Agro-materials : a bibliographic review

Facing the problems of plastic recycling and fossil resources exhaustion, the use of biomass to conceive new materials appears like a reasonable solution. Two axes of research are nowadays developed : on the one hand the synthesis of biodegradable plastics, whichever the methods may be, on the other hand the utilization of raw biopolymers, which is the object of this paper. From this perspective, the “plastic” properties of natural polymers, the caracteristics of the different classes of polymers, the use of charge in vegetable matrix and the possible means of improving the durability of these agro-materials are reviewed

Wine authenticity and traceability

This chapter deals with authenticity of wine, this issue has been extensively investigated because wine is an easily adulterated product, due to its strong chemical basis (high alcohol content, low pH) and its availability throughout the world. Therefore reliable and occasionally complicated techniques have to be applied in conjunction with multivariate analysis in order to ensure wine authenticity. Most of the classical (HPLC, GC-MS) and novel (FT-IR, NMR, AAS, DNA-based, PCR) techniques applied in wine authenticity are thoroughly reviewed in this chapter. The importance of ISO22005 (traceability standard) is also highlighted and an application of it is presented. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Role of Auditing, Food Safety, and Food Quality Standards in the Food Industry: A Review

Food safety and quality audits are used widely in the food industry for various reasons (to evaluate management systems, obtain certifications to certain food safety and quality standards, assess the condition of premises and products, confirm legal compliance, and so on). Nowadays, the increased interest of consumers on food safety and quality matters, triggered mainly by recent food scandals, has enabled the public and private food sectors to develop a variety of food safety and quality standards. These standards have both advantages and disadvantages and their effectiveness depends on several factors such as the competency and skills of auditors and the standard used in each case. Although the industry continuously invests in developing and improving these systems, the number of foodborne outbreaks per year appears to be quite stable in both Europe and the United States. This may be an indication that additional measures and techniques or a different approach would be required to further improve the effectiveness of the food safety and quality management systems. This article examines the role of audits and food safety and quality assessment systems in the food industry, presenting the results of several studies and briefly describing the main food safety and quality standards currently used in Europe (with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom and Greece), the U.S., Australia–New Zealand, and Asia. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists

Health risks of genetically modified foods

As genetically modified (GM) foods are starting to intrude in our diet concerns have been expressed regarding GM food safety. These concerns as well as the limitations of the procedures followed in the evaluation of their safety are presented. Animal toxicity studies with certain GM foods have shown that they may toxically affect several organs and systems. The review of these studies should not be conducted separately for each GM food, but according to the effects exerted on certain organs it may help us create a better picture of the possible health effects on human beings. The results of most studies with GM foods indicate that they may cause some common toxic effects such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal, or reproductive effects and may alter the hematological, biochemical, and immunologic parameters. However, many years of research with animals and clinical trials are required for this assessment. The use of recombinant GH or its expression in animals should be re-examined since it has been shown that it increases IGF-1 which may promote cancer. © Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Functional bioactive dairy ingredients

[No abstract available

Audit results of UK meat companies – critical analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the results of several food safety audits carried out by the Food Standards Agency in meat and poultry-processing companies and slaughterhouses in the UK and audits in aquacultures carried out by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Marine Scotland. Design/methodology/approach: Specifically, both a quantitative and a qualitative review were carried out. Findings: It was revealed that in meat and poultry companies, the highest average proportion of major non-conformities (MNCs) within the total number of companies was recorded in slaughterhouses, while based on the type of product, the corresponding percentage of MNCs was found in poultry companies. Both in meat/poultry companies and aquacultures, small-sized companies presented the highest average percentage of MNCs. It was also revealed that a very high percentage of MNCs and minor non-conformities were recorded in relation to “record keeping.” Research limitations/implications: The limitations of the present study can be summarized into the fact that although a high number of audit reports were taken into account, and record keeping and past actions were reviewed as part of the audits, the audit represents only a snapshot in time and can heavily depend on the skills of the auditors. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is very limited literature available that analyzes the results of audits and looks for trends in the food industry in the UK. The conclusions of this study can be of significant value to both the auditors and the industry by enabling a more targeted approach in the conduction of audits. © 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited

Irradiation treatments

Numerous factors (e.g., growth of pathogenic microorganisms) affect the preservation and safety of slightly processed foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits. There is an increasing trend to centrally process fresh fruits and vegetables, properly packaged, for distribution and marketing. Ionizing irradiation as a nonthermal technology proved to be effective in reducing postharvest losses, and controlling insects and microorganisms in stored products. Irradiation demonstrated to be extremely beneficial in terms of extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by 3-5 times. In order not to expose fruits and vegetables to high irradiation doses, another approach is to use the “hurdle technology,” that is, to apply more than one technology toward better quality and longer shelf life. This chapter summarizes all the results obtained in this field on fruits and vegetables and provides an insight into the various methods for the detection of irradiated foods. © 2018 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC