Search results for "Food Contamination"
showing 10 items of 280 documents
Incorporation of nisin in poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) films by melt processing: a study on the antimicrobial properties
2011
Both industry and academia have shown a growing interest in materials with antimicrobial properties suitable for food packaging applications. In this study, we prepared and characterized thin films of ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer with antimicrobial properties. The films were prepared with a film blowing process by incorporating a nisin preparation as an antimicrobial agent in the melt. Two grades of EVA containing 14 and 28% (wt/wt) vinyl acetate (EVA 14 and EVA 28, respectively) and two commercial formulations of nisin with different nominal activities were used. The effect of the nisin concentration also was evaluated. The films with the highest antimicrobial activity were th…
Novel silver-based nanoclay as an antimicrobial in polylactic acid food packaging coatings.
2010
This paper presents a comprehensive performance study of polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites, obtained by solvent casting, containing a novel silver-based antimicrobial layered silicate additive for use in active food packaging applications. The silver-based nanoclay showed strong antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative Salmonella spp. Despite the fact that no exfoliation of the silver-based nanoclay in PLA was observed, as suggested by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) experiments, the additive dispersed nicely throughout the PLA matrix to a nanoscale, yielding nanobiocomposites. The films were highly transparent with enhanced water barrier …
Incidence of enterotoxigenic staphylococci and their toxins in foods
2002
Of 504 food samples collected from cafeterias, 19 (3.8%) yielded strains of enterotoxigenic staphylococci, and 10 (52.6%), 4 (21.1%), 3 (15.8%), and 2 (10.5%) of these strains produced enterotoxins C (SEC), D (SED), B (SEB), and A (SEA), respectively. Moreover, SEA, SEB, and SEC were isolated from three hamburger samples. Of 181 food samples collected from four restaurants before the implementation of the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system, 7 (3.9%) were found to contain enterotoxigenic strains, and SED, SEC, and SEA were produced by 4 (57.1%), 2 (28.6%), and 1 (14.3%) of these strains, respectively. One meatball sample with SEC was detected in a restaurant. After the…
Presence of mycotoxins in ready-to-eat food and subsequent risk assessment
2018
Abstract A study on a set of ready-to-eat meals (n = 328) based on cereals, legumes, vegetables, fish and meat was carried out to determine the natural presence of twenty-seven mycotoxins by both liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry in tandem (MS/MS) after QuEChERS extraction. The occurrence of mycotoxins was headed by cereal samples with 35% of samples contaminated by at least one mycotoxin followed by vegetables (32%), legumes (15%) and lastly, 9% of fish and meat samples were contaminated. DON was the most detected mycotoxin in vegetables, meat, fish and cereals with an incidence of 13% 18% 19% and 60%, respectively, and the highest mean levels were foun…
Co-occurrence and risk assessment of mycotoxins in food and diet from Mediterranean area.
2012
The contents of 14 mycotoxins were studied in samples of different cereals and cereal products from four countries of the Mediterranean region. Two hundred and sixty-five samples from Spain, Italy, Morocco and Tunisia were analysed. Samples were extracted with matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a triple quadrupole mass analyser. The percentage of total samples contaminated was 53%. The frequency of contaminated samples from Spain, Italy, Tunisia and Morocco was 33%, 52%, 96% and 50%, respectively. Nivalenol and beauvericin were the most predominant mycotoxins. This is the first international report to study the presence…
Consumption of spices and ethnic contamination in the daily diet of Italians - consumers’ preferences and modification of eating habits
2021
AbstractCurrently, consumers appear to have diversified characteristics with regard to food tastes and consumption habits. The globalization of markets and the migration phenomenon contributed to the modification of food preferences of consumers who gradually introduce into their eating habits foods and recipes typical of the tradition of foreign countries. In this scenario, also in Italy, it is going to increase the use of “foreign products” with the consequent fusion of traditional cuisine techniques and recipes with ingredients that are typical of foreign countries and cultures. Foods and ingredients originally consumed in Asian or South American countries are increasingly consumed by It…
Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in stored barley grain in Spain and impact of PCR-based strategies to assess the occurrence of aflatoxigenic and ochratox…
2011
Contamination of barley by moulds and mycotoxins results in quality and nutritional losses and represents a significant hazard to the food chain. The presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in stored barley in Spain has been studied. Species-specific PCR assays were used for detection of Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. ochraceus, A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. carbonarius and A. niger aggregate in mycotoxin-positive barley samples at different incubation times (0, 1 and 2 days). Classical enumeration techniques (CFU/g) in different culture media for evaluation of Aspergillus in sections Flavi, Circumdati and Nigri were also used. O…
Interactions in dual species biofilms between Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e and several strains of Staphylococcus aureus.
2008
International audience; Six environmental isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and one collection strain were investigated for their ability to form monospecies biofilms and dual species biofilms with Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e on stainless steel coupons. All isolates were able to grow as biofilms but their ability to form monospecies biofilms differed. The population of L. monocytogenes EGD-e in dual species biofilms was not affected by the presence of S. aureus isolates except for strain CIP 53.156. The effect of L. monocytogenes EGD-e on the population of S. aureus was strain dependent: S. aureus population either increased or decreased or was not affected in the presence of L. monocytoge…
Authentication of Alicante’s Mountain cherries protected designation of origin by their mineral profile
2011
Abstract Chemometric analysis of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) data was employed to verify the origin of cherry samples of different areas of Spain: Aragon, Caceres, Castellon, Huesca and Alicante’s Mountain Protected Geographic Indication (PGI). The ability of multivariate analysis methods, such as discriminant analysis (DA), was used to achieve cherry classification from their mineral content. The study was performed using 22 variables (concentrations of Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, Ti and Te) and 23 variables (concentrations of Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr…
Design and development of heterologous competitive immunoassays for the determination of boscalid residues
2014
Boscalid is a modern agrochemical belonging to the so-called chemical class of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides. With the aim of developing rapid analytical screening methods for this relevant compound, we herein report the synthesis of new boscalid mimics and the study of their suitability for the production of polyclonal antibodies. Aliphatic spacer arms equivalent in length and composition were tethered at two different aromatic rings of the target molecular structure. These haptens, besides being used for immunization, were employed in the development of heterologous competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (cELISAs) in order to improve assay detectability. Direct and …