Classification of bovine carcasses: New biometric remote sensing tools

Slaughtering plants approved by the European Union have specific processes to guarantee that beef carcasses or halfcarcasses, of no less than eight months of age, are provided with health mark and then classified and identified according to the EU carcass classification grid. This classification is based on three criteria: i) Category, ii) Conformation (SEUROP) and iii) Fat Cover (FC). At the end of the classification process each carcass is given a code, consisting of two letters and a number: this operation is called Identification. The aim of our study was to evaluate how the European beef carcass quality classification is determined according to the experience of the personnel involved, then comparing the results with those yielded by the Android platform application. West Systems, through its West-Zootech division, has developed an Android platform application (SEUROP APP) that allows SEUROP and FC classification with a smart-phone. The photo taken with the smart-phone will yield the necessary angular parameters to determine the conformation class depending on the animal’s muscular mass and based on the convexity of some areas on the half-carcass. It also evaluates the ratio between surface of lean tissue and total carcass surface in order to determine the fat cover and complete the classification. The SEUROP APP was able to obtain objective measurements for as much as 84% of the assessments made during the research and development phase

EVALUATION ON MGO OCCURRENCE IN APULIAN HONEY

Honey is a natural product highly appreciated for its sweet taste and for its nutritional and therapeutic properties on human health such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and bacteriostatic effects [1]. Biological effects of the honey are determined by its particular physico-chemical composition. In recent years, the researchers' attention has focused on a particular substance contained in some types of honey, the methylglyoxal (MGO), present in high levels of up to 800 mg/Kg in Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey [2], identified like the component responsible for the pronounced “non peroxide” antibacterial activity [3]. Furthermore, MGO is used as a parameter for the authentication of Manuka honey. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of MGO in citrus honey collected in Apulia Region (SE, Italy) to establish relative concentrations and to recognize if this substance is useful to characterize this product. A total of 30 citrus honey samples were collected during the year 2017 from Apulian beekeepers. The samples were analyzed in triplicate in HPLC-UV with the method proposed by Mavric et al. [2] with some modifications. The results revealed low concentrations of MGO in citrus honey, ranging from 0.3 to 7 mg/kg. Although other authors observed appreciable MGO concentrations in non-Manuka honeys [4], for the Apulian citrus honeys this compound is not a suitable tool for the characterization of the geographical and botanical origin

La classificazione delle carcasse bovine: nuovi metodi di telerilevamento biometrico

In Europa la classificazione delle carcasse è uno strumento della Politica Agricola Comune (PAC) e dell'Organizzazione Comune dei Mercati (OCM) destinato a sostenere e stabilizzare i mercati, contrastare le turbative e gli eventi che rischiano di mettere in crisi le produzioni attraverso la messa a punto di processi nelle transazioni commerciali. Gli impianti di macellazione riconosciuti dell'Unione Europea, ai sensi dell'articolo 4 del regolamento (CE) n. 853/2004 del Parlamento europeo, adottano processi precisi al fine di garantire che carcasse o mezzene di bovini, di età non inferiore a otto mesi siano muniti di bollo sanitario e quindi classificate e identificate in conformità alla tabella unionale di classificazione delle carcasse (Reg. (UE) n. 1182/2017, capo 1, allegato I). Pertanto, tale classificazione si basa su tre criteri: (i) attribuzione della “Categoria”, (ii) della “Conformazione” (SEUROP) e (iii) dello “Stato di Ingrassamento” (SI). Alla fine del processo di classificazione, a ogni carcassa è attribuito un codice, costituito da due lettere e un numero, operazione che prende il nome di “Identificazione”. Gli Stati Membri provvedono affinché la classificazione sia eseguita da addetti qualificati in possesso di licenza e/o mediante metodi di classificazione autorizzata, che prevedano l’uso di tecniche automatizzate, semi-automatizzate o manuali. In tal senso la società “West System”, con la sua divisione “West-Zootech”, ha sviluppato un applicativo su piattaforma Android (APP SEUROP) che consente, attraverso l’uso di uno smartphone, di ottenere una classificazione della conformazione (SEUROP) e dello stato d’ingrassamento (SI). Tale applicativo permette di scattare una foto della carcassa e andare a determinare parametri angolari necessari alla determinazione della classe di “conformazione”, legata alla massa muscolare dell'animale, valutata in base alla convessità di alcune regioni della mezzena. Allo stesso modo consente di valutare il rapporto fra superficie di massa magra e superficie totale della carcassa al fine di determinare lo “Stato di Ingrassamento” e completare così la classificazione. Durante la fase di ricerca e sviluppo, l'APP SEUROP (brevetto n. 141352 del 23/01/2015) è stata in grado di ottenere misurazioni oggettive, ben nell’84% delle valutazioni fatte. Lo scopo del nostro studio era compiere una valutazione sulla differente determinazione della classificazione europea di qualità (SEUROP e SI) delle carcasse bovine in relazione all'esperienza del personale coinvolto (esperienza >5 anni ed esperienza <5 anni), confrontando i risultati con quelli elaborati dall'applicativo su piattaforma Android (APP SEUROP). Lo sviluppo di tali strumenti ha la finalità di ottenere una classificazione sempre più oggettiva e accurata, diminuendo gli errori e le frodi, e superando l'ostacolo dovuto all'inadeguatezza delle valutazioni eseguite ad occhio nudo, evidentemente empiriche e poco precise

SIMULTANEOUS QUANTITATIVE DETECTION OF ANTIBIOTICS FROM APULIAN HONEY USING A BIOCHIP MULTI-ARRAY TECHNOLOGY

Antimicrobial compounds are used in food production to treat or prevent animal diseases. Antibiotics potentially present in honey are inappropriate, even presenting risks to human health. For this reason, the use of antimicrobial compounds in food-producing animals was banned or restricted by many countries and no market authorisation may be obtained without MRLs (Maximum Residue Limits) [1]. On the other hand, no MRLs were set for honey and then only honeys free of antibiotics may be sold in the EU countries. In fact, the use of antibiotics for the treatment of honey bees is illegal in the EU, but due to the high import quota from non-EU countries, contaminated honey products may be found on the European markets [2]. The extensive use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine represented a potential hazard for human health; they may produce residues in foodstuffs causing allergic reactions, toxic effects, antibiotic resistance and damage to the central nervous system [3]. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of antibiotics in Apulian honey through the Antimicrobial array II (AM II) method. Sixty-six honey samples of nine floral origins were divided into two groups, based on the year of production. The first group, consisting of twenty-four samples of Apulian honey, was produced in 2016 while, the second one, consisting of forty-two samples, was composed by Apulian honey produced during the year 2017. Among the sixty-six honeys analysed, as many as forty pointed out the presence of antibiotics, although many samples showed values of antibiotics lower than the limits quantifiable by the instrument. Regarding the year of production, a different use of the antibiotic substances was evident between the two years monitored. In fact, among the 24 honey samples of the year 2016, only 2 showed positivity to quinolones, however, in quantities slightly higher than the limits of quantification by the instrument. On the other hand, among the 42 honey samples collected during the year 2017, 38 highlighted the presence of at least one of the six classes of antibiotics. Local controls should be further investigated because honey, which is generally considered a natural and healthy product [4] and always widely requested on the market, may itself become a risk for the consumer health. Considering that the new EU Regulations place the consumer health as the main objective to achieve in the food chain, it is essential to check that the ban on the use of antibiotics in beekeeping practices is respected, introducing more and easy controls to ensure not only the health of the consumer but also the health of the bees themselves

Simultaneous Quantitative Detection of Six Families of Antibiotics in Honey Using A Biochip Multi-Array Technology

Chemical residues of veterinary drugs such as streptomycin, chloramphenicol, macrolides, sulphonamides, tetracyclines, quinolones and aminoglycosides and other contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals have been found in honey, leading to concerns for human health. Indeed, there is a growing interest in their presence and persistence in the environment because low levels of antibiotics may favour the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Moreover, antibiotics present in honey may produce residues in foodstuffs, causing adverse effects on humans such as allergic reactions, toxic effects and damage to the central nervous systems. For food and health/safety reasons, antibiotic drugs are not authorized for the treatment of honey bees in the EU, even though these antimicrobial drugs have been approved in many third-party countries. For this reason, contaminated honey products can still be found in European markets. Therefore, there is a need to develop a precise, accurate and sensitive analytical method that may be used to simply and rapidly detect these compounds in honey. The aim of our study was to detect the presence of antibiotics in Apulian honey using the Anti-Microbial array II (AM II) as an innovative screening method to test the health quality of honey and honey products

Occurrence of antibiotic residues in Apulian honey: potential risk of environmental pollution by antibiotics

The presence of antibiotic residues in honey is widely documented and is attributed almost exclusively to improper beekeeping practices, due to the frequent use of drugs for the treatment of beehive diseases. Therefore, the aim of our research was to evaluate the presence of antibiotics in honeycomb using the Anti-Microbial Array II (AM II) and IV (AM IV) method and to assess the relationship between environmental context and antibiotic residues in honey. The results show the presence of antibiotic residues in 26/50 honey from brood nests samples, confirming the impact of environmental contamination on the health quality of this food product. In addition, subsequent analyses conducted on positive samples reveal the instability over time of antimicrobial molecules in honey. These results highlight the need for further studies in order to understand all likely sources of contamination and to implement a comprehensive safety management plan for honey

Occurrence and characterization of Arcobacter spp. from ready-to-eat vegetables produced in Southern Italy

Given that the number of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat vegetables has been widely documented and considering that data on the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. in such foodstuffs are lacking, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of Arcobacter spp. and the occurrence of virulence factors as well as to genotype Arcobacter spp. in ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable samples, using cultural and biomolecular assays. Arcobacter spp. was detected in 16/110 (14.5%) samples, with A. butzleri being detected in 15/16 and A. cryaerophilus in 1/16 isolates. PCRs aimed at the nine putative virulence genes demonstrated widespread distribution of such genes among A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus isolates. In addition, multilocus sequence type (MLST) analysis revealed a low genetic diversity within the arcobacters isolates. The results underline the need to develop an appropriate surveillance system based on biomolecular characterization for an integrated microbiological risk assessment of ready-toeat vegetables, and consequently of composite foods