Role of Broiler Carcasses and Processing Plant Air in Contamination of Modified-Atmosphere-Packaged Broiler Products with Psychrotrophic Lactic Acid Bacteria

Some psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are specific meat spoilage organisms in modified-atmosphere-packaged (MAP), cold-stored meat products. To determine if incoming broilers or the production plant environment is a source of spoilage LAB, a total of 86, 122, and 447 LAB isolates from broiler carcasses, production plant air, and MAP broiler products, respectively, were characterized using a library of HindIII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the 16 and 23S rRNA genes as operational taxonomic units in numerical analyses. Six hundred thirteen LAB isolates from the total of 655 clustered in 29 groups considered to be species specific. Sixty-four percent of product isolates clustered either with Carnobacterium divergens or with Carnobacterium maltaromaticum type strains. The third major product-associated cluster (17% of isolates) was formed by unknown LAB. Representative strains from these three clusters were analyzed for the phylogeny of their 16S rRNA genes. This analysis verified that the two largest RFLP clusters consisted of carnobacteria and showed that the unknown LAB group consisted of Lactococcus spp. No product-associated LAB were detected in broiler carcasses sampled at the beginning of slaughter, whereas carnobacteria and lactococci, along with some other specific meat spoilage LAB, were recovered from processing plant air at many sites. This study reveals that incoming broiler chickens are not major sources of psychrotrophic spoilage LAB, whereas the detection of these organisms from the air of the processing environment highlights the role of processing facilities as sources of LAB contamination

Regional Innovation Systems: How to Assess Performance

Zabala-Iturriagagoitia J. M., Voigt P., Gutierrez-Gracia A. and Jimenez-Saez F. (2007) Regional innovation systems: how to assess performance, Regional Studies 41, 661-672. This paper applies a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to the evaluation of regional innovation system performance based on information provided by the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) for 2002 and 2003. Those European regions ranked in the EIS as showing better performance in high-technology areas are ranked somewhat differently according to DEA. The results of the present study show that the higher the technological level of a region, the greater is the need for system coordination. Where this is lacking there is a loss of performance efficiency compared with other similar regions. Policy-making in relation to Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) has in the past depended on systemic analysis. Here, a methodology is proposed that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to enrich the knowledge base for future policy decision-making. Zabala-Iturriagagoitia J. M., Voigt P., Gutierrez-Gracia A. et Jimenez-Saez F. (2007) Les systemes d'innovation regionaux: comment evaluer la performance, Regional Studies 41, 661-672. A partir des donnees pour 2002 et 2003 fournies par le European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), cet article applique la methodologie de la Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) a l'evaluation de la performance des systemes d'innovation regionaux. Il en resulte que le classement des regions d'Europe dont le rang selon l'EIS laisse voir une meilleure performance dans les secteurs a la pointe de la technologie, s'avere differente selon la DEA. Les resultats de cette etude montrent que plus une region est a la pointe de la technologie, plus les systemes devraient etre coordonnes. A defaut de cette coordination, la performance manque d'efficacite par rapport a d'autres regions similaires. Dans le passe, la mise au point de la politique pour ce qui est des Regional Innovation Systems (RIS - des systemes d'innovation regionaux) dependait de l'analyse du systeme. On propose ici une methodologie qui associe des analyses a la fois quantitatives et qualitatives afin d'enrichir la base de connaissance quant a la future prise de decision. Systemes d'innovation regionaux (RIS); Efficacite; Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Zabala-ITURRAGAGOITIA J. M., Voigt P., Gutierrez-Gracia A. und Jimenez-Saez F. (2007) Regionale Innovationssysteme: Methoden zur Bewertung der Leistung, Regional Studies 41, 661-672. In diesem Beitrag wird die Methodologie der Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) anhand der Informationen des Europaischen Innovationsanzeigers (EIS) fur 2002 und 2003 zur Bewertung der Leistung von regionalen Innovationssystemen eingesetzt. Wir fanden heraus, dass die europaischen Regionen, die im EIS fur Bereiche der Hochtechnologie als leistungsfahiger eingestuft wurden, in der DEA etwas anders abschneiden. Aus den Ergebnissen unserer Studie geht hervor, dass bei einem hoheren technologischen Niveau einer Region auch der Bedarf an Systemkoordination wachst. Wenn diese Koordination fehlt, geht im Vergleich zu anderen, ahnlichen Regionen Leistungseffizienz verloren. Politische Entscheidungen im Zusammenhang mit regionalen Innovationssystemen hingen bisher von Systemanalysen ab. Hier schlagen wir eine Methodologie vor, in der quantitative mit qualitativen Analysen kombiniert werden, um den Wissensschatz fur kunftige politische Entscheidungen zu bereichern. Regionale Innovationssysteme; Effizienz; Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Zabala-Iturriagagoitia J. M., Voigt P., Gutierrez-Gracia A. y Jimenez-Saez F. (2007) Sistemas regionales de innovacion: Como evaluar el desempeno, Regional Studies 41, 661-672. En este ensayo aplicamos la metodologia del analisis envolvente de datos (AED) para evaluar el desempeno de los sistemas regional de innovacion basandonos en informacion proporcionada por los indicadores de la innovacion europea, conocido como European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) para el 2002 y el 2003. Observamos que las regiones europeas que segun el EIS muestran un mejor desempeno en areas de alta tecnologia, se clasifican de modo diferente en el AED. Los resultados de nuestro estudio indican que cuanto mayor es el nivel tecnologico de una region, mas necesario es coordinar los sistemas. Cuando esta coordinacion no existe ocurre una perdida de la eficiencia en el rendimiento comparado con otras regiones similares. Antes la elaboracion de politicas con relacion a los Sistemas Regional de Innovacion (RIS) dependia de analisis sistematicos. Aqui proponemos una metodologia que combina analisis cuantitativos y cualitativos para enriquecer la base de conocimiento que sirva para tomar decisiones politicas en el futuro. Sistemas Regional de Innovacion (RIS); Eficiencia; Analisis envolvente de datos (AED)Regional Innovation Systems (RIS), Efficiency, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA),