471 research outputs found

    Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: definitional clarification and perspectives on future research

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    Ambiguity tolerance is an increasingly popular subject for study in a wide variety of fields. The definition of ambiguity tolerance has changed since its inception, and accompanying that change are changes in measurement and the research questions that interest researchers. There is a wealth of opportunity for research related to ambiguity tolerance and recent advances in neuroscience, measurement, trait research, perception, problem solving, and other fields highlight areas of interest and point to issues that need further attention. The future of ambiguity tolerance research is promising and it is expected that future studies will yield new insights into individual differences in reactions to the complex, unfamiliar, confusing, indeterminate, and incomplete stimuli that fall within the conceptual domain of ambiguity

    Safety and commercial issues in fresh mushrooms and mushroom-based products sold at retail in Tuscany region

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    The compliance to European and National safety and labelling requirements relating to the sale of spontaneous and cultivated mushrooms and mushroom-based products in Tuscany was assessed. The evidence was collected by the Mycological Inspectorate of North-West Tuscany Local Health Authority during 90 inspections (from 2016 to 2020) at large-scale distribution stores, wholesalers, and restaurants in 10 cities belonging to 3 provinces, and on the labelling analysis of 98 commercial products collected at retail in 2021. Despite a substantial compliance of the inspected activities and products with the regulatory requirements, critical issues were highlighted: 1) EU legislative gap in the definition of specific measures for the safe sale of spontaneous mushrooms; 2) improper shelf storage temperatures of fresh-cut products; 3) incorrect condition of use on the labels of pre-packaged products; 4) lack of countryof-origin declaration in pre-packaged products. Furthermore, the labelling analysis highlighted that 18.4% and 15.3% of the products presented issues in the validity and correctness of the scientific names respect to national requirements in. A revision of the current EU legislation is needed to guarantee consumers safety, also considering the relevant number of poisoning cases related to false mycetisms (ingestion of edible mushrooms unproperly stored or used). Also, a specific revision and harmonization of the EU labelling of mushrooms would be desirable to protect consumers

    Seafood fraud incidents control: Histological based methods as reliable tools for fresh and frozen/thawed products discrimination

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    Freezing is one of the commonest methods applied for seafood shelf-life extension and long-term preservation. Nevertheless, the quality decay caused by water crystallization and cellular dehydration is responsible of significant reduction of the frozen-thawed products commercial value. Therefore, according to the European Legislation on food labelling, the declaration of freezing process represents a mandatory information for the protection of consumers’ rights. In fact, the lack of such information, besides entailing a non-conformity, can favor commercial frauds. The present work aims to present the development and validation of a histological approach, based on quali-quantitative histological markers, for the discrimination between fresh and thawed-frozen fishery products. In particular, the results of the application of the histological method on Merluccius merluccius and Octopus vulgaris, respectively selected as study models for white meat fish and cephalopods species, will be presented

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

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    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 1â105 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 0â28 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 anchoviesâ batches intended for the production of such products should be accurately selected by the processing industry applying inspection methods

    An Authentication Survey on Retail Seafood Products Sold on the Bulgarian Market Underlines the Need for Upgrading the Traceability System

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    Economically motivated or accidental species substitutions lead to economic and potential health damage to consumers with a loss of confidence in the fishery supply chain. In the present study, a three-year survey on 199 retail seafood products sold on the Bulgarian market was addressed to assess: (1) product authenticity by molecular identification; (2) trade name compliance to the list of official trade names accepted in the territory; (3) adherence of the list in force to the market supply. DNA barcoding on mitochondrial and nuclear genes was applied for the identification of whitefish (WF), crustaceans (C) and mollusks (cephalopods-MC; gastropods-MG; bivalves-MB) except for Mytilus sp. products for which the analysis was conducted with a previously validated RFLP PCR protocol. Identification at the species level was obtained for 94.5% of the products. Failures in species allocation were reconducted due to low resolution and reliability or the absence of reference sequences. The study highlighted an overall mislabeling rate of 11%. WF showed the highest mislabeling rate (14%), followed by MB (12.5%), MC (10%) and C (7.9%). This evidence emphasized the use of DNA-based methods as tools for seafood authentication. The presence of non-compliant trade names and the ineffectiveness of the list to describe the market species varieties attested to the need to improve seafood labeling and traceability at the national level

    Biochemical survey on episodic localized darkening in Turkey deboned thigh meat packaged in modified atmosphere

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    Abstract The color of food, especially meat and meat products, is a parameter that strongly influences consumer choice. In Italy, repeated cases of darkening in deboned thigh meat of male turkeys packaged in modified atmosphere (MAP; 80% 02, 20% CO2) have been reported. The pH, lipid oxidation (TBARS), heme proteins, and iron content were investigated in MAP samples of turkey males, females, and in oxygen-permeable film-packaged males. Furthermore, the absorbance spectrum (400 to 700 nm) of the meat extracts was analyzed to better delineate the evolution and characteristics of the darkening process. Results showed that darkening occurred only in males with higher content of total iron, independently of the content of heme proteins, which differs only between males and females. Furthermore, pH was higher in muscles taken as controls, with respect to muscles involved in the darkening, as well as in females. Finally, TBARS values were found to be higher in darkened regions than in not darkened ones, as well as in MAP samples with respect to oxygen-permeable film-packaged samples. These findings suggest that darkening occurrence might depend on kind of muscle, sex, and individual characteristics of the animals raised under the same breeding conditions

    DEVELOPMENT OF A PCR-RFLP METOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF SIX SPECIES BELONGING TO THE GENUS LOPHIUS

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    Nowadays, six of the seven species belonging to the Genus Lophius have an important commercial value in the national and international markets. Usually they are sold beheaded and for this reason they are called tails. This kind of preparation is a limit for the specie-identification by means of the morphological characteristics. The mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene is considered a useful genetic marker to identify fish species. In this work, after obtaining the Cyt b complete sequence of the Lophius species that were missed in the databases, we set up a method based on PCR-RFLP able to identify the six species of Lophius with a commercial denomination in the Italian market

    Selection of Histological Parameters for the Development of an Analytical Method for Discriminating Fresh and Frozen/Thawed Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and Preventing Frauds along the Seafood Chain

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    This study aimed at selecting effective histological indicators of the freezing process, for the discrimination of fresh and frozen common octopus Octopus vulgaris. Histological indices of freezing process were selected in mantle and arm muscle and axial nerve tissues. Seven histological parameters were chosen: overall muscle tissue structural organization (a); gaping among muscle bundles (b); presence of optically empty spaces between and within muscle bundles (c); white spaces percentage between and within muscle bundles (d); overall nerve structural organization (e); presence of linear fissures and/or empty spaces within neuropil and axonal tract (f); presence of empty spaces within connective tissue matrix surrounding the nerve (g); empty space percentage within arm axial nerve region (h). The parameters were assessed on 150 mantle muscle sections (a, b, c, d), 150 arm muscle (b, c) and nervous (e, f, g, h) tissue sections belonging to 20 fresh exemplars further subdued to conventional freezing procedure at − 20 Â°C, 25 fresh curled exemplars, 25 exemplars industrially frozen at − 80 Â°C, and 20 thawed, curled, and individually quick frozen exemplars. Overall structural organization (a, e), gaping (b), and presence of optically empty spaces (c, f) confirmed significant morphological freezing indices in mantle and arm sections. In mantle, two d values (d < 25% and 25% < d < 33%) were proposed as complementary thresholds to be applied in association with b and c indices for freezing discrimination. These parameters appear eligible to set a method for discriminating fresh/thawed octopus products to be applied both in official control and self-check activities
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