Hygienic quality of dehydrated aromatic herbs marketed in Southern Portugal

Dehydrated aromatic herbs are highly valued ingredients, widely used at home level and by food processing industry, frequently added to a great number of recipes in the Mediterranean countries. Despite being considered low-moisture products and classified as GRAS, during pre and post-harvesting stages of production they are susceptible of microbial contamination. In Europe an increasing number of food recalls and disease outbreaks associated with dehydrated herbs have been reported in recent years. In this study the microbial quality of 99 samples of aromatic herbs (bay leaves, basil, coriander, oregano, parsley, Provence herbs, rosemary and thyme) collected from retails shops in the region of Algarve (Southern Portugal) was assessed. All the samples were tested by conventional methods and were assayed for the total count of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci and filamentous fungi. Almost 50 % of the herbs did not exceed the aerobic mesophilic level of 104 CFU/g. The fungi count regarded as unacceptable (106 CFU/g) was not found in any of the tested herbs, while 84 % of the samples ranged from ≤102 to 104 CFU/g. No sample was positive for the presence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and staphylococci. The results are in compliance with the European Commission criteria although they point out to the permanent need of surveillance on the good standards of handling/cooking practices as well as the importance of avoiding contamination at production, retailing and distribution. The microbiological hazards associated with the pathogenic and toxigenic microbiota of dried herbs remain as a relevant public health issue, due to the fact that they are added to foods not submitted to any following lethal procedure. Control measures should be adopted in order to ensure that all phases of their supply chain respect the food safety standards.FCT: UID/BIA/04325/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Association of herd BRSV and BHV-1 seroprevalence with respiratory disease and reproductive performance in adult dairy cattle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to detect the associations between bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) status of a herd and respiratory disease (BRD) occurrence and reproductive performance in pregnant heifers and cows. The association between management-related factors and higher BRD occurrence was also estimated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Serum samples, collected from cows and youngstock from 103 dairy cattle herds, were analyzed for antibodies against BHV-1, bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), and <it>Mycoplasma bovis</it>. A questionnaire was used to collect data concerning herd management factors and reproductive performance, as well as the occurrence of clinical signs of respiratory disease in the last two years, as evaluated by the veterinarian or farm manager. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify and quantify the risk factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A low to moderate prevalence (1-49%) of BRSV antibodies among youngstock was associated with a high occurrence of respiratory disease (OR = 6.2, p = 0.010) in cows and in-calf heifers. Employees of the farm may participate in the spread of such disease. Larger herd size, loose-housing of cows, housing youngstock separately from cows until pregnancy, and purchasing new animals were factors possibly related to a high occurrence of respiratory disease symptoms in pregnant heifers and cows. The highest risk of abortions (> 1.3%) and increased insemination index (number of inseminations per pregnancy) (> 1.9) occurred in herds with a moderate prevalence of BHV-1 antibodies (1-49%) in cows.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>BHV-1 was not associated with acute respiratory disease in adult dairy cattle, however was significantly related to reproductive performance. BRSV possesses the main role in respiratory disease complex in adult dairy cattle.</p

Ontwikkeling van een model om de aanwezigheid van mycotoxinen op tarwe, mais en noten in te schatten volgens een holistische benadering

De belangrijkste factoren om de aanwezigheid van mycotoxinen in voedingsmiddelen te kunnen voorspellen zijn: weersomstandigheden (zoals temperatuur en luchtvochtigheid), landbouwkundige factoren (zoals gewasrotatie en grondbewerking) en factoren in de voedselketen (zoals het drogen van de gewassen en opslagcondities). Mycotoxinen zijn giftige chemische stoffen die door schimmels worden geproduceerd en in verschillende voedingsmiddelen terecht kunnen komen. Het Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) en Wageningen Universiteit en Researchcentrum (Wageningen UR) hebben een conceptmodel ontwikkeld waarmee de aanwezigheid van mycotoxinen op tarwe, mais en noten kan worden geschat. Om consumenten tegen mycotoxinen te kunnen beschermen is het noodzakelijk om een mogelijke besmetting met schimmels zo vroeg mogelijk te ontdekken. Overheidsorganisaties en het bedrijfsleven kunnen het model als hulpmiddel hierbij gebruiken. Bij de ontwikkeling van dit conceptmodel is onderzocht welke factoren binnen en buiten de voedselketen gebruikt kunnen worden als indicatoren voor de aanwezigheid van mycotoxinen op tarwe, mais en noten. Hiervoor zijn interviews en een workshop met deskundigen uit verschillende invalshoeken gehouden. Met deze inzichten is een concept 'stoplicht'-model ontwikkeld dat de mate van het risico op de aanwezigheid van mycotoxinen aangeeft door middel van een rood (hoog risico), geel (gemiddeld risico) of groen (laag risico) signaal. In een vervolgstudie zal het voorspellende vermogen van het conceptmodel verder worden onderzocht.The most important factors for the prediction of the occurrence of mycotoxins in food include weather conditions (such as temperature and atmospheric humidity), agricultural factors (such as crop rotation and soil cultivation) and factors within the food chain (such as crop drying and storage conditions). Mycotoxins are toxic chemical compounds produced by fungi that can occur in various foodstuffs. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Wageningen University and Research Centre (Wageningen UR) have developed a blueprint of a model to assess the risk of occurrence of re-emerging mycotoxins in wheat, maize and nuts. In order to protect consumers against mycotoxins, it is essential to detect any possible contamination with fungi at the earliest possible stage. Governmental organizations and the commercial sector can use the proposed model as an early detection tool. During the development of the model, an investigation was necessary to determine which factors, both inside and outside the food chain, could be used as indicators for the presence of mycotoxins. This investigation included interviews and a workshop with experts from various fields related to this subject. These insights have led to the development of a conceptual 'traffic light' model that indicates the risk of occurrence of mycotoxins with color signals; red indicates high risk, yellow medium risk, and green low risk. The prediction capacity of the conceptual model will be further investigated in a follow-up study.SAFE FOODS (EU 6th framework)VW