Emerging Pathogens- Challenges to Franchise and Catering Business

FOOD SAFETY is a major concern for consumers, food producers, processors and regulatory agencies. It is concerned with ensuring food that is safe or free from disease causing agents such as microorganisms, biological toxins and chemicals from the FARM TO THE TABLE, or throughout the FOOD CHAIN. Foodborne diseases are widespread and of growing public health concern problem, both in developed and developing countries. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), USA, estimates about 250 different foodborne pathogens. The global incidence of foodborne disease is difficult to estimate, but it has been reported that in the year 2000 alone, 2.1 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases. The latest edition of the WHO Quarterly Statistics indicates that, the incidence of foodborne diseases may be 300-350 times more frequent than those reported. About 1.5 billion global episodes of diarrhea occur annually, mainly in developing countries, resulting in 3 million deaths among children less than 5 years of age. The WHO estimates that 70% of diarrhoeal episodes are caused by biologically contaminated food. Epidemiological data from both developed and developing countries indicates that the incidence of food poisoning is on the increase. This increase can be attributed to globalization, changing life styles, urbanization, demographic changes, increase international trade and tourism, microbial adaptation, technology and innovation in food processing, food handling, marketing and retail. Changes in Agricultural practices such as intensive farming, use of pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics have also contributed to the increase in the incidence of food poisoning and the emergence of food pathogens. In addition to human suffering, caused by foodborne diseases in terms of death and ill-health, substantial economic costs are involved, affecting individuals, families, industries, health care systems and entire communities. At the national level, epidemics of foodborne disease affect tourism, trade and economic development

Inhibitory Effects of oxalic acid on Listeria monocytogenes , Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated onto Chicken Breast stored at 4°C

Oxalic acid was evaluated for its effectiveness in inhibiting growth of selected pathogens on raw chicken breasts. Inoculated chicken breasts were dipped in oxalic acid solutions (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% w/v) for 10, 20, and 30 min, packed in oxygenpermeable polyethylene bags, and stored at 4°C. Oxalic acid residues were determined using HPLC method. Counts of pathogens on chicken breasts were determined on days 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, and 14 after storage. Maximum oxalic acid concentration in unwashed chicken breast was 36 mg/100g. Washing of chicken reduced oxalic acid concentration by 50%. Oxalic acid concentration in cooked breast was 2mg/100g which is quite lower than levels in vegetables and herbs, used in daily diets. Chicken meat treated with oxalic acid could therefore be safe for human consumption. Reduction by 2.87, 2.02 and 4.12 log CFU/g, of L. monocytogenes, S. Enteritidis and E. coli O157:H7 respectively was observed in treated samples. Counts of the pathogens in treated samples decreased compared to untreated samples during 14 days storage. Sensory evaluation of cooked oxalic acid treated samples was acceptable to consumers after 14 days of storage. It was evident that oxalic acid has great potential for decontamination of chicken carcasses

The Use of Solar Dried Yam in Comminuted Meat Products

A study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using Solar Dried Yam (SODY) for the replacement of some amount of meat in comminuted meat products. Yam used was Dioscorea rotundata and meat selected from the trimmings of the belly side, neck, shoulder and thigh of a bull and pork carcasses. Four (4) different emulsion-type sausages containing 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% Solar Dried Yam, in addition to control (no yam included) were used as treatments. Fats, carbohydrates, moisture and crude protein contents were measured. A 12-member taste panel sensorily assessed the product based on taste to determine of any difference between control and yam-containing product. The triangle test (BS 5929, 1984) was used. Protein content significantly decreased (P<0.05) as level of solar dried yam increases in the product. Including solar dried yam in comminuted meat products led to a high retention of moisture and consequently high cooking yield, as indicated by a relatively low cooking loss (8%) compare to that of the control sample (9%). Moisture content increased significantly (P <0.05) from about 17% in the control sample and 26-41% as the level of solar dried yam increased in the product. The panel were not able to detect any difference in taste in the product containing 5% solar dried yam, however, there was easy detection in differences in tastes of products containing 10-20% of yam. 420,000 cedis (US$185) was saved on the cost of producing 1 tonne of the product at 5% level of solar dried yam in comminuted meat product. It was therefore concluded that 5% level solar dried yam could conveniently be used in the replacement of fat in comminuted meat products with significantly no effect on taste of the product

Traditional Cotton Dyeing with Natural Dyes from Plants: Colourimetric Analysis and Antibacterial Efficacy

100% cotton single jersey fabric (weight 160 g/m2) was dyed with the natural coloutants extracted from the leaves of Neem (Azadirachta indica) and Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum/ tenuliflorum) and heartwood of Catechu/Khoyer (Acacia catechu) following traditional exhaust method of dyeing. A high concentration of dye was maintained for dyeing all three colourants with differential mordanting techniques (no mordanting, pre-mordanting, simultaneous mordanting and post-mordanting). Potassium alum [K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O] was used as mordant. Colourimetric analysis was done using an industry grade spectrophotometer “Datacolor 650” (USA). Colour-fastness to wash of all dyed samples were tested according to ISO 105:CO3 method at 60°c for 30 minutes. All dyed and one undyed samples were tested by The AATCC test method 147-2004 to investigate their efficacy against 4 microorganisms including Bacillus cereus (ATCC 11778), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC (27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Finding shows that there is significant colour difference between the unmordanted-dyed samples and mordanted-dyed samples for all three colourants and shades vary depending on mordanding techniques also. Simultaneous-mordanted-and-dyed samples exhibit poorer colour-fastness to wash in comparison to pre- and post-mordanted and dyed samples. No dyed sample was found to be effective against any of the bacterium tested which can be explained by the low solubility of plant phenolic compounds in aqueous medium as reported in published literature

Development of new apple beverages rich in isothiocyanates by using extracts obtained from ultrasound-treated cauliflower by-products: Evaluation of its physical properties and consumer acceptance

The objective of this study was to develop a new apple juice beverage enriched with isothiocyanates (ITC) − rich extracts obtained from cauliflower by-products. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) at different amplitudes (20–100%) and extraction times (0–10 min) at a frequency of 24 kHz was employed to obtain ITC-rich extracts. It was found that both amplitude and treatment time had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the recovery of ITC from cauliflower leaves and stems, obtaining the highest yields of ITC from leaves (≈3000 μM) and stems (≈7000 μM) after UAE (80% amplitude, 3 min) and UAE (20%, 3 min), respectively. Moreover, the highest recovery of total phenolic compounds (TPC) (≈105 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/L) μM) was found after UAE (100% amplitude, 3 min) of TPC from stems. ITC-rich extracts obtained from caulifower by-products at the optimum UAE conditions were added into apple juice (10-40%), thus increasing the ITC content of the juice and observing the highest values in the new beverage when the highest percentage (40%) was added. Significant differences in smell and taste were found in the apple juices containing 20% and 40% cauliflower extracts compared to control (0% UAE cauliflower waste extracts added) samples. However, the results showed that the beverage with 10% extract addition preserved well the sensorial properties with regard to control sample and no total color differences (TCD < 3) were observed for any new sample compared to control. Therefore, the addition of extracts obtained after UAE of cauliflower wastes can be a useful tool to obtain new beverages rich in ITC although further research dealing with the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of these compounds in the new beverages should be conducted