FOOD SAFETY

Enterobacter in infant formula milk

2012-02-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

Although liquid, ready to feed infant formula is commercially sterile, powdered infant formula is not.

Enterobacteriaceae are also common aetiologies for systemic infection in neonates and to a lesser extend older infants.

Intrinsic contamination of powdered infant formula products with Enterobacter sakazakii and Salmonella has been a cause of significant disease, causing severe developmental sequelae and death.

Most cases of Enterobacter sakazakii meningitis are nosocomially transmitted and are associated with the consumption of powdered milk or infant formula.

The reported fatality are for cases of Enterobacter sakazakii meningitis in pediatric patients is 45%.

Enterobacter sakazakii has been shown appears to be able to survive well in dry conditions and is reported as being atypical, when compared to other members of the Enterobacteriaceae, in its ability to survive.

This organism is extremely heat resistant, can survive processing, and may flourish in the growth media of powdered formula.

Enterobacter sakazakii belongs to the genus Enterobacter of the family Enterobacteriaceae and is a gram negative rode.

While a reservoir for Enterobacter sakazakii is unknown, a growing number of reports suggest a role for powdered milk-based infant formulas as a vehicle for infection.

Enterobacter in infant formula milk

Salmonella in milk

2012-02-02T23:03:00.001-08:00

Compared with other pathogens on the family Enterobacteriaceae, the reservoirs of Salmonella encompass a greater variety of warm and cold-blooded animal.

Salmonella species may be found in milk, and have been implicated in milkborne disease.

All Salmonella so far can be killed by properly applied pasteurization. Many other heat treatments that are common in the production of milk products, are believed to be able to kill Salmonella.

Heat treatment of milk should be complemented by good hygiene and correct operating –practices at all stages between producer and consumer.

The second highest risk milk product after raw milk is cheese. Many S. enterica strains are capable for surviving in cheese even ones with a relatively low pH such as Cheddar.

Outbreaks of milk borne infection including Salmonella associated with contaminated to inadequately heat-treated milks products have been reported in North America.

In 1985 according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, sixteen thousand confirmed illnesses of salmonella infection which traced to 2 percent milk from a single dairy plant in Chicago Illinois.

An outbreak of salmonellosis reported in Canada and the US in 1993 affected three infants following the consumption of powdered infant formula milk contaminated with S. Tennessee.

Salmonella in milk

Bacterial contamination in milk

2012-01-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Milk drawn from healthy cows under hygienic milking conditions is relatively clean and free from bacteria.

However many factors increase bacterial count substantially such as atmosphere, dirty and poor health udder, unclean utensils or unhealthy cows.

Nevertheless, contamination from soil, faces or bedding is also a potential source of food poisoning bacteria.

In order to reduce or eliminate contamination by spoilage and pathogenic organisms from farm to the dairy plant, the cow’s teat and surrounding udder area and all utensils and equipment used during milking and processing should be properly cleaned and sanitized.

Milk residue left on equipment contact surfaces support the growth of a variety of bacteria such as Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Bacillus spp.

Having limited bacterial contamination during milking, it is essential that contamination from equipment situated between the cow and the refrigerated storage tank is kept to a minimum.

Cooling the milk also one of the measures to reduce the bacterial contamination. Bacteria grow and multiply rapidly in warm milk. Cool milk to 16 C within 20 minutes and to 4 C within 90 minutes after it is drawn from the cow will preventing bacterial growth in milk.

A variety of sources of contamination also exist in the processing plant. Personnel and air probably contribute little to the contamination of pasteurized milks.

One of the worst bacterial contamination involved Snow Brand Milk Products Company in Japan, which infected more than thirteen thousand people and led to closure of thirty factories across the nation.

Bacterial contamination in milk

Food safety and gastroenteritis

2012-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the most frequently occurring effects of food infection or food poisoning is the occurrence of gastroenteritis.

The term gastroenteritis describes inflammation in the lining of the stomach and intestine leading to a syndrome characterized most commonly by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Usually this means an acute and temporary reduction in health status at the individual level, although also chronic effects and even death may occur.

There many causes of gastroenteritis, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa, all of which can be transmitted though contaminated food as well as from person to persons.

The number of bacterial gastroenteritis associated to food products has been increased considerably during the last decade by the rapid globalization of the food market, the increase of personal and food transportation and profound changes in the food consumption habits.

Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. are food natural contaminants and the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in human.

Campylobacter infection of the human gastrointestinal tract are recognized as the leading causes of enteric bacterial infection, which may responsible for as many as 400-500 million bacterial gastroenteritis cases worldwide each year.

Campylobacter jejuni is also the most common cause of bacterial gastrointestinal in the United States.

It most often associated with fresh poultry, meat and related products. The species have also been isolated for other fresh meats such as beef, lamb, pork and offal but at lower frequencies than in poultry.

Bacterial gastroenteritis is also can acquired during travel to underdeveloped areas.

While food borne viral illness is reported less often than bacterial foodborne illness. The severity can be greater and last longer.

The major foodborne illness causing viruses are hepatitis A, Norovirus and Rotavirus. The resulting illness is called viral gastroenteritis.
Food safety and gastroenteritis

High intensity pulsed electric field (PEF)

2012-01-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

High intensity pulsed electric field (PEF) involves applying a short burst of high voltage to a food placed between two electrodes, which destroys bacterial cell membranes.

The use of high intensity (PEF) is one of the non-thermal process deserving of attention because it can accomplish food preservation and metabolite release from plant cells with short treatment times and very little heating of the medium.

Application of high intensity (PEF) has been successfully demonstrated for the a pasteurization of foods such as juices, milk, yoghurt soups and liquid eggs.

It is seen as an interesting alternative to conventional thermal processing methods for liquid or semi-liquid foods.

High intensity PEF is not intended to heat food, rather it involves the application of a short burst of high voltage to a food placed between two electrodes.

A liquid food can be pasteurized by passage of a high voltage electric field (up to 80 kV/cm) that is pulsed at microsecond interval. This treatment disrupts the microbial cell membranes, eventually killing the cell by lysis.

High intensity pulsed electric field (PEF)

Yersinia enterocolitica

2012-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

Yersinia enterocolitis is most often associated with pork precuts and milk, because food borne outbreaks are often linked to these foods. However, the organism has been isolated from other foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, various meats and poultry, oysters, fish, salads, sandwich, pastries and tofu. Poor sanitation and improper sterilization techniques by food handlers, including improper storage, cannot be overlooked as contributing to contamination.

Yersinia species are gram positive, non-spore forming, and facultatively anaerobic. The genus Yersinia belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Three of the seven species are pathogenic to humans: Y. pestis, Y, enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis causes an illness similar to Yersinia enterocolitica, and Yersinia pestis, which causes plague. Only a few strains of Yersinia enterocolitica cause illness in humans.

Yesinia is an important cause of gastroenteritis in humans, especially in temperate countries.

The consequences of yersiniosis are severe, and include prolonged acute infections, pseudoappendicits, and long term sequelae such as reactive arthritis and erythema nodosum.

Common symptoms in children are fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, which is often bloody. Symptoms typically develop 4 to 7 days after exposure and may last 1 to 3 weeks or longer.

Acute Yersinia enterocolitica infections produce severe diarrhea in humans, along with Peyer's patch necrosis, chronic lymphadenopathy, and hepatic or splenic abscesses.

The most effective controls of Yersinia contamination include the following: proper cooking and refrigeration, purification of water, pasteurization of dairy products, separation of cooked and uncooked foods, sanitation of food preparation surfaces with at least 1% bleach solution, washing of vegetables and cooking foods to 120 degree C – 170 degree C.

Yersinia enterocolitica proliferates readily at refrigeration temperatures. Hence, refrigeration does not effectively control the growth.
Yersinia enterocolitica

Campylobacter jejuni

2012-01-08T01:06:00.000-08:00

Campylobacter jejuni is carried in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals and therefore, contaminate foods or animal origin.

Campylobacter jejuni is most frequently associated with gastrointestinal disease. It is recognized as a leading cause of acute bacterial gastroenteritis and can lead to serious pathological sequelae.

Members of the genus Campylobacter are gram negative curved rods that range in size from 0.2 to 0,8 um in width and 0.5 to 5 um in length.

Campylobacter jejuni affects approximately 1% of the US population per year. The strongest risk factor for acquisition of Campylobacter jejuni infection is ingestion of contaminated chicken and eggs.

The first reported isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from diarrheal stools of humans was in 1972, with researchers using a filtration technique designed for veterinary diagnostics.

By the late 1970s, Campylobacter enteritis was recognized as an emerging food-borne disease.

Subsequent surveys confirmed the high prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in the feces of patients and on the carcasses of broilers and turkeys.

Campylobacter infections in humans are considered to be mainly food-borne in which foods of animal origin play an important role.

Epidemiological studies have revealed a significant association between Campylobacter infection in humans and the handling and consumption of raw or undercooked poultry.

Symptoms of Campylobacter infections vary from profuse watery diarrhea (cholera like) to bloody diarrhea containing mucus and white blood cells – dysentery like.

Campylobacter jejuni

Food Hygiene in Food Preparation

2012-01-02T02:51:00.000-08:00

Preparing and supplying food that is safe to eat involves careful food hygiene.

Food hygiene refers to the practices which should be followed to make sure that food is safe and wholesome throughout all the stages of production from purchase to consumption.

It’s aimed at keeping food clean by:
*Protecting food from contamination by bacteria
*Preventing bacteria from multiplying in food
*Destroying bacteria by cooking

Premises, staff and equipment must be kept clean. Food must be handled and stored safely.

It must be prepared in safe surroundings to reduce the risk of serious illness.

Everybody involved in the production of food should receive training about safe practice and how to use them in the workplace.

In food preparation, personal hygiene refers to the way the person keep themselves clean and handle food to keep it safe to eat.

Poor food hygiene can lead to outbreaks of food poisoning which can cause serous illness. Some groups of the population are particularly vulnerable, for example the elderly, the very young and people who are already ill.

Also with more frequent people away from home, outbreaks of food borne disease are becoming more frequent.

The food handler should know that some microorganisms are useful to human and some are harmful causing food spoilage and disease.

Poor hygiene can also result in wastage of contaminated food, infestation by pests, time of from work because of illness, loss of customers and profits, as well as possible legal action.

Food that is kept too long can go bad and contain toxic chemicals or pathogens and food stuff that are eaten raw, such as fruits or vegetables, can become contaminated by dirty hands, unclean water or flies.

Improperly prepared food can also cause chemical poisoning: cassava leaf that ahs not been properly pounded and cooked, for example, may contain dangerous levels of cyanide.

Food hygiene is essential because the food that have been eaten plays an important part in keeping people healthy. Food hygiene involves more that cleanliness.
Food Hygiene in Food Preparation

Cyclospora cayetanensis

2012-01-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a one celled parasite that was first discovered in 1977. It is a parasite that causes gastroenteritis.

Cyclospora has been identified in 11 percent of individuals with gastrointestinal symptoms. Until 1996 most cases were experienced by overseas travelers.

In 1996 major outbreak it affecting over 1400 people. The outbreak was traced to raspberries imported from Guatemala and fresh basil.

The berries were most likely contaminated when they were sprayed with insecticide or fungicide that was mixed with water containing the parasites eggs, called oocysts.

This bacteria is commonly found in the feces of an infected person. It has been found in unclean water.

Transmission is via the fecal/oral route; human contract cyclosporiasis after eating food or drinking water contaminated with fecal matter containing Cyclospora oocysts. The parasites causes watery diarrhea and intestinal cramps that can last for weeks.

Clinical symptoms of cyclosporidiosis resemble those of cryprosporidiossis i.e., nausea, vomiting, anorexia, weight loss and explosive watery diarrhea lasting 1 to 7 weeks.

Typically symptoms to away and then return. The parasites tends to appear most frequently on produce.

The disease is treatable and is only considered potentially life threatening to those with compromised immune systems; been without treatment, most individuals eventually recover.

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Defining Food Quality and Food Safety

2011-12-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Food safety and food quality terminology may sometimes be confusing. Quality includes all product attributes that influence a products’ value to consumers.

This can include positive attributes such as flavor or pleasing appearance. It is also includes such negative attributes as spoilage contamination with nontoxic and noninfectious filth, discoloration, and odors.

If all quality attributes were detectable to consumers, then markets would determine the quality supplied.

The term quality has become a focus point in all discussion regarding the production and provision of food products to markets and consumers – quality in the broad sense of serving the consumers’ needs by producing them with the right product at the right time and with the right service.

The distinction between safety and quality has implication for public policy, Safety refers to hazards to human health in food. Quality refers to all attributes and thus might include safety.

Food safety is an inherent element of quality. It receives special attention by policy and legislation because of its key importance for consumers’ health and the responsibility for food safety by private and policy alike.

Food safety is the extent to which those requirements relating specifically to characteristics or properties that have potential to be harmful to health or to cause illness or injury are met,

It is convenient to separate food safety from more general quality issues. Public efforts should focus in health hazards and quality issues can be left to private industry management.

One reason why distinction is difficult in practice is that many quality attributes are not detectable. Market failure occur for quality attributes other than food safety.

Quality grades and standards can be voluntary or mandatory, When they are mandatory they can be a disguised means of limiting supply and increasing producer profits.

The distinction between food quality and food safety needs to be made primarily because of the much greater importance that must be attached to protecting consumers from food borne illness or injuries.
Defining Food Quality and Food Safety

Symptoms of botulinum toxin

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

The toxin causes the deadly food poisoning botulism. It was found to be the cause of botulism, a systemic food poisoning at the end of the 19th century.

Patients with foodborne botulism, may develop antecedent effects including abdominal cramps or distention, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Development of clinical symptoms with foodborne botulism ranges from 2 hours to 8 days.

The first symptoms usually start 12-36 hr after ingestion of the toxin. Typical symptoms are diplopia, double or blurred vision, bulbar weakness, dysphonia, dysarthria, dysphagia, dryness of the mouth and pain.

The pain can become very intense and can be exacerbated by routine physical activities such as bending down or climbing stairs. The characteristics concomitant symptoms are nausea and vomiting, phonophobia.

When lateral rectus palsy, ptosis, and sluggish pupillary reactivity occur, respiratory insufficiency usually follows. A weakness progress, deep tendon reflexes may diminish.

The severity of the symptoms depends on the amount of toxin to which the individuals was exposed.

Symptoms of botulinum toxin

Food aversion

2011-12-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

A conditioned food aversion is a learned dislike for and rejection of particular flavors that have been associated with illness.

It intense dislike of a food that may be a biological response to a food that once caused trouble.

It is also known as conditioned taste or flavor aversion, poison based avoidance conditioning, bait shyness or aversion.

The person will experience illness after eating a particular food or dining at particular place and its associated the food or the place with the illness through classical conditioning.

Such dislike may turn out to be allergy or other valid reason to avoid a certain food.

Food aversion develop quickly through the pairing of food with very negative events; such as foods are too hot or foods that taste ‘bad’.

It is defined as aversions to specific foods or tastes that result from the association of those foods with unpleasant internal symptoms such as malaise, illness, nausea and vomiting.

People report having acquired at least one food aversion during their lives. The typical aversion learning experience involves eating a distinctively flavored food and then getting sick.

Food aversion

Food intolerances

2011-12-02T20:09:00.001-08:00

Food intolerance is more common than food allergy. The medical definition of food intolerance is wrapped around lactose and gluten. Lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance are usually inherited but can be acquired and they involve a deficiency in the enzymes needed to breakdown these foods.

Food intolerance reactions is an adverse food-induced reaction that does not involve the immune system which, depending on their causality, are divided into the following types of intolerances:
*Enzymatic
*Pharmacological, i.e. reactions caused by either naturally derived or added chemicals that reduce a pharmacological effect in the individual
*Idiosyncratic reactions with undefined food tolerance

Though symptoms of food allergy or intolerance may be very similar, the latter do not involve the immune system and are typically triggered by molecules that are considerably smaller than proteins. The triggers are substances that are naturally present in foods, arose for processing methods, or are added during processing.

Food intolerances probably make up the majority of adverse reactions. Examples of food intolerances include:
*Reactions from toxic contaminants – histamine in scombroid fish poisoning, toxins secreted by Salmonella or Shigella
*Pharmacologic reactions e.g. to caffeine in coffee, tyramine in aged cheeses
*Idiosyncratic and psychological reactions – e.g. sulfite induced asthma

The best example of food intolerances are lactose intolerance and sulfite induced asthma. It is a disorder in which a deficiency of B-galactosidase in the small intestine results in reduced ability to digest and absorb lactose.

These illnesses are of lesser importance than allergy because of finite tolerance levels for the offending foods among affected individuals. Although symptoms can be severe and very distressing, they are not potentially fatal.
Food intolerances

Food Allergens

2011-11-22T01:55:00.001-08:00

Food allergens are an exaggerated immune response by certain individuals to proteins or their derivatives that occur naturally in some foods.

It is a major cause of life threatening hypersensitivity reactions.

The food allergy might results from sensitization to ingested food proteins or to aeroallergens though the respiratory route. Several pollen allergens can confer cross-reactivity to homologous proteins in plant foods.

Foods most commonly reported to cause allergic reactions are peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, eggs, cereals, fish, crustaceans and sesame.

The reactions happen rapidly, usually within a few minutes of exposure to inhaled substance or eating a food.

Allergic reactions to foods vary greatly: from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to skin rashes and potentially life threatening breathing difficulties such as asthma and anaphylaxis.

Currently, the avoidance of the allergenic food is the only method of preventing further reactions for allergenic patients.

When the term ‘allergy’ was coined, it meant an adverse reaction to any substance that does not bother most people. Then, in the 1920’s it was discovered that type of antibody called IgE was involved in many allergic reactions, especially those to inhalants.

The term food allergy refers specially to the immune mediated adverse reaction. Food allergens can be further divided into IgE and non IgE mediated reactions. Food allergens are therefore the antigenic molecules which induce the immunologic response.
Food Allergens

HACCP principles

2011-11-13T21:38:00.001-08:00

HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards.

There are seven principles published by Codex Alimentarius and NACMCF. They are:

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis through their identification of hazards and assessment of their severity and risks.

Principle 2: Determine which critical points (CCPs) are required to control the identified hazards. It is necessary to prevent or eliminate a hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.

Principle 3: Establish critical limit which just be met to ensure that each CCP is under control

Principle 4: Establish a system to monitor control of the CCP by scheduled testing or observations

Principle 5: Establish the corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control

Principle 6: Establish procedures for verification to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively. To do this, there needs to be a validation that the likely hazards have been identified and that the control measures will control the hazards of concern.

Principle 7: Establish record keeping and documentation procedures Food safety systems based on the HACCP principles have been successful applied in food processing plants, retail food stores and food service operation.
HACCP principles

Destruction of Salmonella by heat

2011-11-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Heating process are widely used in the food industry to enhance product quality and safety. Destruction of Salmonella by heat, it should be explained that as they are heated and a temperature is reached at which they are destroyed, they are not all destroyed at once.

Large numbers are destroyed when the heat is first applied, but the death rate quickly drops.

For instance , if at 48.9 degree C, 90% of the organisms would be destroyed in a period of 5 minutes, it would take 10 minutes to kill 99% of the organisms, 15 minutes to kill 99.9% of the organisms and so on.

Salmonella is not a spore forming organism. It is not, therefore, a heating resistant organism; pasteurization and equivalent heat treatments will destroy the organism under normal circumstances.

It should be noted that if some of these Salmonella organisms in foods survive whatever heating they receive during coking, and the food is thereafter held at temperatures at which they will grow 6.7-43.3 degree C, especially at room temperature, the organisms may grow again to large numbers.

When heating foods, it is important that all parts of the foods satisfy this temperature time requirements.

Some types of cooking is not sufficient to destroy all Salmonella bacteria that may be present in foods. Examples of cooked foods in which these organisms may survive are scrambled, boiled, or fried eggs, meringue, turkey stiffing , oyster stew, steamed clams, and some meat dishes.

Salmonella are more heat resistant in yolk than in whole egg due to the lower pH an higher total solids content in the yolk.
Destruction of Salmonella by heat

Ohmic heating

2011-10-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

One of the earliest applying electricity to foods is ohmic heating. In this process, a continuous electric current, which generate heat, is passed though the food.

It consist of equipment for passing an alternating current through the liquid between electrodes.

This method of processing is useful for viscous liquids and foods containing particles.

Ohmic heating processing has the promise to provide food processors with the opportunity to produce new, high value added and shelf stable products.

Ohmic heating can also be used for heating high-acid food products such as tomato-based sauces prior to hot filling, with considerable benefits in product quality.

A large number of potential applications exist for ohmic heating including its use in blanching, evaporation, dehydration, fermentation and extraction. Its primary application is as a heat treatment for microbial control.

The principal advantage claimed for ohmic heating is its ability to heat materials rapidly and more uniformly than traditional systems used for heating food, including products containing particulates.

Most of studies have indicated that the ohmic process reduces processing time resulting in superior product quality compared with those processed by conventional means.

Ohmic heating can be considered a High Temperature Short Time (HTST) aseptic process.
Ohmic heating

Salmonella outbreaks in chocolate

2011-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

It was not often realized that salmonella can persists in chocolate. Salmonella survives in chocolate for years.

In the mid 1970s there were more than 200 cases in Canada and the United States; these were mainly in young children and were caused by the relatively rare Salmonella eastbourne.

This serotype was found to be isolated in chocolate up to 15 months after manufacturers.

In 1982, 269 patients were found to have Salmonella napoli in their feces in comparison to only 15 reported cases in the previous thirty years.

Salmonella napoli named after its Italian origin.

Due to increase in reports of Salmonella napoli, it was controlled by removing a make of imported chocolate from the food chain.

Imported chocolate bars contaminated with Salmonella napoli were distributed to many parts of the country and cases were reported with no clear relationship either in time or place until careful epidemiology suggested the likely means of transmission.
Salmonella outbreaks in chocolate

Cryptosporidium parvum

2011-10-23T06:27:00.001-07:00

Cryptosporidium parvum is a parasitic protozoan belonging to the phylum Apicomlexa and is one of several genera that are referred to as coccidia. It causes cryptosporidiosis in susceptible humans and non-human hosts.

These waterborne parasites can be transferred to food from infected food handlers or from contaminated water used to irrigate or wash fruits or vegetables.

It has been speculated that many other unidentified cases of waterborne outbreaks of gastroenteritis may have been caused by this parasite.

Infection with Cryptosporidium parvum resulted in severe watery diarrhea which last between several days and two to three weeks in previously healthy persons.

Patients may also experience mild abdominal pain and fever. It also can cause coughing and low grade fever accompanied by severe intestinal distress.

Cryptosporidium infects many herd animals such as cows, goats, and sheep and has also caused outbreaks in apple cider and homemade chicken salad.

A major means of parasite transmission is via drinking water, because of the use of untreated surface water contaminated distribution systems, or water treatment facilities employing only chlorine disinfection protocols.

Water has been associated with numerous disease outbreaks.
Cryptosporidium parvum

Chemical Hazards

2011-10-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Chemical hazards are those that result from the mismanagement of chemicals.

Although chemicals have provided modern society with innumerable benefits, they can have a deleterious impact on human health when mismanaged.

Report of illness caused by the presence of hazardous chemicals in food are much rarer than illness associated with pathogenic microorganisms.

However, misuses of chemicals agriculturally or during food processing can cause illness. Harmful chemicals can also be present in food naturally or by environmental contamination.

Substances found naturally in food can cause illness when eaten by people who are allergic or sensitive to them.

Chemicals hazards fall into categories:
*Naturally occurring poisons, chemicals, or deleterious substances are those that are natural constituents of foods.
*Added poison chemicals or deleterious substances are those which are intentionally added to foods.

Indeed, chemical hazards affecting public health risks typically originate from a variety of sources.

Type or source of chemicals in food that can cause illness including:
*Proteins or substances that can cause allergy reactions
*Waste water system and incinerator emissions.
*Disposal of bedding and other waste materials from experimental procedures.
*Chemical preservatives used incorrectly
*Waste from cleaning and sanitizing chemicals
*Chemicals not approved for use in food
*Chemicals leaching form packaging into food
*Environmental pollutant from industrial waste, and other urban air pollution such as automobile exhaust.
*Agrochemicals such as pesticide residues. Pesticide are natural or synthetic chemicals that have been developed and manufactured for the purpose of killing pests. Other including herbicide and fertilizer applications.
*Toxins of microbial origin
*Naturally occurring plant toxins such as glycoalkaloids
*Consumer products including foods, drinks, cosmetics and medicines.

Flammability, corrosiveness, reactivity, and explosivity are hazardous properties of chemicals that are usually well understood. Toxicity is the least predictability hazardous property of chemicals.
Chemical Hazards

What is HACCP?

2011-10-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

HACCP is widely recognized in the food industry as an effective approach good production, sanitation and manufacturing practices safe foods.

It was developed nearly 35 years ago for astronauts, the FDA intends to eventually use it for much of the United States food supply.

The program for astronauts focuses on preventing hazards that could cause food borne illnesses by applying science-based controls, from raw material to finished products.

HACCP systems establish process control though identifying points in the production process that are most critical to monitor and control.

It provides feedback to direct corrective actions. HACCP’s preventive focus is seen as more cost effective than testing a product and them destroying or reworking it.

The system can be applied to control at any stage in the food system.

By focusing inspection at CCPs, HACCP improves the scientific basis for safety and control processes.

A CCP is “any point in the chain of food production from raw materials to finished product where the loss of control result in unaccepted food safety risk”.

Critical control points (CCP) may be located at any pint in the food production and manufacturing system for a food product where hazards need to be either prevented, elimination or reduce acceptable levels.

Monitoring of CCPs is done best by using indicators that can be measured easily. This focus on measurable indicators provides a more cost-effective approach to control than product sampling and testing, which is expensive and may not provide timely results.

CCP’s must be carefully developed and documented. They must be used only for purposes of product safety or where use must be justified by the critical nature of the CCP.

This especially important food borne ,microbial pathogens, because their incidence is low and costs of testing are high.

Effective control mechanisms are put in place to ensure that then the potential failure are prevented from occurring.

The second type of regulation coming into wider use is food product labeling to indicate potential hazards or methods of food production.

This allow consumers who are at higher risks to choose safer products or to prepare food so as to avoid risk.

The original system was pioneered by the Pillsbury Company working alongside NASA and the US Army Laboratories at Natick.

It was based on the engineering system, Failure, Mode, and Effect Analysis, which looks at what could potentially go wrong at each stage in an operation together with possible causes and the likely effect.

The first comprehensive treatise on HACCP published in 1973 by the Pillsbury Company, was used to train FDA inspectors in HACCP principles during promulgation of the successful federal sealed containers.
What is HACCP?

Limitation of preservation techniques

2011-10-07T00:20:00.001-07:00

Preservation techniques that limit the availability of water such as drying, salting, and smoking and those that use heat, such as canning and pasteurization, dramatically alter the nature of the food itself.

Food preservation factors, such as temperature, water activity Aw, pH etc., constitute environmental stresses to bacteria. If the stress is mild, it causes only injury to bacteria and if it is severe, it causes inactivation.

These processes degrade the color, flavor, texture and nutrients in food. Today’s consumers want their food to appear fresh and natural, as close to pick or just slaughtered as possible.

Despite all the attempts to extend the shelf life of a food product as carefully as possible to keep the nutritional and organoleptic properties and despite the progress that has been made, consumers remain skeptical, particularly regarding the use of preservative in food.

They don’t want preservatives and other chemicals added to their foods, and at the same time they want convenience.

Poor sensory quality is considered to be most limiting factor in the consumer acceptance and industrial application of preserved products. Sensory problems include excessive dehydration, undesirable color changes, and the development of flat and of flavors.

Consumers wants freshness of a product. A number of new techniques are in use or in development that try to meet this demand for food with fresher, more natural qualities.

Any food technology will be utilized only when it shows advantages in terms of effectiveness, public health cost, convenience, etc over competing technologies.

There are several methods of applying electricity instead of heat to pasteurize food; this techniques are referred to as cold pasteurization. Irradiation, ohmic heating and high intensity pulsed electric fields are some of these technique.
Limitation of preservation techniques

Packaging of Food

2011-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

At its most basic, packaging preserves and protects food and makes it portable.

Efficient packaging is necessary for every kind of food, whether it is fresh or processed. It is essential link between the food producer and the consumer, and unless performed correctly the standing of the product suffers and and customer goodwill is lost.

Food is package for the following reasons:
*For hygienic storage and transport
*To protect it from damage during storage and transport
*To give information to customers
*To attract customers
*For customer convenient

Food packaging also offer tamper-evident or temper resistant features, allow for product preparation and provide dispensing features and many convenient such as single serving potions.

As food products were distributed, they required identification and labeling. Also the design, shape and from of the package gained in importance.

The food industry uses four basic packaging materials: metal, plant matter –paper and wood, glass and plastic.

A number of basic packaging materials are often combined to give a suitable package. However the earliest food packaging was made from objects found in nature, such as hollowed-out gourds and empty seashells.

Proper food packaging of food is essential to make sure the food remains wholesome during its journey from processor to consumer; packaging also increase shelf life, an important consideration for food producers and marketers.
Packaging of Food

Salmonellosis

2011-09-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Salmonellosis produces several symptoms. These includes diarrhea that may bloody, stomach cramping that may be severe fever and occasionally, nausea.

Illness caused by a majority of Salmonella serotypes range for mild to severe gastroenteritis, and some in patients, bacteraemia, septicemia and a variety of associated longer-term condition.

The onset symptoms can take anywhere from 6 to 72 hours, but usually occurs around 12 hours after consuming the contaminated food or beverage. In typhoid fever, the incubation period is 7 – 14 days.

Persons with salmonellosis often become carriers of the organism for a period of time after they recovered from the disease. That is, they continue to discharge the organisms in their feces. Because of this, carriers often contaminate their hands with these organisms that may not be removed completely even after thorough washing.

Salmonella species cause illness by means of infection, the organism grows and multiplies in the host’s body and become established on or on the cells or tissue of the host.

Salmonella multiply in the small intestine, colonizing and subsequently invading the intestine issue, producing an enterotoxin and causing an inflammatory reaction and diarrhea.

Salmonella is a type of organism called a bacterium. The salmonella bacteria are rod-shaped called bacillus; they do not form spores, and thus are not especially heat resistant. They are motile (can move about in the water, in foods or other materials in which they are found) and will grow either with or without air (oxygen).

These organisms are very widespread. Like many other kinds of bacteria, Salmonella is able to produce infection when it enters a person’s body.

From the time of probably the first laboratory confirmed outbreak of salmonellosis in 1888, Worldwide, salmonellosis is a leading cause of enteric infectious disease attributable to foods and hundreds of outbreaks of foodborne salmonellosis still occur in most countries every year.
Salmonellosis

Phenylketonuria Should Stay Away From Aspartame

2011-09-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

Phenylketonuria is area disease caused by the absence of an enzyme for dealing with amino acid phenylalanine, if it not detected.

The enzyme is PAH- phenylalanine hydroxylase that is necessary for the conversion of phenylalanine into tyrosine.

It is part of a group of disease that are inborn errors of metabolism.

Doctors usually detect phenylketonuria phenylketonuria in an infant within a few days of birth by way of a routine screening test.

If someone with phenylketonuria consumes significant amounts of food products containing phenylalanine, it builds up in the body and can cause mental impairment and possibly brain damage.

Individual with phenylketonuria must limit their intake of acid amino phenylalanine. The breakdown of aspartame in the digestive tract release phenylalanine, which cannot be properly metabolized by individuals with phenylketonuria.

Aspartame is composed of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Foods that potentially contain it include carbonated beverages, drinks mixes, Jell-O and gelatin-type products, pudding and pie filling, and cold cereals.
Phenylketonuria Should Stay Away From Aspartame