53 research outputs found
Is EU regulation on the use of antioxidants in meat preparation and in meat products still cutting edge?
The use of antioxidants in meat preparation and meat products is highly debated. Regulations define the use of antioxidants mostly in terms of the age-old subdivision between meat preparations and meat products. Best practices are not well represented in regulations. Antioxidants for foodstuffs during processing or before packing protect colour, aroma and nutrient content. As regards food safety regulations, long-term efforts have been made in terms of food standards, food control systems, food legislation and regulatory approaches. These have, however, generated several questions on how to apply the law to diverse food businesses. To answer these questions, a thorough examination of the EU legislator’s choices for food additives and definitions is provided and discussed in relation to factors affecting microbial growth. The paper highlights the regulatory aspects along with the correct application and interpretation of the norms.https://link.springer.com/journal/2172021-01-07hj2020Paraclinical Science
The importance of the slaughterhouse in surveilling animal and public health : a systematic review
From the point of public health, the objective of the slaughterhouse is to guarantee the safety
of meat in which meat inspection represent an essential tool to control animal diseases and guarantee
the public health. The slaughterhouse can be used as surveillance center for livestock diseases.
However, other aspects related with animal and human health, such as epidemiology and disease
control in primary production, control of animal welfare on the farm, surveillance of zoonotic agents
responsible for food poisoning, as well as surveillance and control of antimicrobial resistance, can be
monitored. These controls should not be seen as a last defensive barrier but rather as a complement
to the controls carried out on the farm. Regarding the control of diseases in livestock, scientific
research is scarce and outdated, not taking advantage of the potential for disease control. Animal
welfare in primary production and during transport can be monitored throughout ante-mortem and
post-mortem inspection at the slaughterhouse, providing valuable individual data on animal welfare.
Surveillance and research regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at slaughterhouses is scarce,
mainly in cattle, sheep, and goats. However, most of the zoonotic pathogens are sensitive to the
antibiotics studied. Moreover, the prevalence at the slaughterhouse of zoonotic and foodborne agents
seems to be low, but a lack of harmonization in terms of control and communication may lead to
underestimate its real prevalence.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vetsciParaclinical Science
Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes by a formulation of selected dairy starter cultures and probiotics in an in vitro model
Three strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and a commercial probiotic were selected to evaluate their in vitro activity towards Listeria monocytogenes. The strains Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, strain 340, L. lactis ssp. lactis, strain 16; Lactobacillus casei ssp. casei, strain 208 and Enterococcus faecium UBEF-41 were inoculated into skim milk and brain heart infusion broth (BHI) to get an initial Lactococcus: Lactobacillus: E. faecium UBEF-41 ratio of 2:1:1 and a concentration of approximately 7 log cfu mL−1 until challenge vs. pathogen. L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 was also inoculated in same media to get approximately 4 log cfu mL−1. Growth curves in skim milk and BHI at 4, 10 and 30 °C, respectively were studied for: (i) LAB formulation; (ii) L. monocytogenes and (iii) LAB vs. L. monocytogenes. When challenged with LAB, at 30 °C in milk, L. monocytogenes was not detectable after day-3 and in BHI it decreased below log cfu mL−1 after day-5. At 10 and 4 °C, in both media, L. monocytogenes counts were always significantly lower (p < .001) than the counts of L. monocytogenes alone from day-2 for milk at 4 °C and BHI at 10 °C and from day-7 for BHI at 4 °C and milk at 10 °C. In conclusion, the proposed formulation was able to limit L. monocytogenes in vitro growth, even at refrigeration temperature
Determining food stability to achieve food security
Food security, as part as public health protection, constitutes one of the main objectives for
countries aiming to ensure the health of all their citizens. However, food security is compromised
worldwide by conflict, political instability, or economic crises, both in developed and developing
countries. Conversely, because of the importance of agriculture to the economies of rural areas both
in developed and developing countries, this sector can contribute to improving food stability, as well
as to furthering food security. Thus, livestock and traditional meat products represent a key factor
in ensuring food availability. Overall, biosecurity measures improve animal welfare by decreasing
the occurrence of diseases that compromise the stability by causing fluctuations in the availability of
meat and animal-derived food products such as milk, eggs, or traditional fermented products. As a
consequence, an absence of biosecurity measures affects food security (in its quantitative definition,
as described above) as well as the productive, sanitary, and environmental sustainability of the
rural environment. Products of animal origin support local trade and the regional economy, while
contributing to the availability of foods without great external dependence. The manufacture of
foods of animal origin aims to create products that are durable and that maintain food availability
for long periods of time, even during seasons with scarce resources. Thus, dry-cured or fermented
meat products play an important role in food availability. Food security also refers to food access
under healthy economic conditions; therefore, knowledge of the main tools that guarantee the safety
of these kinds of food products is essential to achieving food stability and further food securityThe Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainabilitydm2022Paraclinical Science
New trends in meat packaging
The term ‘packaging’ refers to the technological intervention aimed at the protection of food
from a variety of factors, which provokes the product detriment. Packaging is considered as one of
the most interesting technological aspects and a constantly evolving issue in food production.
This paper aims at the evaluation of the properties of packaging currently used in the meat
industry and analyses the advantages, the disadvantages and the microbiota involved. Packaging is
a coordinated system, which prepares the products for transportation, distribution, storage, marketing
and consumption. Even if several packaging alternatives are proposed, the common purpose is to
guarantee high standards, yet maintaining the required characteristics as long as possible. Meat is
a dynamic system with a limited shelf-life and the nutritional and sensory properties may change
during storage due to microbial activity and physical or chemical changes. Microbial spoilage,
for instance, determines an impact in meat, producing unattractive odours, flavours, discolouration,
gas and slime.EFSAam2021Paraclinical Science
Effect of culling management practices on the seroprevalence of Johne’s disease in Holstein dairy cattle in central Italy
A study was performed in Umbria, central Italy, to find out whether different culling strategies
adopted by farms to control Johne’s disease (JD) infection exerted effects on the seroprevalence
in dairy cattle. Fifty Fresian dairy herds in the Perugia and Assisi districts were visited and an audit
of herd management was conducted. Among the 50 herds, 20 were selected for the consistency of
management practices and, according to the culling strategy, two groups were created: group A
(aggressive culling protocol, with average herd productive life <1100 days) and group B (lower culling
rate, with productive life greater than 1500 days). The presence of antibodies to Mycobacterium avium
subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) in the serum was determined using a commercial enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. It was found that 3.3% (n = 14) of the cows of group B (n = 422,
from 17 herds) were positive for Map antibodies, in comparison with 5.7% (n = 21) of the cows from
group A (n = 366, from three herds). The odds ratio from multiple logistic regression (adjusted
odds ratio 2.446, 95% confidence interval 0.412 to 14.525) showed that Johne’s disease prevalence in
herds with a greater productive life was not higher than in herds with typical modern management
characterized by more aggressive culling. This is a significant finding, indicating that aggressive
culling may not be necessary. Current JD control recommendations are derived from data obtained in
high-prevalence paratuberculosis areas (northern Europe, including northern Italy), while methods
of information transfer to dairy farms in low-prevalence areas should be reassessed to ensure that
the correct measures, including basic calving management and calf-rearing practices, are thoroughly
implemented. Using the manufacturer’s suggested cut-off for a positive ELISA test and the sensitivity
and specificity claimed, the overall true prevalence in Umbria dairy cattle was calculated as 7% (95%
confidence interval 5.2% to 8.8%).European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vetsciam2023Paraclinical Science
- …