Food safety in collective catering: Knowledge, attitudes and correct application of GHP/GMP knowledge among foodservice workers

Food safety critically reliant on the behaviors adopted by foodservice personnel, involved in various stages of meal preparation, from the supply of raw food materials until its distribution to the consumer. The purpose of this work was to collect information on the level of knowledge on food safety, the correct application of the Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and the attitudes of the operators involved in collective catering. The survey was conducted among 15 social catering companies in Apulia (Italy) using a modified Sharif and Al-Malki (2010) anonymous questionnaire intended to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the food handlers. The results highlight the need to improve both knowledge and practices regarding food hygiene and safety in order to minimize the risk of transmitting foodborne diseases. More careful planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of training programs for foodservice workers is required, taking into consideration the provisions of European food laws

Distinctive Traits of Four Apulian Traditional Agri-Food Product (TAP) Cheeses Manufactured at the Same Dairy Plant

This study aimed to highlight the distinctive features of four Traditional Agri-food Products (TAP), namely, Caprino, Pecorino, Vaccino, and Cacioricotta cheeses produced at the same dairy plant to reveal any possible relationships between their microbiological and biochemical character-istics. Two distinct natural whey starter (NWS) cultures were used during Caprino and Vaccino cheesemaking, whereas no starter was used for the other cheeses. Cacioricotta retained the highest concentrations of salt and residual carbohydrates. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbiota of the cheeses. Furthermore, staphylococci represented an additional dominant microbial population in Cacioricotta. Although culture-dependent analysis showed that the use of NWS cultures only slightly affected the microbial community of cheeses, 16S metagenetic analysis showed that Lactobacillus helveticus dominated both the NWS cultures and the corresponding Caprino and Vaccino cheeses. This analysis indicated that Staphylococcus equorum and Streptococcus thermophilus dominated Cacioricotta and Pecorino cheeses, respectively. The highest peptidase activities were found in either Caprino or Vaccino. Enzymes involved in the catabolism of free amino acids and esterase showed the highest activity in Pecorino cheese. Each cheese showed a distinct profile of volatile organic compounds, with Pecorino being the richest cheese in carboxylic acids, ketones, and esters, related to lipolysis. The results of this study contribute to valorizing and safeguarding these TAP cheeses, sustaining local farming

Regulación epigenética del IFN-y en tuberculosis

M. tuberculosis (Mtb) es el principal asesino microbiológico en el mundo. Las modificaciones epigenéticas son claves en la plasticidad del sistema inmune y como mediadores entre el ambiente y los fenotipos celulares. El IFN-v, media la respuesta protectiva frente a Mtb, pero se desconocen los mecanismos epigenéticos que regularían su activación y mediarían la susceptibilidad a la tuberculosis.Área: Ciencias Biológicas, Ambiente y Salud

Hydrometeor classification from dual-polarized weather radar: extending fuzzy logic from S-band to C-band data

International audienceA model-based fuzzy classification method for C-band polarimetric radar data, named Fuzzy Radar Algorithm for Hydrometeor Classification at C-band (FRAHCC), is presented. Membership functions are designed for best fitting simulation data at C-band, and they are derived for ten different hydrometeor classes by means of a scattering model, based on T-Matrix numerical method. The fuzzy logic classification technique uses a reduced set of polarimetric observables, i.e. copolar reflectivity and differential reflectivity, and it is finally applied to data coming from radar sites located in Gattatico and S. Pietro Capofiume in North Italy. The final purpose is to show qualitative accuracy improvements with respect to the use of a set of ten bidimensional MBFs, previously adopted and well suited to S-band data but not to C-band data

Predictive Metagenomic Profiling, Urine Metabolomics, and Human Marker Gene Expression as an Integrated Approach to Study Alopecia Areata

Involvement of the microbiome in many different scalp conditions has been investigated over the years. Studies on the role of the scalp microbiome in specific diseases, such as those involving hair growth alterations like non-cicatricial [androgenetic alopecia (AGA), alopecia areata (AA)] and cicatricial alopecia lichen planopilaris, are of major importance. In the present work, we highlighted the differences in microbial populations inhabiting the scalp of AA subjects and a healthy sample cohort by using an integrated approach relying on metagenomic targeted 16S sequencing analysis, urine metabolomics, and human marker gene expression. Significant differences in genera abundances (p < 0.05) were found in the hypodermis and especially the dermis layer. Based on 16S sequencing data, we explored the differences in predicted KEGG pathways and identified some significant differences in predicted pathways related to the AA pathologic condition such as flagellar, assembly, bacterial chemotaxis, mineral absorption, ABC transporters, cellular antigens, glycosaminoglycan degradation, lysosome, sphingolipid metabolism, cell division, protein digestion and absorption, and energy metabolism. All predicted pathways were significantly enhanced in AA samples compared to expression in healthy samples, with the exceptions of mineral absorption, and ABC transporters. We also determined the expression of TNF-α, FAS, KCNA3, NOD-2, and SOD-2 genes and explored the relationships between human gene expression levels and microbiome composition by Pearson's correlation analysis; here, significant correlations both positive (SOD vs. Staphylococcus, Candidatus Aquiluna) and negative (FAS and SOD2 vs. Anaerococcus, Neisseria, and Acinetobacter) were highlighted. Finally, we inspected volatile organic metabolite profiles in urinary samples and detected statistically significant differences (menthol, methanethiol, dihydrodehydro-beta-ionone, 2,5-dimethylfuran, 1,2,3,4, tetrahydro-1,5,7-trimethylnapthalene) when comparing AA and healthy subject groups. This multiple comparison approach highlighted potential traits associated with AA and their relationship with the microbiota inhabiting the scalp, opening up novel therapeutic interventions in such kind of hair growth disorders mainly by means of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics

Bioprocessing of barley and lentil grains to obtain in situ synthesis of exopolysaccharides and composite wheat bread with improved texture and health properties

A comprehensive study into the potential of bioprocessing techniques (sprouting and sourdough fermentation) for improving the technological and nutritional properties of wheat breads produced using barley and lentil grains was undertaken. Dextran biosynthesis in situ during fermentation of native or sprouted barley flour (B or SB) alone or by mixing SB flour with native or sprouted lentil flour (SB-L or SB-SL) by Weissella paramesenteroides SLA5, Weissella confusa SLA4, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 or Weissella confusa DSM 20194 was assessed. The acidi-fication and the viscosity increase during 24 h of fermentation with and without 16% sucrose (on flour weight), to promote the dextran synthesis, were followed. After the selection of the fermentation parameters, the bioprocessing was carried out by using Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides DSM 20193 (the best LAB dextran producer, up to 2.7% of flour weight) and a mixture of SB-SL (30:70% w/w) grains, enabling also the decrease in the raffinose family oligosaccharides. Then, the SB-SL sourdoughs containing dextran or control were mixed with the wheat flour (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. The use of dextran-containing sourdough allowed the production of bread with structural improvements, compared to the control sourdough bread. Compared to a baker’s yeast bread, it also markedly reduced the predicted glycemic index, in-creased the soluble (1.26% of dry matter) and total fibers (3.76% of dry matter) content, giving pe-culiar and appreciable sensory attributes

The controversial role of human gut lachnospiraceae

The complex polymicrobial composition of human gut microbiota plays a key role in health and disease. Lachnospiraceae belong to the core of gut microbiota, colonizing the intestinal lumen from birth and increasing, in terms of species richness and their relative abundances during the host’s life. Although, members of Lachnospiraceae are among the main producers of short-chain fatty acids, different taxa of Lachnospiraceae are also associated with different intra-and extraintestinal diseases. Their impact on the host physiology is often inconsistent across different studies. Here, we discuss changes in Lachnospiraceae abundances according to health and disease. With the aim of harnessing Lachnospiraceae to promote human health, we also analyze how nutrients from the host diet can influence their growth and how their metabolites can, in turn, influence host physiology

Quercetin protects human thyroid cells against cadmium toxicity

Various natural compounds have been successfully tested for preventing or counteracting the toxic effects of exposure to heavy metals. In this study, we analyzed the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) on immortalized, non\u2010tumorigenic thyroid cells Nthy\u2010ori\u20103\u20101. We investigated the molecular mechanism underlying its toxic action as well as the potential protective effect of quercetin against CdCl2\u2010induced damage. CdCl2 suppressed cell growth in a dose\u2010 and time\u2010dependent manner (IC50 value ~10 \u3bcM) associated with a decrease in levels of phospho\u2010ERK. In addition, CdCl2 elicited an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation. A significant increase in GRP78, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress\u2010related protein, was also observed. Supplementation of quercetin counteracted the growth\u2010inhibiting action of CdCl2 by recovering ERK protein phosphorylation levels, attenuating ROS overproduction, decreasing MDA content and reducing the expression of GRP78 in cells exposed to CdCl2. Thus, in addition to revealing the molecular effects involved in cadmium\u2010induced toxicity, the present study demonstrated, for the first time, a protective effect of quercetin against cadmium\u2010induced damages to normal thyroid cells