Journal of Food Quality and Hazards Control

1-1

Authors: Editorial

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4-10

Authors: A. Ali, A. Parisi, M.C. Conversano, A. Iannacci, F. D’Emilio, V. Mercurio, G. Normanno

Consumption of contaminated seafoods is a major cause of death and hospitalization particularly in poor and developing countries. As with other food types, seafoods are also not free of food-borne pathogens and several risk factors are associated with its consumption. Regarding seafoods, there are regulatory hygienic alerts in importing countries. This paper briefly reviews the occurrence of seafood-borne diseases and describes the most important bacterial causes of these infections. Also, major bacterial threats, the route of infection, and food safety concerns associated with seafoods consumption are explained. Several bacterial pathogens, like Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, Shigella spp., and Aeromonas spp. are considered as microbiological hazards for seafoods. These bacteria can contaminate seafood products anytime from farm to table. Some effective methods should be adopted for control and prevention of bacterial hazards in fish industry. Maintaining the microbiological water quality of domestic capture, post-harvest care, proper hygiene, etc. can minimize the bacterial hazards. Food-borne intoxications can be controlled by the proper refrigeration of seafoods and the continuous monitoring of the chill chain during the entire production process right up to consumption. Other ways to prevent food-borne outbreaks due to consumptions of seafoods are training of the consumers about correct handling of food, proper preparation, and storage of seafoods.

18-26

Authors: C.V. Asiegbu, S.L. Lebelo, F.T. Tabit

Background: In many developing countries, the risk of contracting a food-borne disease is high after consuming contaminated ready-to-eat Street-Vended Foods (SVFs). The main objective of this research was to assess the microbiological quality of SVF groups sold in the Johannesburg Metropolis, South Africa. Methods: A stratified random sampling procedure was used for collecting the ready-to-eat SVF samples. Methods prescribed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) were used for analyses for aerobic colony count, Enterobacteriaceae count, presence of Escherichia coli O15:H7, detection of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. The bacterial isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics V25.0. Results: Of the 205 ready-to-eat SVF samples, 85.37% had aerobic growth. The vast majority (78.18%) of the 110 ready-to-eat SVF samples had Enterobacteriaceae growth. From the 110 SVF samples, the prevalence rates of L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, Salmonella spp., and E. coli O15:H7 were 46.36, 31.8, 21.8, and 1.8%, respectively. There was no statistical significant difference (p>0.05) in the prevalence rates of L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, Salmonella spp., and E. coli O15:H7 in the various SVF groups. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the microbial quality and safety of ready-to-eat SVFs sold in the Johannesburg Metropolis remain a serious public health concern. Hence, it is necessary to educate street food vendors and enforce food safety legislation in the street food sector in the country.

36-44

Authors: F. Salar Behrestaghi, S. Bahram, P. Ariaii

Background: Edible films and coatings are biodegradable that can preserve the quality and extend the shelf life of foods. The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties, and antimicrobial activity of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) film containing Artemisia sieberi Essential Oil (AEO). Methods: The studied parameters were the antibacterial activity and physical properties, including Water Vapor Permeability (WVP), Contact Angle (CA), solubility, Moisture Content (MC), and surface color; as well as mechanical properties including Elongation at break% (E%) and Tensile Strength (TS) of CMC incorporated with AEO at levels of 0 (control), 0.5, 1, and 1.5% v/v. Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Camphor (36.38%), 1,8-cineole (15.89%), β-Thujone (6.7%), and camphanone (6.2%) were the main components of AEO. The edible CMC film showed increase in WVP, contact angle, E%, darker color, and yellowness, with decreases in film solubility, MC, and TS after the incorporation of AEO. CMC film with 1.5% of AEO showed the highest a* (greenness) and b* (yellowness) values. The inhibition zones were 9.33, 11.5, and 17.30 mm for Staphylococcus aureus; and 8, 11.50, and 14.33 mm for Escherichia coli at AEO levels of 0.5, 1, and 1.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The overall results of this study showed that CMC films enriched with AEO could be beneficial in food packaging to retard food deterioration.