Since
Escherichia coli O157:H7 first emerged as a food borne pathogen in the mid 1980s, it has been linked to many cases of food poisoning across the world. While multiple sources and routes of ...transmission for this pathogen are now recognised, beef and beef products remain an important vehicle of the pathogen and continue to be linked to outbreaks across the developed world. Much research has been directed at
E. coli O157:H7 transmission, survival and control in the beef chain and this paper presents an overview of current knowledge on this pathogen in the beef chain from primary production through slaughter, processing, distribution, final preparation and cooking. In order to strategically manage
E. coli O157:H7 and to devise approaches to reduce the public health risk posed, many national and international groups have applied quantitative risk assessment techniques to model the risk posed by
E. coli O157:H7 in beef, particularly in ground/minced beef which is most often linked with infection. This paper reviews these quantitative risk assessments and their application in managing the risk posed by
E. coli O157:H7 in beef.
Background. Inorganic pollutants in milk and beef are of major public health concern; however, information in Africa is still limited due to low food safety monitoring practices. In this study, we ...established levels of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) in milk and beef and obtained the estimated daily intake (EDI) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) as measures of risk to the Ugandan population. Materials and Methods. This was a cross-sectional study in which a total of 40 samples of milk and beef were collected from Bushenyi district in southwestern Uganda. Samples were analyzed by atomic absorbance spectrophotometer, and the EDI and ILCR were computed using the US EPA reference values. Results and Discussion. Heavy metal concentrations were highest in the order of Zn > Fe > Pb > Cu in milk samples, while in beef samples, concentrations were highest in the order of Zn > Pb > Fe > Cu and no Cd was detected. Furthermore, beef had significantly higher (P<0.05) Pb and Fe concentrations than milk. The EDI was highest in children, and this was followed by very high ILCR levels, showing that milk and beef are not safe for children in Uganda. Bearing in mind that a high HI was shown, beef and milk from these regions are not recommended for consumption especially by children although more studies remain to be conducted. Conclusion. Heavy metals in milk and beef of Uganda may predispose the indigenous community to cancer and other health-related illnesses, showing a need for improved food safety screening to promote food safety.
Antibiotics are of great importance for the preservation of ejaculates for livestock breading. The use of antibiotics, however, is not an appropriate compensation for a lack of hygiene standards in ...artificial insemination (AI) centres. Sophisticated hygiene management and the proper identification of hygienic critical control points (HCCPs) at AI centres provide the basis for counteracting the development of antibiotic resistance in contaminant bacteria and their settlement in AI centres. In recent years, efforts have been made to use antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the preservation of boar semen. Investigations have included the testing of synthetic magainin derivatives and cyclic hexapeptides. One prerequisite for the application of AMPs is that they have a minor impact on eukaryotic cells. Bacterial selectivity, proteolytic stability, thermodynamic resistance, and mechanisms including synergistic interaction with conventional antibiotics have made cyclic hexapeptides highly promising candidates for potential application as peptide antibiotics for semen preservation.
Food safety is essential in mass catering. In Europe, Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 requires food business operators to put in place, implement and maintain permanent procedures based on Hazard ...Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. Each HACCP plan is specifically implemented for the processing plant and processing methods and requires a systematic collection of data on the incidence, elimination, prevention, and reduction of risks. In this five-year-study, the effectiveness of the HACCP plan of a University canteen was verified through periodic internal auditing and microbiological monitoring of meals, small equipment, cooking tools, working surfaces, as well as hands and white coats of the canteen staff. The data obtained revealed no safety risks for the consumers, since Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were never detected; however, a quite discontinuous microbiological quality of meals was revealed. The fluctuations in the microbial loads of mesophilic aerobes, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and sulphite-reducing clostridia were mainly ascribed to inadequate handling or processing procedures, thus suggesting the need for an enhancement of staff training activities and for a reorganization of tasks. Due to the wide variety of the fields covered by internal auditing, the full conformance to all the requirements was never achieved, though high scores, determined by assigning one point to each answer which matched with the requirements, were achieved in all the years.
As a result of advancement in Technology, the densification of Survey Control Points (SCP) has become very easy. There has been some Survey Control Points (SCP) that were established within the ...Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) campus, Ondo state, Nigeria with no intention for database storage. Goal and Objectives: This study aimed at mapping of control points distribution within the University community. The objectives include to identify and re-coordinate all existing control points in the study area, compare the result statistically and create a database in a mobile application environment. Methodology: Ground survey and Geographic Information System (GIS) methods were adopted in the study. All existing Survey Control Points (SCP) within the study area were re-coordinated with the use of South Differential Global Positioning system (DGPS) in static mode with minimum of thirty-minutes observation per station. The observed data were downloaded and processed using South GPS Processor, AutoCAD 16 and ArcGIS 10.3.1 software. Student’s T-test was used in comparing some existing and the observed coordinates. The coordinates (Northings, Easting and Height), images of Survey Control Points (SCP) location, number and nearest identifying feature gotten from the ArcGIS environment were used in building the mobile application. Also, in the process of developing the mobile application, the following programming languages were used; JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Bootstrap. Notepad++ was used in compiling the codes while IntelXDK platform was used in building, testing and debugging the mobile application. Results: The result reveals that the control points are evenly distributed within the study area. It has also contributed to the quality of geospatial data in the University environment, eliminate duplication of efforts, and provide an effective and efficient means of data accessibility through the creation of a mobile application database. The developed mobile application database is hereby recommended for adoption and update by the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, FUTA.
High-altitude Himalayan terrain exhibits extreme geometric distortion along north-facing (dilation) and south-facing (compression) slopes as observed in satellite stereo data with high look angles. ...In the present study, Cartosat-1 stereo pairs have been used for generating Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using Differential Global Positioning System based Ground Control Points. DEM quality assessment through stereoscopic visualization revealed distortions especially in E-W oriented steep valleys. The study highlights issues and challenges in DEM generation for Himalayan terrain and articulates density of editing required. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of the DEM produced showed considerable improvements after post processing.
Fish‐processing plants still face food safety (FS) challenges worldwide despite the existence of several quality assurance standards and food safety management systems/s (FSMSs). This study assessed ...performance of FSMS in fish exporting sector considering pressure from the context in which they operate. A FSMS diagnostic tool with checklist was used to assess the context, FSMS, and FS output in 9 Kenyan fish exporting companies. Majority (67%) companies operated at moderate‐ to high‐risk context but with an average performance in control and assurance activities. This situation could be insufficient to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty, and vulnerability issues in the context characteristics. Contextual risk posed by product characteristics (nature of raw materials) and chain environment characteristics was high. Risk posed by the chain environment characteristics, low power in supplier relationships, and low degree of authority in customer relationships was high. Lack of authority in relationship with suppliers would lead to high raw material risk situation. Even though cooling facilities, a key control activity, was at an advanced level, there was inadequate packaging intervention equipment which coupled with inadequate physical intervention equipment could lead to further weakened FSMS performance. For the fish companies to improve their FSMS to higher level and enhance predictability, they should base their FSMS on scientific information sources, historical results, and own experimental trials in their preventive, intervention, and monitoring systems. Specific suggestions are derived for improvements toward higher FSMS activity levels or lower risk levels in context characteristics.
Basic objective of synthesis of cam displacement functions is minimizing the acceleration and jerk of the cam-follower especially in high-speed drives. Here classical splines of 6-, 7- and 8-orders ...and
B-splines of 6- and 8-orders are taken for designing cam displacement functions. Multiple control points are introduced. Acceleration and jerk are minimized by manipulating the control point parameters. A searching procedure is adopted, based on GA and fuzzy membership function. It establishes that introduction of control points largely minimizes acceleration and jerk.
Risk analysis is increasingly promoted as a tool to support science-based decisions regarding food safety. An online survey comprising 45 questions was used to gather information on the ...implementation of food safety risk analysis within the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Professionals working in food safety in academia, government, and private sectors in Latin American and Caribbean countries were contacted by email and surveyed to assess their individual knowledge of risk analysis and perceptions of its implementation in the region. From a total of 279 participants, 97% reported a familiarity with risk analysis concepts; however, fewer than 25% were able to correctly identify its key principles. The reported implementation of risk analysis among the different professional sectors was relatively low (46%). Participants from industries in countries with a long history of trade with the United States and the European Union, such as Mexico, Brazil, and Chile, reported perceptions of a higher degree of risk analysis implementation (56, 50, and 20%, respectively) than those from the rest of the countries, suggesting that commerce may be a driver for achieving higher food safety standards. Disagreement among respondents on the extent of the use of risk analysis in national food safety regulations was common, illustrating a systematic lack of understanding of the current regulatory status of the country. The results of this survey can be used to target further risk analysis training on selected sectors and countries.
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