EFSA BIOHAZ Panel (EFSA Panel on Biologicial Hazards), 2013. Scientific Opinion on the public health hazards to be covered by inspection of meat (solipeds)

A risk ranking process identified Trichinella spp. as the most relevant biological hazard in the context of meat inspection of domestic solipeds. Without a full and reliable soliped traceability system, it is considered that either testing all slaughtered solipeds for Trichinella spp., or inactivation meat treatments (heat or irradiation) should be used to maintain the current level of safety. With regard to general aspects of current meat inspection practices, the use of manual techniques during current post-mortem soliped meat inspection may increase microbial cross-contamination, and is considered to have a detrimental effect on the microbiological status of soliped carcass meat. Therefore, the use of visual-only inspection is suggested for “non-suspect” solipeds. For chemical hazards, phenylbutazone and cadmium were ranked as being of high potential concern. Monitoring programmes for chemical hazards should be more flexible and based on the risk of occurrence, taking into account Food Chain Information (FCI), covering the specific on-farm environmental conditions and individual animal treatments, and the ranking of chemical substances, which should be regularly updated and include new hazards. Sampling, testing and intervention protocols for chemical hazards should be better integrated and should focus particularly on cadmium, phenylbutazone and priority “essential substances” approved for treatment of equine animals. Implementation and enforcement of a more robust and reliable identification system throughout the European Union is needed to improve traceability of domestic solipeds. Meat inspection is recognised as a valuable tool for surveillance and monitoring of animal health and welfare conditions. If visual only post-mortem inspection is implemented for routine slaughter, a reduction in the detection of strangles and mild cases of rhodococcosis would occur. However, this was considered unlikely to affect the overall surveillance of both diseases. Improvement of FCI and traceability were considered as not having a negative effect on animal health and welfare surveillance

Control of hanseniaspora osmophila and starmerella bacillaris in strawberry juice using blueberry polyphenols

The aims of the present work were to isolate and identify the principal yeasts present in spoiled Argentine strawberry juice, identify polyphenols present in four blueberry cultivars and use these blueberry extracts in the control of yeasts using strawberry juice as food system model. Hanseniaspora osmophila and Starmerella bacillaris were identified for the first time in Argentine strawberry juice. The blueberry extracts assayed showed antifungal activity against H. osmophila and S. bacillaris through individual phenolic compounds such as quercetin, kaempferol and chlorogenic, ρ-coumaric and ellagic acid. The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that the blueberries were not toxic to humans and that they did not modify the sensorial qualities of strawberry juice. No viable S. bacillaris and H. osmophila cells were detected after 7 days in strawberry juice supplemented with 150 µg/ml Blue Crisp or Millennium extract, inoculated with the isolated spoilage yeasts and conserved at 4 °C. This is the first evidence of S. bacillaris and H. osmophila in spoiled Argentine strawberry juice and blueberry extracts could be a good natural and non-toxic alternative to prevent growth of these yeasts. Blueberry extracts could be feasible alternatives to improve the microbiological quality without impact on the organoleptic properties of polyphenol-enriched strawberry juice.Fil: Vallejo, Claudia Veronica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Delgado, Osvaldo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca; ArgentinaFil: Rollan, Graciela Celestina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Vaquero, Maria Jose. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentin