customer demand, the exploration of competition effects, and/or reducing portion sizes. Evaluations of interventions were generally limited in scope and of low methodological quality, and many were simple assessments of acceptability. Conclusions Many interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered sold by specific food outlets in England are taking place; award-type interventions are the most common. Proprietors of food outlets in England that, as their main business

Salt Content in Ready-to-Eat Food and Bottled Spring and Mineral Water Retailed in Novi Sad.

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Paplović, Ljiljana B Trajković; Popović, Milka B; Bijelović, Sanja V; Velicki, Radmila S; Torović, Ljilja D

2015-01-01

Salt intake above 5 g/person/day is a strong independent risk factor for hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Published studies indicate that the main source of salt in human diet is processed ready-to-eat food, contributing with 65-85% to daily salt intake. The aim of this paper was to present data on salt content of ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad, Serbia, and contribution of the salt contained in 100 g of food to the recommended daily intake of salt for healthy and persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In 1,069 samples of ready-to-eat food, salt (sodium chloride) content was calculated based on chloride ion determined by titrimetric method, while in 54 samples of bottled water sodium content was determined using flame-photometry. Food items in each food group were categorized as low, medium or high salt. Average salt content of each food group was expressed as a percentage of recommended daily intake for healthy and for persons with CVD risk. Average salt content (g/100 g) ranged from 0.36 ± 0.48 (breakfast cereals) to 2.32 ± 1.02 (grilled meat). The vast majority of the samples of sandwiches (91.7%), pizza (80.7%), salami (73.9%), sausages (72.9%), grilled meat (70.0%) and hard cheese (69.6%) had a high salt profile. Average amount of salt contained in 100 g of food participated with levels ranging from 7.2% (breakfast cereals) to 46.4% (grilled meat) and from 9.6% to 61.8% in the recommended daily intake for healthy adult and person with CVD risk, respectively. Average sodium content in 100 ml of bottled spring and mineral water was 0.33 ± 0.30 mg and 33 ± 44 mg, respectively. Ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad has high hidden salt content, which could be considered as an important contributor to relatively high salt consumption of its inhabitants.

Prevalence of Listeria Species in Ready-to-Eat Food in Shahrekord Restaurants

OpenAIRE

Rahimi, E; Shakerian, A. (PhD

2014-01-01

Background and Objective: Listeria bacteria with worldwide widespread are commonly found in soil, sewage, dust and water. Among which,Listeria monocytogenes can cause a serious food-borne disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Listeria species in ready-to-eat foods. Material and Methods: The samples (n=235) including oloveyh salad (n = 64), Yogurt stew (n= 35), vegetable salad (n=52), macaroni salad (n= 48) and meat salad (n =36) were collected from the rest...

Concentrations of Selected Metals In Some Ready-To-Eat-Foods Consumed in Southern Nigeria: Estimation of Dietary Intakes and Target Hazard Quotients

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Chukwujindu Maxwell Iwegbue

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Concentrations of selected metals (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr and Co in some ready-to-eat-foods consumed in Nigeria were investigated with a view providing information on the risk associated with the consumption of these products. The concentrations of metals (mg.kg-1 in these ready-to-eat-foods are in the ranges of 2.4 – 5.2 for Cu; 0.1– 0.8 for Cd; 0.7 – 4.0 for Ni; 8.1 – 53.7 for Fe; 8.9 – 20.0 for Zn; 0.1 – 3.8 for Pb; 5.1 – 14.4 for Mn; 0.83 – 21.4 for Cr and 0.20 – 1.32 for Co. The concentrations and estimated intakes of Cd, Ni and Pb in some of these food types exceeded the permissible limits and tolerable daily intake respectively. The target hazard quotients (THQ for the individual metals indicate levels of concern for Ni, Cd, and Co in some of the ready-to-eat-foods. The combined THQ values for the metals in the examined samples ranged from 1.7 to 10 with significant contributions from Cd, Ni and Co.

Inorganic arsenic contents in ready-to-eat rice products and various Korean rice determined by a highly sensitive gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

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Jung, Mun Yhung; Kang, Ju Hee; Jung, Hyun Jeong; Ma, Sang Yong

2018-02-01

Rice and rice products have been reported to contain high contents of toxic inorganic arsenic (iAs). The inorganic arsenic contents in microwavable ready-to-eat rice products (n=30) and different types of Korean rice (n=102) were determined by a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The method showed low limit of detection (0.015pg), high intra- and inter-day repeatability (ready-to-eat rice products was 59μgkg -1 (dry weight basis). The mean iAs contents in polished white, brown, black, and waxy rice were 65, 109, 91, and 66μgkg -1 , respectively. The percentages of ready-to-eat rice products, white, brown, black, and waxy rice containing iAs over the maximum level (100μgkg -1 ) set by EU for the infant foods were 17, 4, 70, 36 and 0%, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Ready-to-Eat Foods Sold in Istanbul.

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Ulusoy, Beyza H; Çakmak Sancar, Burcu; Öztürk, Muhsin

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold in Istanbul, Turkey. A total of 5,241 samples were randomly collected from various caterers, hotels, and restaurants from 2014 to 2016. The samples were classified into four groups: (i) various cooked RTE meat and vegetable meals, (ii) various RTE salads, charcuterie, and cold appetizers, (iii) various cooked RTE bakery products (pasta, pastries, pizza, pita, ravioli, etc.), and (iv) any cooked RTE sweets and desserts (pudding, custard, cream, ashura, etc.). The samples were examined for the presence of SEs by 3M Tecra Staph Enterotoxin Visual Immunoassay method, which is a manual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Among all samples, only 1 (0.019%) RTE meal (vegetable meal with meat) was found to be contaminated with SEs, a good result in terms of staphylococcal food poisoning risk and public health.

Risk assessment related to biogenic amines occurrence in ready-to-eat baby foods.

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Czajkowska-Mysłek, Anna; Leszczyńska, Joanna

2017-07-01

Potential adverse reactions among infants and young children could appear after consumption of food containing small amounts of bioactive amines. This study presents the first assessment of biogenic amines occurrence in ready-to-eat vegetable without/with fish, meat and fruit baby products intended for the youngest consumers. The biogenic amine profiles and quantities of 6 amines were evaluated in 68 commercial baby foods produced by 10 leading manufacturers available in Poland, using HPLC-APCI-MS method. The total amine contents in analyzed products were obtained in the range of 1283-101421 ng/g. The maximum level of histamine (2375 ng/g) was found in the sample with spinach, tyramine (1667 ng/g) in fruit sample with banana, and of di- and polyamines (1263-53416 ng/g) in samples containing green peas. The results of amine analysis in baby foods indicated the presence of food ingredients which may be necessary to remove (tuna, possibly spinach) or reduce the amount added (spinach, green peas), either reduce their use by infants under 12 months of age (beef). Special attention should also be given to control the consumption of fruit baby products containing banana (higher tyramine and putrescine level). On the basis of obtained results a potential %ARfD, and the BAI were also evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and contamination levels of listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods in Tokyo, Japan.

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Shimojima, Yukako; Ida, Miki; Nakama, Akiko; Nishino, Yukari; Fukui, Rie; Kuroda, Sumiyo; Hirai, Akihiko; Kai, Akemi; Sadamasu, Kenji

2016-08-01

We surveyed prevalence and contamination levels of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods between 2000 and 2012 in Tokyo. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 52 (1.7%) out of 2,980 samples. Comparing the prevalence in the study period, 2.2% were positive in the former period (2000-2005) and 1.2% in the latter (2006-2012). Using the most probable number (MPN) technique, 32 samples were contaminated with fewer than 0.3 L. monocytogenes/g, 10 samples with 0.3-1.0/g and 4 samples with more than 1.0/g (the maximum was 2.3/g). The most common serovar was 1/2a, followed by 1/2b, 4b and 1/2c. We revealed that ready-to-eat foods in Tokyo were contaminated with L. monocytogenes, although the contamination levels were low.

OCCURRENCE OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN READY TO EAT FOOD SAMPLES COLLECTED BY LOMBARDY REGION HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN 2009-2010

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E. Oliverio

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The study provides data on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food samples collected by Lombardy region health authorities and analyzed by Department of Food Microbiology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna. From the total of 503 food samples analyzed, the pathogen was detected in 85 (16,9%. In particular it was highlighted in 8/152 (5,3% meat products, in 5/245 (2% dairy products and in 42/106 (39,6% fishery products. Given the considerable public health implications, the study confirms that a well-planned program of listeriosis surveillance should be enforced to suitably estimate the burden of disease and to prevent foodborne outbreaks.

Irradiation of ready-to-eat foods at USDA'S Eastern Regional Reasearch Center - 2003 update

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Sommers, Christopher; Fan Xuetong; Niemira, Brendan; Rajkowski, Kathleen

2004-10-01

Ionizing radiation is a safe and effective method for eliminating bacterial pathogens from food products and disinfestation of fruits and vegetables. Since 1980 research has been conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center pertaining to the elimination of food-borne pathogens from meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable products. Recent work has focused on elimination of pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from ready-to-eat (RTE) food products including hot dogs, bologna, lettuce, cilantro, sprouts and seeds, and frozen vegetables. The ionizing radiation dose required to eliminate those pathogens from RTE foods has been found to be commodity, formulation and temperature dependent. The need to eliminate bacterial pathogens from RTE food products must always be balanced with the maintenance of product quality. In addition to determining the effective ionizing radiation doses required for pathogen elimination the effects of irradiation on product chemistry, nutritional value and organoleptic quality have also been determined. A review of the studies conducted at USDA's Eastern Regional Research Center in 2002 and 2003 is presented in this article.

Genotypes, antibiotic resistance, and virulence factors of staphylococci from ready-to-eat food.

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Podkowik, Magdalena; Bystroń, Jarosław; Bania, Jacek

2012-01-01

Sixty-seven staphylococcal isolates belonging to 12 species were obtained from 70 ready-to-eat food products. Staphylococcus aureus (n=25), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (n=13) were dominant. Susceptibility to penicillin, oxacillin, tetracycline, clindamycin, gentamicin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and vancomycin was determined. All investigated S. aureus isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and fifteen isolates were resistant to four and more antibiotics. Thirty-eight coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and seventeen to four and more antibiotics. Fifteen CNS isolates were mecA positive, and grew in the presence of 6 μg/mL oxacillin. All S. aureus isolates were mecA-negative. Arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) was found in seven S. epidermidis isolates. Five S. epidermidis isolates harbored ica operon, ACME and were able to form biofilm. Three of them also possessed IS256 element and were mecA-positive. The expression of icaA gene was comparable in five ica-positive S. epidermidis isolates. One of six mecA positive S. epidermidis isolates was classified as sequence type (ST)155, one as ST110, and two as ST88. Two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermis (MRSE) belonged to new STs, that is, ST362, and ST363. Enterotoxin genes were found in 92% of S. aureus isolates. No enterotoxin gene was detected in analyzed CNS population. We show that ready-to-eat products are an important source of antibiotic-resistant CNS and potentially virulent strains of S. epidermidis, including genotypes undistinguishable from hospital-adapted clones.

Microbiological Quality Assessment of Ready-To-Eat Kilishi Sold in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Microbiological Quality Assessment of Ready-To-Eat Kilishi Sold in Abuja, Nigeria. ... Animal Production Research Advances ... A total of twelve samples of ready-to-eat dried meat product, kilishi, were purchased from different sale-points in Abuja, Nigeria and a study conducted on them to assess their microbiological ...

Evaluation of Bacteriological Quality of Ready-to-eat Chicken Products by Total Viable Count Method

OpenAIRE

Ramiz Raja; Asif Iqbal; Yasir Hafiz; Mehboob Willayet; Shakoor Bhat; Mudasir Rather

2012-01-01

The present investigation describes the total viable count of ready-to-eat chicken products (chicken patties and chicken rolls) in Srinagar city during two seasons viz. autumn and winter. A total of 120 ready-to-eat chicken products comprising of 60 chicken patties and 60 chicken rolls were tested. The mean bacterial count of 60 chicken patties and 60 chicken rolls was 5.1281 and 4.9395 log10 cfu/g. Bacillus cereus strains were isolated from 25 of chicken patties and 22 of the chicken rolls r...

Microbiological Findings in Ready-to-Eat and Precooked Food Distributed in Public Catering Halls in Cagliari Province, Italy.

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Brignardello, Silvana; Sabiu, Rosangela; Tedde, Tiziana; Cocco, Enrica; Pitzalis, Gabriella; Meli, Clara; Cogoni, Maria Paola

2014-08-28

During this research 159 samples of ready-to-eat and precooked food were examined for the detection of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes , Escherichia coli , coagulase-positive staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae , bacterial count. All samples were negative for Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes ; although a low count of coagulase-positive staphylococci (no. 5 samples) and E. coli (no. 3) was found. We proceeded with the identification of the isolates on every sample with high, moderate and low-count of Enterobacteriaceae , to better understand the microbial ecology. The Enterobacteriaceae species most frequently detected were Pantoea spp. (29.62%), Enterobacter cloacae (20.37%) and Serratia liquefaciens (12.96%); other different species of Enterobacteriaceae were detected with a ready-to-eat and precooked food, to proceed with the identification of every microorganism.

Older Adult Consumer Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self-Reported Storage Practices of Ready-to-Eat Food Products and Risks Associated with Listeriosis.

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Evans, Ellen W; Redmond, Elizabeth C

2016-02-01

Consumer implementation of recommended food safety practices, specifically relating to time and temperature control of ready-to-eat (RTE) food products associated with listeriosis are crucial. This is particularly the case for at-risk consumers such as older adults, given the increased listeriosis incidence reported internationally among adults aged ≥60 years. However, data detailing older adults' cognitive risk factors associated with listeriosis are lacking. Combining data about knowledge, self-reported practices, and attitudes can achieve a cumulative multilayered in-depth understanding of consumer food safety behavior and cognition. This study aims to ascertain older adults' cognition and behavior in relation to domestic food handling and storage practices that may increase the risks associated with L. monocytogenes. Older adults (≥60 years) (n = 100) participated in an interview and questionnaire to determine knowledge, self-reported practices, and attitudes toward recommended practices. Although the majority (79%) had positive attitudes toward refrigeration, 84% were unaware of recommended temperatures (5°C) and 65% self-reported "never" checking their refrigerator temperature. Although most (72%) knew that "use-by" dates indicate food safety and 62% reported "always" taking note, neutral attitudes were held, with 67% believing it was safe to eat food beyond use-by dates and 57% reporting doing so. Attitudes toward consuming foods within the recommended 2 days of opening were neutral, with 55% aware of recommendations and , 84% reporting that they consume RTE foods beyond recommendations. Although knowledgeable of some key practices, older adults self-reported potentially unsafe practices when storing RTE foods at home, which may increase risks associated with L. monocytogenes. This study has determined that older adults' food safety cognition may affect their behaviors; understanding consumer food safety cognition is essential for developing targeted

Multilocus Genetic Characterization of Lactobacillus fermentum Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Canned Food.

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Sulaiman, Irshad M; Jacobs, Emily; Simpson, Steven; Kerdahi, Khalil

2017-06-01

The primary mission of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is to enforce the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulate food, drug, and cosmetic products. Thus, this agency monitors the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in these products, including canned foods, as one of the regulatory action criteria and also ensures that these products are safe for human consumption. This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of pathogen control and integrity of ready-to-eat canned food containing Black Bean Corn Poblano Salsa. A total of nine unopened and recalled canned glass jars from the same lot were examined initially by conventional microbiologic protocols that involved a two-step enrichment, followed by streaking on selective agar plates, for the presence of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Of the eight subsamples examined for each sample, all subsamples of one of the containers were found positive for the presence of slow-growing rod-shaped, gram-positive, facultative anaerobic bacteria. The recovered isolates were subsequently sequenced at rRNA and gyrB loci. Afterward, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed characterizing 11 additional known MLST loci (clpX, dnaA, dnaK, groEL, murC, murE, pepX, pyrG, recA, rpoB, and uvrC). Analyses of the nucleotide sequences of rRNA, gyrB, and 11 MLST loci confirmed these gram-positive bacteria recovered from canned food to be Lactobacillus fermentum . Thus, the DNA sequencing of housekeeping MLST genes can provide species identification of L. fermentum and can be used in the canned food monitoring program of public health importance.

Technologies and mechanisms for safety control of ready-to-eat muscle foods: an updated review.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jiang; Xiong, Youling L

2015-01-01

Ready-to-eat (RTE) muscle foods refer to a general category of meat and poultry products that are fully cooked and consumable without reheating. These products, including whole and sliced pork, beef, turkey, chicken, and variety of meats, in the forms of ham, roast, rolls, sausage, and frankfurter, are widely available in the delicatessen section of retail stores or various food service outlets. However, difficulties in avoidance of contamination by foodborne pathogens, notably Listeria monocytogenes, during product postlethality repackaging render RTE meats labile to outbreaks. Accordingly, the USDA-FSIS has established processing guidelines and regulations, which are constantly updated, to minimize foodborne pathogens in RTE products. Technologies that complement good manufacturing practice have been developed to control RTE meat safety. Among them, various antimicrobial product formulations, postpackaging pasteurization (thermal and nonthermal), and antimicrobial packaging are being used. Through these efforts, outbreaks linked to RTE meat consumption have substantially reduced in recent years. However, the pervasive and virulent nature of L. monocytogenes and the possible presence of other cold-tolerant pathogens entail continuing developments of new intervention technologies. This review updates existing and emerging physical and chemical methods and their mode of action to inactivate or inhibit threatening microorganisms in RTE muscle foods.

Comparative genomics analyses revealed two virulent Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from ready-to-eat food.

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Lim, Shu Yong; Yap, Kien-Pong; Thong, Kwai Lin

2016-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that causes considerable morbidity in humans with high mortality rates. In this study, we have sequenced the genomes and performed comparative genomics analyses on two strains, LM115 and LM41, isolated from ready-to-eat food in Malaysia. The genome size of LM115 and LM41 was 2,959,041 and 2,963,111 bp, respectively. These two strains shared approximately 90% homologous genes. Comparative genomics and phylogenomic analyses revealed that LM115 and LM41 were more closely related to the reference strains F2365 and EGD-e, respectively. Our virulence profiling indicated a total of 31 virulence genes shared by both analysed strains. These shared genes included those that encode for internalins and L. monocytogenes pathogenicity island 1 (LIPI-1). Both the Malaysian L. monocytogenes strains also harboured several genes associated with stress tolerance to counter the adverse conditions. Seven antibiotic and efflux pump related genes which may confer resistance against lincomycin, erythromycin, fosfomycin, quinolone, tetracycline, and penicillin, and macrolides were identified in the genomes of both strains. Whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics analyses revealed two virulent L. monocytogenes strains isolated from ready-to-eat foods in Malaysia. The identification of strains with pathogenic, persistent, and antibiotic resistant potentials from minimally processed food warrant close attention from both healthcare and food industry.

Exposure to antimony from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays used in ready-to-eat meals.

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Haldimann, M; Blanc, A; Dudler, V

2007-08-01

Antimony residues, a result of the use of a polycondensation catalyst in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) oven-proof trays, were analysed in ready-to-eat meals. The toxicity of antimony has raised concerns about consumer safety; therefore, the migration of small fractions of these residues into ready meals and foods as a result of cooking directly in the PET trays was studied. A straightforward approach of measuring real samples was selected to obtain accurate exposure data. Background antimony concentration was determined separately from a series of lunch meals, which ranged from not detectable to 3.4 microg kg(-1). Microwave and conventional oven-cooking caused a distinct increase in the concentration of antimony in food and ready meals of 0-17 and 8-38 microg kg(-1), respectively, depending, to a certain extent, on the industrial preparations. The migrated quantities of antimony corresponded to 3-13 microg. For comparison, PET roasting bags and ready-made dough products in PET baking dishes were also evaluated. About half of the products prepared at a temperature of 180 degrees C exceeded the specific migration limit set for food contact material by the European Commission. However, the migrated amounts of antimony relative to the accepted tolerable daily intake (TDI) show that exposure from this type of food is currently not of toxicological concern.

Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Listeria Spp. Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Foods in Ankara

OpenAIRE

ŞİRELİ, Ufuk Tansel; GÜCÜKOĞLU, Ali

2014-01-01

In this study the presence of Listeria spp. is tested in 100 ready-to-eat food samples purchased from different stores and traditional food shops in the province of Ankara. The tested materials were 20 each of the following: mayonnaise based salad, kadınbudu köfte (fried meatball), fried liver, rice stuffed mussel, and green salad. Microbiological analyzes showed that 13 of 100 salad samples (13%) were contaminated with Listeria spp. while 10 of 100 salad samples (10%) were contaminated with ...

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of listeria species from ready-to-eat foods of animal origin in Gondar Town, Ethiopia.

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Garedew, Legesse; Taddese, Ayele; Biru, Tigist; Nigatu, Seleshe; Kebede, Elias; Ejo, Mebrat; Fikru, Abraham; Birhanu, Tamiru

2015-05-12

Listeriosis, mostly caused by Listeria monocytogenes species, has become a major concern to public health authorities due to its clinical severity and high mortality rate, particularly in high risk groups. Currently, there is limited information regarding the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of listeria species in ready-to-eat foods of animal origin in Gondar town, Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Listeria species isolated from ready-to-eat food of animal origin from public dinning places in Gondar town, Ethiopia. A cross sectional study on ready-toeat foods of animal origin sampled from major supermarkets, butcher shops, pastry shops, restaurants and hotels was carried out. Culture, biochemical and sugar tests were conducted for listeria species identification and disc diffusion test was performed to study the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates. Out of 384 food samples examined, 96 (25%) were positive for Listeria species. Listeria monocytogenes was detected in 24 (6.25%) of the samples. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from cake, raw meat, ice cream, minced beef, fish, unpasteurized milk and pizza in that order from higher to lower rate. Assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of L. monocytogenes revealed the presence of four multi-drug resistant isolates. The higher resistance rate was recorded for penicillin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline and chloramphenicol, in decreasing order. All L. monocytogenes identified in the current study were sensitive to amoxicillin, cephalothin, cloxacillin, sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin and vancomycin. The presence of L. monocytogenes including drug resistant and multidrug resistant isolates in some ready-to-eat food items is an indicator of the presence of public health hazards to the consumer, particularly to the high-risk groups. Hence awareness creation on food safety and implementation of regulations

Survey for Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat foods from retail establishments in the United States (2010-2013): assessing potential changes of pathogen prevalence and levels in a decade

Science.gov (United States)

A multi-year Interagency Listeria monocytogenes Market Basket Survey (Lm MBS) was undertaken for selected categories of refrigerated ready-to eat (RTE) foods purchased at retail in four FoodNet sites in the U.S. Eighteen product types were sampled, including RTE seafood, produce, dairy, meat, eggs,...

Control of enteric pathogens in ready-to-eat vegetable crops in organic and 'low input' production systems: a HACCP-based approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Leifert, C; Ball, K; Volakakis, N; Cooper, J M

2008-10-01

Risks from pathogens such as Salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli O157 have been identified as a particular concern for organic and 'low input' food production systems that rely on livestock manure as a nutrient source. Current data do not allow any solid conclusions to be drawn about the level of this risk, relative to conventional production systems. This review describes six Risk Reduction Points (RRPs) where risks from enteric pathogens can be reduced in ready-to-eat vegetables. Changes can be made to animal husbandry practices (RRP1) to reduce inoculum levels in manure. Outdoor livestock management (RRP2) can be optimized to eliminate the risk of faecal material entering irrigation water. Manure storage and processing (RRP3), soil management practices (RRP4) and timing of manure application (RRP5), can be adjusted to reduce the survival of pathogens originating from manure. During irrigation (RRP6), pathogen risks can be reduced by choosing a clean water source and minimizing the chances of faecal material splashing on to the crop. Although preventive measures at these RRPs can minimize enteric pathogen risk, zero risk can never be obtained for raw ready-to-eat vegetables. Good food hygiene practices at home are essential to reduce the incidence of food-borne illnesses.

Mathematical modeling the cross-contamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on the surface of ready-to-eat meat product while slicing

Science.gov (United States)

Microbial cross-contamination either at home or production site is one of the major factors of causing contamination of foods and leading to the foodborne illness. The knowledge regarding Escherichia coli O157:H7 surface transfer on ready-to-eat (RTE) deli meat and the slicer used for slicing diffe...

Occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat Products and Meat Processing Plants in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Gómez

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to study the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in several types of ready-to-eat (RTE meat products and in the environment of meat processing plants. A total of 129 samples of RTE meat products and 110 samples from work surfaces and equipment were analyzed. L. monocytogenes was detected in 6 out of 35 cooked products (17.14%, 21 out of 57 raw-cured products (36.84%, and 9 out of 37 dry-cured, salted products (24.32%. The number of sample units that exceeded the food safety limit of 100 cfu/g decreased from the manufacture date to half shelf life, and then it was further reduced at the end of shelf life. L. monocytogenes was detected in 25 out of 110 (22.72% food contact surfaces. The number of positive and negative results from both food and environmental samples were cross-tabulated and the calculated Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ was 0.3233, indicating a fair agreement in terms of Listeria contamination. L. monocytogenes was recovered after cleaning and disinfection procedures in four plants, highlighting the importance of thorough cleaning and disinfection.

The influence of headspace and dissolved oxygen level on growth and haemolytic BL enterotoxin production of a psychrotolerant Bacillus weihenstephanensis isolate on potato based ready-to-eat food products.

Science.gov (United States)

Samapundo, S; Everaert, H; Wandutu, J N; Rajkovic, A; Uyttendaele, M; Devlieghere, F

2011-04-01

The major objective of this study was to determine the influence of the initial headspace and dissolved O(2) level and vacuum packaging on growth and diarrhoeal enterotoxin production by Bacillus weihenstephanensis on potato based ready-to-eat food products. In general, the lower the initial headspace or dissolved O(2) level the slower the maximum growth rate (μ(max), log(10) CFU g(-1) d(-1)), the longer the lag phase duration (λ, d) and the smaller the maximum population density (N(max), log(10) CFU g(-1)) became. The slowest μ(max), the longest λ and the smallest N(max) were generally found for growth under vacuum packaging. This implies shorter shelf-lives will occur at higher initial headspace or dissolved O(2) levels as the growth of B. weihenstephanensis to the infective dose of 10(5) CFU g(-1) in such atmospheres takes a shorter time. Significant consumption of dissolved O(2) only occurred when growth shifted from the lag to the exponential phase and growth generally transitioned from the exponential to the stationary phase when the dissolved O(2) levels fell below ca. 75 ppb. Diarrhoeal enterotoxin production (determined via detection of the L2 component of haemolytic BL) was similar for growth under initial headspace O(2) levels of 1-20.9%, and was only reduced when growth took place under vacuum packaging. The reduction in L2 production when growth took place under vacuum was most probably related to the low final cell densities observed under this condition. Both growth and L2 production were inhibited over a 32-day incubation period at 7 °C by 40% CO(2) irrespective of the headspace or dissolved O(2) levels. The results illustrate the importance of residual O(2) and CO(2) on the shelf-stability and safety of modified atmosphere packaged potato based ready-to-eat food products with regards to B. weihenstephanensis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiological Challenge Testing for Listeria Monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Food: A Practical Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Spanu, Carlo; Scarano, Christian; Ibba, Michela; Pala, Carlo; Spanu, Vincenzo; De Santis, Enrico Pietro Luigi

2014-12-09

Food business operators (FBOs) are the primary responsible for the safety of food they place on the market. The definition and validation of the product's shelf-life is an essential part for ensuring microbiological safety of food and health of consumers. In the frame of the Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, FBOs shall conduct shelf-life studies in order to assure that their food does not exceed the food safety criteria throughout the defined shelf-life. In particular this is required for ready-to-eat (RTE) food that supports the growth of Listeria monocytogenes . Among other studies, FBOs can rely on the conclusion drawn by microbiological challenge tests. A microbiological challenge test consists in the artificial contamination of a food with a pathogen microorganism and aims at simulating its behaviour during processing and distribution under the foreseen storage and handling conditions. A number of documents published by international health authorities and research institutions describes how to conduct challenge studies. The authors reviewed the existing literature and described the methodology for implementing such laboratory studies. All the main aspects for the conduction of L. monocytogenes microbiological challenge tests were considered, from the selection of the strains, preparation and choice of the inoculum level and method of contamination, to the experimental design and data interpretation. The objective of the present document is to provide an exhaustive and practical guideline for laboratories that want to implement L. monocytogenes challenge testing on RTE food.

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in raw and ready-to-eat foods and in a Canadian food service operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Medeiros, Diane T; Sattar, Syed A; Farber, Jeffrey M; Carrillo, Catherine D

2008-10-01

The occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in a variety of foods from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and raw milk samples from across Canada was determined over a 2-year period. The samples consisted of 55 raw foods (chicken, pork, and beef), 126 raw milk samples from raw milk cheese manufacturers, and 135 ready-to-eat foods (meat products, salads, and raw milk cheeses). Campylobacter jejuni was detected in 4 of the 316 samples analyzed: 1 raw beef liver sample and 3 raw chicken samples. An isolation rate of 9.7% was observed among the raw chicken samples tested. This study also investigated the role of cross-contamination in disseminating Campylobacter from raw poultry within a food service operation specializing in poultry dishes. Accordingly, kitchen surfaces within a restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, were sampled between March and August 2001. Tests of the sampling method indicated that as few as 100 Campylobacter cells could be detected if sampling was done within 45 min of inoculation; however, Campylobacter spp. were not detected in 125 swabs of surfaces within the kitchens of this food service operation. Despite the reported high prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in raw poultry, this organism was not detected on surfaces within a kitchen of a restaurant specializing in poultry dishes.

Thermal pasteurization of ready-to-eat foods and vegetables: Critical factors for process design and effects on quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Jing; Tang, Juming; Barrett, Diane M; Sablani, Shyam S; Anderson, Nathan; Powers, Joseph R

2017-09-22

Increasing consumer desire for high quality ready-to-eat foods makes thermal pasteurization important to both food producers and researchers. To be in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food companies seek regulatory and scientific guidelines to ensure that their products are safe. Clearly understanding the regulations for chilled or frozen foods is of fundamental importance to the design of thermal pasteurization processes for vegetables that meet food safety requirements. This article provides an overview of the current regulations and guidelines for pasteurization in the U.S. and in Europe for control of bacterial pathogens. Poorly understood viral pathogens, in terms of their survival in thermal treatments, are an increasing concern for both food safety regulators and scientists. New data on heat resistance of viruses in different foods are summarized. Food quality attributes are sensitive to thermal degradation. A review of thermal kinetics of inactivation of quality-related enzymes in vegetables and the effects of thermal pasteurization on vegetable quality is presented. The review also discusses shelf-life of thermally pasteurized vegetables.

Bacteria-eating virus approved as food additive.

Science.gov (United States)

Bren, Linda

2007-01-01

Not all viruses harm people. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a mixture of viruses as a food additive to protect people. The additive can be used in processing plants for spraying onto ready-to-eat meat and poultry products to protect consumers from the potentially life-threatening bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes).

Development of a ready to eat fish based product using seafood industry byproducts: FisHam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luís Raimundo

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Over the last years, there has been an increased demand from consumers for safe, nutritionally balanced and convenient food products. These trends are contributing towards an increasing demand for fishery products which affects fishery resources worldwide, compromising stocks of many fish species. The technological enhancement of the byproducts of fish industries or fish species of low commercial value, transforming these materials in products with high nutritional potential will simultaneously contribute towards fulfill present consumer trends and to a more sustainable marine resources management. The present work develops the product concept and prototype formulation of a ready to eat omega 3 enriched product using raw material trimmings of fish of low commercial value. The product developed, FisHam is a ham-like refrigerated product, which can be slice and added to sandwiches or diced and added to salads. Product concept was validated with a questionnaire, in which it was obtained a positive global acceptance by 86% of the inquired people. Sensory analysis of the product revealed its good acceptability, with an average global appreciation of “enjoyed moderately” and with 58% of the pannel stating the intention of buying the product. Fish oil addition had no impact on sensory acceptance. Regarding the physicochemical analysis, the selected formulation showed a content of protein of 7,08%, low lipid content of 3,74%, medium content of humidity of 61% and low caloric value of 164 calories per 100 grams. The color, textural attributes, humidity content and microbiological parameters were monitored during 10 days of refrigerated storage at 5ºC. On the microbiological level, the product showed the absence of enterobacteries and psychrotrophics in compliance with legal microbiological criteria set for ready to eat products. It can be concluded that this new product can be considered an alternative product to meat ham and other meat products in

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of ready-to-eat meat: Inactivation of Listeria innocua and changes in product quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rød, Sara Katrine; Hansen, Flemming; Leipold, Frank

2012-01-01

The application of cold atmospheric pressure plasma for decontamination of a sliced ready-to-eat (RTE) meat product (bresaola) inoculated with Listeria innocua was investigated. Inoculated samples were treated at 15.5, 31, and 62 W for 2–60 s inside sealed linear-low-density-polyethylene bags...... the sensory threshold level. Surface colour changes included loss of redness of ∼40% and 70% after 1 and 14 days of storage, respectively, regardless of plasma treatment. The results indicate that plasma may be applicable in surface decontamination of pre-packed RTE food products. However, oxidation may...

Whole-genome Sequencing Used to Investigate a Nationwide Outbreak of Listeriosis Caused by Ready-to-eat Delicatessen Meat, Denmark, 2014

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kvistholm Jensen, Anne; Nielsen, Eva Møller; Björkman, Jonas Torgny

2016-01-01

patients' food and clinical histories. Food production facilities were inspected and sampled, and we performed trace-back/trace-forward of food delivery chains. In total, 41 cases were identified; 17 deaths occurred (41%). An isolate from a delicatessen meat (spiced meat roll) from company A was identical...... traced and recalled from >6000 food establishments, after which the outbreak ended. Ready-to-eat spiced meat roll from a single production facility caused this outbreak. The product, served sliced and cold, is popular among the elderly; serving it at hospitals probably contributed to the high case...

Contamination of ready-to-eat raw vegetables with Clostridium difficile in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckert, Catherine; Burghoffer, Béatrice; Barbut, Frédéric

2013-09-01

The presence of Clostridium difficile in food like shellfish, vegetables and meat has been reported in several publications during the past few years. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of ready-to-eat raw vegetables contaminated with C. difficile in France. One hundred and four ready-to-eat salads and vegetables were studied. Toxigenic C. difficile strains were isolated in three samples (2.9 %): two ready-to-eat salads (one heart of lettuce and one lamb's lettuce salad) and one portion of pea sprouts. The strains belonged to three different PCR ribotypes: 001, 014/020/077 and 015. The detection thresholds for vegetative cells and spores cells varied between 1 and 3 c.f.u. in 20 g salad and between 6 and 15 c.f.u. in 20 g salad, respectively, for the method employed.

Control of enteric pathogens in ready-to-eat vegetable crops in organic and ‘low input’ production systems: a HACCP-based approach

OpenAIRE

Leifert, C.; Ball, K.; Volakakis, N.; Cooper, J.M.

2008-01-01

Risks from pathogens such as Salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli O157 have been identified as a particular concern for organic and ‘low input’ food production systems that rely on livestock manure as a nutrient source. Current data do not allow any solid conclusions to be drawn about the level of this risk, relative to conventional production systems. This review describes six Risk Reduction Points (RRPs) where risks from enteric pathogens can be reduced in ready-to-eat v...

Tracking Listeria monocytogenes contamination and virulence-associated characteristics in the ready-to-eat meat-based food products industry according to the hygiene level.

Science.gov (United States)

Henriques, A R; Gama, L T; Fraqueza, M J

2017-02-02

Listeria monocytogenes isolates collected from final products and food contact surfaces of 10 ready-to-eat meat-based food products (RTEMP) producing industries were analyzed to relate their virulence-associated characteristics and genetic profiles with the hygiene assessment of those industries. Together with sample collection, an audit was performed to evaluate the implemented food safety management system and to investigate the specific audit requisites more associated to the occurrence of those L. monocytogenes serogroups frequently related with human disease. L. monocytogenes was present in 18% of the samples. The isolates (n=62) were serogrouped and detection of virulence-associated genes inlA, inlB, inlC and inlJ, and also plcA, hlyA, actA and iap was done by multiplex PCR. After this initial characterization, selected isolates (n=31) were submitted to antibiotic resistance testing by the disk diffusion method for the currently most used human and veterinary antibiotics and resistance was low. These isolates were also subtyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Genotyping and serogrouping of L. monocytogenes isolates revealed a genetically diverse population. Our data indicate that contamination of final products does not seem to be uniquely related to the sampled food surfaces. The occurrence of those L. monocytogenes serogroups more commonly associated with human disease in industries with a high hygienic audit classification could be the result of a previous identification of the pathogen, with an enforcement of the hygiene program without recognizing the real source of contamination. This reinforces the importance of a conjoined diagnosis using audit data and microbiological testing. Food safety management systems of those industries need improvement, particularly in cleaning and sanitizing operations, analytical control, preventive maintenance, personal hygiene and root cause analysis. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Profile, and Molecular Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Ready-to-eat Food in China, 2013-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Shao Fei; Wang, Wei; Bai, Li; Hu, Yu Jie; Dong, Yin Ping; Xu, Jin; Li, Feng Qin

2016-06-01

We aimed to investigate the potential pathogenic profile and antibiotic resistance of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from ready-to-eat food in China. Antimicrobial resistance was determined by broth microdilution following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocol. Molecular serotyping, virulence, and resistance genes were identified using PCR. Multi-locus sequence typing was performed on resistant strains. A total of 11.53% (113/980) isolates were resistant, from which 82.3% (93/113) harbored all the virulence genes tested. The resistant strains were subtyped into 18 sequence types (STs), from which ST2, ST5, ST8, and ST9 were involved in listeriosis. This study indicated that several L. monocytogenes isolates from ready-to-eat foods in China have pathogenic potential and are resistant to antibiotics, including antibiotics used as medicines by humans for listeriosis treatment. Copyright © 2016 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Use of irradiation to improve the safety and quality of ethnic South African foods. Part II: Effect of gamma irradiation on the sensory and microbiological quality of ready-to-eat bovine tripe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minnaar, A.; Nortje, K.; Parry-Hanson, A.M.A.; Buys, E.M.

2009-01-01

South Africa is a multicultural country with different eating habits and food preferences. Traditional African foods such as bovine tripe form a part of the diet of black South Africans. These foods are laborious to prepare, not generally available commercially, and have a limited shelf life. Other popular ethnic foods in South Africa include meat products such as biltong, an intermediate moisture dried raw meat product. Moist beef biltong has the potential to cause food poisoning. The application of irradiation alone or in combination with other technologies can help solve these problems. Lean moist beef biltong (47% moisture, 3.7% NaCl, 1.5% crude fat, water activity 0.92) can be irradiated with doses up to 10 kGy without adversely affecting sensory acceptability, provided that the irradiation is performed under vacuum conditions and that the biltong is exposed to aerobic conditions after irradiation to dissipate off odour volatiles. However, low dose irradiation (≤4 kGy) was perceived to be more acceptable and preferable by consumers. Gamma irradiation of moist beef biltong (53.6% moisture, 1.91% NaCl, water activity 0.979) at doses between 4 and 5 kGy was adequate to ensure safety from Staphylococcus aureus even if contamination levels as high as 10 7 CFU/g were initially present. However, doses up to 5 kGy were insufficient to prevent yeast and mould spoilage if initial fungal contamination levels were high (>10 3 CFU/g). Casein-whey protein edible coatings did not inhibit microbial growth on moist beef biltong, probably owing to diminished oxygen barrier properties resulting from the very high moisture content of the biltong. Ready-to-eat bovine tripe can be irradiated up to 9.3 kGy without affecting the consumer acceptance adversely. Gamma irradiation at a target dose of 9 kGy significantly reduced total bacteria counts and aerobic spore counts and extended the shelf life of ready-to-eat bovine tripe to at least 14 d at both 5 and 15 deg. C when aerobic

Mould Contamination of ready-to-eat cereal-based foods retailed in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Samples belonging to four different brands (Instant Morvite™, E-Papa™, Ace Instant Porridge™ and Roasted Morvite™) of ready-to-eat fortified cereal-based foodstuffs imported from the Republic of South Africa were bought from different retail outlets in the Roma valley, Lesotho and examined for contamination with ...

Quantitative microbiological risk assessment as a tool to obtain useful information for risk managers - specific application to Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat meat products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mataragas, M.; Zwietering, M.H.; Skandamis, P.N.; Drosinos, E.H.

2010-01-01

The presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a sliced cooked, cured ham-like meat product was quantitatively assessed. Sliced cooked, cured meat products are considered as high risk products. These ready-to-eat, RTE, products (no special preparation, e.g. thermal treatment, before eating is required),

Preliminary assessment of the risk linked to furan ingestion by babies consuming only ready-to-eat food.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholl, Georges; Humblet, Marie-France; Scippo, Marie-Louise; De Pauw, Edwin; Eppe, Gauthier; Saegerman, Claude

2013-01-01

The risk linked to furan ingestion has been assessed in previous papers for Belgian adults and children. The present paper focuses on infants consuming only ready-to-eat baby food. As there is no Belgian baby dietary database, the furan exposure assessment was carried out by using an Italian infant consumption database and Belgian contamination data. The estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated according to a deterministic methodology. It involved 42 commercially available ready-to-eat baby food and 36 baby consumption records. The mean EDI was 1460 ng*(kg(bw)*day)⁻¹ which is 3.8 times higher than the 381 ng*(kg(bw)*day)⁻¹ reported for Belgian adults, and 3.5 times higher than the 419 ng*(kg(bw)*day)⁻¹ measured for Belgian children. To assess and characterise the risk for babies' exposure, the margin of exposure (MoE) was calculated. It highlighted that 74% of infants have a MoE < 1000, with a minimum of 140. However, these are only preliminary results as they were calculated from a very small dataset and the infant cytochrome P450 activity is significantly different compared with the adult's. Therefore, the risk linked to furan ingestion by babies should be assessed in a different manner. To this end, additional data regarding a baby diet as well as a better understanding of furan toxicity for babies are needed to characterise more accurately the risk for infants.

Influence of Higher Wheat Prices on Ready-to-Eat Cereal Companies in 2010

OpenAIRE

HERNANDEZ LOERA CHAVEZ, PABLO

2013-01-01

In 2010, sever droughts and fires destroyed 20 percent of Russia’s wheat crop. This incident increased dramatically the prices of wheat worldwide. This paper studies the financial consequences that these higher wheat prices brought to companies that use wheat to manufacture ready-to-eat cereal and wheat-related products. The international cereal companies selected for this study were Kellogg Company, Nestlé Group and Ralcorp Holdings, Inc., owner of Post Foods Company. Keywords: Wheat, ce...

Occurrence of emerging food-borne pathogenic Arcobacter spp. isolated from pre-cut (ready-to-eat) vegetables.

Science.gov (United States)

Mottola, Anna; Bonerba, Elisabetta; Bozzo, Giancarlo; Marchetti, Patrizia; Celano, Gaetano Vitale; Colao, Valeriana; Terio, Valentina; Tantillo, Giuseppina; Figueras, Maria José; Di Pinto, Angela

2016-11-07

Given that changes in consumer food behaviours have led to an increase in the demand for pre-cut ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables, and that few data are currently available on the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. in such foods, the aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. that carry virulence-associated genes on pre-cut RTE vegetables, using cultural and molecular methods. Arcobacter was detected using biomolecular identification methods in 44/160 (27.5%) of the samples, of which 40/44 (90.9%) isolates corresponded to A. butzleri and 4/44 (9.1%) to A. cryaerophilus. Studying the incidence of 9 virulence-associated genes revealed the widespread distribution of these genes among the Arcobacter isolates tested. The results obtained in our research provided plenty of information on the health risks associated with the direct consumption of raw vegetables, and highlight the need to implement further studies at each level of the production chain, in order to obtain further information to help protect human health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potential risk of norovirus infection due to the consumption of "ready to eat" food.

Science.gov (United States)

Serracca, Laura; Rossini, Irene; Battistini, Roberta; Goria, Maria; Sant, Serena; De Montis, Gabriella; Ercolini, Carlo

2012-09-01

In this study, we investigated the presence of enteric viruses such as norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus (HAdV), in vegetables available on the Italian markets. For this aim, 110 national and international "ready to eat" samples were collected and analyzed by biomolecular tests and positive samples were confirmed by sequencing. All samples (100 %) were negative for HAV, HEV, and HAdV, while 13.6 % (15/110) were positive for NoV. Actually there is not a formal surveillance system for NoV infections in Italy but we clearly demonstrated a potential risk associated with the consumption of "ready to eat" vegetables. This study confirmed for the first time in Italy the presence of norovirus in semi-dried tomatoes by PCR technique.

Raw ready-to-eat seafood safety: microbiological quality of the various seafood species available in fishery, hyper and online markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, H W; Hong, Y J; Jo, J I; Ha, S D; Kim, S H; Lee, H J; Rhee, M S

2017-01-01

Microbiological quality of 206 raw ready-to-eat seafood samples was investigated according to species (gizzard shad, halibut, rockfish, tuna, oyster and squid) and distribution channels (fishery, hyper and online market). Enumeration of aerobic plate count and total coliforms (TC) and pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) was performed, and level of microbiological quality was classified into four groups: satisfactory, acceptable, unsatisfactory and unacceptable. Qualitative analysis was also performed for Escherichia coli and eight foodborne pathogens (B. cereus, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, Vibrio cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus). Raw ready-to-eat seafood products revealed 0·5% at an unsatisfactory level and 4·9% at an unacceptable level due to ≥4 log CFU g -1 of TC in squid and ≥3 log CFU g -1 of V. parahaemolyticus in gizzard shad respectively. Gizzard shad was shown to be potentially hazardous, as its sashimi is eaten with its skin attached. Bacillus cereus, E. coli, S. aureus, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus were qualitatively detected. Samples from the fishery market showed higher detection rate especially in V. parahaemolyticus (21·6%) and V. vulnificus (1·7%) which indicates the need to improve microbiological safety of raw ready-to-eat seafood products in fishery market. Raw ready-to-eat seafood products like sashimi can be easily contaminated with various bacteria from aquatic environments and human reservoirs, which subsequently bring about a risk in food poisoning due to no heating process before consumption. The results of this study provide comprehensive microbiological data on various species of raw ready-to-eat seafood from various distribution channels. It may contribute to establish reasonable standard and effective strategies to ensure a good microbiological quality of raw ready-to-eat seafood for the

Microbiological quality of open ready-to-eat salad vegetables: effectiveness of food hygiene training of management.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagoo, S K; Little, C L; Mitchell, R T

2003-09-01

During September and October 2001, a microbiological study of open, ready-to-eat, prepared salad vegetables from catering or retail premises was undertaken to determine their microbiological quality. The study focused on those salad vegetables that were unwrapped and handled either by staff or customers in the premises where the sample was taken. Examination of salad vegetables from food service areas and customer self-service bars revealed that most (97%; 2,862 of 2,950) were of satisfactory or acceptable microbiological quality, 3% (87) were of unsatisfactory microbiological quality because of Escherichia coli levels in the range of 10(2) to 10(5) colony-forming units per gram. One (system was in place in most (80%) premises, and in 61%, it was documented. Most (90%) managers had received food hygiene training. A direct relationship was shown between increased confidence in the food business management and the presence of food safety procedures and the training of management in food hygiene.

Volatile profile, lipid oxidation and protein oxidation of irradiated ready-to-eat cured turkey meat products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Xi; Ahn, Dong Uk

2016-01-01

Irradiation had little effects on the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values in ready-to-eat (RTE) turkey meat products, while it increased protein oxidation at 4.5 kGy. The volatile profile analyses indicated that the amount of sulfur compounds increased linearly as doses increased in RTE turkey meat products. By correlation analysis, a positive correlation was found between benzene/ benzene derivatives and alcohols with lipid oxidation, while aldehydes, ketones and alkane, alkenes and alkynes were positively correlated with protein oxidation. Principle component analysis showed that irradiated meat samples can be discriminated by two categories of volatile compounds: Strecker degradation products and radiolytic degradation products. The cluster analysis of volatile data demonstrated that low-dose irradiation had minor effects on the volatile profile of turkey sausages (<1.5 kGy). However, as the doses increased, the differences between the irradiated and non-irradiated cured turkey products became significant. - Highlights: • Irradiation had little effects on lipid oxidation of ready-to-eat cured turkey. • 4.5 kGy irradiation increased protein oxidation. • Irradiated samples were isolated due to Strecker/radiolytic degradation products. • 1.5 kGy irradiation had limited effects on the volatile profile of turkey sausages. • Dimethyl disulfide can be used as a potential marker for irradiated meat products.

[Genetic characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from ready-to-eat food and pig-related sources in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Guo, Yunchang; Pei, Xiaoyan; Hu, Yujie; Bai, Li; Sun, Aiping; Liu, Jikai; Fu, Ping; Li, Fengqin

2013-11-01

To study the mecA gene distribution in 877 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the environment of pig farm and slaughter house, pig carcass and its iliac lymph nodes, and ready-to-eat foods in China as to screen the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of MRSA. A total of 877 strains of S. aureus that had been phenotypically identified by Gram staining, catalase test, ability to coagulate rabbit plasma, API STAPH as well as analysis of nuc gene, encoding for a S. aureus specific thermonu-clease were screened for MRSA by characterizing the mecA gene. The antimicrobial susceptibility of MRSA was tested in accordance with the broth microdilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Of 877 S. aureus strains tested, 71 (8.1%, 71/887) were mecA positive and identified as MRSA, among which, 48 isolates were pig-associated and 23 isolates were ready-to-eat food-associated. The frequency of pig-associated MRSA was significantly higher than that of food-associated one (chi2 = 53.040, P food-associated MRSA (CIP: chi2 = 29.110, P food-associated matrixin China is very serious.

Nutritional quality and labelling of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals: the contribution of the French observatory of food quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Goglia, R; Spiteri, M; Ménard, C; Dumas, C; Combris, P; Labarbe, B; Soler, L G; Volatier, J L

2010-11-01

To assess developments in the nutritional quality of food products in various food groups in France, an Observatory of Food Quality (Oqali) was created in 2008. To achieve its aims, Oqali built up a new database to describe each specific food item at the most detailed level, and also included economic parameters (market share and mean prices). The objective of this paper is to give a detailed analysis of the monitoring of the ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEBCs) sector in order to show the benefits of the Oqali database. Analysis was limited to products with nutritional information on labels. Packaging was provided by manufacturers or retailers, or obtained by buying products in regular stores. Economic parameters were obtained from surveys on French food consumption and data from consumer purchase panels. The breakfast cereal sector was divided into 10 categories and 5 types of brand. Oqali has developed anonymous indicators to describe product characteristics for each category of RTEBC and each type of brand by cross-referencing nutritional values with economic data. Packaging-related data were also analysed. The major nutritional parameters studied were energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, fibre and sodium. Analysis was performed on the basis of descriptive statistics, multivariate statistics and a Kruskal-Wallis test. For the RTEBC, there is large variability in nutrient content throughout the sector, both within and between product categories. There is no systematic relation between brand type and nutritional quality within each product category, and the proportion of brand type within each product category is different. Nutritional labels, claims and pictograms are widespread on packages but vary according to the type of brand. These findings form the basis for monitoring developments in the nutritional composition and packaging-related data for breakfast cereals in the future. The final objective is to expand the approach

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of ready-to-eat meat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Röd, Sara Katrine Solhøj; Hansen, Flemming; Leipold, Frank

Sliced ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products are susceptible to growth of the foodborne pathogenic bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) may be applicable for surface decontamination in sealed bags thus avoiding recontamination. Plasmas (Fig. 1), created in neutral...

Incidence of Listeria spp. in Ready-to-Eat Food Processing Plant Environments Regulated by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhard, Robert G; Kalinowski, Robin M; Bodnaruk, Peter W; Eifert, Joseph D; Boyer, Renee R; Duncan, Susan E; Bailey, R Hartford

2018-06-07

A multiyear survey of 31 ready-to-eat (RTE) food processing plants in the United States was conducted to determine the incidence of Listeria spp. in various RTE production environments. Samples were collected from 22 RTE plants regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and from 9 RTE food plants regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only nonfood contact surfaces in the RTE manufacturing areas with exposed RTE product were sampled. Each sample was individually analyzed for the presence of Listeria spp. by using a PCR-based rapid assay. In total, 4,829 samples were collected from various locations, including freezers, equipment framework, floors, walls, wall-floor junctures, drains, floor mats, doors, and cleaning tools. Nine (29%) of the facilities had zero samples positive for Listeria spp. in the production environment, whereas 22 (71%) had one or more samples positive for Listeria spp. The total incidence of Listeria spp. in all RTE food plants was 4.5%. The positive rate in plants regulated by the FSIS ranged from 0 to 9.7%, whereas the positive rate in plants regulated by the FDA ranged from 1.2 to 36%.

Characterization of four Paenibacillus species isolated from pasteurized, chilled ready-to-eat meals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helmond, Mariette; Nierop Groot, Masja N.; Bokhorst-van de Veen, van Hermien

2017-01-01

Food spoilage is often caused by microorganisms. The predominant spoilage microorganisms of pasteurized, chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) mixed rice-vegetable meals stored at 7 °C were isolated and determined as Paenibacillus species. These sporeforming psychrotrophic bacteria are well adapted to grow

Various Ready-to-Eat Products from Retail Stores Linked to Occurrence of Diverse Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. Isolates.

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Vongkamjan, Kitiya; Fuangpaiboon, Janejira; Turner, Matthew P; Vuddhakul, Varaporn

2016-02-01

Listeriosis outbreaks have been associated with a variety of foods. This study investigated the prevalence and diversity of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. in ready-to-eat (RTE) products and evaluated the performance of a rapid detection method, the 3M molecular detection assay for L. monocytogenes (MDA-LM), for detection of L. monocytogenes. Assay results were compared with those obtained using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration standard culture method described in the Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Products (n = 200) were purchased from retail stores: 122 aquatic products, 22 products of animal origin, 18 vegetarian products, 15 deli meat products, 13 salad and vegetable products, 4 desserts, 2 egg-based products, and 4 other products. L. monocytogenes prevalence was comparable with both methods. Overall, 15 (7.5%) of 200 samples were positive for L. monocytogenes: 3% of aquatic products, 1.5% of products of animal origin, 1% of vegetarian products, and 2% of deli meat products. Compared with the standard culture method, the sensitivity, specificity, and the accuracy of the MDA-LM were 86.7% (95% confidence interval, 58.4 to 97.7%), 98.4% (95% confidence interval, 95.0 to 99.6%), and 97.5%, respectively. Using the culture-based method, 18 (9%) of 200 samples were positive for Listeria species other than L. monocytogenes. Listeria isolates from these samples were classified into nine allelic types (ATs). The majority of isolates were classified as ATs 58 and 74, which were identified as L. monocytogenes lineages I and IV, respectively. Listeria innocua and Listeria welshimeri also were represented by isolates of multiple ATs. The MDA-LM is a rapid and reliable technique for detecting L. monocytogenes in various RTE foods. Further study is needed to develop effective control strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes contamination in RTE foods.

Quality loss assessment in fish-based ready-to-eat foods during refrigerated storage

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Pourashouri, P.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The present research addresses the quality loss in two different ready-to-eat (RTE seafoods. With this aim, chemical and microbiological parameters were measured in tuna lasagne (TL and hake roe foods which were refrigerated (4°C for up to 35 and 71 days, respectively. Both foods showed a significant lipid oxidation (peroxide and interaction compound formation development with storage time, which was especially marked in the case of the TL product, which also underwent an important lipid hydrolysis development. Both RTE products showed a low microbial development, no matter how much time had elapsed since the expiration dates; thus, low total viable count scores and volatile amine formation were attained while the presence of pathogen microorganisms was not detected. In view of the current increasing consumer demand for high quality refrigerated foods, the assessment of lipid damage related to nutritional and sensory values is recommended when fish-based RTE products are encountered.

Se estudió la pérdida de calidad de dos productos marinos elaborados (lasaña de atún, TL; huevas de merluza conservados en refrigeración (4 °C durante 35 y 71 días, respectivamente. Ambos alimentos mostraron un desarrollo importante de la oxidación lipídica (formación de peróxidos y compuestos de interacción durante el periodo de conservación, siendo mayor en el caso de TL; asimismo, el producto TL experimentó un importante desarrollo de hidrólisis lipídica. Sin embargo, ambos alimentos experimentaron un desarrollo bajo en microorganismos mesófilos y aminas volátiles; por otra parte, no maniferstaron presencia de microorganismos patógenos a lo largo del periodo de conservación, a pesar de sobrepasar el tiempo de caducidad. De acuerdo con la creciente demanda de nuevas preparaciones de alimentos refrigerados de calidad alta, se recomienda el estudio de las alteraciones lipídicas en elaboraciones basadas en alimentos de origen marino

Microbiological Quality of Street-Vended Foods and Ready-To

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Olaleye

sampled at point sale. PHLS, Communicable Disease and. Public Health, vol. 3, number 3. Sago, S.K., Little, C.L., Ward, L., Gillespie, I.A., Mitchel,. T.L. (2003). Microbiological study of ready-to-eat salad vegetables from retail establishments uncovers a national outbreak of salmonellosis. Journal of Food Protection 66(3):.

The impact of interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets open to the general public: a systematic review.

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Hillier-Brown, F C; Summerbell, C D; Moore, H J; Routen, A; Lake, A A; Adams, J; White, M; Araujo-Soares, V; Abraham, C; Adamson, A J; Brown, T J

2017-02-01

Ready-to-eat meals sold by food outlets that are accessible to the general public are an important target for public health intervention. We conducted a systematic review to assess the impact of such interventions. Studies of any design and duration that included any consumer-level or food-outlet-level before-and-after data were included. Thirty studies describing 34 interventions were categorized by type and coded against the Nuffield intervention ladder: restrict choice = trans fat law (n = 1), changing pre-packed children's meal content (n = 1) and food outlet award schemes (n = 2); guide choice = price increases for unhealthier choices (n = 1), incentive (contingent reward) (n = 1) and price decreases for healthier choices (n = 2); enable choice = signposting (highlighting healthier/unhealthier options) (n = 10) and telemarketing (offering support for the provision of healthier options to businesses via telephone) (n = 2); and provide information = calorie labelling law (n = 12), voluntary nutrient labelling (n = 1) and personalized receipts (n = 1). Most interventions were aimed at adults in US fast food chains and assessed customer-level outcomes. More 'intrusive' interventions that restricted or guided choice generally showed a positive impact on food-outlet-level and customer-level outcomes. However, interventions that simply provided information or enabled choice had a negligible impact. Interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals sold by food outlets should restrict choice or guide choice through incentives/disincentives. Public health policies and practice that simply involve providing information are unlikely to be effective. © 2016 The Authors. Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.

Microbiological hazard analysis of ready-to-eat meats processed at a food plant in Trinidad, West Indies

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Stacey-Marie Syne

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Background: A bacteriological assessment of the environment and food products at different stages of processing was conducted during the manufacture of ready-to-eat (RTE chicken franks, chicken bologna and bacon at a large meat processing plant in Trinidad, West Indies. Methods: Samples of air, surfaces (swabs, raw materials, and in-process and finished food products were collected during two separate visits for each product type and subjected to qualitative or quantitative analysis for bacterial zoonotic pathogens and fecal indicator organisms. Results: Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen detected in pre-cooked products (mean counts = 0.66, 1.98, and 1.95 log10CFU/g for franks, bologna, and bacon, respectively. This pathogen was also found in unacceptable levels in 4 (16.7% of 24 post-cooked samples. Fifty percent (10 of 20 of pre-cooked mixtures of bacon and bologna were contaminated with Listeria spp., including four with L. monocytogenes. Pre-cooked mixtures of franks and bologna also contained E. coli (35 and 0.72 log10 CFU/g, respectively while 5 (12.5% of 40 pre-cooked mixtures of chicken franks had Salmonella spp. Aerobic bacteria exceeded acceptable international standards in 46 (82.1% of 56 pre-cooked and 6 (16.7% of 36 post-cooked samples. Both pre-and post-cooking air and surfaces had relatively high levels of aerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms, including equipment and gloves of employees. A drastic decrease in aerobic counts and Staphylococcus aureus levels following heat treatment and subsequent increase in counts of these bacteria are suggestive of post-cooking contamination. Conclusion: A relatively high level of risk exists for microbial contamination of RTE meats at the food plant investigated and there is a need for enhancing the quality assurance programs to ensure the safety of consumers of products manufactured at this plant.

Prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in street vended ready-to-eat meats in Windhoek, Namibia.

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Shiningeni, Daphney; Chimwamurombe, Percy; Shilangale, Renatus; Misihairabgwi, Jane

2018-05-31

To determine the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in street vended ready-to-eat meats in Windhoek, Namibia, a total of 96 street vended ready to eat meat samples were evaluated. Prevalences of 42%, 52%, 15%, 6% and 83% were observed for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella and Enterobacteriaceae respectively, while the highest aerobic plate counts were 7.74 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.67 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.12 Log 10 cfu/g , 4.56 Log 10 cfu/g, 3.3 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.75 Log 10 cfu/g respectively. Unsatisfactory microbial levels were 32% for aerobic plate count, 26% for Enterobacteriaceae, 35% for Escherichia coli, 11% for Listeria monocytogenes, 7% for Staphylococcus aureus and 6% for Shigella. Salmonella was detected in 11% and 40% of samples from two suburbs. The unsatisfactory microbiological quality of some ready-to-eat meats necessitates the provision of training on food safety and hygiene to street vendors for consumer protection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiological challenge testing for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food: a practical approach

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Carlo Spanu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Food business operators (FBOs are the primary responsible for the safety of food they place on the market. The definition and validation of the product’s shelf-life is an essential part for ensuring microbiological safety of food and health of consumers. In the frame of the Regulation (EC No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, FBOs shall conduct shelf-life studies in order to assure that their food does not exceed the food safety criteria throughout the defined shelf-life. In particular this is required for ready-to-eat (RTE food that supports the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Among other studies, FBOs can rely on the conclusion drawn by microbiological challenge tests. A microbiological challenge test consists in the artificial contamination of a food with a pathogen microorganism and aims at simulating its behaviour during processing and distribution under the foreseen storage and handling conditions. A number of documents published by international health authorities and research institutions describes how to conduct challenge studies. The authors reviewed the existing literature and described the methodology for implementing such laboratory studies. All the main aspects for the conduction of L. monocytogenes microbiological challenge tests were considered, from the selection of the strains, preparation and choice of the inoculum level and method of contamination, to the experimental design and data interpretation. The objective of the present document is to provide an exhaustive and practical guideline for laboratories that want to implement L. monocytogenes challenge testing on RTE food.

Understanding the routes of contamination of ready-to-eat vegetables in the Middle East

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Faour-Klingbeil, D; Murtada, M; Kuri, V; Todd, ECD

2016-01-01

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Understanding the routes of contamination of ready-to-eat vegetables in the Middle East journaltitle: Food Control articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.10.024 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Minimally processed foods are more satiating and less hyperglycemic than ultra-processed foods: a preliminary study with 98 ready-to-eat foods.

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Fardet, Anthony

2016-05-18

Beyond nutritional composition, food structure is increasingly recognized to play a role in food health potential, notably in satiety and glycemic responses. Food structure is also highly dependent on processing conditions. The hypothesis for this study is, based on a data set of 98 ready-to-eat foods, that the degree of food processing would correlate with the satiety index (SI) and glycemic response. Glycemic response was evaluated according to two indices: the glycemic index (GI) and a newly designed index, the glycemic glucose equivalent (GGE). The GGE indicates how a quantity of a certain food affects blood glucose levels by identifying the amount of food glucose that would have an effect equivalent to that of the food. Then, foods were clustered within three processing groups based on the international NOVA classification: (1) raw and minimally processed foods; (2) processed foods; and (3) ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations of substances extracted or derived from food and additives, typically with five or more and usually many (cheap) ingredients. The data were correlated by nonparametric Spearman's rank correlation coefficient on quantitative data. The main results show strong correlations between GGE, SI and the degree of food processing, while GI is not correlated with the degree of processing. Thus, the more food is processed, the higher the glycemic response and the lower its satiety potential. The study suggests that complex, natural, minimally and/or processed foods should be encouraged for consumption rather than highly unstructured and ultra-processed foods when choosing weakly hyperglycemic and satiating foods.

Emotion and food. Do the emotions expressed on other people's faces affect the desire to eat liked and disliked food products?

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Barthomeuf, L; Rousset, S; Droit-Volet, S

2009-02-01

The aim of the present study was to test if pleasure, neutrality and disgust expressed by other individuals on a photograph could affect the desire to eat liked or disliked food products. Forty-four men and women were presented with two series of photographs. The first series of photographs was composed of six food photographs: three liked and three disliked food products. The second series consisted of the same photographs presented with eaters expressing three different emotions: disgust, pleasure or neutrality. Results showed that the effect of the presence of an eater, and of emotions expressed by this eater, depended on the food category. For the liked foods, the desire to eat was higher when these foods were presented alone than with an eater expressing neutral emotion. When the eater expressed pleasure, the desire to eat these liked foods did not significantly increase. In contrast, when the eater expressed disgust, the desire to eat them significantly decreased. When the foods were disliked, the influence of the pleasant social context was stronger than for the liked foods. The desire to eat the disliked foods actually increased in the presence of an eater expressing pleasure. On the contrary, the disgust and neutral context had no effect on the desire for disliked foods.

Occurrence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases, Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance, and Disinfectant Resistance Genes in Escherichia coli Isolated from Ready-To-Eat Meat Products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Lili; Ye, Lei; Kromann, Sofie

2017-01-01

There are growing concerns about the coselection of resistance against antibiotics and disinfectants in bacterial pathogens. The aim of this study was to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated quinolone...... resistance genes (PMQRs), and quaternary ammonium compound resistance genes (QACs) in Escherichia coli isolated from ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products obtained in Guangzhou, China, and to determine whether these genes were colocalized in the isolates. A total of 64 E. coli isolates were obtained from 720 RTE...... isolates from RTE meat products. The E. coli isolates with multiple antimicrobial resistance genes may transmit to humans through food chain and thus require further investigation and increased awareness....

Microbiological examination of ready-to-eat burgers sampled anonymously at the point of sale in the United Kingdom.

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Little, C L; Gillespie, I A; Mitchell, R T

2001-12-01

During May and June 1999 a microbiological study of ready-to-eat burgers purchased anonymously from burger outlets (combined take-away and burger restaurants, take-away-only fixed premises, mobile vendors, temporary stalls and other burger outlets) was undertaken. The intention was to determine the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat burgers as purchased by customers of take-away premises and to ascertain, where information was available, whether the Chief Medical Officer's advice on cooking burgers was being followed. Examination of 3,128 ready-to-eat burgers found that 2,868 (92%) were of acceptable quality and 260 (8%) were of unsatisfactory quality. Unsatisfactory results were mostly due to high aerobic colony counts (ACCs). Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli O157 were not detected in any of the samples examined. Acceptable microbiological quality of ready-to-eat burgers was associated with outlets, such as combined take-away and burger restaurants and in particular national franchise outlets, which had management food hygiene training and hazard analysis in place. Poor microbiological quality was associated with undercooking and local outlets as indicated by Local Authority Inspectors' Consumers at Risk scores.

Investigations on the frequency of norovirus contamination of ready-to-eat food items in Istanbul, Turkey, by using real-time reverse transcription PCR.

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Yilmaz, Aysun; Bostan, Kamil; Altan, Eda; Muratoglu, Karlo; Turan, Nuri; Tan, Derya; Helps, Christopher; Yilmaz, Huseyin

2011-05-01

Investigation of norovirus (NoV) contamination of food items is important because many outbreaks occur after consumption of contaminated shellfish, vegetables, fruits, and water. The frequency of NoV contamination in food items has not previously been investigated in Turkey. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of human NoV genogroups (G) I and II in ready-to-eat tomatoes, parsley, green onion, lettuce, mixed salads, and cracked wheat balls. RNA was extracted with the RNeasy Mini Kit, and a real-time reverse transcription (RT) PCR assay was performed using primers specific for NoV GI and GII. Among the 525 samples analyzed, NoV GII was detected in 1 green onion sample and 1 tomato sample by both SYBR Green and TaqMan real-time RT-PCR assays; no GI virus was detected. The Enterobactericaeae and Escherichia coli levels in the NoV-positive green onion were 6.56 and 1.28 log CFU/g, and those in the tomato were 5.55 and 1.30 log CFU/g, respectively. No significant difference in the bacterial levels was found between the NoV-positive and NoV-negative samples. This study is the first in which NoV GII was found in ready-to-eat food collected from Istanbul, Turkey; thus, these foods may be considered a risk to human health. Epidemiological studies and measures to prevent NoV infection should be considered.

Enterobacteriaceae Antibiotic Resistance in Ready-to-Eat Foods Collected from Hospital and Community Canteens: Analysis of Prevalence.

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Vincenti, Sara; Raponi, Matteo; Sezzatini, Romina; Giubbini, Gabriele; Laurenti, Patrizia

2018-03-01

Foodborne diseases and antibiotic resistance are serious widespread health problems in the contemporary world. In this study, we compared the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods found in community canteens versus hospital canteens in Rome, Italy, focusing on detection and quantification of Enterobacteriaceae and the antibiotic resistance of these bacteria. Our findings show a remarkable difference in Enterobacteriaceae contamination between RTE foods distributed in community canteens (33.5% of samples) and those distributed in hospital canteens (5.3% of samples). This result highlights greater attention to good manufacturing practices and good hygiene practices by the food operators in hospitals compared with food operators in community canteens. As expected, a higher percentage of cold food samples (70.9%) than of hot food samples (10.8%) were positive for these bacteria. Excluding the intrinsic resistance of each bacterial strain, 92.3% of the isolated strains were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and about half of the isolated strains were classified as multidrug resistant. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains was 50% in the community samples and 33.3% in hospital canteens. Our results indicate that approximately 38% of RTE foods provided in community canteens is not compliant with microbiological food safety criteria and could be a special risk for consumers through spread of antibiotic-resistant strains. Hygienic processing and handling of foods is necessary for both hospital and community canteens.

Microbiological examination of cold ready-to-eat sliced meats from catering establishments in the United Kingdom.

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Gillespie, I; Little, C; Mitchell, R

2000-03-01

A microbiological study of cold, ready-to-eat sliced meats from 2579 catering establishments (public houses, hotels, cafés, restaurants, residential homes and other catering premises) found that 2587 of 3494 samples (74%) were of acceptable quality, 892 (26%) were of unsatisfactory quality and 15 (quality. Unacceptable results were due to high levels of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria species and/or Clostridium perfringens. Unsatisfactory results were mostly due to high Aerobic Plate Counts. The microbiological quality of cold, ready-to-eat meats was associated with meat type, premises type, management training, hygienic practices, meat supplier and length of storage. The relationship between food hygiene training and microbiological quality is discussed.

Exposure to television food advertising primes food-related cognitions and triggers motivation to eat.

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Kemps, Eva; Tiggemann, Marika; Hollitt, Sarah

2014-01-01

This study investigated the effect of exposure to television food advertising on accessibility of food-related cognitions and motivation to eat. We initially developed a word stem completion task to measure accessibility of food-related cognitions. In two subsequent experiments, 160 female undergraduate students (Experiment 1) and 124 overweight or obese community-dwelling women (Experiment 2) viewed a series of television commercials advertising either food or non-food products. They then completed the word stem task and also rated their desire to eat. Exposure to televised food advertisements led to the completion of word stems with more food- and eating-related words in both experiments. It also increased self-reported desire to eat, but only for overweight and obese individuals (Experiment 2). In both samples, there was a positive association between accessibility of food-related cognitions and reported desire to eat, following priming with television food advertisements. We conclude that an increased activation of food-related cognitions may provide a mechanism for the link between food advertising and consumption. This has implications for tackling pathological (over)eating.

Multilocus Sequence Typing and Virulence-Associated Gene Profile Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates From Retail Ready-to-Eat Food in China.

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Yang, Xiaojuan; Yu, Shubo; Wu, Qingping; Zhang, Jumei; Wu, Shi; Rong, Dongli

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to characterize the subtypes and virulence profiles of 69 Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from retail ready-to-eat food in China. The isolates were analyzed using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of important virulence factor genes, including the staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes ( sea , seb , sec , sed , see , seg , seh , sei , sej ), the exfoliative toxin genes ( eta and etb ), the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene ( tst ), and the Panton-Valentine leucocidin-encoding gene ( pvl ). The isolates encompassed 26 different sequence types (STs), including four new STs (ST3482, ST3484, ST3485, ST3504), clustered in three clonal complexes and 17 singletons. The most prevalent STs were ST1, ST6, and ST15, constituting 34.8% of all isolates. Most STs (15/26, 57.7%) detected have previously been associated with human infections. All 13 toxin genes examined were detected in the S. aureus isolates, with 84.1% of isolates containing toxin genes. The three most prevalent toxin genes were seb (36.2%), sea (33.3%), and seg (33.3%). The classical SE genes ( sea - see ), which contribute significantly to staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), were detected in 72.5% of the S. aureus isolates. In addition, pvl , eta , etb , and tst were found in 11.6, 10.1, 10.1, and 7.2% of the S. aureus isolates, respectively. Strains ST6 carrying sea and ST1 harboring sec-seh enterotoxin profile, which are the two most common clones associated with SFP, were also frequently detected in the food samples in this study. This study indicates that these S. aureus isolates present in Chinese ready-to-eat food represents a potential public health risk. These data are valuable for epidemiological studies, risk management, and public health strategies.

Multilocus Sequence Typing and Virulence-Associated Gene Profile Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates From Retail Ready-to-Eat Food in China

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Xiaojuan Yang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to characterize the subtypes and virulence profiles of 69 Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from retail ready-to-eat food in China. The isolates were analyzed using multilocus sequence typing (MLST and polymerase chain reaction (PCR analysis of important virulence factor genes, including the staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej, the exfoliative toxin genes (eta and etb, the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene (tst, and the Panton-Valentine leucocidin-encoding gene (pvl. The isolates encompassed 26 different sequence types (STs, including four new STs (ST3482, ST3484, ST3485, ST3504, clustered in three clonal complexes and 17 singletons. The most prevalent STs were ST1, ST6, and ST15, constituting 34.8% of all isolates. Most STs (15/26, 57.7% detected have previously been associated with human infections. All 13 toxin genes examined were detected in the S. aureus isolates, with 84.1% of isolates containing toxin genes. The three most prevalent toxin genes were seb (36.2%, sea (33.3%, and seg (33.3%. The classical SE genes (sea–see, which contribute significantly to staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP, were detected in 72.5% of the S. aureus isolates. In addition, pvl, eta, etb, and tst were found in 11.6, 10.1, 10.1, and 7.2% of the S. aureus isolates, respectively. Strains ST6 carrying sea and ST1 harboring sec-seh enterotoxin profile, which are the two most common clones associated with SFP, were also frequently detected in the food samples in this study. This study indicates that these S. aureus isolates present in Chinese ready-to-eat food represents a potential public health risk. These data are valuable for epidemiological studies, risk management, and public health strategies.

Breakfast Eating Pattern and Ready-to-Eat Cereals Consumption among Schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur

OpenAIRE

KOO, Hui-Chin; ABDUL JALIL, Siti Nurain; Ruzita, ABD TALIB

2015-01-01

Background: Studies from the West have demonstrated that ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) are a common form of breakfast and more likely to be consumed by children. This study aimed to investigate the breakfast eating pattern and RTECs consumption among schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur.

Foodborne Pathogens Recovered from Ready-to-Eat Foods from Roadside Cafeterias and Retail Outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Public Health Implications

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Nyenje, Mirriam E.; Odjadjare, Collins E.; Tanih, Nicoline F.; Green, Ezekiel; Ndip, Roland N.

2012-01-01

This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat foods sold in Alice, South Africa. Microbiological analysis was conducted on 252 samples which included vegetables, potatoes, rice, pies, beef and chicken stew. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and the API 20E, API 20NE and API Listeria kits; results were analyzed using the one-way-ANOVA test. Bacterial growth was present in all the food types tested; high levels of total aerobic count were observed in vegetables, 6.8 ± 0.07 followed by rice, 6.7 ± 1.7 while pies had the lowest count (2.58 ± 0.24). Organisms isolated included: Listeria spp. (22%), Enterobacter spp. (18%), Aeromonas hydrophila (12%), Klebsiella oxytoca (8%), Proteus mirabilis (6.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.2%) and Pseudomonas luteola (2.4%). Interestingly, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not isolated in any of the samples. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of foodborne pathogens from hygienic and unhygienic cafeterias. The results indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food samples examined in this study did not meet bacteriological quality standards, therefore posing potential risks to consumers. This should draw the attention of the relevant authorities to ensure that hygienic standards are improved to curtain foodborne infections. PMID:23066386

Highly Processed and Ready-to-Eat Packaged Food and Beverage Purchases Differ by Race/Ethnicity among US Households.

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Poti, Jennifer M; Mendez, Michelle A; Ng, Shu Wen; Popkin, Barry M

2016-09-01

Racial/ethnic disparities in dietary quality persist among Americans, but it is unclear whether highly processed foods or convenience foods contribute to these inequalities. We examined the independent associations of race/ethnicity with highly processed and ready-to-eat (RTE) food purchases among US households. We determined whether controlling for between-group differences in purchases of these products attenuated associations between race/ethnicity and the nutritional quality of purchases. The 2000-2012 Homescan Panel followed US households (n = 157,142) that scanned their consumer packaged goods (CPG) food and beverage purchases. By using repeated-measures regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, we examined time-varying associations of race/ethnicity with processed and convenience food purchases, expressed as a percentage of calories purchased. We estimated associations between race/ethnicity and saturated fat, sugar, or energy density of total purchases with and without adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Compared with white households, black households had significantly lower purchases of highly processed foods (-4.1% kcal) and RTE convenience foods (-4.9% kcal) and had higher purchases of basic processed foods, particularly cooking oils and sugar (+5.4% kcal), foods requiring cooking/preparation (+4.5% kcal), and highly processed beverages (+7.1% kcal). Hispanics also had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods than whites. Blacks had CPG purchases with significantly higher median sugar (+2.2% kcal) and energy density (+72 kcal/1000 g), whereas Hispanics had purchases with lower saturated fat (-0.6% kcal) and energy density (-25 kcal/1000 g) than whites. Racial/ethnic differences remained significant after adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. In our study, compared with white households, both black and Hispanic households had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods, yet had

Eating when there is not enough to eat: eating behaviors and perceptions of food among food-insecure youths.

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Widome, Rachel; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Hannan, Peter J; Haines, Jess; Story, Mary

2009-05-01

We explored differences in adolescents' eating habits, perceptions, and dietary intakes by food security status. As part of Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), we surveyed 4746 multiethnic middle and high school students in 31 primarily urban schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area during the 1998-1999 academic year. Participants completed in-class surveys. We used multiple regression analysis to characterize associations between behaviors, perceptions, nutritional intake, and food security status. Compared with food-secure youths, food-insecure youths were more likely to perceive that eating healthfully was inconvenient and that healthy food did not taste good. Additionally, food-insecure youths reported eating more fast food but fewer family meals and breakfasts per week than did youths who were food secure. Food-insecure and food-secure youths perceived similar benefits from eating healthfully (P = .75). Compared with those who were food secure, food-insecure youths had higher fat intakes (P Food-insecure youths were more likely to have a body mass index above the 95th percentile. The eating patterns of food-insecure adolescents differ in important ways from the eating patterns of those who are food secure. Policies and interventions focusing on improving the foods that these youths eat deserve further examination.

VacA, cagA, iceA and oipA genotypes status and antimicrobial resistance properties of Helicobacter pylori isolated from various types of ready to eat foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemmatinezhad, Behsan; Momtaz, Hassan; Rahimi, Ebrahim

2016-01-20

Despite the high clinical standing of Helicobacter pylori, its exact routes of transmission and origin have not been determined. Based on the contentious hypothesis, foods play an important roles in the transmission of H. pylori to humans. The present study was carried out to investigate the vacA, cagA, oipA and iceA genotypes status of H. pylori isolated from the various types of ready to eat foods. A total of 550 ready to eat food samples were cultured and tested. H. pylori-positive strains were analyzed for the presence of various genotypes and antimicrobial resistance pattern. Seventy four out of 550 (13.45 %) samples were positive for H. pylori. Olvie salad (36 %), restaurant salad (30 %), fruit salad (28 %) and soup (22 %) were the most commonly contaminated. H. pylori strains harbored the highest levels of resistance against amoxicillin (94.59 %), ampicillin (93.24 %), metronidazole (89.18 %) and tetracycline (72.97 %). The most commonly detected genotypes were vacA s1a (78.37 %), vacA m2 (75.67 %), vacA m1a (51.35 %) and cagA (41.89 %). The prevalence of iceA1, iceA2 and oipA genotypes were 13.51, 4.05 and 18.91 %, respectively. S1am2 (70.27 %), s1am1a (39.18 %) and m1am2 (31.08 %) were the most commonly detected combined genotypes. Of 40 different genotypic combinations, s1a/cagA+/iceA1/oipA- (12.16 %), s1a/cagA+/iceA1/oipA+ (10.81 %) and s1a/cagA-/iceA1/oipA+ (10.81 %) were the most prevalent. The present investigation showed that some types of ready to eat food samples maybe the sources of resistant and virulent strains of H. pylori. Warily use of antibiotics with respect to the results of disk diffusion method and careful health monitoring on food and staffs of food producing companies maybe reduce the risk of H. pylori in foods.

A Readiness Ruler for Assessing Motivation to Change in People with Eating Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

St-Hilaire, Annie; Axelrod, Kaitlyn; Geller, Josie; Mazanek Antunes, Juliana; Steiger, Howard

2017-09-01

We examined the psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Readiness Ruler a simple self-report instrument designed to enable rapid assessment of readiness to change problematic eating behaviours in people with clinical eating disorders. We administered the ED-RR, the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire and a measure of autonomous and controlled motivation for change to 206 individuals receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder. A principal axis factoring analysis of the ED-RR yielded a significant two-factor solution (explaining 59% of variance)-one factor pertaining to restriction and body image preoccupation (four items), the other to binge-eating and vomiting symptoms (two items). The ED-RR showed good internal consistency (alpha coefficients for the two factors being .77 and .84 respectively). Furthermore, individuals reporting higher readiness showed higher scores on independent measures of autonomous motivation and greater symptom reductions over time. Results suggest that the ED-RR is a psychometrically sound tool with potential clinical utility. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Effective preservation techniques to prolong the shelf life of ready-to-eat oysters.

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Costa, Cristina; Conte, Amalia; Del Nobile, Matteo Alessandro

2014-10-01

Oysters have a high commercial value but owing to their short shelf life are generally commercialized as raw material within very restricted market borders. A step-by-step optimization approach was used in this work to design ready-to-eat oyster packaging. In particular, six different steps were carried out in order to extend their shelf life. The concentration of sodium alginate to realize a coating that was effective in terms of easy peeling and ability in preventing product dehydration was optimized. Coated oysters were packaged under different modified atmosphere (MAP) conditions to find the best MAP. Subsequently, to further promote product preservation, sodium acetate was selected as an effective antimicrobial agent to be applied by dipping treatment prior to coating. All preservation strategies singly tested were finally combined to assess the shelf life prolongation of ready-to-eat oysters. Dipping in sodium acetate (10 g L⁻¹), coating with sodium alginate (40 g L⁻¹) and packaging under MAP (0:75 O₂:CO₂) represent the best conditions to guarantee a significant shelf life extension to about 160 h compared with 57 h for unpackaged oysters. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

EVALUATION OF THE SHELF LIFE AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A CHILLED READY TO EAT MEAT PRODUCT: THE “VITEL TONNÈ”

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A. Cereser

2013-02-01

Full Text Available According to the recent “Hygiene Package” it is the responsibility of Food Business Operator to validate foods’ shelf-life, also considering normal storage and use conditions. The aim of this research was to define the shelf-life of a refrigerated ready-to-eat meat product: the vitel tonnè. 175 samples taken from a producer were stored at 2 different temperatures: +3°C (as declared in label and +8±1°C (in order to simulate the thermal abuses during transport and domestic storage and analyzed at different intervals for microbiological parameters as TVC at 30°C, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Sulphate-Reducing Clostridia, B. cereus, Coagulase-positive Staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp Preliminary results show that temperature abuse shorten shelf-life significantly, mainly for the parameters TVC and LAB.

Foodborne Pathogens Recovered from Ready-to-Eat Foods from Roadside Cafeterias and Retail Outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Public Health Implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland N. Ndip

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat foods sold in Alice, South Africa. Microbiological analysis was conducted on 252 samples which included vegetables, potatoes, rice, pies, beef and chicken stew. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and the API 20E, API 20NE and API Listeria kits; results were analyzed using the one-way-ANOVA test. Bacterial growth was present in all the food types tested; high levels of total aerobic count were observed in vegetables, 6.8 ± 0.07 followed by rice, 6.7 ± 1.7 while pies had the lowest count (2.58 ± 0.24. Organisms isolated included: Listeria spp. (22%, Enterobacter spp. (18%, Aeromonas hydrophila (12%, Klebsiella oxytoca (8%, Proteus mirabilis (6.3%, Staphylococcus aureus (3.2% and Pseudomonas luteola (2.4%. Interestingly, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not isolated in any of the samples. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05 in the prevalence of foodborne pathogens from hygienic and unhygienic cafeterias. The results indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food samples examined in this study did not meet bacteriological quality standards, therefore posing potential risks to consumers. This should draw the attention of the relevant authorities to ensure that hygienic standards are improved to curtain foodborne infections.

Design of a ready-to-eat child food fortified with pea-based iron (Pisum sativum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zulma Villaquirán

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Iron deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutritional problems at the global level which mainly affects the vulnerable population as children under 5 years of age. Fortified foods of child consumption are part of the intervention strategies, which are made from the mixture of ingredients such as cereals, fruits, legumes, among others. Pea is a legume that can be used in order to take advantage of its nutritional properties. Objective: To design a ready-to-eat child food with peas (Pisum sativum, fortified with iron and sanitized by pasteurization. Materials and methods: The appropriate percentage of peas in the food was selected by sensory analysis. The selection of iron salt was made by physicochemical and sensory analysis using ferrous sulphate and chelate iron. Subsequently, the growth of mesophilic microorganisms was evaluated in order to select the pasteurization heat treatment. The useful life evaluation was carried out through sensory tests. Finally, the physico-chemical, compositional and microbiological evaluation of the sanitized food was implemented. Results: The addition of peas in percentages not greater than 6.5% within the food formulation was acceptable for parents of children under 5. On the other hand, the selected salt to generate less changes on the color and acidity of the food during storage was chelate iron. The results of heat treatment showed that for reducing the initial concentration of mesophiles and obtaining a good quality food according to the Colombian regulations in force, it was necessary to submit the food to 85 °C for 13 minutes (0.45 D, which managed to maintain the initial quality of the food for 12 days under refrigeration. Conclusions: The developed food complies with the sensory and microbiological criteria demanded in the Colombian regulations in force and is suitable for consumption. Besides, it can be catalogued as high in iron and a good source of protein, contributing with 25% and

Detection and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in game meat and ready-to-eat meat products.

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Díaz-Sánchez, S; Sánchez, S; Sánchez, M; Herrera-León, S; Hanning, I; Vidal, D

2012-11-15

A total of 142 samples of game meat and ready-to-eat meat products from red deer and wild boar were analysed in order to assess the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Shiga-toxin encoding genes (stx genes) were detected by PCR in 36 (25.4%) of the samples and STEC was isolated from 8 (5.6%) of the same samples. None of the samples tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Four different serotypes were found among the 8 STEC isolates, with serotype O27:H30 being predominant (62.5%, 5/8). The PCR assay indicated the presence of the stx2 gene in all of the STEC isolates and further subtyping resulted in detection of three different subtypes: stx2a, stx2b and stx2g. The only stx1-positive isolate was further subtyped as stx1c. The ehxA gene was detected in 3 (37.5%) of the isolates and none of them contained the eae gene. All STEC isolates were sensitive to the 13 antibiotics tested. Some isolates possessed serotypes and virulence gene profiles previously associated with STEC infections in humans. The isolation of a STEC strain carrying the stx2a subtype from a ready-to-eat meat product from deer suggests the role of these products as a potential source of STEC infections in humans. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly Processed and Ready-to-Eat Packaged Food and Beverage Purchases Differ by Race/Ethnicity among US Households123

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Mendez, Michelle A

2016-01-01

Background: Racial/ethnic disparities in dietary quality persist among Americans, but it is unclear whether highly processed foods or convenience foods contribute to these inequalities. Objective: We examined the independent associations of race/ethnicity with highly processed and ready-to-eat (RTE) food purchases among US households. We determined whether controlling for between-group differences in purchases of these products attenuated associations between race/ethnicity and the nutritional quality of purchases. Methods: The 2000–2012 Homescan Panel followed US households (n = 157,142) that scanned their consumer packaged goods (CPG) food and beverage purchases. By using repeated-measures regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, we examined time-varying associations of race/ethnicity with processed and convenience food purchases, expressed as a percentage of calories purchased. We estimated associations between race/ethnicity and saturated fat, sugar, or energy density of total purchases with and without adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Results: Compared with white households, black households had significantly lower purchases of highly processed foods (–4.1% kcal) and RTE convenience foods (–4.9% kcal) and had higher purchases of basic processed foods, particularly cooking oils and sugar (+5.4% kcal), foods requiring cooking/preparation (+4.5% kcal), and highly processed beverages (+7.1% kcal). Hispanics also had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods than whites. Blacks had CPG purchases with significantly higher median sugar (+2.2% kcal) and energy density (+72 kcal/1000 g), whereas Hispanics had purchases with lower saturated fat (–0.6% kcal) and energy density (–25 kcal/1000 g) than whites. Racial/ethnic differences remained significant after adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Conclusions: In our study, compared with white households, both black and Hispanic

Retail ready-to-eat food as a potential vehicle for Staphylococcus spp. harboring antibiotic resistance genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chajęcka-Wierzchowska, Wioleta; Zadernowska, Anna; Nalepa, Beata; Sierpińska, Magda; Laniewska-Trokenheim, Lucja

2014-06-01

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food, which does not need thermal processing before consumption, could be a vehicle for the spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. As part of general microbiological safety checks, staphylococci are routinely enumerated in these kinds of foods. However, the presence of antibiotic-resistant staphylococci in RTE food is not routinely investigated, and data are only available from a small number of studies. The present study evaluated the pheno- and genotypical antimicrobial resistance profile of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from 858 RTE foods (cheeses, cured meats, sausages, smoked fishes, salads). Of 113 strains isolated, S. aureus was the most prevalent species, followed by S. xylosus, S. saprophyticus, and S. epidermidis. More than half (54.9%) of the isolates were resistant to at least one class of tested antibiotic; of these, 35.4% of the strains were classified as multidrug resistant. Most of the isolates were resistant to cefoxitin (49.6%), followed by clindamycin (39.3%), tigecycline (27.4%), quinupristin-dalfopristin (22.2%), rifampin (20.5%), tetracycline (17.9%), and erythromycin (8.5%). All methicillin-resistant staphylococci harbored the mecA gene. Among the isolates resistant to at least one antibiotic, 38 harbored tetracycline resistance determinant tet (M), 24 harbored tet (L), and 9 harbored tet (K). Of the isolates positive for tet (M) genes, 34.2% were positive for the Tn916-Tn1545-like integrase family gene. Our results indicated that retail RTE food could be considered an important route for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria harboring multiple antibiotic resistance genes.

Optimization of HTST process parameters for production of ready-to-eat potato-soy snack.

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Nath, A; Chattopadhyay, P K; Majumdar, G C

2012-08-01

Ready-to-eat (RTE) potato-soy snacks were developed using high temperature short time (HTST) air puffing process and the process was found to be very useful for production of highly porous and light texture snack. The process parameters considered viz. puffing temperature (185-255 °C) and puffing time (20-60 s) with constant initial moisture content of 36.74% and air velocity of 3.99 m.s(-1) for potato-soy blend with varying soy flour content from 5% to 25% were investigated using response surface methodology following central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The optimum product in terms of minimum moisture content (11.03% db), maximum expansion ratio (3.71), minimum hardness (2,749.4 g), minimum ascorbic acid loss (9.24% db) and maximum overall acceptability (7.35) were obtained with 10.0% soy flour blend in potato flour at the process conditions of puffing temperature (231.0 °C) and puffing time (25.0 s).

Microbiological Survey of Packaged Ready-to-Eat Red Meats at Retail in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivas, Lucia; Horn, Beverley; Cook, Roger; Castle, Marion

2017-10-04

A microbiological survey was undertaken on packaged ready-to-eat red meats available at retail in New Zealand. A total of 1,485 samples (297 lots of five samples each) were collected according to a sampling plan based on market share and regulatory regimes (Animal Products Act 1999 and Food Act 1981) and were tested against the microbiological limits specified in Food Standards Code (FSC) 1.6.1 applicable at the time of sampling. Each lot was tested as a composite for the presence or absence of Salmonella spp., coagulase-producing staphylococci, Listeria monocytogenes, and other Listeria spp. at the end of the manufacturer's stated shelf life. Individual samples within a positive lot were subsequently enumerated for L. monocytogenes. None of the samples contained Salmonella spp. or had coagulase-producing staphylococci counts above the acceptable level specified in FSC 1.6.1 (>100 CFU/g). Data showed that 93.6% (278 of 297 lots) of ready-to-eat red meat complied with the FSC 1.6.1 criteria applicable at the time of the survey. The failure of 19 lots (6.4%) was due to the presence of L. monocytogenes from product obtained from 8 of 33 producers tested. Thirteen samples of 95 positive samples were found to contain between 50 and 500 CFU/g L. monocytogenes, but all of these samples were manufactured by the same operator. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of all of the L. monocytogenes isolates obtained from the survey identified 12 different pulsotypes. Different pulsotypes were often identified in samples from the same operator sampled on separate occasions. A total of 46 lots (15.5%) contained Listeria spp. (including L. monocytogenes). The detection of Listeria in samples may highlight the existence of problems in operator processing and/or packaging processes and suggests that improvements in good hygienic practice and implementation of more effective risk mitigation strategies are needed.

Korean space food development: Ready-to-eat Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable, sterilized with high-dose gamma irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Beom-Seok; Park, Jin-Gyu; Park, Jae-Nam; Han, In-Jun; Kim, Jae-Hun; Choi, Jong-Il; Byun, Myung-Woo; Lee, Ju-Woon

2009-07-01

Addition of calcium lactate and vitamin C, a mild heating, deep-freezing, and gamma irradiation at 25 kGy were conducted to prepare Kimchi as a ready-to-eat space food. It was confirmed that the space food was sterilized by an irradiation at 25 kGy through incubation at 37 °C for 30 days. The hardness of the Space Kimchi (SK) was lower than the untreated Kimchi (CON), but higher than the irradiated Kimchi (IR). Also, this result was supported by the scanning electron microscopic observation. Sensory attributes of the SK were similar to CON, and maintained during preservation at 35 °C for 30 days. According to the Ames test, Kimchi sterilized with a high-dose irradiation exerted no mutagenic activity in the bacterial strains of Salmonella typhimurium. And, the SK was certificated for use in space flight conditions during 30 days by the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems.

Microbiological survey of raw and ready-to-eat leafy green vegetables marketed in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Losio, M N; Pavoni, E; Bilei, S; Bertasi, B; Bove, D; Capuano, F; Farneti, S; Blasi, G; Comin, D; Cardamone, C; Decastelli, L; Delibato, E; De Santis, P; Di Pasquale, S; Gattuso, A; Goffredo, E; Fadda, A; Pisanu, M; De Medici, D

2015-10-01

The presence of foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, thermotolerant Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica and norovirus) in fresh leafy (FL) and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable products, sampled at random on the Italian market, was investigated to evaluate the level of risk to consumers. Nine regional laboratories, representing 18 of the 20 regions of Italy and in which 97.7% of the country's population resides, were involved in this study. All laboratories used the same sampling procedures and analytical methods. The vegetable samples were screened using validated real-time PCR (RT-PCR) methods and standardized reference ISO culturing methods. The results show that 3.7% of 1372 fresh leafy vegetable products and 1.8% of 1160 "fresh-cut" or "ready-to-eat" (RTE) vegetable retailed in supermarkets or farm markets, were contaminated with one or more foodborne pathogens harmful to human health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ready-to-eat street-vended food as a potential vehicle of bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance: An exploratory study in Porto region, Portugal.

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Campos, Joana; Gil, Joana; Mourão, Joana; Peixe, Luísa; Antunes, Patrícia

2015-08-03

The ready-to-eat street vending commerce, as street mobile food vendors, has grown exponentially worldwide, representing in some countries a significant proportion of food consumed by the urban population. However, the microbiological food safety hazards of mobile vending units in industrialized countries are scarcely evaluated. To assess the microbiological quality and safety of this type of food and try to achieve the connection of its contamination with hygienic conditions of food-handlers, we analyzed hotdogs (n = 10), hamburgers (n = 10) and hands (n = 9) from ten street-vending trailers in the Porto region. Food and food-handler samples were tested for Enterobacteriaceae and coliform counts, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci counts/detection and presence of Salmonella. Aerobic mesophilic counts and detection of Listeria monocytogenes (Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis-PFGE and serotyping) were also tested in food samples. E. coli isolates were confirmed by MALDI-TOF and characterized for clonality (phylogenetic groups-PhG, PFGE and Multilocus Sequence Typing), antibiotic resistance (disk diffusion, PCR/sequencing) and intestinal pathogenic virulence factors (PCR/sequencing). All food samples presented poor microbiological quality (100% Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms; 20% E. coli (4 hamburgers, 4 trailers) and 20% (2 hamburgers/2 hotdogs, 3 trailers) were positive for L. monocytogenes (2 PFGE-types belonging to serotype 1/2a and 4b). Salmonella and coagulase-positive staphylococci were not detected. Food-handlers carried Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms (100%), E. coli (11%) and/or coagulase-positive staphylococci (44%). E. coli was detected in 12 samples (n = 30-food/food-handlers; phylogenetic groups A0/A1/B1) with 33% resistant to one or more antibiotics. Two multidrug resistant atypical E. coli pathotype strains (astA-ST165(CC165)/food-handler, eaeA-ST327/food) were detected. Three out of eight E. coli clonal lineages [ST409/ST976(CC10

Profitability of 'ready-to-eat' strategies: Towards modelassisted negotiation in a fresh-produce chain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schepers, H.E.; Kooten, van O.

2006-01-01

With help of a simple System Dynamics model describing purchase frequency of consumer segments, we illustrate under which circumstances a scenario of `ready-to-eat¿ positioning creates value for retailer, trader and grower in a fruit production chain. Although fully quantified, the model is meant as

Food, the Nutritional Product that Fuels the Passing of Time: How Time and Nutrition Transformed Eating into Refuelling

OpenAIRE

Cawley, Diarmuid

2014-01-01

Food is in front of us everywhere we go; marketed and ready to eat. The easier it is to consume food ‘on the go’ the more socially accepted it becomes. The private elements of food consumption have unwittingly become the public elements of food consumption, sometimes excruciatingly public, with food reconnaissance for most of us now a redundant act. The exogenic nature of passing time and our ever increasing need to partake in complex travel systems to and from our daily destinations has enga...

Microbial analysis of meat and meat products sold in fast food ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The present study was carried out to investigate the rate of microbial contamination of ready-to-eat meat and meat products sold in different fast food restaurants in Aba. This study was carried out between June and August, 2015. Samples were collected aseptically from five fast food restaurants using sterile polythene bags.

Presence of Trihalomethanes in ready-to-eat vegetables disinfected with chlorine.

Science.gov (United States)

Coroneo, Valentina; Carraro, Valentina; Marras, Barbara; Marrucci, Alessandro; Succa, Sara; Meloni, Barbara; Pinna, Antonella; Angioni, Alberto; Sanna, Adriana; Schintu, Marco

2017-12-01

Trihalomethanes (THMs) - CHCl 3 , CHCl 2 Br, CHClBr 2 and CHBr 3 - are drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs). These compounds can also be absorbed by different types of foods, including ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh vegetables. The potential absorption of THMs during washing of RTE vegetables could pose a potential risk to consumers' health. The concentration of THMs in the water used in the manufacturing process of these products shall not exceed the limit of 100 or 80 µgL -1 according to European Union (EU) and United States legislation, respectively. By contrast, there is little information about the presence of such compounds in the final product. This study evaluated the concentration of THMs in different types of RTE vegetables (carrots, iceberg lettuce, lettuce, mixed salad, parsley, parsley and garlic, rocket salad, valerian) after washing with chlorinated water. In the 115 samples analysed, the average value of total THMs was equal to 76.7 ng g -1 . Chloroform was the THM present in the largest percentage in all the RTE vegetables. These results show that the process of washing RTE vegetables should be optimised in order to reduce the risk for consumers associated with the presence of DBPs.

Prevalence and level of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species in selected retail ready-to-eat foods in the United Kingdom.

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Little, C L; Sagoo, S K; Gillespie, I A; Grant, K; McLauchlin, J

2009-09-01

Although listeriosis is a rare cause of human disease in the United Kingdom, an increase in the number of cases has been observed since 2001, almost exclusively in persons older than 60 years. This increase prompted this study on the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, which included those types potentially linked to cases of listeriosis. Between May 2006 and April 2007, 6,984 RTE foods were sampled (2,168 sliced meats, 1,242 hard cheese, 1,088 sandwiches, 878 butter, 725 spreadable cheese, 515 confectionery products containing cream, and 368 probiotic drinks). The food types with the highest prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes were sandwiches (7.0%) and sliced meats (3.7% within shelf life, 4.2% end of shelf life). L. monocytogenes at > 100 CFU/g (exceeding the European Commission's food safety criteria limit) only occurred in sandwiches (0.4%) and sliced meats (0.7% within shelf life, 1.0% end of shelf life). Contamination with L. monocytogenes at >100 CFU/g was more frequent in meats that were prepacked and/or of pack size > or = 300 g and in sandwiches that were supplied prepacked that contained salad vegetables as an ingredient. Satisfactory microbiological quality was associated with premises on which the management was trained in food hygiene and those that complied with hazard analysis and critical control point principles. This study provides important information about the microbiological safety of RTE foods and demonstrates that the control of L. monocytogenes in such foods, and in particular sandwiches and sliced meats, is essential in order to minimize the risk of this bacterium being present at levels hazardous to health at the point of consumption.

Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Carrying Virulence-Attenuating Mutations in Internalin A Are Commonly Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Food Processing Plant and Retail Environments.

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VAN Stelten, A; Roberts, A R; Manuel, C S; Nightingale, K K

2016-10-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a human foodborne pathogen that may cause an invasive disease known as listeriosis in susceptible individuals. Internalin A (InlA; encoded by inlA) is a virulence factor that facilitates crossing of host cell barriers by L. monocytogenes . At least 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in inlA that result in a premature stop codon (PMSC) have been described worldwide. SNPs leading to a PMSC in inlA have been shown to be causally associated with attenuated virulence. L. monocytogenes pathogens carrying virulence-attenuating (VA) mutations in inlA have been commonly isolated from ready-to-eat (RTE) foods but rarely have been associated with human disease. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of VA SNPs in inlA among L. monocytogenes from environments associated with RTE food production and handling. More than 700 L. monocytogenes isolates from RTE food processing plant (n = 409) and retail (n = 319) environments were screened for the presence of VA SNPs in inlA. Overall, 26.4% of isolates from RTE food processing plant and 32.6% of isolates from retail environments carried a VA mutation in inlA. Food contact surfaces sampled at retail establishments were significantly (P < 0.0001) more likely to be contaminated by a L. monocytogenes isolate carrying a VA mutation in inlA (56% of 55 isolates) compared with nonfood contact surfaces (28% of 264 isolates). Overall, a significant proportion of L. monocytogenes isolated from RTE food production and handling environments have reduced virulence. These data will be useful in the revision of current and the development of future risk assessments that incorporate strain-specific virulence parameters.

Assessment of Enterotoxin Production and Cross-Contamination of Staphylococcus aureus between Food Processing Materials and Ready-To-Eat Cooked Fish Paste.

Science.gov (United States)

Tango, Charles Nkufi; Hong, Sung-Sam; Wang, Jun; Oh, Deog-Hwan

2015-12-01

This study evaluated Staphylococcus aureus growth and subsequent staphylococcal enterotoxin A production in tryptone soy broth and on ready-to-eat cooked fish paste at 12 to 37 °C, as well as cross-contamination between stainless steel, polyethylene, and latex glove at room temperature. A model was developed using Barany and Roberts's growth model, which satisfactorily described the suitable growth of S. aureus with R(2)-adj from 0.94 to 0.99. Except at 12 °C, S. aureus cells in TSB presented a lag time lower (14.64 to 1.65 h), grew faster (0.08 to 0.31 log CFU/h) and produced SEA at lower cell density levels (5.65 to 6.44 log CFU/mL) compare to those inoculated on cooked fish paste with data of 16.920 to 1.985 h, 0.02 to 0.23 log CFU/h, and 6.19 to 7.11 log CFU/g, respectively. Staphylococcal enterotoxin type A (SEA) visual immunoassay test showed that primary SEA detection varied considerably among different storage temperature degrees and media. For example, it occurred only during exponential phase at 30 and 37 °C in TSB, but in cooked fish paste it took place at late exponential phase of S. aureus growth at 20 and 25 °C. The SEA detection test was negative on presence of S. aureus on cooked fish paste stored at 12 and 15 °C, although cell density reached level of 6.12 log CFU/g at 15 °C. Cross-contamination expressed as transfer rate of S. aureus from polyethylene surface to cooked fish paste surface was slower than that observed with steel surface to cooked fish paste under same conditions. These results provide helpful information for controlling S. aureus growth, SEA production and cross-contamination during processing of cooked fish paste. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Irradiated ready-to-eat spinach leaves: How information influences awareness towards irradiation treatment and consumer's purchase intention

Science.gov (United States)

Finten, G.; Garrido, J. I.; Agüero, M. V.; Jagus, R. J.

2017-01-01

This article aims to clarify and supply further information on food irradiation acceptance, with particular focus on Argentina and irradiated ready-to-eat (RTE) spinach leaves through an open web-online survey. Results showed that half of respondents did not know food irradiation, but the other half demonstrated uncertainty despite they declared they had knowledge about it; thus, confirming little awareness towards this technology. Respondents who believed in the misleading myth about food irradiation represented 39%, while roughly the same number was doubtful. On the other hand, after supplying informative material, respondents were positively influenced and an increase in acceptance by 90% was found. Finally, 42% of respondents were willing to consume/purchase irradiated RTE spinach leaves, and 35% remained doubtful. Respondents who did not exclude to accept irradiated spinach could be considered potential consumers if intensive campaigns about the benefits of food irradiation were carried out by reliable actors. If the Argentinean RTE market grew, following the world consumption trend towards these products, irradiated spinach leaves could be successfully introduced by making better efforts to inform consumers about food irradiation.

Barriers to avoiding fast-food consumption in an environment supportive of unhealthy eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Lukar E; Jeffery, Robert W; Crawford, David A

2013-12-01

To investigate factors (ability, motivation and the environment) that act as barriers to limiting fast-food consumption in women who live in an environment that is supportive of poor eating habits. Cross-sectional study using self-reports of individual-level data and objectively measured environmental data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with frequency of fast-food consumption. Socio-economically disadvantaged areas in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Women (n 932) from thirty-two socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods living within 3 km of six or more fast-food restaurants. Women were randomly sampled in 2007–2008 as part of baseline data collection for the Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality (READI) study. Consuming low amounts of fast food was less likely in women with lower perceived ability to shop for and cook healthy foods, lower frequency of family dining, lower family support for healthy eating, more women acquaintances who eat fast food regularly and who lived further from the nearest supermarket. When modelled with the other significant factors, a lower perceived shopping ability, mid levels of family support and living further from the nearest supermarket remained significant. Among those who did not perceive fruits and vegetables to be of high quality, less frequent fast-food consumption was further reduced for those with the lowest confidence in their shopping ability. Interventions designed to improve women's ability and opportunities to shop for healthy foods may be of value in making those who live in high-risk environments better able to eat healthily.

Tracking Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria in Raw and Ready-to-Eat Food Illegally Sold at the Eastern EU Border.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciolacu, Luminita; Stessl, Beatrix; Bolocan, Andrei Sorin; Oniciuc, Elena Alexandra; Wagner, Martin; Rychli, Kathrin; Nicolau, Anca Ioana

2016-03-01

Food illegally brought into the European Union, mainly in the personal luggage of travelers, represents a potential threat to consumers' health. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of five pathogens in food brought into the European Union by Moldavian citizens as personal goods and illegally sold in Romania in the vicinity of the border. The occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes was 7.5% and 8%, while Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. were absent in all samples. L. monocytogenes sequence type 2, 9, 121, and 155, highly prevalent among foodstuffs worldwide, was also present among isolates from ready-to-eat food illegally sold in Romania, even at the same date of sampling, indicating cross-contamination during food handling. S. aureus spa types t449, t304, and t524 were most often isolated from raw-milk cheeses contaminated with 10(3)-10(5) colony-forming units per gram, evidencing a contamination at herd level or unhygienic conditions during processing. S. aureus t011 and t3625, both included in the livestock-associated CC398, were isolated from pork lard and poultry meat. This study shows that cross-border trade from nonmember states represents a neglected route of transmission of foodborne pathogens into the European Union that could lead to sporadic or family-associated cases of disease.

Modeling the growth boundary of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat cooked meat products as a function of the product salt, moisture, potassium lactate, and sodium diacetate concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Legan, J D; Seman, D L; Milkowski, A L; Hirschey, J A; Vandeven, M H

2004-10-01

A central composite response surface design was used to determine the time to growth of Listeria monocytogenes as a function of four continuous variables: added sodium chloride (0.8 to 3.6%), sodium diacetate (0 to 0.2%), potassium lactate syrup (60% [wt/wt]; 0.25 to 9.25%), and finished-product moisture (45.5 to 83.5%) in ready-to-eat cured meat products. The design was repeated for ready-to-eat uncured meat products giving a fifth categorical variable for cure status. Products were stored at 4 degrees C. The results were modeled using a generalized regression approach. All five main effects, six two-factor interactions, and two quadratic terms were statistically significant. The model was used to show the boundary between growth and no-growth conditions at 4 degrees C using contour plots of time to growth. It was validated using independent challenge studies of cured and uncured products. Generally, the model predicted well, particularly for cured products, where it will be useful for establishing conditions that prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes. For uncured products, there was good agreement overall between predicted and observed times to growth, but the model is less thoroughly validated than for cured products. The model should initially only be used for screening of formulations likely to prevent growth of Listeria monocytogenes in uncured products, with recommendations subject to confirmation by challenge studies.

Development and evaluation of garlic incorporated ready-to-eat extruded snacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Haritha, D; Vijayalakshmi, V; Gulla, S

2014-11-01

The present study was carried out to develop and evaluate ready to eat extruded snacks incorporated with garlic powder at various levels (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %). The organoleptic evaluation was conducted for the developed products and the well accepted products were selected for further studies like physical properties and shelf life (stored at room temperature for 2 months). The organoleptic evaluation of the developed snacks revealed that 15 % and 20 % garlic incorporated snacks were not acceptable due to strong garlic flavor, therefore T1 (control), T2 (5 % garlic) and T3 ( 10 % garlic) were selected for further studies. The physical properties showed significant changes with incorporation of garlic powder at 0 %-10 % level. There was an increase in mass flow rate, tap density and bulk density but decrease in the water holding capacity, oil absorption capacity and expansion ratio. The water soluble index and moisture retention of the products showed the same values for all the three selected treatments. The products were packed by ordinary, nitrogen and vacuum packing and stored for 2 months. It was found that there was an increase in moisture content and microbial load, however the increase was within limits. The increase in the moisture content was low in nitrogen packed products where as the microbial load decreased with increase in the percentage of garlic incorporation. The nitrogen and vacuum packed products showed less microbial load than the ordinary packed products. Garlic powder can be incorporated at 5 and 10 % levels in ready-to-eat extruded snacks with well acceptability and can be stored for a period of 2 months with nitrogen packing as an effective packaging.

Subacute Toxicity Study of 40 kGy Irradiated Ready-to-Eat Bulgogi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J.G.; Kim, J.H.; Lee, J.W.; Byun, M.W.; Jeon, Y.E.; Kang, I.J.; Hwang, H.J.

2011-01-01

The wholesomeness of 40 kGy irradiated ready-to-eat (RTE) bulgogi was evaluated by subacute toxicity studies (body weight, food consumption, organ weight, hematology, serum biochemistry, and histopathological examination) with groups of 40 male and female ICR mice fed the agent at dietary levels of 5% for 90 days. There were no treatment-related adverse effects with regard to body weight, food consumption, organ weight, hematology, serum biochemistry, and histopathology. The no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) was also determined to be greater than dietary level of at least 5% (3900 mg/kg body weight/day for males, 3500 mg/kg body weight/day for females) for samples under the present experimental conditions. These results suggest that, under these experimental conditions, RTE bulgogi irradiated at 40 kGy did not show any toxic effects

Readiness and motivation for change among young women with broadly defined eating disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Ålgars, Monica; Ramberg, Carin; Moszny, Josefine; Hagman, Jessica; Rintala, Hanna; Santtila, Pekka

2015-01-01

Readiness and motivation for change were examined in 32 women with broadly defined eating disorders who took part in a 10-week Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based group intervention. Readiness for change and eating disorder psychopathology were assessed before and after the intervention. The results revealed significant negative associations between degree of eating disorder symptoms and degree of readiness for change before the intervention started. In particular, higher levels of eating concern, shape concern, and body dissatisfaction were associated with lower motivation for change. No significant associations between degree of readiness for change before the intervention started and changes in eating disorder symptoms at the end of intervention were found. Readiness for change increased from the beginning to the end of the intervention, indicating that group CBT may be a cost-effective and time-efficient way of enhancing readiness and motivation for change in individuals with eating psychopathology.

Presence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli in Ready-to-Eat Foods in Shaanxi, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Baloch, Allah Bux; Yang, Hua; Feng, Yuqing; Xi, Meili; Wu, Qian; Yang, Qinhao; Tang, Jingsi; He, Xiangxiang; Xiao, Yingping; Xia, Xiaodong

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine the presence and characteristics of Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. A total of 300 RTE foods samples were collected in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China: 50 samples of cooked meat, 165 samples of vegetable salad, 50 samples of cold noodles, and 35 samples of salted boiled peanuts. All samples were collected during summer (in July to October) 2011 and 2012 and surveyed for the presence of E. coli . E. coli isolates recovered were classified by phylogenetic typing using a PCR assay. The presence of Shiga toxin genes 1 (stx 1 ) and 2 (stx 2 ) was determined for these E. coli isolates by PCR, and all isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of class 1 integrons. Overall, 267 (89.0%) RTE food samples were positive for E. coli : 49 cold noodle, 46 cooked meat, 150 salad vegetable, and 22 salted boiled peanut samples. Of the 267 E. coli isolates, 73.0% belong to phylogenetic group A, 12.4% to group B1, 6.4% to group B2, and 8.2% to group D. All isolates were negative for both Shiga toxin genes. Among the isolates, 74.2% were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 17.6% were resistant to three or more antimicrobial agents. Resistance to ampicillin (75.6% of isolates) and tetracycline (73.1% of isolates) was most frequently detected; 26.2% of E. coli isolates and 68.8% of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates were positive for class 1 integrons. All isolates were sensitive to amikacin. Our findings indicate that RTE foods in Shaanxi were commonly contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli , which may pose a risk for consumer health and for transmission of antibiotic resistance. Future research is warranted to track the contamination sources and develop appropriate steps that should be taken by government, industry, and retailers to reduce microbial contamination in RTE foods.

Risk factors for contamination of ready-to-eat street-vended poultry dishes in Dakar, Senegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardinale, E; Perrier Gros-Claude, J D; Tall, F; Guèye, E F; Salvat, G

2005-08-25

Our objective was to investigate the Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of traditional ready-to-eat street-vended poultry dishes and to assess the association of some restaurant characteristics and cooking practices with the contamination of these meals. One hundred and forty-eight street-restaurants were studied from January 2003 to April 2004 in Dakar. A questionnaire was submitted to the managers, and samples of ready-to-eat poultry dishes were taken. Salmonella spp. was isolated in 20.1% of the 148 street-restaurants studied and in 10.1% samples of poultry dishes. The most prevalent serovars isolated were Salmonella hadar, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella brancaster. Campylobacter jejuni was detected in only 3 restaurants and 3 poultry dishes. Not peeling and not cleaning vegetables and other ingredients during meal preparation (OR=3.58), dirty clothing for restaurant employees (OR=4.65), reheating previously cooked foods (OR=5.2), and no kitchen and utensils disinfection (OR=3.47) were associated with an increasing risk of Salmonella contamination. Adequate cooking procedures decreased the risk of Salmonella contamination (OR=0.15).

Multiplex nucleic acid sequence-based amplification for simultaneous detection of several enteric viruses in model ready-to-eat foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Jean, Julie; D'Souza, Doris H; Jaykus, Lee-Ann

2004-11-01

Human enteric viruses are currently recognized as one of the most important causes of food-borne disease. Implication of enteric viruses in food-borne outbreaks can be difficult to confirm due to the inadequacy of the detection methods available. In this study, a nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) method was developed in a multiplex format for the specific, simultaneous, and rapid detection of epidemiologically relevant human enteric viruses. Three previously reported primer sets were used in a single reaction for the amplification of RNA target fragments of 474, 371, and 165 nucleotides for the detection of hepatitis A virus and genogroup I and genogroup II noroviruses, respectively. Amplicons were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis and confirmed by electrochemiluminescence and Northern hybridization. Endpoint detection sensitivity for the multiplex NASBA assay was approximately 10(-1) reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU, as appropriate) per reaction. When representative ready-to-eat foods (deli sliced turkey and lettuce) were inoculated with various concentrations of each virus and processed for virus detection with the multiplex NASBA method, all three human enteric viruses were simultaneously detected at initial inoculum levels of 10(0) to 10(2) reverse transcription-PCR-detectable units (or PFU)/9 cm2 in both food commodities. The multiplex NASBA system provides rapid and simultaneous detection of clinically relevant food-borne viruses in a single reaction tube and may be a promising alternative to reverse transcription-PCR for the detection of viral contamination of foods.

Replacing American Breakfast Foods with Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Cereals Increases Consumption of Key Food Groups and Nutrients among US Children and Adults: Results of an NHANES Modeling Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehm, Colin D; Drewnowski, Adam

2017-09-13

Replacing the typical American breakfast with ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) may improve diet quality. Our goal was to assess the impact of RTECs on diet quality measures for different age groups, using substitution modeling. Dietary intakes came from the 2007-2010 National Health and Examination Surveys (NHANES; n = 18,112). All breakfast foods, excluding beverages, were replaced on a per calorie basis, with frequency-weighted and age/race specific RTECs. Model 1 replaced foods with RTECs alone; Model 2 replaced foods with RTECs and milk. Diet quality measures were based on desirable food groups and nutrients, Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 scores, and estimated diet costs. Model 1 diets were significantly higher in whole grains (+84.6%), fiber (+14.3%), vitamin D (+14.0%), iron (+54.5%) and folic acid (+104.6%), as compared to observed diets. Model 2 diets were additionally higher in dairy (+15.8%), calcium (+11.3%) and potassium (+3.95%). In Model 1, added sugar increased (+5.0%), but solid fats declined (-10.9%). Energy from solid fats and added sugars declined (-3.2%) in both models. Model 2 offered higher diet quality (57.1 vs. 54.6, p -value < 0.01) at a lower cost ($6.70 vs. $6.92; p < 0.01), compared to observed diets. Substitution modeling of NHANES data can assess the nutritional and economic impact of dietary guidance.

Isolation, Characterization, and Application of Bacteriophage LPSE1 Against Salmonella enterica in Ready to Eat (RTE Foods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenxi Huang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Salmonella infection is an important foodborne consumer health concern that can be mitigated during food processing. Bacteriophage therapy imparts many advantages over conventional chemical preservatives including pathogen specificity, natural derivation, potency, and providing a high degree of safety. The objective of this study aimed to isolate and characterize a phage that effectively control Salmonella food contamination. Out of 35 isolated phages, LPSE1 demonstrated a broad Salmonella host range, robust lytic ability, extensive pH tolerance, and prolonged thermal stability. The capacity for phage LPSE1 to control Salmonella Enteritidis-ATCC13076 in milk, sausage, and lettuce was established. Incubation of LPSE1 at 28°C in milk reduced recoverable Salmonella by approximately 1.44 log10 CFU/mL and 2.37 log10 CFU/mL at MOI of 1 and 100, respectively, as relative to the phage-excluded control. Upon administration of LPSE1 at an MOI of 1 in sausage, Salmonella count decreased 0.52 log10 at 28°C. At MOI of 100, the count decreased 0.49 log10 at 4°C. Incubation of LPSE1 on lettuce reduced recoverable Salmonella by 2.02 log10, 1.71 log10, and 1.45 log10 CFU/mL at an MOI of 1, 10, and 100, respectively, as relative to the negative control. Taken together, these findings establish LPSE1 as an effective weapon against human pathogenic Salmonella in various ready to eat foods.

Handling of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mango (Mangifera indica L.) for ripe and ready to eat markets

Science.gov (United States)

Recently, demand for ripe and ready to eat mango (RRTEM) has increased, offering an interesting possibility for Mexican producers because of geographic closeness from the production sites to the USA markets. The objectives were to determine the optimum fruit ripening stage at harvest and to delimit ...

Bacteria associated with contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The bacteria associated with contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) cooked rice in Lagos, Nigeria were studied using standard microbiological methods. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of pathogenic bacteria recovered from RTE cooked rice in Lagos, assess bacteria load in the contaminated RTE ...

Predicting growth rates and growth boundary of Listeria monocytogenes - An international validation study with focus on processed and ready-to-eat meat and seafood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mejlholm, Ole; Gunvig, A.; Borggaard, C.

2010-01-01

The performance of six predictive models for Listeria monocytogenes was evaluated using 1014 growth responses of the pathogen in meat, seafood, poultry and dairy products. The performance of the growth models was closely related to their complexity i.e. the number of environmental parameters they...... be accurate. The successfully validated models are useful for assessment and management of L monocytogenes in processed and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods....... to accurately predict growth responses of L. monocytogenes in the wide range of food evaluated in the present study. When complexity of L monocytogenes growth models matches the complexity of foods of interest. i.e. the number of hurdles to microbial growth, then predicted growth responses of the pathogen can...

Microbiological Examination of Ready-to-Eat Salads (Crispy Green ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study of ready-to-eat salads (crispy Green) from retail establishments in the United Kingdom, was undertaken to determine their microbiological quality. The salads were collected and examined according to a standardized protocol. Total count was carried out and all colonies on CFC and MRS were counted as ...

The Chemistry of Self-Heating Food Products: An Activity for Classroom Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.; Pinto, Gabriel; Llorens-Molina, Juan Antonio

2009-01-01

Two commercial self-heating food products have been used to apply chemical concepts such as stoichiometry, enthalpies of reactions and solutions, and heat transfer in a classroom activity. These products are the self-heating beverages sold in Europe and the Meals, Ready to Eat or MREs used primarily by the military in the United States. The main…

40 CFR 406.90 - Applicability; description of the ready-to-eat cereal subcategory.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... produce various breakfast cereals normally available for human consumption without cooking. ...-to-eat cereal subcategory. 406.90 Section 406.90 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Cereal Subcategory § 406.90 Applicability; description of the ready-to-eat cereal subcategory. The...

Replacing American Breakfast Foods with Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Cereals Increases Consumption of Key Food Groups and Nutrients among US Children and Adults: Results of an NHANES Modeling Study

Science.gov (United States)

Rehm, Colin D.; Drewnowski, Adam

2017-01-01

Replacing the typical American breakfast with ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) may improve diet quality. Our goal was to assess the impact of RTECs on diet quality measures for different age groups, using substitution modeling. Dietary intakes came from the 2007–2010 National Health and Examination Surveys (NHANES; n = 18,112). All breakfast foods, excluding beverages, were replaced on a per calorie basis, with frequency-weighted and age/race specific RTECs. Model 1 replaced foods with RTECs alone; Model 2 replaced foods with RTECs and milk. Diet quality measures were based on desirable food groups and nutrients, Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 scores, and estimated diet costs. Model 1 diets were significantly higher in whole grains (+84.6%), fiber (+14.3%), vitamin D (+14.0%), iron (+54.5%) and folic acid (+104.6%), as compared to observed diets. Model 2 diets were additionally higher in dairy (+15.8%), calcium (+11.3%) and potassium (+3.95%). In Model 1, added sugar increased (+5.0%), but solid fats declined (−10.9%). Energy from solid fats and added sugars declined (−3.2%) in both models. Model 2 offered higher diet quality (57.1 vs. 54.6, p-value < 0.01) at a lower cost ($6.70 vs. $6.92; p < 0.01), compared to observed diets. Substitution modeling of NHANES data can assess the nutritional and economic impact of dietary guidance. PMID:28902145

Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat seafood in Spain: study of prevalence and temperatures at retail.

Science.gov (United States)

González, David; Vitas, Ana Isabel; Díez-Leturia, María; García-Jalón, Isabel

2013-12-01

The aim of this study was to obtain data from refrigerated ready-to-eat seafood products at retail in Spain (young eels, crabstick and smoked salmon), regarding prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes, storage temperatures and the impact of transport conditions (type of bag) on the temperature of the product. The one-year surveillance period was carried out according to the EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, taking 5 units/batch and analyzing 250 samples following ISO 11290-1/A1 and ISO 11290-2/A methodologies. Low prevalence of L. monocytogenes was observed in surimi products, while 4.8% of smoked salmon samples were positive for Listeria with low levels (<10 cfu/g) and uneven pathogen distribution. A single company was responsible for 80% of the positive lots. All purchased products showed values higher than 4 °C at retail and an average increase of 2.5 °C or up to 6.2 °C was recorded when isothermal or plastic shopping bags were used for transport, respectively. To avoid noncompliance of the Food Safety Objective for L. monocytogenes in seafood RTE products more efforts from all stakeholders are needed, with special attention so as to improve control and maintenance of refrigerators at retail and to enhance consumer education regarding food safety practices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring changes in the nutritional content of ready-to-eat grain-based dessert products manufactured and purchased between 2005 and 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathias, Kevin C; Ng, Shu Wen; Popkin, Barry

2015-03-01

Monitoring changes in the nutritional content of food/beverage products and shifts in consumer purchasing behaviors is needed to measure the effectiveness of efforts by both food manufacturers and policy makers to improve dietary quality in the United States. To examine changes in the nutritional content (eg, energy, saturated fat, and sugar density) of ready-to-eat (RTE) grain-based dessert (GBD) products manufactured and purchased between 2005 and 2012. Nutrition Facts panel information from commercial databases was linked to RTE GBD products purchased by households (N=134,128) in the Nielsen Homescan longitudinal dataset 2005-2012. Linear regression models were used to examine changes in the energy, saturated fat, and sugar density of RTE GBD products manufactured in each year between 2005 and 2012. Random effects models controlling for demographics, household composition/size, and geographic location were used to examine changes in household purchases of RTE GBD products (in grams) and the average energy, saturated fat, and sugar density of RTE GBD products purchased. The saturated fat density (grams/100 g) of RTE GBD products increased significantly from 6.5±0.2 in 2005 to 7.3±0.2 and 7.9±0.2 for pre-existing and newly introduced products in 2012, respectively. Between 2005 and 2012, the energy density (kilocalories/100 g) of RTE GBD products purchased decreased significantly from 433±0.2 to 422±0.2, the saturated fat density (grams/100 g) of products purchased increased significantly from 6.3±0.01 to 6.6±0.01, the sugar density (grams/100 g) of products purchased decreased significantly from 32.4±0.03 to 31.3±0.02, and household purchases of RTE GBD products (in grams) decreased by 24.1%±0.4%. These results highlight an opportunity for both food manufacturers and public health officials to develop new strategies to shift consumer purchases toward products with lower energy, saturated fat, and sugar densities in addition to decreasing overall

Contamination profile of Listeria spp. in three types of ready-to-eat chicken meat products.

Science.gov (United States)

Lekroengsin, Sumalin; Keeratipibul, Suwimon; Trakoonlerswilai, Kasame

2007-01-01

This study investigated contamination sources of Listeria spp. in frozen, ready-to-eat, roasted, steamed, and fried chicken meat products from a plant in Thailand, as well as the correlation between Listeria contamination in the production environment and the finished product. The cooking processes used in this factory (with a product core temperature of 80 degrees C for 1 min) were confirmed as adequate for eliminating Listeria spp. However, Listeria spp. were detected at the packing stage of roasted and steamed chicken products. An environmental swab test was conducted by means of the zone concept, whereby surfaces in the production area were divided into three zones. Zone 1 was made up of the equipment surfaces that came into direct contact with the products. Zone 2 consisted of equipment surfaces that were not in direct contact with the products, including surfaces that were difficult to be cleaned. Zone 3 included surfaces that did not come in direct contact with the products and were located far from the products. The results showed that the prevalence of Listeria spp. in roasted and steamed products was affected by the prevalence of Listeria contamination in all zones, especially zone 1, which demonstrated the highest correlation. In addition, the prevalence of Listeria contamination in zones 2 and 3 affected the prevalence of Listeria in zone 1. A correlation between Listeria on roasted chicken products and the surfaces of zone 1 at the start of production was also established.

Food Safety for Moms to Be: While You're Pregnant - Listeria

Science.gov (United States)

... harmful bacterium that can be found in refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods (meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy - unpasteurized milk and ... 32° C), discard food after 1 hour. Use ready-to-eat, perishable foods, such as dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, and produce, ...

Recent experiences in the development of locally-produced ready to use foods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, Kelsey; Manary, Mark

2014-01-01

Ready-to-use foods for treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) are micronutrient-fortified, lipid pastes containing roasted peanuts, oil, micronutrients, sugar, soy and/or dairy ingredient powders. The benefits of pastes like ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF), and lipid nutrient supplements (LNS) for the treatment of nutritional maladies are that they are shelf-stable due to their low water activity, they are easily transportable, and they can be eaten as-is. Since the development of ready-to-use foods, cost reduction and local production experimentation have been ongoing. Attempts to replace ingredients like skim milk powder with alternate dairy protein ingredients or non-animal ingredients have been reported, but little food and process development information has been revealed. Linear programming or least-cost optimization mathematical models have been employed to help design low cost paste formulas from a selection of ingredients that also meet nutritional requirements. A new user-friendly tool can be used to develop new formulas that incorporate locally-sourced ingredients. New approaches to ingredient utilization are necessary for future ready-to-use food production and will require the development of novel processes for local ingredients compared to traditional pastes. The challenges of incorporating novel ingredients include processing changes, flavor and acceptability, and meeting nutrient requirements. Our research is designed to not only look at substitute ingredients, but also to optimize processing conditions in order to reduce cost by energy savings, extended shelf-life, and lower nutrient degradation. An RUSF using a novel dairy ingredient, whey permeate, was recently developed and is currently being tested in a prospective, double-blind randomized clinical trial for children with MAM in Malawi. Recent research in the development and testing of ready-to-use foods for MAM include a programmatic study

An Empirical Analysis of Equilibrium Pricing and Advertising in the Ready-To-Eat Cereal Market

OpenAIRE

Michael Cohen; Adam Rabinowitz

2012-01-01

We introduce a model of dynamic price and advertising competition and use the model to investigate a popular segment of the Ready-To-Eat Cereal Market. It is well understood that advertising is a key non-price strategic demand determinant in differentiated product markets. Two popular and compatible models for the role of advertising have emerged. One model specifies advertising as a determinant of a consumer's level of product awareness (informative) and the other model specifies advertising...

Prevalence and Persistence of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Tilapia Sashimi Processing Plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bang-Yuan; Wang, Chung-Yi; Wang, Chia-Lan; Fan, Yang-Chi; Weng, I-Ting; Chou, Chung-Hsi

2016-11-01

A 2-year study was performed at two ready-to-eat tilapia sashimi processing plants (A and B) to identify possible routes of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes during processing. Samples were collected from the aquaculture environments, transportation tanks, processing plants, and final products. Seventy-nine L. monocytogenes isolates were found in the processing environments and final products; 3.96% (50 of 1,264 samples) and 3.86% (29 of 752 samples) of the samples from plants A and B, respectively, were positive for L. monocytogenes . No L. monocytogenes was detected in the aquaculture environments or transportation tanks. The predominant L. monocytogenes serotypes were 1/2b (55.70%) and 4b (37.97%); serotypes 3b and 4e were detected at much lower percentages. At both plants, most processing sections were contaminated with L. monocytogenes before the start of processing, which indicated that the cleaning and sanitizing methods did not achieve adequate pathogen removal. Eleven seropulsotypes were revealed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and serotyping. Analysis of seropulsotype distribution revealed that the contamination was disseminated by the processing work; the same seropulsotypes were repeatedly found along the work flow line and in the final products. Specific seropulsotypes were persistently found during different sampling periods, which suggests that the sanitation procedures or equipment used at these plants were inadequate. Plant staff should improve the sanitation procedures and equipment to reduce the risk of L. monocytogenes cross-contamination and ensure the safety of ready-to-eat tilapia products.

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF CHANGE IN SALIVARY pH ON CONSUMPTION OF DRY READY TO EAT CEREALS, CEREALS WITH AND WITHOUT ADDED SUGAR IN MILK- AN IN -VIVO STUDY

OpenAIRE

Mahesh J*, Sapna B, Veeresh DJ, Divya D

2016-01-01

Background: Dry, Ready to Eat Cereals are a combination of refined sugar and starch, most commonly consumed breakfast in the modern human diet. The present study was done to investigate the effects of combination foods on salivary pH. Objective: To assess and compare the salivary pH changes after consumption of Dry Ready to Eat Cereals (REC), Cereals with plain and sugar added milk. Method: Thirty six adults of age 18 to 25 years were assessed for salivary pH at baseline followed by one minut...

Molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from a wide variety of ready-to-eat foods and their relationship to clinical strains from listeriosis outbreaks in Chile.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David eMontero

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen transmitted through food that can cause severe infections in high-risk groups such as pregnant women, elderly, young children and immunocompromised individuals. It is a ubiquitous bacterium that can survive in harsh conditions, such as dry environments, at low temperatures, in brine conditions and at low pH values. It also has the capacity to form biofilms, which makes it particularly successful even in colonizing surfaces within food processing plants. This study analyzed the presence of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food (RTE such as sausage, cheese, fresh salads and other types of raw food. 850 samples of refrigerated and packaged food collected in 2008 and 2009 were analyzed. It was found that 25% of these samples were contaminated with L. monocytogenes strains. Serotyping and virulence genes detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR identified that strains belonging to serotype 4b, and containing one or more genes encoded by LIPI-1, were significantly associated with specific food types. Furthermore, using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE, it was possible to associate isolates from cheese with strains from clinical cases of listeriosis outbreaks that occurred during the same time period within the same geographic regions. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between isolates from frozen seafood and from clinical strains obtained from sporadic cases of listeriosis. In agreement with reports described in other countries, our results shown that Chilean strains of L. monocytogenes from food products include the most virulent serotypes, encoding for the main virulence genes of the LIPI-1 pathogenicity island, and were clonally related to clinical isolates from sporadic cases and outbreaks of listeriosis. In conclusion, we show that Chilean isolates of L. monocytogenes from RTE and raw food products can cause disease in humans, representing a public health risk that justifies permanent

Molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from a wide variety of ready-to-eat foods and their relationship to clinical strains from listeriosis outbreaks in Chile.

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Montero, David; Bodero, Marcia; Riveros, Guillermina; Lapierre, Lisette; Gaggero, Aldo; Vidal, Roberto M; Vidal, Maricel

2015-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen transmitted through food that can cause severe infections in high-risk groups such as pregnant women, elderly, young children and immunocompromised individuals. It is a ubiquitous bacterium that can survive in harsh conditions, such as dry environments, at low temperatures, in brine conditions and at low pH values. It also has the capacity to form biofilms, which makes it particularly successful even in colonizing surfaces within food processing plants. This study analyzed the presence of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food (RTE) such as sausage, cheese, fresh salads, and other types of raw food. 850 samples of refrigerated and packaged food collected in 2008 and 2009 were analyzed. It was found that 25% of these samples were contaminated with L. monocytogenes strains. Serotyping and virulence genes detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified that strains belonging to serotype 4b, and containing one or more genes encoded by pathogenicity island (LIPI-1), were significantly associated with specific food types. Furthermore, using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), it was possible to associate isolates from cheese with strains from clinical cases of listeriosis outbreaks that occurred during the same time period within the same geographic regions. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between isolates from frozen seafood and from clinical strains obtained from sporadic cases of listeriosis. In agreement with reports described in other countries, our results shown that Chilean strains of L. monocytogenes from food products include the most virulent serotypes, encoding for the main virulence genes of the LIPI-1, and were clonally related to clinical isolates from sporadic cases and outbreaks of listeriosis. In conclusion, we show that Chilean isolates of L. monocytogenes from RTE and raw food products can cause disease in humans, representing a public health risk that justifies permanent surveillance.

Assessment of microbiological contamination of fresh, minimally processed, and ready-to-eat lettuces (Lactuca sativa), Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

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Brandão, Marcelo L L; Almeida, Davi O; Bispo, Fernanda C P; Bricio, Silvia M L; Marin, Victor A; Miagostovich, Marize P

2014-05-01

This study aimed to assess the microbiological contamination of lettuces commercialized in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in order to investigate detection of norovirus genogroup II (NoV GII), Salmonella spp., total and fecal coliforms, such as Escherichia coli. For NoV detection samples were processed using the adsorption-elution concentration method associated to real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). A total of 90 samples of lettuce including 30 whole fresh lettuces, 30 minimally processed (MP) lettuces, and 30 raw ready-to-eat (RTE) lettuce salads were randomly collected from different supermarkets (fresh and MP lettuce samples), food services, and self-service restaurants (RTE lettuce salads), all located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from October 2010 to December 2011. NoV GII was not detected and PP7 bacteriophage used as internal control process (ICP) was recovered in 40.0%, 86.7%, and 76.7% of those samples, respectively. Salmonella spp. was not detected although fecal contamination has been observed by fecal coliform concentrations higher than 10(2) most probable number/g. E. coli was detected in 70.0%, 6.7%, and 30.0% of fresh, MP, and RTE samples, respectively. This study highlights the need to improve hygiene procedures at all stages of vegetable production and to show PP7 bacteriophage as an ICP for recovering RNA viruses' methods from MP and RTE lettuce samples, encouraging the evaluation of new protocols that facilitate the establishment of methodologies for NoV detection in a greater number of food microbiology laboratories. The PP7 bacteriophage can be used as an internal control process in methods for recovering RNA viruses from minimally processed and ready-to-eat lettuce samples. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Monitoring psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria contamination in a ready-to-eat vegetable salad production environment.

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Pothakos, Vasileios; Snauwaert, Cindy; De Vos, Paul; Huys, Geert; Devlieghere, Frank

2014-08-18

A study monitoring lactic acid bacteria contamination was conducted in a company producing fresh, minimally processed, packaged and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable salads (stored at 4°C) in order to investigate the reason for high psychrotrophic LAB levels in the products at the end of shelf-life. Initially, high microbial counts exceeding the established psychrotrophic thresholds (>10(7)-10(8)CFU/g) and spoilage manifestations before the end of the shelf-life (7days) occurred in products containing an assortment of sliced and diced vegetables, but within a one year period these spoilage defects became prevalent in the entire processing plant. Environmental sampling and microbiological analyses of the raw materials and final products throughout the manufacturing process highlighted the presence of high numbers of Leuconostoc spp. in halved and unseeded, fresh sweet bell peppers provided by the supplier. A combination of two DNA fingerprinting techniques facilitated the assessment of the species diversity of LAB present in the processing environment along with the critical point of their introduction in the production facility. Probably through air mediation and surface adhesion, mainly members of the strictly psychrotrophic species Leuconostoc gelidum subsp. gasicomitatum and L. gelidum subsp. gelidum were responsible for the cross-contamination of every vegetable handled within the plant. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of daily consumption of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal and pumpkin seed kernels (Cucurbita pepo) on serum iron in adult women.

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Naghii, Mohammad Reza; Mofid, Mahmood

2007-01-01

Iron deficiency, anemia, is the most prevalent nutritional problem in the world today. The objective of this study was to consider the effectiveness of consumption of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal and pumpkin seed kernels as two sources of dietary iron on status of iron nutrition and response of hematological characteristics of women at reproductive ages. Eight healthy female, single or non pregnant subjects, aged 20-37 y consumed 30 g of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal (providing 7.1 mg iron/day) plus 30 g of pumpkin seed kernels (providing 4.0 mg iron/day) for four weeks. Blood samples collected on the day 20 of menstrual cycles before and after consumption and indices of iron status such as reticulocyte count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), serum ferritin, iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin and transferrin saturation percent were determined. Better response for iron status was observed after consumption period. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the pre and post consumption phase for higher serum iron (60 +/- 22 vs. 85 +/- 23 ug/dl), higher transferrin saturation percent (16.8 +/- 8.0 vs. 25.6 +/- 9.0%), and lower TIBC (367 +/- 31 vs. 339 +/- 31 ug/dl). All individuals had higher serum iron after consumption. A significant positive correlation (r=0.981, p=0.000) between the differences in serum iron levels and differences in transferrin saturation percentages and a significant negative correlation (r=-0.916, pfoods contribute to maintaining optimal nutritional status and minimizing the likelihood of iron insufficiencies and use of fortified ready-to-eat cereals is a common strategy. The results showed that adding another food source of iron such as pumpkin seed kernels improves the iron status. Additional and longer studies using these two food products are recommended to further determine the effect of iron fortification on iron nutrition and status among the target population, and mainly in young

Genetic Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates from Industrial and Retail Ready-to-Eat Meat-Based Foods and Their Relationship with Clinical Strains from Human Listeriosis in Portugal.

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Henriques, A R; Cristino, J Melo; Fraqueza, M J

2017-04-01

Listeria monocytogenes isolates (n = 81) recovered from ready-to-eat meat-based food products (RTEMP) collected in industrial processing plants and retail establishments were genetically characterized for comparison with those from human clinical cases of listeriosis (n = 49). The aim was to assess RTEMP as a possible food source for human infection. L. monocytogenes was detected in 12.5% of the RTEMP samples, and in some cases, counts were above the European food safety criteria. All isolates were assessed by multiplex PCR for serogroup determination and detection of virulence-associated genes inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, plcA, hlyA, actA, and iap. Serogroups IIb and IVb dominated in RTEMP and human isolates, and all were positive for the assessed virulence genes. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by the disk diffusion method revealed a low level of resistance among the isolates. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of L. monocytogenes isolates, using restriction enzymes ApaI and AscI, revealed genetic variability and differentiated the isolates in five clusters. Although some pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of particular RTEMP and human isolates seemed to be highly related, exhibiting more than 90% similarity, which suggests a possible common source, in most cases the strains were not genetically or temporally matched. The close genetic relatedness of RTEMP and human listeriosis strains stressed the importance of preventive measure implementation throughout the food chain.

Salt content labelling of foods in supermarkets in Finland

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M. NÄRHINEN

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which lightly salted food products are included in the assortments of Finnish supermarkets and prominently placed on shelves. The study was carried out in eastern Finland in four supermarkets of different food chains. Six food groups of importance for people's salt intake were considered. The food labels of 689 packaged food products were checked for salt and sodium information on the basis of Finnish regulations on salt. Products with reduced salt contents were found in most food groups but not among whole-meat or ready-to-eat foods. Half of the products with reduced amounts of salt were labelled "lightly salted". All four supermarkets had a similar assortment of lightly salted products. From the public health point of view, the food industry should increase the supply of lightly salted products, and make a special effort to develop lightly salted ready-to-eat foods.

Detection of food-borne bacteria in ready to eat betel leaf sold at local markets in Mymensingh.

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Haque, Md Mazedul; Sarker, Md Atiqur Rahman; Rifa, Rafia Afroze; Islam, Md Ariful; Khatun, Mst Minara

2017-09-01

The present study was undertaken to determine bacterial load as well as characterize bacterial flora of ready to eat (RTE) betel leaf sold at local markets in Mymensingh city. A total of 25 RTE betel leaf samples were collected from five local markets such as Kamal-Ranjit (KR) market, Shesh more, Kewatkhali, Jobber more, and Ganginar par. Total viable count of bacteria in betel leaf (log 10 mean colony forming unit±standard deviation/ml) was 7.58±0.04 for KR market, 7.72±0.06 for Shesh more, 7.62±0.04 for Kewatkhali, 7.40±0.03 for Jobber more, and 7.60±0.06 for Ganginar par. A total of 98 bacterial isolates belong to five genera ( Escherichia coli , Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., Bacillus spp., and Staphylococcus spp.) were identified. The prevalence of E. coli was 17.34%, Salmonella spp. was 25.51%, Vibrio spp. was 19.39%, Bacillus spp. was 18.37%, and Staphylococcus spp. was 19.39%. Antibiotic sensitivity test showed that all isolates were sensitive to two antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and gentamicin. Four isolates ( E. coli , Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., and Staphylococcus spp.) were resistant to two antibiotics (ampicillin and cephalexin). Antibiogram profile of bacterial isolates of betel leaf suggests that they were multidrug resistance. Data of this study indicate that betel leaf sold at local market harbors multidrug resistance food-borne bacteria which might cause public health hazards if these antibiotic resistant transfer to human through food chain.

Detection of food-borne bacteria in ready to eat betel leaf sold at local markets in Mymensingh

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Md. Mazedul Haque

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Aim: The present study was undertaken to determine bacterial load as well as characterize bacterial flora of ready to eat (RTE betel leaf sold at local markets in Mymensingh city. Materials and Methods: A total of 25 RTE betel leaf samples were collected from five local markets such as Kamal-Ranjit (KR market, Shesh more, Kewatkhali, Jobber more, and Ganginar par. Results: Total viable count of bacteria in betel leaf (log10 mean colony forming unit±standard deviation/ml was 7.58±0.04 for KR market, 7.72±0.06 for Shesh more, 7.62±0.04 for Kewatkhali, 7.40±0.03 for Jobber more, and 7.60±0.06 for Ganginar par. A total of 98 bacterial isolates belong to five genera (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., Bacillus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. were identified. The prevalence of E. coli was 17.34%, Salmonella spp. was 25.51%, Vibrio spp. was 19.39%, Bacillus spp. was 18.37%, and Staphylococcus spp. was 19.39%. Antibiotic sensitivity test showed that all isolates were sensitive to two antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and gentamicin. Four isolates (E. coli, Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., and Staphylococcus spp. were resistant to two antibiotics (ampicillin and cephalexin. Antibiogram profile of bacterial isolates of betel leaf suggests that they were multidrug resistance. Conclusion: Data of this study indicate that betel leaf sold at local market harbors multidrug resistance food-borne bacteria which might cause public health hazards if these antibiotic resistant transfer to human through food chain.

Antibacterial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus vulgaris L. essential oils and their combination against food-borne pathogens and spoilage bacteria in ready-to-eat vegetables.

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Iseppi, Ramona; Sabia, Carla; de Niederhäusern, Simona; Pellati, Federica; Benvenuti, Stefania; Tardugno, Roberta; Bondi, Moreno; Messi, Patrizia

2018-06-06

The antibacterial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus vulgaris L. essential oils (EOs), and their combination against food-borne and spoilage bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp.) was determined. The EOs inhibitory effect was evaluated both in vitro by using the disk diffusion assay and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination, and on food by using an artificially contaminated ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables. The results showed that the lowest MIC values were obtained with R. officinalis and T. vulgaris EOs against E. coli (4 and 8 μL/mL, respectively). The incorporation of the EOs alone or their combination in RTE vegetables reduced the viable counts of all the tested strains. Lastly, in the on food study we simulated the worst hygienic conditions, obtaining results that can be considered a warranty of safety.

Detection of Parasitic Contamination in Ready to Eat Fresh Packaged Herbs Sold in Tehran, Iran

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Rouhollah Valipour Nouroozi

2015-09-01

Results: In the current study, 8.5% of samples were reported to have parasitic contamination. Cyst and oocyst of Cryptosporidium spp (4%, Giardia spp (3% and Entamoeba spp (1.5% were identified in the present study. Conclusion: The study findings highlighted the potentiality of fresh ready-to-eat packaged herbs to serve as a transmission vehicle for parasites. In addition, this study demonstrated the washing method used by manufacturer of this product was not appropriate.

Prevalence of Salmonella serovars, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Mediterranean ready-to-eat meat products in Jordan.

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Osaili, Tareq M; Al-Nabulsi, Anas A; Shaker, Reyad R; Jaradat, Ziad W; Taha, Mohammad; Al-Kherasha, Mohammed; Meherat, Mervet; Holley, Richard

2014-01-01

The presence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products is considered a major concern for food control authorities worldwide. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the prevalence of Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 in Mediterranean RTE chicken and beef (CB) products sold in Jordanian restaurants and (ii) the susceptibility of the isolates to antibiotics. A total of 1,028 samples of various types of RTE CB products (550 RTE chicken and 478 RTE beef products) were analyzed by methods described by the International Organization for Standardization followed by molecular confirmation of the isolates. The VITEK2 automated system was used for testing antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates. The overall prevalence of Salmonella serovars in RTE CB products was 0.5%, with 0.8 and 0.2% in RTE chicken and RTE beef, respectively. The overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes in RTE CB products was 2%, with 2.7 and 1.5% in RTE chicken and RTE beef products, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 was not isolated from any of the tested samples. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella and L. monocytogenes isolates were found. The majority of Salmonella isolates were sensitive to most of the tested antibiotics, and all of the isolates were resistant to more than one antibiotic. Similarly, more than 85% of L. monocytogenes isolates were sensitive to nine antibiotics, and the majority of L. monocytogenes isolates were resistant to fosfomycin and oxacillin.

The psychometric properties of the Readiness and Motivation Questionnaire: a symptom-specific measure of readiness for change in the eating disorders.

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Geller, Josie; Brown, Krista E; Srikameswaran, Suja; Piper, William; Dunn, Erin C

2013-09-01

Readiness for change, as assessed by the readiness and motivation interview (RMI), predicts a number of clinical outcome variables in eating disorders including enrollment in intensive treatment, symptom change, dropout, and relapse. Although clinically useful, the training and administration of the RMI is time consuming. The purpose of this research was to (a) develop a self-report, symptom-specific version of the RMI, the readiness and motivation questionnaire (RMQ), that can be used to assess readiness for change across all eating disorder diagnoses and (b) establish its psychometric properties. The RMQ provides stage of change, internality, and confidence scores for each of 4 eating disorder symptom domains (restriction, bingeing, and cognitive and compensatory behaviors). Individuals (N = 244) with current eating disorder diagnoses completed the RMQ and measures of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Similar to the RMI scores, readiness scores on the RMQ differed according to symptom domain. Regarding criterion validity, RMQ scores were significantly associated with ratings of anticipated difficulty of recovery activities and completion of recovery activities. The RMQ contributed significant unique variance to anticipated difficulty of recovery activities, beyond those accounted for by the RMI and a questionnaire measure of global readiness. The RMQ is thus an acceptable alternative to the RMI, providing global and domain-specific readiness information when time or cost prohibits use of an interview.

Advertising of food to children: is brand logo recognition related to their food knowledge, eating behaviours and food preferences?

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Kopelman, C A; Roberts, L M; Adab, P

2007-12-01

There remains controversy about the contribution of food advertising targeted at children to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the UK. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the ability to recognize brand logos featured in promotional campaigns of the food industry and eating behaviours, food knowledge and preferences in children aged 9-11 attending six primary schools in Birmingham, West Midlands. A '20 flashcard' brand logo quiz assessed children's brand logo recognition ability; a self-completed questionnaire collected information on children's socio-demographic characteristics, eating behaviours, food knowledge and preferences (n=476). Children demonstrated both high brand logo recognition abilities with 88.4% (420/476) recognizing at least 16/20 brand logos in the quiz and high levels of poor diet. No strong correlation was found between higher brand logo recognition ability and poorer eating behaviours, food knowledge and preferences. Although many children are familiar with commonly presented logos of food products, brand awareness does not appear to be a major influence on the consumption of a poor diet amongst children. The regulation or restriction of food advertising to children is unlikely to have a significant impact on obesity rates among children unless combined with measures to address other detrimental influences.

Effect of indirect ohmic heating on quality of ready-to-eat pineapple packed in plastic pouch

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Hoang Pham

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Ready-to-eat fruits packed in sealed containers are highly perishable due to their intrinsic characteristics and lack of full thermal process. Ohmic heating has the advantages of rapid liquid heating through electrical current. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of indirect ohmic heating on pH, total soluble solids, polyphenol oxidase activity, color and texture of ready-to-eat pineapple packed in a polypropylene pouch with 1% calcium chloride and 0.3% ascorbic acid packing solution. The pre-packed sample in a pouch was placed in the ohmic heating jar filled with 0.5% sodium chloride ohmic heating solution which was then ohmic heated at different voltage gradients (20, 30, 40 V/cm, to different packing solution temperatures (60, 70, 80°C for 60s. Samples were kept at 4°C for quality measurement. It was found that browning index of ready-to-eat pineapple treated with 20 V/cm at 80°C, 30 V/cm at 70°C and 80°C, 40 V/cm at 80°C did not change during 12 days cold storage (p>0.05. Polyphenol oxidase was inactivated when the temperature of the pineapple was 62°C or higher. After 10 days at 4°C, the pineapple heated with 30 V/cm at 70°C had much higher firmness than the un-heated sample kept at the same storage condition. Indirect ohmic heating of pre-packed ready-to-eat pineapple in polypropylene pouch with 30 V/cm at 70°C packing solution temperature for 60s could be used as minimal heating methods to maintain the quality of ready-to-eat fruits in 12 days at 4°C.

Application of predictive models to assess the influence of thyme essential oil on Salmonella Enteritidis behaviour during shelf life of ready-to-eat turkey products.

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Possas, Arícia; Posada-Izquierdo, Guiomar D; Pérez-Rodríguez, Fernando; Valero, Antonio; García-Gimeno, Rosa M; Duarte, Marta C T

2017-01-02

Consumers' demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) turkey meat is attributed to its convenience and healthy properties. However, as cooked meat product it is subjected to post-process contamination, thus allowing presence and growth of microbial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp.. The aim of this study was to include a natural antimicrobial, thyme essential oil (TEO), on RTE turkey products in order to evaluate its effectiveness throughout the shelf life. To do so, the effect of four different formulations of cooked RTE turkey products on Salmonella Enteritidis behaviour was investigated. Products' slices were surface inoculated with S. Enteritidis (ca. 4 to 5logcfu/g), subsequently stored at 10 and 25°C and microbiologically analysed during 18 and 12days, respectively. Predictive microbiology models fitted to count data were used to evaluate microbial behaviour. Results showed that S. Enteritidis behaviour on RTE turkey products slices during storage was strongly dependent on temperature. The pathogen was able to grow on slices at all tested conditions during storage at 25°C and no statistical differences were detected (p>0.05) between growth parameters. At 10°C, different behaviour patterns were observed. The application of TEO led to higher Salmonella inactivation rates on a product exempt of chemical preservatives. The addition of this novel antimicrobial on meat products or its incorporation on meat active packaging systems as a part of hurdle technology could increase RTE turkey products safety while satisfying the demand of more natural foods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[The fat content and fatty acids composition in selected products of the convenience food].

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Drzewicka, Maria; Grajeta, Halina; Kleczkowski, Jerzy

2012-01-01

An increasing pace of life and a lack of time for meals preparation at home, observed in many countries worldwide, have led to an increased consumption of convenient food products. This term refers to highly processed food products that are either ready-to-eat or may be consumed after short culinary processing. Convenience foods include: dinner courses, salads, cereals, creams, broths, pizzas, roasts, as well as frozen products ready-to-eat after short heat treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the fat content and fatty acids composition of frozen products belonging to convenience food. Material for analysis comprised of 30 following food products: fish and seafood products, pizza, casseroles and meat products. The fat content was determined using Folch method and the fatty acids composition using gas chromatography technique. The analyzed products contained from 1.2% to 26.9% of fat. The saturated fatty acids (SFA) content ranged from 8.7% to 53.2%, while the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)--from 24.0% to 68.7% of total fatty acids. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) percentage accounted for 8,1% to 48,8% and trans isomers--for 0.2% to 6.1% of total fatty acids. The fat and fatty acid contents showed large differences in products depending on their composition and preparation techniques declared by the producer. Most of the analyzed fish and seafood products were characterized by the fat content ranged from 11% to 14% with the high percentage of fatty acids favorable from nutritional point of view, MUFA and PUFA. The composition of fatty acids from pizza and casseroles was less favorable, due to high proportion of SFA and also trans isomers.

Nonthermal processing technologies to improve the safety of raw meat and poultry products and ready-to-eat foods

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Newly emerging nonthermal and advanced thermal processing technologies are now being adopted by the food processing industry for the purpose of providing safe and high quality food products to consumers. Scientists and engineers at USDA’s Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, PA are activel...

Food as Risk: How Eating Habits and Food Knowledge Affect Reactivity to Pictures of Junk and Healthy Foods.

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Yegiyan, Narine S; Bailey, Rachel L

2016-01-01

This study explores how people respond to images of junk versus healthy food as a function of their eating habits and food knowledge. The experiment reported here proposed and tested the idea that those with unhealthy eating habits but highly knowledgeable about healthy eating would feel more positive and also more negative toward junk food images compared to images of healthy food because they may perceive them as risky--desirable but potentially harmful. The psychophysiological data collected from participants during their exposure to pictures of junk versus healthy food supported this idea. In addition, unhealthy eaters compared to healthy eaters with the same degree of food knowledge responded more positively to all food items. The findings are critical from a health communication perspective. Because unhealthy eaters produce stronger emotional responses to images of junk food, they are more likely to process information associated with junk food with more cognitive effort and scrutiny. Thus, when targeting this group and using images of junk food, it is important to combine these images with strong message claims and relevant arguments; otherwise, if the arguments are perceived as irrelevant or weak, the motivational activation associated with junk food itself may transfer into an increased desire to consume the unhealthy product.

A multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus in Korean ready-to-eat food.

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Lee, Nari; Kwon, Kyung Yoon; Oh, Su Kyung; Chang, Hyun-Joo; Chun, Hyang Sook; Choi, Sung-Wook

2014-07-01

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for simultaneous detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus in various Korean ready-to-eat foods. The six specific primer pairs for multiplex PCR were selected based on the O157 antigen (rfbE) gene of E. coli O157:H7, the DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB) gene of B. cereus, the toxin regulatory protein (toxR) gene of V. parahaemolyticus, the invasion protein A (invA) gene of Salmonella spp., the hemolysin (hly) gene of L. monocytogenes, and the thermonuclease (nuc) gene of S. aureus. The 16S rRNA gene was targeted as an internal control gene in the presence of bacterial DNA. The specificity and sensitivity assays for multiplex primer pairs were investigated by testing different strains. When this multiplex PCR assay was applied to evaluate the validity of detecting six foodborne pathogens in artificially inoculated several ready-to-eat food samples, the assay was able to specifically simultaneously detect as few as 1 colony-forming unit/mL of each pathogen after enrichment for 12 h. Their presence in naturally contaminated samples also indicates that the developed multiplex PCR assay is an effective and informative supplement for practical use.

Histopathological changes induced in an animal model by potentially pathogenic Enterococcus faecalis strains recovered from ready-to-eat food outlets in Osun State, Nigeria.

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Olawale, Adetunji Kola; David, Oluwole Moses; Oluyege, Adekemi Olubukunola; Osuntoyinbo, Richard Temitope; Laleye, Solomon Anjuwon; Famurewa, Oladiran

2015-01-01

Enterococci have been implicated as an emerging important cause of several diseases and multiple antibiotic resistance. However, there is little information about the prevalence of pathogenic and/or antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecalis in ready-to-eat foods in Nigeria. Here we report the pathogenic potential of three selected antibiotic-resistant E. faecalis strains isolated from food canteens and food outlets with different virulence determinant genes, including EFC 12 (with gel (+), esp (+), cylA (+), and asa1 (+)), EFT 148 (with gel (+), ace (+), and asa1 (+)), and EFS 18 (with esp (+) and cylA (+)) in an animal model. Enterococcemia, hematological parameters, and histopathological changes in organ tissues were examined in experimental animals. The results showed differences in enterococcemia and hematological parameters between the control group and experimental animal group. Enterococcemia was observed for 7 days, and the animal group infected with EFC 12 showed the highest growth rate, followed by EFT 148, with the lowest growth rate seen in the EFS 18-infected group. White blood cell count, packed cell volume, and platelets were significantly reduced (Pfood canteens and food outlets; hence, there is a need for strict adherence to good hygiene practices in the study area owing to the epidemiological significance of foods.

High-dose irradiated food: Current progress, applications, and prospects

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Feliciano, Chitho P.

2018-03-01

Food irradiation as an established and mature technology has gained more attention in the food industry for ensuring food safety and quality. Primarily used for phytosanitary applications, its use has been expanded for developing various food products for varied purposes (e.g. ready-to-eat & ready-to-cook foods, hospital diets, etc.). This paper summarized and analyzed the recent progress and application of high-dose irradiation and discussed its prospects in the field of food product development, its safety and quality.

Risk analysis of Listeria spp. contamination in two types of ready-to-eat chicken meat products.

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Keeratipibul, Suwimon; Lekroengsin, Sumalin

2009-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the risk of Listeria contamination in frozen ready-to-eat roasted and steamed chicken meat in a chicken plant in Thailand. Environmental surfaces were divided into three zones. Zone 1 included surfaces in direct contact with products. Zones 2 and 3 included indirect contact surfaces; zone 2 was next to zone 1, and zone 3 was located next to zone 2 and relatively far from the product. A mathematical model for the probability of product contamination after contact with contaminated zone 1 surfaces was established. This model was augmented by an already established model for the probability of Listeria contamination on zone 1 surfaces. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the prevalence of Listeria on zone 1 surfaces before cleaning and sanitizing, production time, and concentration and contact time of sanitizer were correlated with contamination of both products. Alternative risk management measures for reducing the risk of Listeria contamination were developed using sanitizer concentrations of 0.25 to 1.25% (vol/vol), sanitizer contact times of 5 to 20 min, and production times of 5 to 20 h. The plant's risk manager chose a 0.25% (vol/vol) sanitizer concentration, a contact time of 20 min, and a production time of 20 h. After implementation of the selected risk management option, the prevalence of Listeria on roasted and steamed products was reduced by 2.19 and 2.01%, respectively. The prevalence of Listeria in zones 1, 2, and 3 was also reduced by 3.13, 11.24, and 25.66%, respectively.

CDC Vital Signs: Recipe for Food Safety

Science.gov (United States)

... the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) , so that food doesn't get contaminated in the first place. Reducing Listeria contamination of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products by following USDA guidance [ ...

21 CFR 170.19 - Pesticide chemicals in processed foods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the concentration of the residue in the processed food when ready to eat is not greater than the... processed food when ready to eat is higher than the tolerance prescribed for the raw agricultural commodity... authorized by the regulations in this part. Food that is itself ready to eat, and which contains a higher...

21 CFR 570.19 - Pesticide chemicals in processed foods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the concentration of the residue in the processed food when ready to eat is not greater than the... processed food when ready to eat is higher than the tolerance prescribed for the raw agricultural commodity... authorized by the regulations in this part. Food that is itself ready to eat, and which contains a higher...

You are how you eat: fast food and impatience.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Chen-Bo; Devoe, Sanford E

2010-05-01

Based on recent advancements in the behavioral priming literature, three experiments investigated how incidental exposure to fast food can induce impatient behaviors and choices outside of the eating domain. We found that even an unconscious exposure to fast-food symbols can automatically increase participants' reading speed when they are under no time pressure and that thinking about fast food increases preferences for time-saving products while there are potentially many other product dimensions to consider. More strikingly, we found that mere exposure to fast-food symbols reduced people's willingness to save and led them to prefer immediate gain over greater future return, ultimately harming their economic interest. Thus, the way people eat has far-reaching (often unconscious) influences on behaviors and choices unrelated to eating.

Ready-to-eat vegetables production with low-level water chlorination. An evaluation of water quality, and of its impact on end products.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Acunzo, Francesca; Del Cimmuto, Angela; Marinelli, Lucia; Aurigemma, Caterina; De Giusti, Maria

2012-01-01

We evaluated the microbiological impact of low-level chlorination (1 ppm free chlorine) on the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables by monitoring the microbiological quality of irrigation and processing water in two production plants over a 4-season period, as well as the microbiological quality of unprocessed vegetables and RTE product. Water samples were also characterized in terms of some chemical and physico-chemical parameters of relevance in chlorination management. Both producers use water with maximum 1 ppm free chlorine for vegetables rinsing, while the two processes differ by the number of washing cycles. Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp were detected once in two different irrigation water samples out of nine from one producer. No pathogens were found in the vegetable samples. As expected, the procedure encompassing more washing cycles performed slightly better in terms of total mesophilic count (TMC) when comparing unprocessed and RTE vegetables of the same batch. However, data suggest that low-level chlorination may be insufficient in preventing microbial build-up in the washing equipment and/or batch-to batch cross-contamination.

Ready-to-use foods for management of moderate acute malnutrition: considerations for scaling up production and use in programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Osendarp, Saskia; Rogers, Beatrice; Ryan, Kelsey; Manary, Mark; Akomo, Peter; Bahwere, Paluku; Belete, Hilina; Zeilani, Mamane; Islam, Munirul; Dibari, Filippo; De Pee, Saskia

2015-03-01

Ready-to-use foods are one of the available strategies for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), but challenges remain in the use of these products in programs at scale. This paper focuses on two challenges: the need for cheaper formulations using locally available ingredients that are processed in a safe, reliable, and financially sustainable local production facility; and the effective use of these products in large-scale community-based programs. Linear programming tools can be used successfully to design local compositions that are in line with international guidelines, low in cost, and acceptable, and the efficacy of these local formulations in the treatment of MAM was recently demonstrated in Malawi. The production of local formulations for programs at scale relies on the existence of a reliable and efficient local production facility. Technical assistance may be required in the development of sustainable business models at an early stage in the process, taking into account the stringent product quality and safety criteria and the required investments. The use of ready-to-use products, as of any food supplement, in programs at scale will be affected by the practice of household sharing and diversion of these products for other uses. Additional measures can be considered to account for sharing. These products designed for the treatment and prevention of MAM are to be used in community-based programs and should therefore be used in conjunction with other interventions and designed so that they do not replace the intake of other foods and breastmilk. Remaining challenges and implications for the (operations) research agenda are discussed.

Food advertising and eating behavior in children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Folkvord, F.; Anschutz, D.J.; Boyland, E.J.; Kelly, B.; Buijzen, M.A.

2016-01-01

Systematic research reviews have repeatedly shown that food advertising affects children's eating behavior. Given that most food advertising promotes unhealthy, palatable, and rewarding food products, it is considered to be a significant contributor to the current obesity epidemic. This review

Genotoxicity of processed food items and ready-to-eat snacks in Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Omoruyi, Iyekhoetin Matthew; Pohjanvirta, Raimo

2014-11-01

Processed foods are an insufficiently characterized source of chemical mutagens for consumers. Here, we evaluated the genotoxicity of selected food products in Finland. Mutagenicity was determined by the standard plate incorporation assay followed by methylcellulose overlay and treat-and-wash assays, using the Salmonella strains TA 100 and 98 with and without metabolic activation. Generally, the mutagenic activity of food samples was low, but exhibited lot-wise variation. Cold cuts of cold-smoked beef, grilled turkey, and smoked chicken (a single batch of each) were mutagenic in all three assays with the TA 100 strain with and without metabolic activation, indicating the mutagenic effect was not secondary to histidine release from the food products. However, none of the food extracts showing mutagenic potential induced DNA damage in vitro using the Comet Assay. Our findings imply that in Finland today, there are still products the production methods of which should be refined to reduce the potential risk of mutagenicity to consumers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Part II: Utilization of the methodology for irradiation of ethnic ready-to-eat meals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haruvy, Y.F.

2009-01-01

A multiparameter hazard analysis and critical control point methodology for foods under development has been described in Part I. It focused on a systematic fourfold assessment of safety hazards, sensorial failures, economic adversities and radiation specific pitfalls, and the critical control points for their early detection and/or mitigation. It attempted also at combining these four parameters to form a qualitative prioritization of the numerous control points, to screen the most cost effective ones for implementation. The further development of the methodology described in this report demonstrates its application for ethnic foods. These foods are often characterized with multi-ingredient recipes and multiple preparation steps, subtle ensemble of specific flavours, as well as relatively high bacterial loads. A group treatment of these ingredients has been demonstrated on several ready-to-eat foods investigated by Indonesian researchers. This approach has been found greatly effective in pinpointing the primary control points of the prepared ethnic meals. The primary achievement resulting from this approach is the insight that a two stage irradiation is apparently the best solution to attain both bacteria eradication and taste/flavour conservation or, in other words, the desired combination of high levels of safety and high quality. (author)

Identifying ingredients that delay outgrowth of Listeria monocytogenes in natural, organic, and clean-label ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonnell, Lindsey M; Glass, Kathleen A; Sindelar, Jeffrey J

2013-08-01

The objective of this study was to identify ingredients that inhibit Listeria monocytogenes in natural, organic, or clean-label ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Fourteen ingredients were screened in uncured (no-nitrate-or-nitrite-added), traditional-cured (156 ppm of purified sodium nitrite), cultured (alternative cured, natural nitrate source, and Staphylococcus carnosus), or preconverted (alternative cured, natural nitrite source) turkey slurries. Slurries were cooked, cooled, inoculated to yield 3 log CFU/ml L. monocytogenes, stored at 4°C, and tested weekly for 4 weeks. Three antimicrobial ingredients, 1.5 % vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend, 2.5 % buffered vinegar, and 3.0 % cultured sugar-vinegar blend, were incorporated into alternative-cured ham and uncured roast beef and deli-style turkey breast. Controls included all three meat products without antimicrobial ingredients and a traditional-cured ham with 2.8 % sodium lactate-diacetate. Cooked, sliced products were inoculated with 3 log CFU/g L. monocytogenes, vacuum packed, and stored at 4 or 7°C, for up to 12 weeks. For control products without antimicrobial agents stored at 4°C, a 2-log L. monocytogenes increase was observed at 2 weeks for ham and turkey and at 4 weeks for roast beef. Growth (>1-log increase) in the sodium lactate-diacetate was delayed until week 6. Compared with the control, the addition of either vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend or buffered vinegar delayed L. monocytogenes growth for an additional 2 weeks, while the addition of cultured sugar-vinegar blend delayed growth for an additional 4 weeks for both ham and turkey. The greatest L. monocytogenes delay was observed in roast beef containing any of the three antimicrobial ingredients, with no growth detected through 12 weeks at 4°C for all the treatments. As expected, L. monocytogenes grew substantially faster in products stored at 7°C than at 4°C. These data suggest that antimicrobial ingredients from a natural source

Radappertization of ready-to-eat shelf-stable, traditional Indian bread - Methi Paratha

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhoir, Shraddha A.; Muppalla, Shobita R.; Kanatt, Sweetie R.; Chawla, S.P.; Sharma, Arun

2015-01-01

Shelf-stable ready-to-eat (RTE) Methi Paratha (flavored Indian unleavened flat bread) was developed using combination of hurdles including radiation processing. The Methi Paratha was prepared using dough containing wheat flour, dried fenugreek leaves and spices. The samples were vacuum packed in multi-layered pouches and irradiated at 25 kGy in frozen conditions. Samples were evaluated for microbiological counts, lipid peroxidation and sensory attributes during storage under ambient conditions. Samples were found to be devoid of any viable microorganism throughout the storage period of 180 days. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value which indicates lipid peroxidation of samples did not show any significant increase with time. The Methi Paratha was found to be acceptable by the evaluating panelists. - Highlights: • Shelf-stable ready-to-eat (RTE) Methi Paratha (flavored Indian unleavened flat bread) was developed. • A combination of hurdles irradiation, vacuum-packaging and natural antioxidants was used. • Methi Paratha was microbiologically safe and sensorialy acceptable for 180 days

Prevalence and level of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria sp. in ready-to-eat minimally processed and refrigerated vegetables.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovačević, Mira; Burazin, Jelena; Pavlović, Hrvoje; Kopjar, Mirela; Piližota, Vlasta

2013-04-01

Minimally processed and refrigerated vegetables can be contaminated with Listeria species bacteria including Listeria monocytogenes due to extensive handling during processing or by cross contamination from the processing environment. The objective of this study was to examine the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat minimally processed and refrigerated vegetables from supermarkets in Osijek, Croatia. 100 samples of ready-to-eat vegetables collected from different supermarkets in Osijek, Croatia, were analyzed for presence of Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes. The collected samples were cut iceberg lettuces (24 samples), other leafy vegetables (11 samples), delicatessen salads (23 samples), cabbage salads (19 samples), salads from mixed (17 samples) and root vegetables (6 samples). Listeria species was found in 20 samples (20 %) and Listeria monocytogenes was detected in only 1 sample (1 %) of cut red cabbage (less than 100 CFU/g). According to Croatian and EU microbiological criteria these results are satisfactory. However, the presence of Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes indicates poor hygiene quality. The study showed that these products are often improperly labeled, since 24 % of analyzed samples lacked information about shelf life, and 60 % of samples lacked information about storage conditions. With regard to these facts, cold chain abruption with extended use after expiration date is a probable scenario. Therefore, the microbiological risk for consumers of ready-to-eat minimally processed and refrigerated vegetables is not completely eliminated.

Ready-to-use foods for management of moderate acute malnutrition: Considerations for scaling up production and use in programs

Science.gov (United States)

Ready-to-use foods are one of the available strategies for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), but challenges remain in the use of these products in programs at scale. This paper focuses on two challenges: the need for cheaper formulations using locally available ingredients that are...

Predicting consumers’ intention to purchase ready- to-eat meals: The role of moral attitude

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olsen, N.V.; Sijtsema, S.J.; Hall, G.

2010-01-01

This study investigates the usefulness of integrating moral attitude into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model when predicting intention to consume ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. Questionnaire data were gathered in three countries: Norway (N = 112), The Netherlands (N = 99), and Finland (N = 134)

Microbiological Quality of Ready-To-Eat Products and Potential Risks for Consumers in Latvia / Ēšanai Gatavu Produktu Mikrobioloģiskā Kvalitāte Un Iespējamais Risks Patērētājiem Latvijā

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciekure Elīna

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Ready-to-eat (RTE foods are challenging for food business operators as they need to remain qualitative and safe for consumers. However, consumers tend to choose them more and more often because of fast and easy handling. The highest risk from RTE foods is microbiological contamination, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, elderly, and pregnant women. The aim of the research was to assess the microbiological quality of RTE meat and fish products to highlight possible risks for consumers. A total of 15 984 analyses performed on RTE meat and fish products were included in this study. It was found that RTE meat and fish product samples representative of the market in Latvia in the period 2012-2015 had high microbiological quality and only in rare cases was contamination with hygiene indicatororganisms (coliforms and Escherichia coli and pathogens (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and sulphite-reducing clostridia detected. However, it is important to pay attention to customer habits of cooking and preparing RTE foods as well - thermal processing for products intended to be used cooked, use before expiration date and adequate storage rules for products, as these have important regarding microbiological risks for health.

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification-Lateral-Flow Dipstick (LAMP-LFD) to detect Toxoplasma gondii oocyst in ready-to-eat salad.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalle, Marco; Possenti, Alessia; Dubey, Jitender P; Pozio, Edoardo

2018-04-01

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a foodborne zoonosis with a global distribution and estimated to cause up to 20% of the total foodborne disease burden in Europe. Association between T. gondii infection and the consumption of unwashed raw fruits and vegetables contaminated with oocysts has been reported and the increasing habit to eat pre-washed ready-to-eat salads poses a new potential risk for consumers. It is therefore important to trace the occurrence of potential contamination with this parasite to guarantee the safety of ready-to-eat vegetables. Detection of T. gondii in vegetables by molecular techniques has been achieved but low sensitivity (PCR) or expensive equipments (qPCR) limit routine applicability. Here, we describe the development and validation of a sensitive and robust method relying on a LAMP assay, targeting the 529 bp locus, to detect T. gondii oocysts down to 25 oocysts/50 g in ready-to-eat baby lettuce. The LAMP has been also adapted for a faster visualization of the result by a lateral flow dipstick chromatographic detection method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation, molecular and phenotypic characterization of Cronobacter spp. in ready-to-eat salads and foods from Japanese cuisine commercialized in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasconcellos, Luiza; Carvalho, Carla Trece; Tavares, Rodrigo Overas; de Mello Medeiros, Valéria; de Oliveira Rosas, Carla; Silva, Júlia Nunes; Dos Reis Lopes, Silvia Maria; Forsythe, Stephen James; Brandão, Marcelo Luiz Lima

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to detect Cronobacter from 30 samples of ready-to-eat (RTE) salads and 30 foods from Japanese cuisine as commercially available in Brazil. The detection of Cronobacter was as according to the ISO standard 22964:2017. The isolates were phenotypically characterized by Vitek 2.0 and the antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined using the standardized agar disc diffusion method. Molecular characterization was accomplished by real-time PCR targeting dnaG gene, multiplex-PCR targeting cgcA gene, and fusA allele sequencing. Twenty-seven samples (45.0%) contained Cronobacter, 14 (23.3%) samples of foods from Japanese cuisine and 13 (21.7%) samples of RTE salads. Twenty-nine unique Cronobacter isolates were selected from the 27 positive samples and were identified as C. sakazakii (n = 18), C. malonaticus (n = 8), and C. dublinensis (n = 3). A high genetic diversity was observed, with 29 Cronobacter strains being assigned to 11 different fusA alleles, a ratio of 2.6 strains by fusA allele was found. The cgcA multiplex-PCR failed to identify many of the Cronobacter isolates at the species level. Four (13.8%) Cronobacter isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics tested (n = 12). The presence of Cronobacter in RTE foods could be a potential threat to human health and highlights the need for high levels of hygiene, particularly when preparing food for elderly, immunosuppressed persons or adults with prior underlying pathology. Epidemiological surveillance agencies should be aware of the risk that these RTE foods may represent, for these groups. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Top food sources contributing to vitamin D intake and the association of ready-to-eat cereal and breakfast consumption habits to vitamin D intake in Canadians and United States Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Kathleen M; Jonnalagadda, Satya S; Albertson, Ann M; Joshi, Nandan A; Weaver, Connie M

2012-08-01

This study aimed to determine dietary vitamin D intake of U.S. Americans and Canadians and contributions of food sources to total vitamin D intake. Total of 7- or 14-d food intake data were analyzed for vitamin D by a proprietary nutrient assessment methodology that utilized food intake data from the Natl. Eating Trends(®) service, portion size data from NHANES 1999-2004, and nutrient values using the Univ. of Minnesota's Nutrition Data System for Research software. Study participants were 7837 U.S. Americans and 4025 Canadians, ≥2-y-old males and females. The main outcome measures were total dietary vitamin D intake, percent contribution of foods to total vitamin D intake, and vitamin D intake by cereal and breakfast consumption habits. ANOVA was used to determine differences in means or proportions by age and gender and according to breakfast consumption habits. Mean vitamin D intake ranged from 152 to 220 IU/d. Less than 2% of participants in all age groups from the United States and Canada met the 2011 Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D from foods. Milk, meat, and fish were the top food sources for vitamin D for both Americans and Canadians. Ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal was a top 10 source of vitamin D for Americans but not Canadians. Vitamin D intake was higher with more frequent RTE cereal and breakfast consumption in both countries, largely attributable to greater milk intake. Most U.S. Americans and Canadians do not meet the 2011 Inst. of Medicine recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D for their age groups from foods. Increasing breakfast and cereal consumption may be a useful strategy to increase dietary vitamin D intake to help individuals meet the RDA for vitamin D, particularly by increasing milk intake. However, it is likely that additional food fortification or vitamin D supplementation is required to achieve the RDA. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Out-of-Home Food Consumers in Brazil: What do They Eat?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanna Calixto Andrade

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Considering the increased contribution of foods consumed outside home and their potential impact on diet, this study aims to identify eating out patterns and their association with nutritional dietary quality in Brazil. We used the Individual Food Intake Survey 2008–2009, conducted with 34,003 individuals aged 10 and up. We used factor analysis by principal component to identify out-of-home eating patterns and linear regression to explore the association between patterns scores and dietary quality. We identified three food patterns. The “Traditional meal” pattern carried more rice, beans, meat, roots and tubers, pasta, vegetables and eggs. The “typical Brazilian breakfast/tea” pattern carried more fresh bread, margarine, milk, cheese and butter. The “Ultra-processed food” pattern carried more ready-to-eat meals and soft drinks. The “traditional meal” pattern was positively associated with calories from proteins, fiber, iron, potassium and sodium densities, whereas “typical Brazilian breakfast/tea” and “ultra-processed food” patterns were positively associated with energy density, the percentage of calories from lipids or carbohydrates, trans fat and free sugar. Out-of-home eating may have a negative impact on nutritional dietary quality when based on ultra-processed food. However, it is possible to maintain a healthy out-of-home diet with adherence to traditional Brazilian cuisine.

Yersinia enterocolitica outbreak associated with ready-to-eat salad mix, Norway, 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Emily; Heier, Berit Tafjord; Nygård, Karin; Stalheim, Torunn; Cudjoe, Kofitsyo S; Skjerdal, Taran; Wester, Astrid Louise; Lindstedt, Bjørn-Arne; Stavnes, Trine-Lise; Vold, Line

2012-09-01

In 2011, an outbreak of illness caused by Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 in Norway was linked to ready-to-eat salad mix, an unusual vehicle for this pathogen. The outbreak illustrates the need to characterize isolates of this organism, and reinforces the need for international traceback mechanisms for fresh produce.

Listeria Spp. and Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination in Ready-To-Eat Sandwiches Collected from Vending Machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Cossu, Francesca; Spanu, Carlo; Deidda, Silvia; Mura, Erica; Casti, Daniele; Pala, Carlo; Lamon, Sonia; Spanu, Vincenzo; Ibba, Michela; Marrocu, Elena; Scarano, Christian; Piana, Andrea; De Santis, Enrico Pietro Luigi

2016-04-19

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food is characterised by a long shelf-life at refrigerated temperature and can be consumed as such, without any treatment. The aim of the work was to evaluate the presence of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in RTEs collected from refrigerated vending machines placed in hospital environment and accessible to the hospitalised patients. In 4 different sampling, 55 RTEs were collected from vending machines of six hospitals located in different areas of Sardinia region. All the samples were characterised by similar manufacturing process, such as the use of modified atmosphere packaging and belonged to 5 different producers. Listeria spp. was not countable using the enumeration method in all of the analysed samples. Using the detection method, Listeria spp. was recovered from 9 sandwich samples. Interestingly, 3 of these samples (5.5%) made by the manufacturer, were positive for L. monocytogenes contamination. The risk related to the L. monocytogenes presence in RTEs proportionally increases when food is introduced in susceptible environments , such as hospitals and consumed by susceptible people . Although the RTEs analysed showed values that complied with the European microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, the availability of these products in a susceptible environment should be carefully checked. Therefore, in order to limit the possible exposition to L. monocytogenes , more information on the risk related to RTE consumption should be provided to the hospitalised patients.

Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in ready-to-eat sandwiches collected from vending machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Cossu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Ready-to-eat (RTE food is characterised by a long shelf-life at refrigerated temperature and can be consumed as such, without any treatment. The aim of the work was to evaluate the presence of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in RTEs collected from refrigerated vending machines placed in hospital environment and accessible to the hospitalised patients. In 4 different sampling, 55 RTEs were collected from vending machines of six hospitals located in different areas of Sardinia region. All the samples were characterised by similar manufacturing process, such as the use of modified atmosphere packaging and belonged to 5 different producers. Listeria spp. was not countable using the enumeration method in all of the analysed samples. Using the detection method, Listeria spp. was recovered from 9 sandwich samples. Interestingly, 3 of these samples (5.5% made by the manufacturer, were positive for L. monocytogenes contamination. The risk related to the L. monocytogenes presence in RTEs proportionally increases when food is introduced in susceptible environments, such as hospitals and consumed by susceptible people. Although the RTEs analysed showed values that complied with the European microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, the availability of these products in a susceptible environment should be carefully checked. Therefore, in order to limit the possible exposition to L. monocytogenes, more information on the risk related to RTE consumption should be provided to the hospitalised patients.

Characterization of virulent Listeria monocytogenes isolates recovered from ready-to-eat meat products and consumers in Cairo, Egypt

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Maysa A. I. Awadallah

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Aim: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of some virulence genes distributed in Listeria monocytogenes isolated from ready-to-eat (RTE meat products and consumers in Cairo province, Egypt. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 beef luncheon, chicken luncheon and frankfurter beef (40 samples, each were collected from 10 different local shops situated in Al-salam city, Cairo province, Egypt. Stool samples were collected from 40 people who had the habit of consuming RTE meat. The suspected L. monocytogenes isolates were subjected to a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR for rapid speciation and virulence determination using primers specific for inIA, inIC, and inIJ genes. Results: Culture examination of all samples on Oxford media revealed presence of colonies characteristic to L. monocytogenes in 6 beef luncheon (15%, 4 chicken luncheon (10%, 1 frankfurter beef (2.5% and 1 human stool (2.5% samples. Species identity of L. monocytogenes was verified through the amplification of a 800 bp fragment with inIA primers in 2 out of 6 culture isolates from beef luncheon (5%, and 1 out 4 culture isolates from chicken luncheon (2.5% samples. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in different food samples examined (p>0.05. The virulence of these strains was ascertained by the presence of 517 bp and 238 bp fragments of inIC and inIJ genes, respectively in the isolates that contained the 800 bp fragment. The culture isolates obtained from one frankfurter beef sample, and one human stool sample were found negative by multiplex PCR for the presence of L. monocytogenes and its virulence specific genes. Conclusion: It could be concluded that L. monocytogenes are circulating in beef and chicken luncheon sold in Cairo, Egypt. Multiplex PCR is reliable for confirmation of L. monocytogenes. This study suggests the implementation of hygienic measures at all levels from production to consumption

Occurrence of hepatitis A and E and norovirus GI and GII in ready-to-eat vegetables in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Terio, V; Bottaro, M; Pavoni, E; Losio, M N; Serraino, A; Giacometti, F; Martella, V; Mottola, A; Di Pinto, A; Tantillo, G

2017-05-16

Fresh vegetables and their ready-to-eat (RTE) salads have become increasingly recognized as potential vehicles for foodborne diseases. The EU Reg. 1441/2007 establishes microbiological criteria for bacterial pathogens for products placed on the market during their shelf-life (i.e. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes) for pre-cut fruits and vegetables (RTE) whilst it does not address the problem of contamination by enteric viruses. In this study we investigated the contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV) and norovirus (NoV) in 911 ready-to-eat vegetable samples taken from products at retail in Apulia and in Lombardia. The vegetable samples were tested using validated real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assays, ISO standardized virological methods and ISO culturing methods for bacteriological analysis. The total prevalence of HAV and HEV was 1.9% (18/911) and 0.6% (6/911), respectively. None of the samples analysed in this study was positive for NoV, Salmonella spp. or Listeria monocytogenes. The detection of HAV and HEV in RTE salads highlights a risk to consumers and the need to improve production hygiene. Appropriate implementation of hygiene procedures is required at all the steps of the RTE vegetable production chain and this should include monitoring of emerging viral pathogens. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A comparison of the nutritional quality of organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals based on NuVal scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodbury, Nancy J; George, Valerie A

2014-07-01

To identify whether there were differences in nutritional quality between organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals of similar types, based on NuVal scores. The current descriptive study analysed NuVal scores for 829 ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and eighteen different cereal types. ANOVA was used to compare the mean NuVal scores of 723 conventional cereals with those of 106 organic cereals. Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (n 829) with NuVal scores. Not applicable. There was no significant difference in NuVal scores between conventional (mean 28·4 (sd 13·4)) and organic (mean 30·6 (sd 13·2)) cereal types. Consumers who choose the organic version of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal believing that nutritional quality is superior may not be making a valid assumption. Public health nutrition educators must help consumers understand that organic cereals are not necessarily more nutritious and their consumption could result in excessive intake of undesirable nutrients, such as fat, sugar and sodium.

Picky eating: Associations with child eating characteristics and food intake.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Horst, Klazine; Deming, Denise M; Lesniauskas, Ruta; Carr, B Thomas; Reidy, Kathleen C

2016-08-01

Food rejection behaviors such as picky eating are of concern for many parents and attempts to increase healthy food intake can cause distress at mealtimes. An important limitation in most of the picky eating studies is that they cover few characteristics of picky eating behaviors and use limited measures of food intake. The objective of this study was to explore the associations between picky eating, child eating characteristics, and food intake among toddlers 12-47.9 months old (n = 2371) using data from the 2008 Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS). Logistic regression was used to examine associations between demographic and feeding characteristics and picky eater status. Differences in food group intake between picky and non-picky eaters were analyzed. Picky eaters were more likely to be neophobic, texture resistant, and to eat only favorite foods, In addition, the parents of picky eaters tend to offer new food a greater number of times than those of non-picky eaters before deciding that the child does not like it. Picky eaters showed significant lower intakes of eggs, burritos/tacos/enchiladas/nachos and sandwiches than non-picky eaters. Picky eaters consumed fewer vegetables from the "other vegetables" category and less raw vegetables than non-picky eaters. Neophobia, eating only favorite foods and difficulties with texture are all important characteristics of picky eaters which need to be integrated in studies measuring picky eating behaviors. Food intake of picky eaters differs only slightly from non-picky eaters. Because picky eating is a major parental concern, feeding strategies and advice related to the relevant characteristics of picky eating behavior need to be developed and assessed for their effectiveness. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sugar as part of a balanced breakfast? What cereal advertisements teach children about healthy eating.

Science.gov (United States)

LoDolce, Megan E; Harris, Jennifer L; Schwartz, Marlene B

2013-01-01

Marketing that targets children with energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods is a likely contributor to the childhood obesity crisis. High-sugar ready-to-eat cereals are the packaged food most frequently promoted in child-targeted food advertising on television. The authors combined content analysis of product nutritional quality and messages presented in cereal television advertisements with syndicated data on exposure to those ads. The analysis quantifies children's exposure to specific products and messages that appear in advertisements and compares it with adult exposure. Children viewed 1.7 ads per day for ready-to-eat cereals, and 87% of those ads promoted high-sugar products; adults viewed half as many ads, and ads viewed were equally likely to promote high- and low-sugar cereals. In addition, the messages presented in high-sugar ads viewed by children were significantly more likely to convey unrealistic and contradictory messages about cereal attributes and healthy eating. For example, 91% of high-sugar cereal ads viewed by children ascribed extraordinary powers to these products, and 67% portrayed healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors. Given children's vulnerability to the influence of advertising, the emotional and mixed messages used to promote high-sugar cereals are confusing and potentially misleading.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from ready-to-eat food of animal origin--phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chajęcka-Wierzchowska, Wioleta; Zadernowska, Anna; Nalepa, Beata; Sierpińska, Magda; Łaniewska-Trokenheim, Łucja

2015-04-01

The aim of this work was to study the pheno- and genotypical antimicrobial resistance profile of coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from 146 ready-to-eat food of animal origin (cheeses, cured meats, sausages, smoked fishes). 58 strains were isolated, they were classified as Staphylococcus xylosus (n = 29), Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 16); Staphylococcus lentus (n = 7); Staphylococcus saprophyticus (n = 4); Staphylococcus hyicus (n = 1) and Staphylococcus simulans (n = 1) by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Isolates were tested for resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamicin, cefoxitin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, tigecycline, rifampicin, nitrofurantoin, linezolid, trimetoprim, sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, quinupristin/dalfopristin by the disk diffusion method. PCR was used for the detection of antibiotic resistance genes encoding: methicillin resistance--mecA; macrolide resistance--erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), mrs(A/B); efflux proteins tet(K) and tet(L) and ribosomal protection proteins tet(M). For all the tet(M)-positive isolates the presence of conjugative transposons of the Tn916-Tn1545 family was determined. Most of the isolates were resistant to cefoxitin (41.3%) followed by clindamycin (36.2%), tigecycline (24.1%), rifampicin (17.2%) and erythromycin (13.8%). 32.2% staphylococcal isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). All methicillin resistant staphylococci harboured mecA gene. Isolates, phenotypic resistant to tetracycline, harboured at least one tetracycline resistance determinant on which tet(M) was most frequent. All of the isolates positive for tet(M) genes were positive for the Tn916-Tn1545 -like integrase family gene. In the erythromycin-resistant isolates, the macrolide resistance genes erm(C) or msr(A/B) were present. Although coagulase-negative staphylococci are not classical food poisoning bacteria, its presence in food could be of public health significance due to the possible spread of

Irradiation of ready meals for microbial safety and shelf-life extension: 1. microbial quality of waakye and other other ready-to-eat meals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nketsia-Tabiri, J.; Adu-Gyamfi, A.; Owusu-Biney, A.

2006-01-01

Waakye bought from the open market and 14 meals prepared under the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) plan were microbiologically investigated. The aerobic mesophilic count (AMC) (10 7 - 10 8 CFU g 1 ) and coliform count (10 6 - 10 7 CFU g -1 ) for complete waakye meals, including macaroni, fried fish, sauce and vegetable salad, exceeded the microbiological standards for such ready-to-eat meals. The AMC (10 1 - 10 4 CFU g 1 ) and coliform count (10 1 - 10 2 CFU g -1 ) for all the ready meals prepared under HACCP and stored (-5 to 0 0 C) for up to 5 days were within the standards. Potential pathogens isolated from waakye and the meals prepared under HACCP plan included Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Serratia spp., and Enterobacter spp. Subsequent studies will exploit the potential of irradiation to eliminate pathogens and ensure the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat meals. (au)

The moral economy of ready-made food.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Kathryn

2017-11-22

The aim of this paper is to develop and apply a framework to explore how moralities of consumption are constituted in and through markets. Using the case of ready-made foods, this paper argues moral economies are comprised through interactions between micro-, meso- and macro-level processes in the form of instituted systems of provision, state regulation, collective food customs promoted though media, NGOs and lifestyle practitioners, and the everyday reflections of consumers. Building on a theoretical framework developed to understand the moral economy of work and employment (Bolton and Laaser 2013), this paper explores how markets for ready-made food are incessantly negotiated in the context of moral ideas about cooking, femininity and individual responsibility. It focuses on 'new' market innovations of fresh ready-to-cook meal solutions and explores how these products are both a response to moralizing discourses about cooking 'properly', as well as an intervention into the market that offers opportunities for new moral identities to be performed. Using data gathered from interviews with food manufacturers and consumers, I advocate for a multi-layered perspective that captures the dynamic interplay between consumers, markets and moralities of consumption. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Use of edible films and coatings to extend the shelf life of food products.

Science.gov (United States)

Maftoonazad, Neda; Badii, Fojan

2009-06-01

The increased consumer demand for high quality, extended shelf life, ready to eat foods has initiated the development of several innovative techniques to keep their natural and fresh appearance as long as possible and at the same time render them safe. Packaging has been an important element in these preservation concepts for providing the appropriate (mechanical and functional) protection to the commodity. Since synthetic packaging materials contribute to the environmental pollution, edible coatings and packages have been proposed to replace or complement conventional packaging. Biodegradable and edible films and coatings are made from naturally occurring polymers and functional ingredients, and formed on the surface of food products. Edible films and coating have long been known to protect perishable food products from deterioration and reduce quality loss. These films should have acceptable sensory characteristics, appropriate barrier properties (CO(2), O(2), water, oil), microbial, biochemical and physicochemical stability, they should be safe, and be produced by simple technology in low cost. Also they can act as effective carrier for antioxidant, flavor, color, nutritional or anti-microbial additives. Patents on edible films and food products are also discussed in this article.

Evaluation of hygiene practices and microbiological status of ready-to-eat vegetable salads in Spanish school canteens.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Caturla, Magdevis Y; Valero, Antonio; Carrasco, Elena; Posada, Guiomar D; García-Gimeno, Rosa M; Zurera, Gonzalo

2012-08-30

This study was conducted in eight Spanish school canteens during the period 2008-2009. Food handlers' practices, kitchen equipment, hygiene/sanitation conditions and handling practices were evaluated using checklists. In parallel, the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable salads were assessed. In addition, food contact surfaces and environmental air quality of different areas were analysed. The study determined the relationship between the microbiological quality of RTE foods and food handling practices, together with the degree of contamination of working surfaces and environmental contamination of processing and distribution areas. Some deficiencies were found regarding the use and change of gloves, hand-washing and cleanliness of working surfaces. The microbial levels detected in the foods examined indicated the absence of pathogens in the samples analysed. Surface counts were higher on cutting boards and faucets, showing insufficient cleanliness procedures. This study constitutes a descriptive analysis of the hygiene/sanitation conditions implemented in food service systems in eight Spanish school canteens. The results should help risk managers to better define control measures to be adopted in order to prevent foodborne infections. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Determinants of eating at local and western fast-food venues in an urban Asian population: a mixed methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Naidoo, Nasheen; van Dam, Rob M; Ng, Sheryl; Tan, Chuen Seng; Chen, Shiqi; Lim, Jia Yi; Chan, Mei Fen; Chew, Ling; Rebello, Salome A

2017-05-25

Like several Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has a complex eating-out environment and a rising eating-out prevalence. However the determinants and drivers of eating-out in urban Asian environments are poorly understood. We examined the socio-demographic characteristics of persons who frequently ate away from home in local eateries called hawker centres and Western fast-food restaurants, using data from 1647 Singaporean adults participating in the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2010. We also assessed the underlying drivers of eating out and evaluated if these were different for eating at local eateries compared to Western fast-food restaurants using 18 focus group discussions of women (130 women). Participants reported a high eating-out frequency with 77.3% usually eating either breakfast, lunch or dinner at eateries. Main venues for eating-out included hawker centres (61.1% usually ate at least 1 of 3 daily meals at this venue) and school/workplace canteens (20.4%). A minority of participants (1.9%) reported usually eating at Western fast-food restaurants. Younger participants and those of Chinese and Malay ethnicity compared to Indians were more likely to eat at Western fast-food restaurants. Chinese and employed persons were more likely to eat at hawker centres. The ready availability of a large variety of affordable and appealing foods appeared to be a primary driver of eating out, particularly at hawker centres. Our findings highlight the growing importance of eating-out in an urban Asian population where local eating venues play a more dominant role compared with Western fast-food chains. Interventions focusing on improving the food quality at venues for eating out are important to improve the diet of urban Asian populations.

Seasonality and dietary requirements: will eating seasonal food contribute to health and environmental sustainability?

Science.gov (United States)

Macdiarmid, Jennie I

2014-08-01

Eating more seasonal food is one proposal for moving towards more sustainable consumption patterns, based on the assumption that it could reduce the environmental impact of the diet. The aim of the present paper is to consider the implications of eating seasonal food on the different elements of sustainability (i.e. health, economics, society), not just the environment. Seasonality can be defined as either globally seasonal (i.e. produced in the natural production season but consumed anywhere in the world) or locally seasonal (i.e. produced in the natural production season and consumed within the same climatic zone). The environmental, health, economic and societal impact varies by the definition used. Global seasonality has the nutritional benefit of providing a more varied and consistent supply of fresh produce year round, but this increases demand for foods that in turn can have a high environmental cost in the country of production (e.g. water stress, land use change with loss of biodiversity). Greenhouse gas emissions of globally seasonal food are not necessarily higher than food produced locally as it depends more on the production system used than transportation. Eating more seasonal food, however, is only one element of a sustainable diet and should not overshadow some of the potentially more difficult dietary behaviours to change that could have greater environmental and health benefits (e.g. reducing overconsumption or meat consumption). For future guidelines for sustainable diets to be realistic they will need to take into account modern lifestyles, cultural and social expectations in the current food environment.

7 CFR 70.13 - Ready-to-cook poultry and rabbits and specified poultry food products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ready-to-cook poultry and rabbits and specified... AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AND THE EGG... Poultry Products and Rabbit Products General § 70.13 Ready-to-cook poultry and rabbits and specified...

Variation in the annual unsatisfactory rates of selected pathogens and indicators in ready-to-eat food sampled from the point of sale or service in Wales, United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Meldrum, R J; Garside, J; Mannion, P; Charles, D; Ellis, P

2012-12-01

The Welsh Food Microbiological Forum "shopping basket" survey is a long running, structured surveillance program examining ready-to-eat food randomly sampled from the point of sale or service in Wales, United Kingdom. The annual unsatisfactory rates for selected indicators and pathogens for 1998 through 2008 were examined. All the annual unsatisfactory rates for the selected pathogens were <0.5%, and no pattern with the annual rate was observed. There was also no discernible trend observed for the annual rates of Listeria spp. (not moncytogenes), with all rates <0.5%. However, there was a trend observed for Esherichia coli, with a decrease in rate between 1998 and 2003, rapid in the first few years, and then a gradual increase in rate up to 2008. It was concluded that there was no discernible pattern to the annual unsatisfactory rates for Listeria spp. (not monocytogenes), L. monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, but that a definite trend had been observed for E. coli.

LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES RISK EVALUATION IN READY TO EAT DELI PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T Civera

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Listeria monocytogenes has become one of the major concerns for food safety. Its ability to survive and replicate at low temperature, pH and high salt concentration, makes the bacterium a threat, mostly for RTE products. For these reasons, the present research was aimed at detecting the ability of growth of L. monocytogenes in RTE products retrieved from one deli store. Samples were analysed for L. monocytogenes detection, then inoculated with the pathogen (105cell/ml and stored at refrigeration temperature for the duration of their shelf-life (15-60 days. In all the products L. monocytogenes was not detected before experimental contamination. The challenge test evidenced that experimentally inoculated L. monocytogenes was not able to multiply for the duration of the entire shelf-life. These results indicated that the tested products could be considered as foods which are not able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes, as indicated by E.C. Regulation 2073/05. However, in order to guarantee consumer’s safety, it needs to be emphasized the need of a correct application of the GMPs, required for lowering the risk of initial contamination.

Association between food marketing exposure and adolescents' food choices and eating behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Scully, Maree; Wakefield, Melanie; Niven, Philippa; Chapman, Kathy; Crawford, David; Pratt, Iain S; Baur, Louise A; Flood, Victoria; Morley, Belinda

2012-02-01

The present study examined associations between food marketing exposure and adolescents' food choices and reported consumption of energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods. A cross-sectional survey of 12,188 Australian secondary students aged 12-17 years was conducted, using a web-based self-report questionnaire. Measures included students' level of exposure to commercial television and non-broadcast types of food marketing, whether they had tried a new product or requested a product they had seen advertised, and their reported consumption of fast food, sugary drinks and sweet and salty snacks. Results indicated greater exposure to commercial television, print/transport/school food marketing and digital food marketing were all independently associated with students' food choices. High commercial television viewers (>2h/day) were more likely to report higher consumption of EDNP foods (ORs ranged from 1.31 for fast food to 1.91 for sweet snacks). Some associations between digital food marketing exposure and students' eating behaviors were found; however, print/transport/school food marketing was only related to sweet snack consumption. These study results suggest that cumulative exposure to television food advertising and other food marketing sources are positively linked to adolescents' food choices and eating behaviors. Policy changes to restrict food marketing to young people should include both television and non-broadcast media. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 57391 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Food Canning...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... data entry fields for the ``food product group'' (such as liquid, ready-to-eat ``breakfast foods''). We... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2013-N-1119] Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Food Canning...

Characteristics of enterotoxin distribution, hemolysis, lecithinase, and starch hydrolysis of Bacillus cereus isolated from infant formulas and ready-to-eat foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Ji-Yeon; Park, Jong-Hyun

2015-03-01

Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous environmental microbe implicated as a main cause of food poisoning with various symptoms, depending on the strain type and the isolation source. In this study, the potential virulence factors and biochemical properties of B. cereus isolated from infant formulas and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods were analyzed and compared. A total of 347 B. cereus strains were isolated and identified from 687 infant food formulas and RTE food samples. All the isolates had one or more enterotoxin genes, and one-half of the strains had all 3 enterotoxin genes (hbl, nhe, and cytK) that are involved in food poisoning in humans. Here, all the 3 genes were detected in 50% of the B. cereus isolates from RTE foods and only 14% of the isolates were identified from infant formulas. The latter harbored low cytK and bceT, and very low hbl genes. Most B. cereus isolates possessed the hemolysis gene, but not the ces gene. The infant formula isolates showed stronger hemolysis activity than the other isolates. In addition, 26% of the total isolates showed low lecithinase activities and 10% showed high lecithinase activities. A greater number of isolates from the infant formula showed high lecithinase activity than those from the RTE foods. Approximately 83% of the isolates were positive and 17% were negative for starch hydrolysis. Over 90% of the RTE food isolates and only 35% of the infant formula isolates were positive for starch hydrolysis. However, all the strains possessed nhe, but their harboring patterns of hbl and cytK were significantly different. Most starch-hydrolyzing strains possessed hbl, but only 23% nonstarch-hydrolyzing isolates possessed this gene. Moreover, very low nonstarch hydrolyzing strains harbored cytK. Most nonstarch-hydrolyzing isolates showed high lecithinase and strong hemolysis activities, and very low hbl and cytK harboring. In summary, most infant formula isolates showed stronger hemolysis and higher lecithinase activities with lower

Food Commensals as a Potential Major Avenue in Transmitting Antibiotic Resistance Genes

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lehman, Mark W; Wang, Hua H; Manuzon, Michele; Wan, Kai; Luo, Hongliang; Wittum, Tom; Yousef, Ahmed; Bakaletz, Lauren O

2005-01-01

...(to the seventh power) CFU per gram of product. The presence of large populations of ART bacteria in these foods, particularly in many ready-to-eat "health" food items, indicates that the ART bacteria are abundant...

‘Obesogenic’ School Food Environments? An Urban Case Study in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmermans, Joris; Dijkstra, Coosje; Kamphuis, Carlijn; Huitink, Marlijn; van der Zee, Egbert; Poelman, Maartje

(1) Background: This study aimed to explore and define socio-economic (SES) differences in urban school food environments in The Netherlands. (2) Methods: Retail food outlets, ready-to-eat products, in-store food promotions and food advertisements in public space were determined within 400 m walking

Processed and ultra-processed food products: consumption trends in Canada from 1938 to 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Batal, Malek; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos

2014-01-01

A classification of foods based on the nature, extent, and purpose of industrial food processing was used to assess changes in household food expenditures and dietary energy availability between 1938 and 2011 in Canada. Food acquisitions from six household food budget surveys (1938/1939 , 1953, 1969, 1984, 2001, and 2011) were classified into unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, and ready-to-consume processed or ultra-processed products. Contributions of each group to household food expenditures, and to dietary energy availability (kcal per capita) were calculated. During the period studied, household expenditures and dietary energy availability fell for both unprocessed or minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients, and rose for ready-to-consume products. The caloric share of foods fell from 34.3% to 25.6% and from 37% to 12.7% for culinary ingredients. The share of ready-to-consume products rose from 28.7% to 61.7%, and the increase was especially noteworthy for those that were ultra-processed. The most important factor that has driven changes in Canadian dietary patterns between 1938 and 2011 is the replacement of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients used in the preparation of dishes and meals; these have been displaced by ready-to-consume ultra-processed products. Nutrition research and practice should incorporate information about food processing into dietary assessments.

Analysis of multilocus sequence typing and virulence characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from Chinese retail ready-to-eat food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shi eWu

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Eighty Listeria monocytogenes isolates were obtained from Chinese retail ready-to-eat (RTE food and were previously characterized with serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility tests. The aim of this study was to characterize the subtype and virulence potential of these L. monocytogenes isolates by multilocus sequence typing (MLST, virulence-associate genes, epidemic clones (ECs and sequence analysis of the important virulence factor: internalin A (inlA. The result of MLST revealed that these L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to 14 different sequence types (STs. With the exception of four new STs (ST804, ST805, ST806 and ST807, all other STs observed in this study have been associated with human listeriosis and outbreaks to varying extents. Six virulence-associate genes (inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, hly and llsX were selected and their presence was investigated using PCR. All strains carried inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, and hly, whereas 38.8% (31/80 of strains harbored the listeriolysin S genes (llsX. A multiplex PCR assay was used to evaluate the presence of markers specific to epidemic clones of L. monocytogenes and identified 26.3% (21/80 of ECI in the 4b-4d-4e strains. Further study of inlA sequencing revealed that most strains contained the full-length InlA required for host cell invasion, whereas three mutations lead to premature stop codons (PMSC within a novel PMSCs at position 326 (GAA→TAA. MLST and inlA sequence analysis results were concordant, and different virulence potentials within isolates were observed. These findings suggest that L. monocytogenes isolates from RTE food in China could be virulent and be capable of causing human illness. Furthermore, the STs and virulence profiles of L. monocytogenes isolates have significant implications for epidemiological and public health studies of this pathogen.

Analysis of Multilocus Sequence Typing and Virulence Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates from Chinese Retail Ready-to-Eat Food.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shi; Wu, Qingping; Zhang, Jumei; Chen, Moutong; Guo, Weipeng

2016-01-01

Eighty Listeria monocytogenes isolates were obtained from Chinese retail ready-to-eat (RTE) food and were previously characterized with serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility tests. The aim of this study was to characterize the subtype and virulence potential of these L. monocytogenes isolates by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), virulence-associate genes, epidemic clones (ECs), and sequence analysis of the important virulence factor: internalin A (inlA). The result of MLST revealed that these L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to 14 different sequence types (STs). With the exception of four new STs (ST804, ST805, ST806, and ST807), all other STs observed in this study have been associated with human listeriosis and outbreaks to varying extents. Six virulence-associate genes (inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, hly, and llsX) were selected and their presence was investigated using PCR. All strains carried inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, and hly, whereas 38.8% (31/80) of strains harbored the listeriolysin S genes (llsX). A multiplex PCR assay was used to evaluate the presence of markers specific to epidemic clones of L. monocytogenes and identified 26.3% (21/80) of ECI in the 4b-4d-4e strains. Further study of inlA sequencing revealed that most strains contained the full-length InlA required for host cell invasion, whereas three mutations lead to premature stop codons (PMSC) within a novel PMSCs at position 326 (GAA → TAA). MLST and inlA sequence analysis results were concordant, and different virulence potentials within isolates were observed. These findings suggest that L. monocytogenes isolates from RTE food in China could be virulent and be capable of causing human illness. Furthermore, the STs and virulence profiles of L. monocytogenes isolates have significant implications for epidemiological and public health studies of this pathogen.

Characterization of Emissions from Open Burning of Meals Ready-to-Eat and their Paperboard Packaging

Science.gov (United States)

Emissions from burning current and candidate Meals Ready-to-Eat (MRE) packaging and shipping containers were characterized in an effort to assuage concerns that combustive disposal of waste at forward operating bases could pose an environmental or inhalation threat. Four types of...

Effects of Ready-to-Eat-Cereals on Key Nutritional and Health Outcomes : A Systematic Review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Priebe, Marion G.; McMonagle, Jolene R.

2016-01-01

Background In many countries breakfast cereals are an important component of breakfast. This systematic review assesses the contribution of consumption of ready-to eat cereal (RTEC) to the recommended nutrient intake. Furthermore, the effects of RTEC consumption on key health parameters are

Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus spp. isolated from retail cheese, ready-to-eat salads, ham, and raw meat.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesavento, G; Calonico, C; Ducci, B; Magnanini, A; Lo Nostro, A

2014-08-01

Food specimens were analyzed in order to research Enterococcus spp.: 636 samples of raw meat (227 beef, 238 poultry, and 171 pork), 278 samples of cheese (110 fresh soft cheese and 168 mozzarella cheese), 214 samples of ready-to-eat salads, and 187 samples of ham. 312 strains of Enterococcus spp samples were isolated, then identified and submitted to susceptibility tests against 11 antimicrobial agents. The predominant species were Enterococcus faecalis in raw meat and Enterococcus faecium in retail products. Low percentages of microorganisms were resistant to vancomycin (3.53%), teicoplanin (2.24%), linezolid (0.32%), and amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid (0.32%). A high percentage of resistance was noted in E. faecalis at high level gentamicin (21.9%) and tetracycline (60.6%). In general, strains of E. faecalis were more resistant than E. faecium. Enterococci should be considered not only potential pathogens, but also a reservoir of genes encoding antibiotic resistance which can be transferred to other microorganisms. Continuous monitoring of their incidence and emerging resistance is important in order to identify foods which potentially represent a real risk to the population, and to ensure effective treatment of human enterococcal infections. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiological and radiobiological studies on the hygienic quality of minimally processed food

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abu El-Nour, S. A. M. [National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt)

2007-07-01

In the past, there have been three traditional forms of food trading; fresh, canned and frozen foods. In recent years, a fourth form called {sup m}inimally processed food has been developed to respond to an emerging consumer demand for convenient, high-quality and preservative-free products with appearance of fresh characteristics, while being less severely processed (Saracino et al., 1991). Minimally processed food can be used as ready-to-eat, ready-to-use, or ready-to-cook products. They are stored and marketed under refrigeration conditions (Dignan, 1994). Minimally processed food products were developed in 1980's and now they are produced in many advanced and some developing countries. In Egypt, great amounts of minimally processed vegetables are now produced and commercially sold in certain supermarkets. They include fresh-cut lettuce, packaged mixed vegetables salad, shredded carrots, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage (white and red), fresh-cut green beans, mixed peas with diced carrots, mafa spanish, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, garlic, artichoke, celery, parsley, etc. However, there is an increasing interest to offer some other minimally processed vegetables and some types of fresh-cut fruits that can be used as ready-to-eat or ready-to-use. Preparation steps of minimally processed fruit and vegetable products which may include peeling, slicing, shredding, etc save labor and time for the purchasers, meanwhile removal of waste material during processing reduce transport costs. In addition, the production of such products will make year-round availability of almost all vegetables and fruits possible in fresh form around the world (Baldwin et al., 1995). However, preparation steps of such products increase the native enzymatic activity and the possibility of microbial contamination. Therefore, these products have short shelf-life and this is considered one of the foremost challenging problems in the commercialization of minimally processed foods particularly

Microbiological and radiobiological studies on the hygienic quality of minimally processed food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu El-Nour, S. A. M.

2007-01-01

In the past, there have been three traditional forms of food trading; fresh, canned and frozen foods. In recent years, a fourth form called m inimally processed food has been developed to respond to an emerging consumer demand for convenient, high-quality and preservative-free products with appearance of fresh characteristics, while being less severely processed (Saracino et al., 1991). Minimally processed food can be used as ready-to-eat, ready-to-use, or ready-to-cook products. They are stored and marketed under refrigeration conditions (Dignan, 1994). Minimally processed food products were developed in 1980's and now they are produced in many advanced and some developing countries. In Egypt, great amounts of minimally processed vegetables are now produced and commercially sold in certain supermarkets. They include fresh-cut lettuce, packaged mixed vegetables salad, shredded carrots, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage (white and red), fresh-cut green beans, mixed peas with diced carrots, mafa spanish, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, garlic, artichoke, celery, parsley, etc. However, there is an increasing interest to offer some other minimally processed vegetables and some types of fresh-cut fruits that can be used as ready-to-eat or ready-to-use. Preparation steps of minimally processed fruit and vegetable products which may include peeling, slicing, shredding, etc save labor and time for the purchasers, meanwhile removal of waste material during processing reduce transport costs. In addition, the production of such products will make year-round availability of almost all vegetables and fruits possible in fresh form around the world (Baldwin et al., 1995). However, preparation steps of such products increase the native enzymatic activity and the possibility of microbial contamination. Therefore, these products have short shelf-life and this is considered one of the foremost challenging problems in the commercialization of minimally processed foods particularly fresh

Attentional Bias to Food Cues in Youth with Loss of Control Eating

Science.gov (United States)

Shank, Lisa M.; Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian; Nelson, Eric E.; Shomaker, Lauren B.; Ranzenhofer, Lisa M.; Hannallah, Louise M.; Field, Sara E.; Vannucci, Anna; Bongiorno, Diana M.; Brady, Sheila M.; Condarco, Tania; Demidowich, Andrew; Kelly, Nichole R.; Cassidy, Omni; Simmons, W. Kyle; Engel, Scott G.; Pine, Daniel S.; Yanovski, Jack A.

2014-01-01

Emerging data indicate that adults with binge eating may exhibit an attentional bias toward highly palatable foods, which may promote obesogenic eating patterns and excess weight gain. However, it is unknown to what extent youth with loss of control (LOC) eating display a similar bias. We therefore studied 76 youth (14.5±2.3y; 86.8% female; BMI-z 1.7± .73) with (n=47) and without (n=29) reported LOC eating. Following a breakfast to reduce hunger, youth participated in a computerized visual probe task of sustained attention that assessed reaction time to pairs of pictures consisting of high palatable foods, low palatable foods, and neutral household objects. Although sustained attentional bias did not differ by LOC eating presence and was unrelated to body weight, a two-way interaction between BMI-z and LOC eating was observed (p = .01), such that only among youth with LOC eating, attentional bias toward high palatable foods versus neutral objects was positively associated with BMI-z. These findings suggest that LOC eating and body weight interact in their association with attentional bias to highly palatable foods cues, and may partially explain the mixed literature linking attentional bias to food cues with excess body weight. PMID:25435490

Mediate gamma radiation effects on some packaged food items

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inamura, Patricia Y.; Uehara, Vanessa B.; Teixeira, Christian A.H.M.; Mastro, Nelida L. del

2012-01-01

For most of prepackaged foods a 10 kGy radiation dose is considered the maximum dose needed; however, the commercially available and practically accepted packaging materials must be suitable for such application. This work describes the application of ionizing radiation on several packaged food items, using 5 dehydrated food items, 5 ready-to-eat meals and 5 ready-to-eat food items irradiated in a 60 Co gamma source with a 3 kGy dose. The quality evaluation of the irradiated samples was performed 2 and 8 months after irradiation. Microbiological analysis (bacteria, fungus and yeast load) was performed. The sensory characteristics were established for appearance, aroma, texture and flavor attributes were also established. From these data, the acceptability of all irradiated items was obtained. All ready-to-eat food items assayed like manioc flour, some pâtés and blocks of raw brown sugar and most of ready-to-eat meals like sausages and chicken with legumes were considered acceptable for microbial and sensory characteristics. On the other hand, the dehydrated food items chosen for this study, such as dehydrated bacon potatoes or pea soups were not accepted by the sensory analysis. A careful dose choice and special irradiation conditions must be used in order to achieve sensory acceptability needed for the commercialization of specific irradiated food items. - Highlights: ► We applied gamma radiation on several kinds of packaged food items. ► Microbiological and sensory analyses were performed 2 and 8 months after irradiation. ► All ready-to-eat food items assayed were approved for microbial and sensory characteristics. ► Most ready-to-eat meals like sausages and chicken with legumes were also acceptable. ► Dehydrated bacon potatoes or pea soups were considered not acceptable.

Part I: Hazard, sensorial and economic implications of applying the hazard analysis and critical control points to irradiated ready-to-eat meals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haruvy, Y.F.

2009-01-01

The classical methodology of hazard analysis and critical control points focuses on hazards and related implications. A new methodology is suggested here, one that attempts at a systematic simultaneous assessment of safety hazards, sensorial failures and economic risks, and the critical control points necessary for their early detection and/or prevention of their potential outcomes. The new methodology also attempts to combine the three parameters to form a qualitative prioritization of the numerous control points and to screen those that can be cost effective for implementation. This is demonstrated in this paper for a complex product, i.e. radiation sterilized ready-to-eat meals. Hence, a fourth parameter specific to this product - the radiation specific pitfall - is also assessed. The advantages and drawbacks of the combined assessment methodology are described and their overall possible impact is discussed. Finally, the suggested combined assessment and control system for ensuring the safety and quality of food can provide a more structured and critical approach to control identified hazards, compared with that achievable by traditional inspection and quality control procedures. It has the potential to identify areas of concern where failure has not yet been experienced, making it particularly useful for new operations and products thereafter. (author)

Antimicrobial resistance and molecular epidemiology of Salmonella Rissen from animals, food products, and patients in Thailand and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendriksen, Rene S.; Bangtrakulnonth, Aroon; Pulsrikarn, Chaiwat

2008-01-01

Rissen isolates recovered from humans, food products, and animals in Denmark and Thailand. Additionally, risk factors due to travel and consumption of specific food products were analyzed and evaluated. A total of 112 Salmonella Rissen isolates were included in this study from Thailand and Denmark. Thai...... isolates were recovered from humans, uncooked food, and ready-to-eat food. Danish isolates were obtained from humans (with and without a history of travel to Thailand prior to the infection), Danish pig or pork products, imported pig or pork products, turkeys, and animal feed. A total of 63 unique Xba...... was detected in tetracycline-resistant isolates. Statistical analysis and molecular subtyping identified the combination of travel to Thailand and consumption of imported pig or pork products as well consumption of as pig or pork products produced in Denmark as risk factors for Salmonella Rissen infection...

Eating tasty food to cope. Longitudinal association with BMI.

Science.gov (United States)

Boggiano, M M; Wenger, L E; Turan, B; Tatum, M M; Morgan, P R; Sylvester, M D

2015-04-01

The goals of this study were to determine if a change in certain motives to eat highly palatable food, as measured by the Palatable Eating Motives Scale (PEMS), could predict a change in body mass index (BMI) over time, to assess the temporal stability of these motive scores, and to test the reliability of previously reported associations between eating tasty foods to cope and BMI. BMI, demographics, and scores on the PEMS and the Binge Eating Scale were obtained from 192 college students. Test-retest analysis was performed on the PEMS motives in groups varying in three gap times between tests. Regression analyses determined what PEMS motives predicted a change in BMI over two years. The results replicated previous findings that eating palatable food for Coping motives (e.g., to forget about problems, reduce negative feelings) is associated with BMI. Test-retest correlations revealed that motive scores, while somewhat stable, can change over time. Importantly, among overweight participants, a change in Coping scores predicted a change in BMI over 2 years, such that a 1-point change in Coping predicted a 1.76 change in BMI (equivalent to a 10.5 lb. change in body weight) independent of age, sex, ethnicity, and initial binge-eating status (Cohen's f(2) effect size = 1.44). The large range in change of Coping scores suggests it is possible to decrease frequency of eating to cope by more than 1 scale point to achieve weight losses greater than 10 lbs. in young overweight adults, a group already at risk for rapid weight gain. Hence, treatments aimed specifically at reducing palatable food intake for coping reasons vs. for social, reward, or conformity reasons, should help achieve a healthier body weight and prevent obesity if this motive-type is identified prior to significant weight gain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peering into the secrets of food and agricultural co-products

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Delilah; Williams, Tina; Glenn, Gregory; Pan, Zhongli; Orts, William; McHugh, Tara

2010-06-01

Scanning electron microscopy is a useful tool for understanding food contamination and directing product development of food and industrial products. The current trend in food research is to produce foods that are fast to prepare and/or ready to eat. At the same time, these processed foods must be safe, high quality and maintain all or most of the nutritional value of the original whole foods. Minimally processed foods, is the phrase used to characterize these "new" foods. New techniques are needed which take advantage of minimal processing or processing which enhances the fresh properties and characteristics of whole foods while spending less time on food preparation. The added benefit coupled to less cooking time in an individual kitchen translates to an overall energy savings and reduces the carbon emissions to the environment. Food processing changes the microstructure, and therefore, the quality, texture and flavor, of the resulting food product. Additionally, there is the need to reduce waste, transportation costs and product loss during transportation and storage. Unlike food processing, structural changes are desirable in co-products as function follows form for food packaging films and boxes as well as for building materials and other industrial products. Thus, the standard materials testing procedures are coupled with SEM to provide direction in the development of products from agricultural residues or what would otherwise be considered waste materials. The use of agricultural residues reduces waste and adds value to a currently underutilized or unutilized product. The product might be biodegradable or compostable, thus reducing landfill requirements. Manufacturing industrial and packaging products from biological materials also reduces the amount of petroleum products currently standard in the industry.

Influence of polysaccharide-based edible coatings as carriers of prebiotic fibers on quality attributes of ready-to-eat fresh blueberries.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, María V; Ponce, Alejandra G; Moreira, María R

2018-05-01

Little information is available regarding the effect of dietary fibers added into edible coatings on quality attributes of ready-to-eat fruits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sodium alginate (AL) and chitosan (CH) edible coatings enriched with four different dietary fibers (apple fiber, orange fiber, inulin and oligofructose) on microbiological, nutritional, physico-chemical and sensorial properties of ready-to-eat fresh blueberries stored for 18 days at 5 °C. The most encouraging results were found for CH coatings (with and without fibers) which significantly inhibited the growth of mesophilic bacteria and yeasts/molds (reductions up to 1.9 log CFU g -1 ), reduced decay rate by more than 50%, enhanced antioxidant properties, retained fruit firmness, delayed off-odor development and improved overall visual quality of blueberries. Oligofructose and orange fiber added to CH coatings enhanced antioxidant properties of fruits and allowed higher reductions in yeast/mold counts compared to the use of CH alone. CH-based coatings enriched with inulin, oligofructose and apple fiber extended sensory shelf life of blueberries by 6 days. AL coatings (with and without fiber) allowed delaying fungal decay and also retaining antioxidant properties but did not improve the microbiological and sensory quality of fruits. The results proved that fiber-enriched CH treatments allowed the maintenance of freshness and the improvement of the quality of ready-to-eat blueberries. It might be an interesting option to offer consumers a healthy product with prebiotic potential and an extended shelf life. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assessing food appeal and desire to eat: the effects of portion size & energy density.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Kyle S; Cornier, Marc A; Ingebrigtsen, Jan; Johnson, Susan L

2011-09-25

Visual presentation of food provides considerable information such as its potential for palatability and availability, both of which can impact eating behavior. We investigated the subjective ratings for food appeal and desire to eat when exposed to food pictures in a fed sample (n=129) using the computer paradigm ImageRate. Food appeal and desire to eat were analyzed for the effects of food group, portion size and energy density of the foods presented as well as by participant characteristics. Food appeal ratings were significantly higher than those for desire to eat (57.9±11.6 v. 44.7±18.0; pappeal. Food category analyses revealed that fruit was the highest rated food category for both appeal and desire, followed by discretionary foods. Additionally, overweight individuals reported higher ratings of desire to eat large portions of food compared to smaller portions (pappeal and desire (r's=-0.27; p'sappeal and desire to eat foods when assessing these ratings using the same type of metric. Additionally, relations among food appeal and desire to eat ratings and body mass show overweight individuals could be more responsive to visual foods cues in a manner that contributes to obesity.

Effect of high-dose irradiation on quality characteristics of ready-to-eat chicken breast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Hyejeong; Haeng Lee, Kyung; Jung Lee, Hyun; Woon Lee, Ju; Uk Ahn, Dong; Jo, Cheorun

2012-01-01

High-dose (higher than 30 kGy) irradiation has been used to sterilize specific-purposed foods for safe and long-term storage. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high-dose irradiation on the quality characteristics of ready-to-eat chicken breast in comparison with those of the low-dose irradiation. Ready-to-eat chicken breast was manufactured, vacuum-packaged, and irradiated at 0, 5, and 40 kGy. The populations of total aerobic bacteria were 4.75 and 2.26 Log CFU/g in the samples irradiated at 0 and 5 kGy, respectively. However, no viable cells were detected in the samples irradiated at 40 kGy. On day 10, bacteria were not detected in the samples irradiated at 40 kGy but the number of bacteria in the samples irradiated at 5 kGy was increased. The pH at day 0 was higher in the samples irradiated at 40 kGy than those at 0 and 5 kGy. The 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values of the samples were not significantly different on day 0. However, on day 10, the TBARS value was significantly higher in the samples irradiated at 40 kGy than those at 0 and 5 kGy. There was no difference in the sensory scores of the samples, except for off-flavor, which was stronger in samples irradiated at 5 and 40 kGy than control. However, no difference in off-flavor between the irradiated ones was observed. After 10 days of storage, only the samples irradiated at 40 kGy showed higher off-flavor score. SPME-GC–MS analysis revealed that 5 kGy of irradiation produced 2-methylbutanal and 3-methylbutanal, which were not present in the control, whereas 40 kGy of irradiation produced hexane, heptane, pentanal, dimethly disulfide, heptanal, and nonanal, which were not detected in the control or the samples irradiated at 5 kGy. However, the amount of compounds such as allyl sulfide and diallyl disulfide decreased significantly in the samples irradiated at 5 kGy and 40 kGy. - Highlights: ► Comparison of high (40 kGy) and low-dose irradiation (5 kGy) on

The Development of Expanded Snack Product Made from Pumpkin Flour-Corn Grits: Effect of Extrusion Conditions and Formulations on Physical Characteristics and Microstructure

OpenAIRE

Md Nor, Norfezah; Carr, Alistair; Hardacre, Allan; Brennan, Charles S.

2013-01-01

Pumpkin products confer natural sweetness, desirable flavours and β-carotene, a vitamin A precursor when added as ingredients to extruded snacks. Therefore, a potential use for dried pumpkin flour is as an ingredient in ready-to-eat (RTE) snack foods. Growth in this market has driven food manufacturers to produce a variety of new high value snack foods incorporating diverse ingredients to enhance the appearance and nutritional properties of these foods. Ready-to-eat snacks were made by extrud...

Predicting consumers' intention to consume ready-to-eat meals. The role of moral attitude.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Nina Veflen; Sijtsema, Siet J; Hall, Gunnar

2010-12-01

This study investigates the usefulness of integrating moral attitude into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model when predicting intention to consume ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. Questionnaire data were gathered in three countries: Norway (N = 112), The Netherlands (N = 99), and Finland (N = 134) in spring 2009. A stepwise hierarchical regression was conducted, and the analyses showed that moral attitude is an important predictor of RTE-meal consumption. The feeling of moral obligation, operationalised as a negative feeling of guilt, had a negative effect on peoples' intention to consume ready meals in all the three countries tested, and the explained variance (R²) for TPB increased when moral was added as an explanatory factor. However, although the test showed significant results for the effect of attitude towards behavior and moral in all countries, non-significant results were observed for the effect of subjective norm in both The Netherlands and Norway when moral attitude was included to the TPB-model, indicating cultural differences in the social pressure towards ready meal consumption. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the “Eat Better Feel Better” Cooking Programme to Tackle Barriers to Healthy Eating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ada L. Garcia

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We evaluated a 6-week community-based cooking programme, “Eat Better Feel Better”, aimed at tackling barriers to cooking and healthy eating using a single-group repeated measures design. 117 participants enrolled, 62 completed baseline and post-intervention questionnaires, and 17 completed these and a 3–4 months follow-up questionnaire. Most participants were female, >45 years, and socioeconomically deprived. Confidence constructs changed positively from baseline to post-intervention (medians, scale 1 “not confident” to 7 “very confident”: “cooking using raw ingredients” (4, 6 p < 0.003, “following simple recipe” (5, 6 p = 0.003, “planning meals before shopping” (4, 5 p = <0.001, “shopping on a budget (4, 5 p = 0.044, “shopping healthier food” (4, 5 p = 0.007, “cooking new foods” (3, 5 p < 0.001, “cooking healthier foods” (4, 5 p = 0.001, “storing foods safely” (5, 6 p = 0.002; “using leftovers” (4, 5 p = 0.002, “cooking raw chicken” (5, 6 p = 0.021, and “reading food labels” (4, 5 p < 0.001. “Microwaving ready-meals” decreased 46% to 39% (p = 0.132. “Preparing meals from scratch” increased 48% to 59% (p = 0.071. Knowledge about correct portion sizes increased 47% to 74% (p = 0.002. Spending on ready-meals/week decreased. Follow-up telephone interviewees (n = 42 reported developing healthier eating patterns, spending less money/wasting less food, and preparing more meals/snacks from raw ingredients. The programme had positive effects on participants’ cooking skills confidence, helped manage time, and reduced barriers of cost, waste, and knowledge.

Serving high-risk foods in a high-risk setting: survey of hospital food service practices after an outbreak of listeriosis in a hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Cokes, Carolyn; France, Anne Marie; Reddy, Vasudha; Hanson, Heather; Lee, Lillian; Kornstein, Laura; Stavinsky, Faina; Balter, Sharon

2011-04-01

Prepared ready-to-eat salads and ready-to-eat delicatessen-style meats present a high risk for Listeria contamination. Because no foodborne illness risk management guidelines exist specifically for US hospitals, a survey of New York City (NYC) hospitals was conducted to characterize policies and practices after a listeriosis outbreak occurred in a NYC hospital. From August through October 2008, a listeriosis outbreak in a NYC hospital was investigated. From February through April 2009, NYC's 61 acute-care hospitals were asked to participate in a telephone survey regarding food safety practices and policies, specifically service of high-risk foods to patients at increased risk for listeriosis. Five patients with medical conditions that put them at high risk for listeriosis had laboratory-confirmed Listeria monocytogenes infection. The Listeria outbreak strain was isolated from tuna salad prepared in the hospital. Fifty-four (89%) of 61 hospitals responded to the survey. Overall, 81% of respondents reported serving ready-to-eat deli meats to patients, and 100% reported serving prepared ready-to-eat salads. Pregnant women, patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, and patients undergoing chemotherapy were served ready-to-eat deli meats at 77%, 59%, and 49% of hospitals, respectively, and were served prepared ready-to-eat salads at 94%, 89%, and 73% of hospitals, respectively. Only 4 (25%) of 16 respondents reported having a policy that ready-to-eat deli meats must be heated until steaming hot before serving. Despite the potential for severe outcomes of Listeria infection among hospitalized patients, the majority of NYC hospitals had no food preparation policies to minimize risk. Hospitals should implement policies to avoid serving high-risk foods to patients at risk for listeriosis.

Prevalence of food contamination with Listeria spp. in Kermanshah, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Akya, A; Najafi, A; Moradi, J; Mohebi, Z; Adabagher, S

2013-05-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a human pathogen causing serious diseases. We aimed to determine food contamination with Listeria spp. in Kermanshah, Islamic Republic of Iran. Samples (185 dairy, 187 meat products and 158 ready-to-eat foods such as salads) were randomly collected from markets. After processing, samples were cultured in half-Fraser and Fraser broth followed by cultivation on PALCAM and Oxford media. Confirmatory tests including carbohydrate utilization were performed on isolates to determine species. Bacteria were isolated from 66/530 samples (12.5%). Meat products showed the highest (27.2%) and dairy products the lowest (3.8%) contamination rates. L. innocua was found in 56 (10.6%) samples, but L. monocytogenes was only found in 3 samples (0.6%). The results indicate that the rate of contamination with L. monocytogenes, even for ready-to-eat foods, was low but for other Listeria spp., in particular strains of L. innocua, the rate of contamination was higher, suggesting that more control on food sanitation is required.

Association between parental motives for food choice and eating patterns of 12- to 13-year-old Norwegian children.

Science.gov (United States)

Oellingrath, Inger M; Hersleth, Margrethe; Svendsen, Martin V

2013-11-01

To determine (i) the importance of parents’ motives for everyday family food choices; and (ii) the relationship between parental food choice motives and eating patterns of 12- to 13-year-old children. Cross-sectional study. A modified version of the Food Choice Questionnaire was used to determine parental motives for food choices. The children’s food and drink intake was reported by their parents using a retrospective FFQ. Eating patterns were derived using principal component analysis. The association between food choice motives and eating patterns was examined using multiple linear regression analysis. Primary schools, Telemark County, Norway. In total, 1095 children aged 12–13 years and their parents. The parental motive ‘sensory appeal’ was the most important for food choice, followed by ‘health’, ‘convenience’, ‘natural content’ and ‘weight control’. The food choice motives were associated with the eating patterns of the children, independent of background variables. The motive ‘health’ was most strongly associated with a ‘varied Norwegian’ eating pattern, representing a diverse diet and regular meals, while the motive ‘convenience’ appeared to be the most important barrier to this eating pattern. ‘Weight control’ was not associated with the ‘varied Norwegian’ eating pattern. To encourage parents to make healthy food choices for their children, health promotion activities should focus on the health benefits of a diverse diet and regular meals, rather than weight control. Recommended food products should be made more convenient and easily available for families with children.

Assessing food appeal and desire to eat: the effects of portion size & energy density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornier Marc A

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Visual presentation of food provides considerable information such as its potential for palatability and availability, both of which can impact eating behavior. Methods We investigated the subjective ratings for food appeal and desire to eat when exposed to food pictures in a fed sample (n = 129 using the computer paradigm ImageRate. Food appeal and desire to eat were analyzed for the effects of food group, portion size and energy density of the foods presented as well as by participant characteristics. Results Food appeal ratings were significantly higher than those for desire to eat (57.9 ± 11.6 v. 44.7 ± 18.0; p r = 0.20; p p r's = - 0.27; p's Conclusions Results support the hypothesis that individuals differentiate between food appeal and desire to eat foods when assessing these ratings using the same type of metric. Additionally, relations among food appeal and desire to eat ratings and body mass show overweight individuals could be more responsive to visual foods cues in a manner that contributes to obesity.

To eat or not to eat: Effects of food availability on reward system activity during food picture viewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Blechert, Jens; Klackl, Johannes; Miedl, Stephan F; Wilhelm, Frank H

2016-04-01

Neuroimaging studies have started to explore the role of food characteristics (e.g., calorie-content) and psychological factors (e.g., restrained eating, craving) for the human appetitive system, motivated by the significant health implications of food-choice, overeating and overweight/obesity. However, one key aspect of modern food environments, food availability, especially of high energy foods, has not been adequately modeled in experimental research. Food that is immediately available for consumption could elicit stronger reward system activity and associated cognitive control than food that is not currently available for consumption and this could vary as a function of energy density. To examine this question, 32 healthy participants (16 women) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while passively viewing available foods - i.e. foods that could be eaten during and after the experiment - and unavailable foods of either high or low-caloric density in a 2 × 2 design. Available compared to unavailable foods elicited higher palatability ratings as well as stronger neural activation in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), amygdala, and left caudate nucleus as well as in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) - and thus structures implicated in reward and appetitive motivation as well as cognitive control, respectively. Availability effects in the caudate were mainly attributable to the high calorie condition (availability × calorie density interaction). These neuroimaging results support the contention that foods are particularly rewarding when immediately available and particularly so when high in caloric density. Thus, our results are consistent with health promoting interventions utilizing a nudging approach, i.e. aiming at decreasing accessibility of high calorie and increasing accessibility of low calorie foods in daily life. Results also imply that controlling/manipulating food availability may be an important methodological aspect in neuroscientific

Development of cereal and legume based food products for the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Satusap, Pruet; Chavasit, Visith; Kriengsinyos, Wantanee; Judprasong, Kunchit

2014-01-01

Diets for elderly must contain nutritious foods, fit their physiological limitations, and match with their food culture. Cereals and legumes are suggested food choices regardless of their cultures and beliefs. Ready-to-eat products containing suitable macronutrient patterns from cereals and legumes were developed. Energy distributions from carbohydrate (60 kcal/100 kcal), protein (15 kcal/100 kcal), and fat (25 kcal/100 kcal), protein quality, and percent energy from saturated fatty acid and free sugar were criteria for the formulation. Carbohydrate sources were rice flour, brown rice flour, mung bean starch, which carbohydrate in rice flour was the most digestible on in vitro test. Protein and fat sources were soybean flour, black sesame seed, and rice bran oil. Three products, i.e., flake snack, instant beverage, and instant soup were produced by drying basic ingredients as flakes on a double-roller drum dryer and directly used or dry-mixed with other ingredients. The products (Aw good quality protein, and energy from saturated fat snacks from both carbohydrate sources were significantly more acceptable than the other two products.

Observational study of food safety practices in retail deli departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubran, M B; Pouillot, R; Bohm, S; Calvey, E M; Meng, J; Dennis, S

2010-10-01

In order to improve the safety of refrigerated ready-to-eat food products prepared at retail deli departments, a better understanding of current practices in these establishments is needed. Food employees in deli departments at six chain and three independent retail establishments in Maryland and Virginia were observed, using notational analysis, as they prepared deli products for sale. The frequency of contact with objects and deli products before sale, hand washing and glove changing during preparation, and equipment, utensil, and surface cleaning and sanitizing was determined. Compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2005 model Food Code recommendations, which must be adopted by the individual state and local jurisdictions that are responsible for directly regulating retail establishments, was also assessed. Observations indicated there were a large number of actions for which hand washing was recommended at independent and chain stores (273 recommended of 1,098 total actions and 439 recommended of 3,073 total actions, respectively). Moreover, 67% (295 of 439) of the actions for which hand washing was recommended at the chain stores and 86% (235 of 273) of those at the independent stores resulted from employees touching non-food contact surfaces prior to handling ready-to-eat food. Compliance with hand washing recommendations was generally low and varied depending on store type with independent stores exhibiting lower compliance than chain stores (5 instances of compliance for 273 recommended actions and 73 instances of compliance for 439 recommended actions, respectively). Potential risk mitigation measures that may reduce the frequency of hand washing actions needed during ready-to-eat food preparation in retail deli departments are discussed. More research is needed to determine the impact of such measures on food safety.

How much chicken is food? Questioning the definition of food by analyzing amino acid composition of modern convenience products.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermanussen, M; Gonder, U; Stegemann, D; Wesolowski, M; Ulewicz-Magulska, B; Wartensleben, H; Hoffmann, G F

2012-01-01

Substantial differences exist between traditionally cooked and chemically designed ready-to-serve products and raise questions about the general principles and requirements of current food law. Differences in amino acid patterns were analyzed in four examples of chicken preparations (boiled chicken meat, traditionally prepared broth from whole chicken, and two commercial chicken broths), and four examples of vegetable broth (traditionally prepared, two commercial products one of which was claimed a BIO-product, and the classic German bouillon cube). Chicken meat contained 284 mg of free amino acids in 100 ml of the boiled meat homogenate, with physiological peaks of glutamate (14.5 mg/100 ml), glutamine (8.5 mg/100 ml), anserine (88 mg/100 ml) and carnosine (55 mg/100 ml). The patterns significantly differ in industrially designed chicken soups with elevated peaks of glutamate, and missing anserine or carnosine. Similar results were obtained in vegetable broths. In the classic German bouillon cube, glutamate accounts for 96% of all free amino acids. The amino acid composition of modern ready-to-serve chicken soups and vegetable broths are far from being similar to any natural composition. We need to question current legal definitions of food, and consider its impact on eating habits, appetite regulation and obesity.

FORMULASI BISKUIT PADAT SIAP-SANTAP UNTUK MAKANAN DARURAT (READY-TO-EAT-BISCUIT BARS FORMULATION FOR DISASTER-RELATED EMERGENCY SITUATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almasyhuri Almasyhuri

2012-06-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT In situation when the disaster occurres, people can be panic and can not manage appropriate food for the whole family. Therefore, it is required food supply from the authority to fulfill the nutrition need during emergency. For infants, there were milk and food products available in the market that can be given in such situation. However, for children and adults, there are no emergency food available in the market. Some post-disaster surveys indicates that food aid distributed during emergency situation only provides energy source rather than a complete nutrition. Furthermore, these foods still require processing before consumption. The aim of the study is to develop formulated ready-to-eat foods for children and adults that have a dense calories and protein that can be given in disaster-related emergency situation. The foods are produced in solid form, and has good acceptance by both panelist in laboratory and people in the field. In the early stages of research, six formulas in solid form are developed, three have savory taste and three are sweet. One formula that the most preferred by the panelist in the laboratory are chosen. The best formula is then given to field panelists in area of disaster to know their preference. Formula made from soy and sesame with sweet taste has the highest value compared with other types of formulas, and significantly different by Duncan's test from all formulas. In flavor and aroma attributes, this formula is not significantly different from others, however in crispiness; this formula has the best acceptance. The biscuits has energy 2.100 kcal per portion that 11.5 percent of the energy is from protein, 44.4 percent is from fat and the remaining 44 percent is from carbohydrates. Keywords: food formulation, ready-to-eat-biscuit, emergency food, disaster   Abstrak Dalam kejadian bencana alam masyarakat dapat menjadi panik dan tidak dapat menyediakan makanan keluarga, sehingga memerlukan bantuan makanan

Pavlovian conditioning to food reward as a function of eating disorder risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Astur, Robert S; Palmisano, Alexandra N; Hudd, Ellie C; Carew, Andrew W; Deaton, Bonnie E; Kuhney, Franchesca S; Niezrecki, Rachel N; Santos, Melissa

2015-09-15

The aim of this experiment was to examine the extent to which eating disorder risk affects the strength of food-reward conditioning. Eighty food-restricted undergraduates were placed into a VR environment consisting of two visually distinct rooms. Participants underwent multiple pairing sessions in which they were confined into one of the two rooms and explored a VR environment. Room A was paired with real-life M&Ms for three sessions, and Room B was paired with no food for three sessions. After a short delay, a test session was administered, and participants were given free access to the entire VR environment for 5 min. Participants also completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; [11]), which is a standard screening tool of eating disorder risk. Participants displayed a significant conditioned place preference for the VR room previously paired with food, and they displayed a significant explicit preference for the M&M-paired room in a forced-choice test. There was a significant positive correlation between place preference strength and scores on the dieting subscale of the EAT-26. Additionally, ratings of the no-food room were significantly lower as dieting scores increased. This suggests that components of eating disorder risk can influence basic conditioning strength to places associated with food reward. For both males and females, additional correlations between eating disorder risk subscales and conditioning variables are discussed, and implications for future research are proposed in hopes of understanding how conditioning paradigms can provide insight into treating and preventing eating disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE CONSUMPTION OF FAST FOOD PRODUCTS – A CONSTANT EATING HABIT OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

OpenAIRE

Dana BOŞCOR; Codruţa-Adina BĂLTESCU

2013-01-01

The eating habits have met important changes lately, and the consumption of fast food products is, no doubt, an essential coordinate of this evolution. The fast pace of daily life associated with sedentary and convenience of young generations are factors favoring the proliferation of fast food restaurants, becoming fashionable, a „must have or do” in the international urban landscape. The fast food products were much analyzed and criticized regarding the negative impact on population’s health...

Pictorial instrument of food and nutrition education for promoting healthy eating

OpenAIRE

MICALI,Flávia Gonçalves; DIEZ-GARCIA,Rosa Wanda

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT To trace the course of building a pictorial instrument that explores semiotic resources about food and nutrition education. The instrument is directed at the treatment and prevention of obesity, considering the food and nutrition problems of the Brazilian population. The criteria for photo production were: images that could cause visual impact and transmit applied nutrition information, insinuating positive and negative eating practices for promoting healthy eating, and preventing an...

Control of Listeria monocytogenes in food production plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrijević Mirjana

2008-01-01

Full Text Available L. monocytogenes has been established in different plants for the production of food, including dairy plants, abattoirs, plants for the processing of fish, as well as those for the production of ready-to-eat (RTE food and this fact is being considered as the primary mechanism of food contamination with this bacteria. There is also the factor of numerous and diverse contaminated production equipment, because it has certain parts that are inaccessible for the necessary cleaning and disinfection. The temperature, position, as well as the material of the work surface are also linked to the contamination of plants with this bacteria. Investigations carried out so far have helped toward the better understanding of the manner and time of contamination of food items in the course of the production process, but there are still unresolved problems, including most certainly the biggest one - the adherence of bacteria and the creation of a biofilm, when the bacteria is in that condition more resistant to so-called stress factors which are usually used in the food industry for the purpose of decontamination of the surfaces with which foods come into contact. The control of L. monocytogenes in food production plants is possible primarily by using an integrated programme, compatible with the systems Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP, necessary in the production of food that is safe for the consumer. Essentially, the control measures that can contribute to reducing the incidence of findings of L.monocytogenes in the finished product, as well as the reducing of the level of contamination with this bacteria are linked, on the one hand, with hygiene procedures in the production process, and, on the other, with the applied technological procedures.

The food we eat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell-Platt, G.

1988-01-01

The paper on the 'food we eat' includes a suggestion that food irradiation may prove invaluable to the future food industry. The use of food irradiation to inactivate or destroy micro-organisms is described - irradiation would not be used on all foods, it would complement existing methods of reducing contamination by micro-organisms. The chemical changes in spoiled food and chemical additives are also discussed. (U.K.)

Sex differences in Hadza eating frequency by food type.

Science.gov (United States)

Berbesque, J Colette; Marlowe, Frank W; Crittenden, Alyssa N

2011-01-01

We investigate sex differences in frequencies of adults eating in a foraging population-the Hadza of Tanzania. We use eating frequency data from instantaneous scan observations of the Hadza, to see to how much sharing of foods taken back to camp compensates for the targeting of different foods by each sex while out foraging. Eating in camp differs by sex in terms of overall eating frequency, as well as in terms of diet composition (frequencies of eating each food type). We also control for sex-differences in time spent in camp and still find sex-differences in eating frequencies-women are observed eating significantly more frequently than men. There are also sex-differences in the eating frequencies of particular food types both with and without controlling for presence in camp. Finally, we use data on acquisition of each food type by sex and find that both sexes are more frequently observed eating women's foods in camp than men's foods. At least in the case of the Hadza, we see pronounced sex differences in the in-camp diet. Hadza men are eating a higher quality diet than are women, but women are able to eat far more frequently, and spend less time foraging than men. It is not yet clear whether a regular caloric intake of lower quality foods would be more beneficial for maintaining fecundity than a more variable diet consisting of higher quality foods. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

What does it mean to ‘eat Jewishly?’: authorizing discourse in the Jewish food movement in Toronto, Canada

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Aldea Mulhern

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article examines the development of ‘eating Jewishly’ among participants at Shoresh Jewish Environmental Programs in Toronto, Canada. Participants at Shoresh construct and draw upon Jewish tradition in order to resolve gaps between the is and the ought of the conventional food system, and to a lesser extent, the narrower food system of kashrut. ‘Eating Jewishly’ re-positions religious orthodoxy as one in a set of authorizing discourses, subsuming all Jewish eating acts under one rubric. ‘Eating Jewishly’ thus departs from standard narratives of Jewish eating as either eating kosher, or eating traditional Jewish foods. I use a theory of authorizing discourse to show the conditions of possibility through which Shoresh develops their intervention as Jewish. I conclude that such authorization practices are a key form of productive constraint in the formation of Shoresh’s lived religion, and in the formation of religion as a framework for social good.

Development of an Intervention Programme to Encourage High School Students to Stay in School for Lunch Instead of Eating at Nearby Fast-Food Restaurants

Science.gov (United States)

Beaulieu, Dominique; Godin, Gaston

2012-01-01

Many schools have recently adopted food policies and replaced unhealthy products by healthy foods. Consequently, adolescents are more likely to consume a healthy meal if they stay in school for lunch to eat a meal either prepared at home or purchased in school cafeterias. However, many continue to eat in nearby fast-food restaurants. The present…

National outbreak of Salmonella Give linked to a local food manufacturer in Malta, October 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Donachie, A; Melillo, T; Bubba, L; Hartman, H; Borg, M-L

2018-06-26

Salmonella Give is a rare serotype across Europe. In October 2016, a national outbreak of S. Give occurred in Malta. We describe the epidemiological, environmental, microbiological and veterinary investigations. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on human, food, environmental and veterinary isolates. Thirty-six human cases were reported between October and November 2016, 10 (28%) of whom required hospitalisation. Twenty-six (72%) cases were linked to four restaurants. S. Give was isolated from ready-to-eat antipasti served by three restaurants which were all supplied by the same local food manufacturer. Food-trace-back investigations identified S. Give in packaged bean dips, ham, pork and an asymptomatic food handler at the manufacturer; inspections found inadequate separation between raw and ready-to-eat food during processing. WGS indicated two genetically distinguishable strains of S. Give with two distinct clusters identified; one cluster linked to the local food manufacturer and a second linked to veterinary samples. Epidemiological, environmental and WGS evidence pointed towards cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods at the local manufacturer as the likely source of one cluster. Severity of illness indicates a high virulence of this specific serotype. To prevent future cases and outbreaks, adherence to food safety practices at manufacturing level need to be reinforced.

The presence of verotoxinogenic E. coli in some foods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bostan K.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available In this study 30 samples each of ready-to-cook meatballs and white cheese as well as 96 samples of various ready-to-eat foods, obtained from different sales outlets in Istanbul, were analyzed for the presence of verotoxins (consequently vemtoxigenic E. coli E. coli with the aid of the enzyme immunoassay technique. Additionally, total coli-form and chromogenic E. coli count were determined by cultural methods for all food samples. E. coli growth was detected in all ready-to-cook meatballs (100%, in 27 of the white cheese samples (90% and in 69 of the other ready-to-eat food samples (71.9%. Verotoxins, however, could not be detected in any of the samples examined with the aid of the ELISA technique. The findings of this study indicate a low microbiological quality of the analyzed meatball, white cheese and ready-to-eat food samples; a considerable part of them did not conform to legal standards. However, within the sensitivity limits of the method applied no verotoxinogenic E. coli could be detected.

Predicting consumers' intention to consume ready-to-eat meals. The role of moral attitude

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Nina Veflen; Sijtsema, Siet J; Hall, Gunnar

2010-01-01

This study investigates the usefulness of integrating moral attitude into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model when predicting intention to consume ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. Questionnaire data were gathered in three countries: Norway (N = 112), The Netherlands (N = 99), and Finland (N = 134...... in all the three countries tested, and the explained variance (R²) for TPB increased when moral was added as an explanatory factor. However, although the test showed significant results for the effect of attitude towards behavior and moral in all countries, non-significant results were observed...

Assessing food appeal and desire to eat: the effects of portion size & energy density

OpenAIRE

Cornier Marc A; Burger Kyle S; Ingebrigtsen Jan; Johnson Susan L

2011-01-01

Abstract Background Visual presentation of food provides considerable information such as its potential for palatability and availability, both of which can impact eating behavior. Methods We investigated the subjective ratings for food appeal and desire to eat when exposed to food pictures in a fed sample (n = 129) using the computer paradigm ImageRate. Food appeal and desire to eat were analyzed for the effects of food group, portion size and energy density of the foods presented as well as...

Assessing food appeal and desire to eat: The effects of portion size & energy density

OpenAIRE

Burger, Kyle

2017-01-01

Background: Visual presentation of food provides considerable information such as its potential for palatability and availability, both of which can impact eating behavior. Methods: We investigated the subjective ratings for food appeal and desire to eat when exposed to food pictures in a fed sample (n=129) using the computer paradigm ImageRate. Food appeal and desire to eat were analyzed for the effects of food group, portion size and energy density of the foods presented as well as by parti...

Out-of-home eating frequency, causal attribution of obesity and support to healthy eating policies from a cross-European survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura D'Addezio

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The relation between the increased out-of-home food consumption and the rising of overweight and obesity prevalence rates has been widely assessed, and the a key role played by the catering sector in ensuring healthy food choices has been recognised. Governments’ healthy eating policies have a wide range of action, influencing consumer behavior, and the socioeconomic and  food environments, with specific actions for the catering sector. Information on the public support for these policies could help policy makers in planning decisions. This study aims to investigate the relationship of out-of-home eating frequency with beliefs about obesity causes, support to healthy eating policies, and with socio-demographic factors.Methods: Data on 3003 individuals from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland and United Kingdom, of both sexes, aged ≥16 years, were employed, from the European survey on policy preferences (Eatwell. Data were analysed through Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis.Results: Out-of-home eating varied with gender, age, marital status, education, BMI, and by country. Convenience food consumption was positively associated with obesity attribution to genetics, and inversely associated with attribution to lack of willpower. Attributions of obesity to lack of time, and to lack of self-control were associated with increased likelihood to consume fast-food and ready-prepared food respectively. Out-of-home eating people expressed higher support for information-based prevention, and actions aimed at healthier out-of-home eating, and lower support for restrictions and regulations of the food supply environment.Conclusion: Future research on out-of-home food consumers and their support towards public interventions for the catering sector, could have important implications for effective strategies to promote healthy eating.

7 CFR 98.2 - Definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., READY-TO-EAT (MRE's), MEATS, AND MEAT PRODUCTS MRE's, Meats, and Related Meat Food Products § 98.2... from clean and sound edible tissues from swine. Meals, Ready-To-Eat (MRE). Meals, Ready-To-Eat are... advertised solely to the medical profession is not included. Ready-to-eat. The term means consumers are...

Food Applications and Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Gálvez, Antonio; Abriouel, Hikmate; Omar, Nabil Ben; Lucas, Rosario

This chapter deals with food applications of bacteriocins. Regulatory issues on the different possibilities for incorporating bacteriocins as bioprotectants are discussed. Specific applications of bacteriocins or bacteriocin-producing strains are described for main food categories, including milk and dairy products, raw meats, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, fermented meats, fish and fish products or fermented fish. The last section of the chapter deals with applications in foods and beverages derived from plant materials, such as raw vegetable foods, fruits and fruit juices, cooked food products, fermented vegetable foods and ­fermented beverages. Results obtained for application of bacteriocins in combination with other hurdles are also discussed for each specific case, with a special emphasis on novel food packaging and food-processing technologies, such as irradiation, pulsed electric field treatments or high hydrostatic pressure treatment.

Identifying Innovative Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating Using Consumption-Oriented Food Supply Chain Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkes, Corinna

2009-01-01

The mapping and analysis of supply chains is a technique increasingly used to address problems in the food system. Yet such supply chain management has not yet been applied as a means of encouraging healthier diets. Moreover, most policies recommended to promote healthy eating focus on the consumer end of the chain. This article proposes a consumption-oriented food supply chain analysis to identify the changes needed in the food supply chain to create a healthier food environment, measured in terms of food availability, prices, and marketing. Along with established forms of supply chain analysis, the method is informed by a historical overview of how food supply chains have changed over time. The method posits that the actors and actions in the chain are affected by organizational, financial, technological, and policy incentives and disincentives, which can in turn be levered for change. It presents a preliminary example of the supply of Coca-Cola beverages into school vending machines and identifies further potential applications. These include fruit and vegetable supply chains, local food chains, supply chains for health-promoting versions of food products, and identifying financial incentives in supply chains for healthier eating. PMID:23144674

Identifying Innovative Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating Using Consumption-Oriented Food Supply Chain Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkes, Corinna

2009-07-01

The mapping and analysis of supply chains is a technique increasingly used to address problems in the food system. Yet such supply chain management has not yet been applied as a means of encouraging healthier diets. Moreover, most policies recommended to promote healthy eating focus on the consumer end of the chain. This article proposes a consumption-oriented food supply chain analysis to identify the changes needed in the food supply chain to create a healthier food environment, measured in terms of food availability, prices, and marketing. Along with established forms of supply chain analysis, the method is informed by a historical overview of how food supply chains have changed over time. The method posits that the actors and actions in the chain are affected by organizational, financial, technological, and policy incentives and disincentives, which can in turn be levered for change. It presents a preliminary example of the supply of Coca-Cola beverages into school vending machines and identifies further potential applications. These include fruit and vegetable supply chains, local food chains, supply chains for health-promoting versions of food products, and identifying financial incentives in supply chains for healthier eating.

Ghrelin increases the motivation to eat, but does not alter food palatability

Science.gov (United States)

Overduin, Joost; Figlewicz, Dianne P.; Bennett-Jay, Jennifer; Kittleson, Sepideh

2012-01-01

Homeostatic eating cannot explain overconsumption of food and pathological weight gain. A more likely factor promoting excessive eating is food reward and its representation in the central nervous system (CNS). The anorectic hormones leptin and insulin reduce food reward and inhibit related CNS reward pathways. Conversely, the orexigenic gastrointestinal hormone ghrelin activates both homeostatic and reward-related neurocircuits. The current studies were conducted to identify in rats the effects of intracerebroventricular ghrelin infusions on two distinct aspects of food reward: hedonic valuation (i.e., “liking”) and the motivation to self-administer (i.e., “wanting”) food. To assess hedonic valuation of liquid food, lick motor patterns were recorded using lickometry. Although ghrelin administration increased energy intake, it did not alter the avidity of licking (initial lick rates or lick-cluster size). Several positive-control conditions ruled out lick-rate ceiling effects. Similarly, when the liquid diet was hedonically devalued with quinine supplementation, ghrelin failed to reverse the quinine-associated reduction of energy intake and avidity of licking. The effects of ghrelin on rats' motivation to eat were assessed using lever pressing to self-administer food in a progressive-ratio paradigm. Ghrelin markedly increased motivation to eat, to levels comparable to or greater than those seen following 24 h of food deprivation. Pretreatment with the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH-23390 eliminated ghrelin-induced increases in lever pressing, without compromising generalized licking motor control, indicating a role for D1 signaling in ghrelin's motivational feeding effects. These results indicate that ghrelin increases the motivation to eat via D1 receptor-dependent mechanisms, without affecting perceived food palatability. PMID:22673784

Role of vacuum in food preservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bongirwar, D.R.

1997-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in the processing of foods using operations viz. drying, evaporation, distillation, concentration, centrifugation, filtration, irradiation, freeze drying, osmotic drying etc. to get ready to eat food, convenience food, pre cooked dried food. Vacuum technology in direct or indirect way has played a vital role in carrying out these food processing operations. The role of vacuum in getting these processes developed and its use in the development of these high quality products with respect to colour, flavour, texture and other attributes has been highlighted along with process details. (author)

Dietary Factors Affect Food Reward and Motivation to Eat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pandit, Rahul; Mercer, Julian G.; Overduin, Joost; la Fleur, Susanne E.; Adan, Roger A. H.

2012-01-01

The propensity to indulge in unhealthy eating and overconsumption of palatable food is a crucial determinant in the rising prevalence of obesity in today's society. The tendency to consume palatable foods in quantities that exceed energy requirements has been linked to an addiction-like process.

Ready-to-eat cereals and the burden of obesity in the context of their nutritional contribution: are all ready-to-eat cereals equally healthy? A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosti, Rena I; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B; Zampelas, Antonis

2010-12-01

A significant increase in the prevalence of obesity has occurred worldwide and the importance of considering the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of obesity is widely acknowledged. A growing body of evidence encourages the consumption of ready-to-eat cereals (RTEC) as part of a healthful diet. Research has shown an inverse association between the consumption of RTEC and the rate of obesity. However, other findings claim that this association was only attributed to the consumption of whole-grain cereals and not the refined-grain ones. Although meta-analyses of clinical trials support the use of a low-glycaemic index diet on weight loss, findings from other studies on the effect of the dietary glycaemic index on body weight have not been consistent. Thus, further research into the role of glycaemic index in the prevention and management of obesity and chronic disease is needed. Moreover, significant differences have been observed in composition among the marketed RTEC. In light of the revealing protective role of whole-grain, fibre-rich, low-energy-dense and low-glycaemic index/glycaemic load foods against obesity, public health professionals could drive their efforts towards the promotion of even more healthier RTEC when issuing advice on weight management. It seems, however, that despite any differences in their composition, the frequent consumption of RTEC due to their nutritional contribution is recommended in moderation and under the current recommendations in the context of a healthy balanced diet.

Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, C A; Moubarac, J-C; Cannon, G; Ng, S W; Popkin, B

2013-11-01

The relationship between the global food system and the worldwide rapid increase of obesity and related diseases is not yet well understood. A reason is that the full impact of industrialized food processing on dietary patterns, including the environments of eating and drinking, remains overlooked and underestimated. Many forms of food processing are beneficial. But what is identified and defined here as ultra-processing, a type of process that has become increasingly dominant, at first in high-income countries, and now in middle-income countries, creates attractive, hyper-palatable, cheap, ready-to-consume food products that are characteristically energy-dense, fatty, sugary or salty and generally obesogenic. In this study, the scale of change in purchase and sales of ultra-processed products is examined and the context and implications are discussed. Data come from 79 high- and middle-income countries, with special attention to Canada and Brazil. Results show that ultra-processed products dominate the food supplies of high-income countries, and that their consumption is now rapidly increasing in middle-income countries. It is proposed here that the main driving force now shaping the global food system is transnational food manufacturing, retailing and fast food service corporations whose businesses are based on very profitable, heavily promoted ultra-processed products, many in snack form. © 2013 The Authors. Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Validating self-reported food expenditures against food store and eating-out receipts.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, W; Aggarwal, A; Liu, Z; Acheson, M; Rehm, C D; Moudon, A V; Drewnowski, A

2016-03-01

To compare objective food store and eating-out receipts with self-reported household food expenditures. The Seattle Obesity Study II was based on a representative sample of King County adults, Washington, USA. Self-reported household food expenditures were modeled on the Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey (FCBS) Module from 2007 to 2009 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Objective food expenditure data were collected using receipts. Self-reported food expenditures for 447 participants were compared with receipts using paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plots and κ-statistics. Bias by sociodemographics was also examined. Self-reported expenditures closely matched with objective receipt data. Paired t-tests showed no significant differences between receipts and self-reported data on total food expenditures, expenditures at food stores or eating out. However, the highest-income strata showed weaker agreement. Bland-Altman plots confirmed no significant bias across both methods-mean difference: 6.4; agreement limits: -123.5 to 143.4 for total food expenditures, mean difference 5.7 for food stores and mean difference 1.7 for eating out. The κ-statistics showed good agreement for each (κ 0.51, 0.41 and 0.49 respectively. Households with higher education and income had significantly more number of receipts and higher food expenditures. Self-reported food expenditures using NHANES questions, both for food stores and eating out, serve as a decent proxy for objective household food expenditures from receipts. This method should be used with caution among high-income populations, or with high food expenditures. This is the first validation of the FCBS food expenditures question using food store and eating-out receipts.

Guide to Eating for Sports

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... your best while also losing weight. Eat a Variety of Foods You may have heard about "carb ... in high fat meat and high fat dairy products, like butter. Choosing when to eat fats is ...

Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households?

Science.gov (United States)

Poti, Jennifer M; Mendez, Michelle A; Ng, Shu Wen; Popkin, Barry M

2015-06-01

"Processed foods" are defined as any foods other than raw agricultural commodities and can be categorized by the extent of changes occurring in foods as a result of processing. Conclusions about the association between the degree of food processing and nutritional quality are discrepant. We aimed to determine 2000-2012 trends in the contribution of processed and convenience food categories to purchases by US households and to compare saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of purchases across levels of processing and convenience. We analyzed purchases of consumer packaged goods for 157,142 households from the 2000-2012 Homescan Panel. We explicitly defined categories for classifying products by degree of industrial processing and separately by convenience of preparation. We classified >1.2 million products through use of barcode-specific descriptions and ingredient lists. Median saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content and the likelihood that purchases exceeded maximum daily intake recommendations for these components were compared across levels of processing or convenience by using quantile and logistic regression. More than three-fourths of energy in purchases by US households came from moderately (15.9%) and highly processed (61.0%) foods and beverages in 2012 (939 kcal/d per capita). Trends between 2000 and 2012 were stable. When classifying foods by convenience, ready-to-eat (68.1%) and ready-to-heat (15.2%) products supplied the majority of energy in purchases. The adjusted proportion of household-level food purchases exceeding 10% kcal from saturated fat, 15% kcal from sugar, and 2400 mg sodium/2000 kcal simultaneously was significantly higher for highly processed (60.4%) and ready-to-eat (27.1%) food purchases than for purchases of less-processed foods (5.6%) or foods requiring cooking/preparation (4.9%). Highly processed food purchases are a dominant, unshifting part of US purchasing patterns, but highly processed foods may have higher saturated fat

Use of irradiation to improve the safety and quality of ethnic South African foods. Part I: Combined edible coating and irradiation treatment on sensory and microbiological quality of moist beef biltong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minnaar, A.; Nortje, K.; Parry-Hanson, A.M.A.; Buys, E.M.

2009-01-01

South Africa is a multicultural country with different eating habits and food preferences. Traditional African foods such as bovine tripe form a part of the diet of black South Africans. These foods are laborious to prepare, not generally available commercially, and have a limited shelf life. Other popular ethnic foods in South Africa include meat products such as biltong, an intermediate moisture dried raw meat product. Moist beef biltong has the potential to cause food poisoning. The application of irradiation alone or in combination with other technologies can help solve these problems. Lean moist beef biltong (47% moisture, 3.7% NaCl, 1.5% crude fat, water activity 0.92) can be irradiated with doses up to 10 kGy without adversely affecting sensory acceptability, provided that the irradiation is performed under vacuum conditions and that the biltong is exposed to aerobic conditions after irradiation to dissipate off odour volatiles. However, low dose irradiation (≤4 kGy) was perceived to be more acceptable and preferable by consumers. Gamma irradiation of moist beef biltong (53.6% moisture, 1.91% NaCl, water activity 0.979) at doses between 4 and 5 kGy was adequate to ensure safety from Staphylococcus aureus even if contamination levels as high as 10 7 CFU/g were initially present. However, doses up to 5 kGy were insufficient to prevent yeast and mould spoilage if initial fungal contamination levels were high (>10 3 CFU/g). Casein-whey protein edible coatings did not inhibit microbial growth on moist beef biltong, probably owing to diminished oxygen barrier properties resulting from the very high moisture content of the biltong. Ready-to-eat bovine tripe can be irradiated up to 9.3 kGy without affecting the consumer acceptance adversely. Gamma irradiation at a target dose of 9 kGy significantly reduced total bacteria counts and aerobic spore counts and extended the shelf life of ready-to-eat bovine tripe to at least 14 d at both 5 and 15 deg. C when aerobic

Comparison of motives underlying food choice and barriers to healthy eating among low medium income consumers in Uruguay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gastón Ares

Full Text Available Abstract: Interventions aimed at changing dietary patterns should be designed based on the main motives underlying the food choices of specific target populations. The aim of the present study was to identify motives underlying food choice and barriers to healthy eating among consumers in two socioeconomic levels in Uruguay. Eleven focus groups were carried out with a total of 76 participants. Six of the groups involved low income participants and the others were conducted with middle income participants. Discussions were held around frequently consumed products, motives underlying food choices and barriers to healthy eating. Results confirmed the strong influence of income level on motives underlying food choice and barriers to the adoption of healthy eating. Low income participants described their choices as mainly driven by economic factors and satiety, whereas convenience was the main determinant of food selection for middle income participants. Implications for the design of public policies targeted at each group are discussed.

Comparison of motives underlying food choice and barriers to healthy eating among low medium income consumers in Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

Ares, Gastón; Machín, Leandro; Girona, Alejandra; Curutchet, María Rosa; Giménez, Ana

2017-05-18

Interventions aimed at changing dietary patterns should be designed based on the main motives underlying the food choices of specific target populations. The aim of the present study was to identify motives underlying food choice and barriers to healthy eating among consumers in two socioeconomic levels in Uruguay. Eleven focus groups were carried out with a total of 76 participants. Six of the groups involved low income participants and the others were conducted with middle income participants. Discussions were held around frequently consumed products, motives underlying food choices and barriers to healthy eating. Results confirmed the strong influence of income level on motives underlying food choice and barriers to the adoption of healthy eating. Low income participants described their choices as mainly driven by economic factors and satiety, whereas convenience was the main determinant of food selection for middle income participants. Implications for the design of public policies targeted at each group are discussed.

Junk food advertising moderates the indirect effect of reward sensitivity and food consumption via the urge to eat.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, Chloe; Loxton, Natalie J

2018-05-01

The current study aimed to identify how underlying individual differences increases vulnerability to television food advertising. In particular, this study examined how reward sensitivity, a biologically-based predisposition to approach rewards (such as appetitive foods) in the environment, influenced participants' vulnerability to television food advertising and subsequent food consumption. Ninety-eight participants were randomly assigned to a cue condition (food cues versus non-food cues) and then viewed a 30 min documentary interrupted by advertising featuring a mix of food and neutral advertising (food cue condition) or only neutral advertising (non-food cue condition). Participants' reward sensitivity, approach motivation measured as urge to eat, and food consumption were recorded. Moderated mediation regression analyses revealed the positive association between reward sensitivity and food consumption was mediated by an increase in urge to eat, but only when participants were exposed to food advertising. These findings suggest heightened reward sensitivity, exposure to appetitive food cues, and approach motivation are key interacting mechanisms that may lead to maladaptive eating behaviours. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Combined Sous Vide-Microwave Cooking for Foodborne Pathogen Inactivation in Ready-to-Eat Chicory Stems.

Science.gov (United States)

Renna, Massimiliano; Gonnella, Maria; de Candia, Silvia; Serio, Francesco; Baruzzi, Federico

2017-07-01

There is a variety of different food processing methods, which can be used to prepare ready-to-eat foods. However, the need to preserve the freshness and nutritional qualities leads to the application of mild technologies which may be insufficient to inactivate microbial pathogens. In this work, fresh chicory stems were packed under a vacuum in films, which were transparent to microwaves. These were then exposed to microwaves for different periods of time. The application of sous vide microwave cooking (SV-MW, 900 W, 2450 MHz), controlled naturally occurring mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds for up to 30 d when vacuum-packed vegetables were stored at 4 °C. In addition, the process lethality of the SV-MW 90 s cooking was experimentally validated. This treatment led to 6.07 ± 0.7 and 4.92 ± 0.65 log cfu/g reduction of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated over the chicory stems (100 g), respectively. With an initial load of 9 log cfu/g for both pathogens, less than 10 cfu/g of surviving cells were found after 90 s cooking. This shows that short-time microwave cooking can be used to effectively pasteurize vacuum-packed chicory stems, achieving >5 log cfu/g reduction of E. coli and L. monocytogenes. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Adult picky eaters with symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: comparable distress and comorbidity but different eating behaviors compared to those with disordered eating symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Zickgraf, Hana F; Franklin, Martin E; Rozin, Paul

2016-01-01

One presentation of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is characterized by picky eating, i.e., selective eating based on the sensory properties of food. The present study has two aims. The first is to describe distress and impairment in individuals with ARFID secondary to picky eating. The second is to determine whether eating behaviors hypothesized to be specific to picky eating can differentiate picky eaters with and without ARFID from typical eaters (e.g., individuals not reporting picky or disordered eating) and individuals who strongly endorse attitudes associated with anorexia and bulimia (eating disordered attitudes). Participants were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk ( N =  325) and an online support group for adult picky eaters ( N =  81). Participants were grouped based on endorsement of picky eating, ARFID symptoms, and elevated eating disordered attitudes on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). The resulting four eating behavior groups were compared on measures of distress and impairment (e.g., anxiety/depression and, obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms, eating-related quality of life) and on measures of eating behaviors associated with picky eating (e.g., food neophobia, inflexibility about preparation and presentation of preferred foods, sensitivity to sensory stimuli, and eating from a very narrow range of foods). The groups were compared using one way ANOVA with post-hoc Tamhane's T2 tests. On measures of distress and impairment, participants with ARFID reported higher scores than both typical eaters and picky eaters without ARFID, and comparable scores to those with disordered eating attitudes. Three of four measures of picky eating behavior, eating inflexibility, food neophobia, and eating from a range of 20 or fewer foods, distinguished picky eaters with and without ARFID form typical eaters and those with disordered eating attitudes. Picky eaters with ARFID reported greater food neophobia and eating inflexibility

Influence of hydroponic and soil cultivation on quality and shelf life of ready-to-eat lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta L. Laterr).

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Manzocco, Lara; Foschia, Martina; Tomasi, Nicola; Maifreni, Michela; Dalla Costa, Luisa; Marino, Marilena; Cortella, Giovanni; Cesco, Stefano

2011-06-01

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the hydroponic floating system to cultivate leafy vegetables for ready-to-eat salads. It is reasonable that different growing systems could affect the quality and shelf life of these salads. The quality and shelf life of ready-to-eat lamb's lettuce grown in protected environment in soil plot or in soil-less system over hydroponic solution with or without the addition of 30 µmol L⁻¹ silicon were evaluated. Minimum effects were observed on colour, firmness and microbial counts. Hydroponic cultivation largely affected plant tissue hydration, leading to weight loss and structural modifications during refrigerated storage. The shelf life of lamb's lettuce was limited by the development of visually detectable unpleasant sensory properties. Shelf life, calculated by survival analysis of consumer acceptability data, resulted about 7 days for soil-cultivated salad and 2 days for the hydroponically grown ones. The addition of silicon to the hydroponic solution resulted in an interesting strategy to increase plant tissue yield and reduce nitrate accumulation. Although hydroponic cultivation may have critical consequences on product quality and shelf life, these disadvantages could be largely counterbalance by increased yield and a reduction of nitrate accumulation when cultivation is performed on nutritive solutions with supplemental addition of silicon. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Putting the brakes on the "drive to eat": Pilot effects of naltrexone and reward based eating on food cravings among obese women

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Ashley E.; Laraia, Barbara; Daubenmier, Jennifer; Hecht, Frederick M.; Lustig, Robert H.; Puterman, Eli; Adler, Nancy; Dallman, Mary; Kiernan, Michaela; Gearhardt, Ashley N.; Epel, Elissa S.

2015-01-01

Purpose Obese individuals vary in their experience of food cravings and tendency to engage in reward-driven eating, both of which can be modulated by the neural reward system rather than physiological hunger. We examined two predictions in a sample of obese women: (1) whether opioidergic blockade reduced food-craving intensity, and (2) whether opioidergic blockade reduced an association between food-craving intensity and reward-driven eating, which is a trait-like index of three factors (lack of control over eating, lack of satiation, preoccupation with food). Methods Forty-four obese, pre-menopausal women completed the Reward-based Eating Drive (RED) scale at study start and daily food-craving intensity on 5 days on which they ingested either a pill-placebo (2 days), a 25mg naltrexone dose (1 day), or a standard 50mg naltrexone dose (2 days). Results Craving intensity was similar under naltrexone and placebo doses. The association between food-craving intensity and reward-driven eating significantly differed between placebo and 50mg naltrexone doses. Reward-driven eating and craving intensity were significantly positively associated under both placebo doses. As predicted, opioidergic blockade (for both doses 25mg and 50mg naltrexone) reduced this positive association between reward-driven eating and craving intensity to non-significance. Conclusions Opioidergic blockade did not reduce craving intensity; however, blockade reduced an association between trait-like reward-driven eating and daily food-craving intensity, and may help identify an important endophenotype within obesity. PMID:26164674

Anisakis spp. larvae in different kinds of ready to eat products made of anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) sold in Italian supermarkets.

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Guardone, L; Nucera, D; Lodola, L B; Tinacci, L; Acutis, P L; Guidi, A; Armani, A

2018-03-02

In this study the occurrence of visible anisakid larvae in semi-preserved anchovy products sold on the Italian market was investigated. Totally, 107 ready to eat products (33 salted-ripened, 49 in oil and 25 marinated) were sampled. Each sample was digested, then the digested material was observed under natural and UV light. Parasites were counted, collected and microscopically identified to genus level. A representative subset was molecularly identified using the cox2 gene. At least one visible Anisakis sp. larva was found in 54.2% of the total 107 products analysed and totally 1283 dead larvae were collected. Anisakis sp. larvae were found in all the 33 salted products and 1139 (88.8%) larvae were collected, with a range of 1-105 parasites per product. Larval density per gram was 0.13. Anisakis sp. larvae were found in 49.0% of the products in oil and 143 (11.1%) larvae were isolated, with a range of 0-28 and a density of 0.03. Only 1 larva was found in the 25 marinated products (4.0%, density 0.00). A highly significant difference between all the product categories in respect of number of larvae per product, frequency of products contaminated by at least one larva and larval density per gram was found. Within the subset of larvae molecularly analysed (n=122), 92 (75.4%) were identified as A. pegreffii and 30 (24.6%) as A. simplex. This study showed that semi-preserved anchovy products heavily contaminated with Anisakis spp. larvae reach the market. Beyond the negligible risk for anisakidosis, the presence of dead visible parasites may cause immediate rejection in consumers. In addition, the potential risk related to allergic reactions in sensitized individuals needs to be further assessed. In order to avoid commercialization of obviously contaminated products, fresh anchovies' batches intended for the production of such products should be accurately selected by the processing industry applying inspection methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights

78 FR 76443 - Safety and Effectiveness of Consumer Antiseptics; Topical Antimicrobial Drug Products for Over...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-17

... bacteria from washed hands to a ready- to-eat food item, melon balls. The observed reduction in bacterial... ready- to-eat food was contaminated... Vol. 78 Tuesday, No. 242 December 17, 2013 Part III Department of Health and Human Services Food...

Microbiological safety of tenderized, proteinaceous, semi-processed and processed food prepared from poultry treated with ionizing radiation and other processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klinger, I.; Lapidot, M.

1998-01-01

From a microbiological point of view, poultry meat is considered to be one of the most contaminated raw foods, harbouring bacteria, including pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. Some of these pathogens can survive the heat treatment used during the further processing of poultry meat into ready to eat products such as sausages and patties, and thus endanger consumer health, particularly in the young, the elderly and the immunocompromised. L. monocytogenes is of particular concern. This Gram positive, non-spore forming, psychrotrophic pathogen has been recognized as one of the causes of a severe food borne illness. The organism is relatively heat stable and can multiply under refrigeration conditions, but is sensitive to ionizing radiation. A survey conducted in Israel demonstrated that raw poultry meat was heavily contaminated with L. monocytogenes and that the pathogen could also be recovered from ready to eat poultry products. It was proposed that treatment of the raw meat with ionizing radiation prior to heating and use of the hazard analysis critical control point concept in the further processing plant would result in the elimination of contamination in ready to eat products. (author)

Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households?1234

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez, Michelle A

2015-01-01

Background: “Processed foods” are defined as any foods other than raw agricultural commodities and can be categorized by the extent of changes occurring in foods as a result of processing. Conclusions about the association between the degree of food processing and nutritional quality are discrepant. Objective: We aimed to determine 2000–2012 trends in the contribution of processed and convenience food categories to purchases by US households and to compare saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of purchases across levels of processing and convenience. Design: We analyzed purchases of consumer packaged goods for 157,142 households from the 2000–2012 Homescan Panel. We explicitly defined categories for classifying products by degree of industrial processing and separately by convenience of preparation. We classified >1.2 million products through use of barcode-specific descriptions and ingredient lists. Median saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content and the likelihood that purchases exceeded maximum daily intake recommendations for these components were compared across levels of processing or convenience by using quantile and logistic regression. Results: More than three-fourths of energy in purchases by US households came from moderately (15.9%) and highly processed (61.0%) foods and beverages in 2012 (939 kcal/d per capita). Trends between 2000 and 2012 were stable. When classifying foods by convenience, ready-to-eat (68.1%) and ready-to-heat (15.2%) products supplied the majority of energy in purchases. The adjusted proportion of household-level food purchases exceeding 10% kcal from saturated fat, 15% kcal from sugar, and 2400 mg sodium/2000 kcal simultaneously was significantly higher for highly processed (60.4%) and ready-to-eat (27.1%) food purchases than for purchases of less-processed foods (5.6%) or foods requiring cooking/preparation (4.9%). Conclusions: Highly processed food purchases are a dominant, unshifting part of US purchasing patterns

Examining the Relationship between Food Thought Suppression and Binge Eating Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Rachel D.; Masheb, Robin M.; White, Marney A.; Grilo, Carlos M.

2013-01-01

Food thought suppression, or purposely attempting to avoid thoughts of food, is related to a number of unwanted eating- and weight-related consequences, particularly in dieting and obese individuals. Little is known about the possible significance of food thought suppression in clinical samples, particularly obese patients who binge eat. This study examined food thought suppression in 150 obese patients seeking treatment for binge eating disorder (BED). Food thought suppression was not associated with binge eating frequency or body mass index but was significantly associated with higher current levels of eating disorder psychopathology and variables pertaining to obesity, dieting, and binge eating. PMID:23751246

Family food talk, child eating behavior, and maternal feeding practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Roach, Elizabeth; Viechnicki, Gail B; Retzloff, Lauren B; Davis-Kean, Pamela; Lumeng, Julie C; Miller, Alison L

2017-10-01

Families discuss food and eating in many ways that may shape child eating habits. Researchers studying how families talk about food have examined this process during meals. Little work has examined parent-child food-related interactions outside of mealtime. We assessed family food talk at home outside of mealtime and tested whether food talk was associated with obesogenic child eating behaviors, maternal feeding practices, or child weight. Preschool and school-aged mother-child dyads (n = 61) participated in naturalistic voice recording using a LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) recorder. A coding scheme was developed to reliably characterize different types of food talk from LENA transcripts. Mothers completed the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) to assess child eating behaviors and maternal feeding practices. Child weight and height were measured and body mass index z-score (BMIz) calculated. Bivariate associations among food talk types, as a proportion of total speech, were examined and multivariate regression models used to test associations between food talk and child eating behaviors, maternal feeding practices, and child BMIz. Proportion of child Overall Food Talk and Food Explanations were positively associated with CEBQ Food Responsiveness and Enjoyment of Food (p's < 0.05). Child food Desire/Need and child Prep/Planning talk were positively associated with CEBQ Enjoyment of Food (p < 0.05). Child Food Enjoyment talk and mother Overt Restriction talk were positively associated with CEBQ Emotional Over-Eating (p < 0.05). Mother Monitoring talk was positively associated with CFQ Restriction (p < 0.05). Mother Prep/Planning talk was negatively associated with child BMIz. Food talk outside of mealtimes related to child obesogenic eating behaviors and feeding practices in expected ways; examining food talk outside of meals is a novel way to consider feeding practices and child eating behavior

"Eating addiction", rather than "food addiction", better captures addictive-like eating behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Hebebrand, Johannes; Albayrak, Özgür; Adan, Roger; Antel, Jochen; Dieguez, Carlos; de Jong, Johannes; Leng, Gareth; Menzies, John; Mercer, Julian G; Murphy, Michelle; van der Plasse, Geoffrey; Dickson, Suzanne L

2014-11-01

"Food addiction" has become a focus of interest for researchers attempting to explain certain processes and/or behaviors that may contribute to the development of obesity. Although the scientific discussion on "food addiction" is in its nascent stage, it has potentially important implications for treatment and prevention strategies. As such, it is important to critically reflect on the appropriateness of the term "food addiction", which combines the concepts of "substance-based" and behavioral addiction. The currently available evidence for a substance-based food addiction is poor, partly because systematic clinical and translational studies are still at an early stage. We do however view both animal and existing human data as consistent with the existence of addictive eating behavior. Accordingly, we stress that similar to other behaviors eating can become an addiction in thus predisposed individuals under specific environmental circumstances. Here, we introduce current diagnostic and neurobiological concepts of substance-related and non-substance-related addictive disorders, and highlight the similarities and dissimilarities between addiction and overeating. We conclude that "food addiction" is a misnomer because of the ambiguous connotation of a substance-related phenomenon. We instead propose the term "eating addiction" to underscore the behavioral addiction to eating; future research should attempt to define the diagnostic criteria for an eating addiction, for which DSM-5 now offers an umbrella via the introduction on Non-Substance-Related Disorders within the category Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Food safety and quality through radiation technology: its implications to national security

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lanuza, Luvimina G.

2012-08-15

The increasing consumption of ready-to-eat meals necessitates a review of its quality and safety. Food irradiation is a technology that would allow the food product to be free from pathogenic organisms while maintaining its fresh-like taste and appearance. The paper evaluated the effectiveness of food irradiation in maintaining the quality and safety of ready-to-eat meals using the three criteria: microbiological, nutritional and acceptability. Chicken adobo was chosen as a representative ready-to-eat meat. Primary data was collected through experimental and non-experimental methods using irradiated and non-irradiated chicken adobo. Irradiation was carried out at the Multipurpose Irradiation Facility of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute using a radiation dose of 4 kGy at an irradiation temperature of 29.9-32.1 degree centigrade. Experimental data were gathered through laboratory analyses. Nutritional analyses (protein and Vitamin B{sub 1}) as well as microbiological analyses (E. Coli) were conducted at Day 1, Day 7 and Day 15 stored at -4 degree centigrade after irradiation. The non-experimental data were gathered by means of acceptability questionnaires which made use of a modified Likert scale of 1 to 4. This made the respondents rate the food attributes (color, odor, flavor, texture, juiciness) and overall acceptability during the sensory evaluation of both Sample A (irradiated) and Sample B (non-irradiated). There were two sets of respondents, the professional and non-professional sector. The laboratory-scale study revealed that the application of gamma irradiation of a dose of 4 kGy at an irradiation temperature range of 29.9 to 32.1 degree centigrade to packed ready-to-eat chicken adobo was found to be an effective treatment for eliminating the E.coli pathogen even up to Day 15 stored at -4 degree centigrade after irradiation. The protein and Vitamin B{sub 1} contents of the food sample were not significantly affected and results of the acceptability

Food safety and quality through radiation technology: its implications to national security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanuza, Luvimina G.

2012-08-01

The increasing consumption of ready-to-eat meals necessitates a review of its quality and safety. Food irradiation is a technology that would allow the food product to be free from pathogenic organisms while maintaining its fresh-like taste and appearance. The paper evaluated the effectiveness of food irradiation in maintaining the quality and safety of ready-to-eat meals using the three criteria: microbiological, nutritional and acceptability. Chicken adobo was chosen as a representative ready-to-eat meat. Primary data was collected through experimental and non-experimental methods using irradiated and non-irradiated chicken adobo. Irradiation was carried out at the Multipurpose Irradiation Facility of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute using a radiation dose of 4 kGy at an irradiation temperature of 29.9-32.1 degree centigrade. Experimental data were gathered through laboratory analyses. Nutritional analyses (protein and Vitamin B 1 ) as well as microbiological analyses (E. Coli) were conducted at Day 1, Day 7 and Day 15 stored at -4 degree centigrade after irradiation. The non-experimental data were gathered by means of acceptability questionnaires which made use of a modified Likert scale of 1 to 4. This made the respondents rate the food attributes (color, odor, flavor, texture, juiciness) and overall acceptability during the sensory evaluation of both Sample A (irradiated) and Sample B (non-irradiated). There were two sets of respondents, the professional and non-professional sector. The laboratory-scale study revealed that the application of gamma irradiation of a dose of 4 kGy at an irradiation temperature range of 29.9 to 32.1 degree centigrade to packed ready-to-eat chicken adobo was found to be an effective treatment for eliminating the E.coli pathogen even up to Day 15 stored at -4 degree centigrade after irradiation. The protein and Vitamin B 1 contents of the food sample were not significantly affected and results of the acceptability tests

Attentional Bias to Food Cues in Youth with Loss of Control Eating

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-20

Vollstadt-Klein S, et al. 2012. Impairment of inhibitory control in response to food - associated cues and attentional bias of obese participants...on the obesity epidemic? Int. J. Eat. Disord. 34:S117-20 104. Yokum S, Ng J, Stice E. 2011. Attentional bias to food images associated with...bias toward high palatable foods versus neutral objects was positively associated with BMI-z. These findings suggest that LOC eating and body weight

Healthy Eating Index-2010 and food groups consumed by US adults who meet or exceed fiber intake recommendations NHANES 2001–2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla R. McGill

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The proportion of the US adult population who meet fiber intake recommendations is very low. Information about food groups consumed and diet quality for the adults who consume recommended amounts of fiber are scarce. Objective: To examine food groups consumed and Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010 scores for US adults meeting the fiber adequate intake (AI based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES data 2001–2010. Design: A secondary analysis of NHANES data from 2001 to 2010. Participants included adults aged 19 and older (n=24,807 with complete day 1 dietary records. Variables measured were food group sources of fiber and HEI-2010 scores. Sample-weighted data were used to calculate least square means (LSM±standard error of the mean (SEM by fiber intake quartile along with HEI-2010 scores. Significance was set at P<0.05. Results: Major fiber food sources for US adults meeting the AI were grain products, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. The top grain products consumed were grain mixtures, ready-to-eat (RTE cereals, and breads/rolls. The mean HEI-2010 score for adults meeting the AI for fiber was significantly (P<0.001 higher compared with all adult participants. The mean HEI-2010 score increased with increasing fiber intake in both groups. Conclusions: Adults who meet the AI for fiber have a higher quality diet. Fiber may be an important dietary component that predicts diet quality.