The presence of undesirable mould species on the surface of dry sausages

Transition from manufacture to the industrial way of meat production and processing, as well as contemporary concept of food quality and safety, have led to the application of starter cultures. Their application leads towards the streamlining of the production process in the desired direction, quality improvement and its harmonization, and thereby to its standardization. Application of moulds in the meat industry is based on positive effects of their proteolytic and lipolytic egzoenzymes which, as a consequence, leads to the creation of characteristic sensory properties ('flavor') of fermented products. Penicillium nalgiovense is a typical representative of moulds used in the production of fermented sausages-salamis from our region. Samples of 'zimska salama' (dry sausage), produced with Penicillium nalgiovense, were evaluated as hygienically unacceptable. Their sensory properties changed due to contamination of this mould during the ripening process. Micological analysis discovered the presence of Penicillium aurantiogriseum, which is a frequent mould contaminant in the meat industry. At the same time, thin layer chromatography revealed no possibility of metabolic activity of this mould in the creation of mycotoxins. However, the presence of this mould on the surface of 'zimska salama' is considered as undesirable due to formation of 'off flavor' in products. Such product is considered as hygienically unacceptable and cannot be used for the human consumption

Variation of textural properties in pears dried by different solar methodologies.

In Portugal, the variety of S. Bartholomew (Pyrus communis L.) pears are subject to an artisan drying process consisting of direct open-air sun exposure, leading to a traditional product with unique texture characteristics, called “Pêra Passa de Viseu”. However, the drying process does not provide the current standards of safety and, therefore, recent investigations have emerged with alternatives to the traditional drying process. The changes that occur in the pears during the drying process are of the most importance to define the sensory characteristics and the quality of this product. As the texture is a highly valued characteristic for this product, it is necessary to verify that the different drying methods give place to products as similar to the traditional as possible. Thus, this study aimed at determining the changes that occur in the texture with the drying process and compare the texture of pears dried by two different drying processes, namely the traditional open-air and the solar stove with ventilation. Pears of the Portuguese variety S. Bartholomew were obtained from a local producer, both in the fresh state and after drying by the traditional procedure. Some of the fresh pears were dried by the alternative method. From the results obtained, it was possible to observe that both drying processes affected the initial texture. However, no important differences were seen when the two drying methods were compared with each other, thus allowing to conclude that the alternative drying methodology can be used to replace the traditional one, without altering the textural properties of the final product and with an highly added value in food safety

Towards Model-based Integration of Management Systems

With the shift towards sustainable business development, many companies implement function-specific management systems, which can be certified against the corresponding management system standards. The management of the different systems, in particular the management of their documentation, is a very time consuming and costly process. In this context, the paper addresses the issue of the integration of management systems. Based on a exemplary comparison of the common management system standards in the areas of quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001), energy management (ISO 50001), and work safety management (OHSAS 18001), characteristic requirement patterns (hereafter referred to as integration types) are identified. With the help of these characteristics, design proposals for method fragments for the construction of a method for model- based integration of MS are presented. The patterns are demonstrated by extending an existing method for model-based energy management

FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION BY EVALUATING GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES FOR THE HOME INDUSTRY OF PROCESSED PALM FRUIT IN HENDROSARI GRESIK

Hendrosari village has great potential to develop business activities, especially in food and baverage of processed palm fruit  as  regional characteristic business from the Lontar Sewu Tourism Village area. The government through the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency stipulates a guideline or regulation on Good Food Production Methods for Home Industries usually called Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) so that the quality of the food products produced not only has good nutritional value, but also safe and suitable for consumption. This study aims to educate the implementation of GMP in home industry that producing processed palm fruit. The method used to deliver the material was a focus group discussion consisting of entrepreneurs and village officials. The material presented was about food product regulation and food safety, food control, product packaging and storage and how to use safe additive. Thirty participants took part in the education activities. After participating in the activity, participants' knowledge increased. Participants were better able to identify the shortcomings of implementing food safety from their businesses. Most of the enterpreneurs have not implemented good manufacturing practices perfectly considering that their businesses are classified as small businesses. Enterpreneurs found it difficult to provide standard buildings and facilities according to GMP guidelines because they required large fund. A non-standard place of labor will affect the flow and production process that the possibility of contamination of raw materials and finished products is still high. The way to minimize the presence of contaminants, participants were willing Participant committed to improving maintenance and sanitation programs and carrying out monitoring process. Entrepreneurs and stakeholders were aware of the importance of implementing GMP as a consumer right and being able to increase product competitiveness. They were committed to improving food safety practices by forming a village food safety supervisory team. Participants hope that food safety education and monitoring activities can be carried out regularly

Sustainability in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Initiatives

The question often asked of a quality improvement initiative is whether the improvement process has been sustained within the organization. Rarely is the question answered satisfactorily. The sustainability of an improvement process is important as it justifies the investment of human and financial capital. The term \u27evaporation of improvements\u27 addresses the dilemma that between 33% to 70% of all innovations are reportedly not sustained (Fleiszer, Semenic, Ritchie, Richer, & Denis, 2015) . This evaporation of improvement captures the frustrating inability of many institutions to maintain the achieved improvement after the newness of the initial effort wears off (Buchanan, Fitzgerald, & Ketley, 2007). This article addresses the components of what makes a quality initiative sustainable by applying a framework developed that identifies components necessary within a sustainable quality initiative evident from the development process through to the implementation phase of the initiative which becomes part of the fabric of an organization

A review of agricultural waste activated carbon and effect on adsorption parameters

Activated carbon is widely used in industrial wastewater treatment operation because of the effectiveness in removing the dye. As the conventional activated carbon on market nowadays is expensive, lots of research was done on agricultural materials to replace the activated carbon. Sugarcane bagasse is listed as one of the agricultural material alternatives. This review compiles the characterisation of sugarcane bagasse and several agricultural wastes-based activated carbon including proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, and activated carbon surface characteristic used to remove dye in textile wastewater. Nevertheless, the adsorption parameters are the main focus as it affecting the removal of dye. The expansion review regarding activated carbon performance implies that dye removal efficiency depends on the amount of adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH solution, dye concentration applied during the adsorption process. This review shows the need of thoughtful information on adsorption parameters with an expanded list of various types of agricultural-based activated carbon and various dye removal

Fact sheet: Post-wildfire restoration of structure, composition, and function in southwestern ponderosa pine and warm-dry mixed-conifer forests.

Post-fire rehabilitation is separated into short-term, emergency stabilization and long-term restoration measures. The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program includes emergency treatments to stabilize the burned area, protect public health and safety, and reduce the risk of additional damage to valued resources. As opposed to emergency rehabilitation, ecological restoration focuses on assisting the recovery of characteristic ecological structure, process, and function, which requires an understanding of natural range of variability for these key attributes as well as development of reference conditions to guide management activities. In addition, restoration activities demand long-term commitment and evaluation. Given the altered conditions that can follow high-severity fires, successful restoration to a desired state may be difficult and costly. Areas experiencing high-severity fire often exhibit accelerated soil erosion and subsequent loss of soil productivity; expansions or invasions of non-native plant populations; loss of wildlife habitat; damaged watersheds and degraded water quality to connected streams; and/or vegetation type conversion. Attributes of a restored ecosystem include the reestablishment of resilience, forest structure, composition, function, physical environment, and landscape context and integrity