Food Hygiene in aseptic processing and packaging system: A survey in the Italian food industry

Toward food safety-driven process design: a systematic review and research agenda

Process design strategies are important to prevent or reduce food safety risks in production systems. In this sense, the Codex Alimentarius presents a set of principles for good hygiene practices to guide food producers. However, studies in food safety often focus on analyzing and controlling implemented production processes without a policy of designing them with a preventive logic, leading to resource misallocation and noncompliance. This study aims to gather and analyze techniques, drivers, challenges, and research opportunities for food safety-driven process design. A systematic literature review was carried out following three steps: (i) Data collection, including 52 studies; (ii) Bibliometric analysis; and (iii) Content analysis, identifying techniques, drivers, challenges, and research opportunities. Three main themes in the subject were identified: process assessment models, risk assessment, and whole-chain traceability. Eleven design techniques were identified and compared according to their typology, structure, and coverage of themes addressed by the Codex Alimentarius. There is a gap in techniques addressing employee competence and personal hygiene. We suggest developing a tool encompassing the Codex Alimentarius good hygiene practices themes in process design to guide food safety-driven process development.

Advances, Applications, and Comparison of Thermal (Pasteurization, Sterilization, and Aseptic Packaging) against Non-Thermal (Ultrasounds, UV Radiation, Ozonation, High Hydrostatic Pressure) Technologies in Food Processing

Nowadays, food treatment technologies are constantly evolving due to an increasing demand for healthier and tastier food with longer shelf lives. In this review, our aim is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of some of the most exploited industrial techniques for food processing and microorganism deactivation, dividing them into those that exploit high temperatures (pasteurization, sterilization, aseptic packaging) and those that operate thanks to their inherent chemical–physical principles (ultrasound, ultraviolet radiation, ozonation, high hydrostatic pressure). The traditional thermal methods can reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms to safe levels, but non-thermal technologies can also reduce or remove the adverse effects that occur using high temperatures. In the case of ultrasound, which inactivates pathogens, recent advances in food treatment are reported. Throughout the text, novel discoveries of the last decade are presented, and non-thermal methods have been demonstrated to be more attractive for processing a huge variety of foods. Preserving the quality and nutritional values of the product itself and at the same time reducing bacteria and extending shelf life are the primary targets of conscious producers, and with non-thermal technologies, they are increasingly possible.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Composite Polyethylene Materials Reinforced with Neem and Turmeric

With the increased scientific interest in green technologies, many researches have been focused on the production of polymeric composites containing naturally occurring reinforcing particles. Apart from increasing mechanical properties, these additions can have a wide range of interesting effects, such as increasing the resistance to bacterial and fungal colonization. In this work, different amounts of two different natural products, namely neem and turmeric, were added to polyethylene to act as a natural antibacterial and antifungal product for food packaging applications. Microscopic and spectroscopic characterization showed that fractions of up to 5% of these products could be dispersed into low-molecular weight polyethylene, while higher amounts could not be properly dispersed and resulted in an inhomogeneous, fragile composite. In vitro testing conducted with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans showed a reduced proliferation of pathogens when compared to the polyethylene references. In particular, turmeric resulted in being more effective against E. coli when compared to neem, while they had similar performances against S. aureus. Against C. albicans, only neem was able to show a good antifungal behavior, at high concentrations. Tensile testing showed that the addition of reinforcing particles reduced the mechanical properties of polyethylene, and in the case of turmeric, it was further reduced by UV irradiation.

Three Pillars of Novel Nonthermal Food Technologies: Food Safety, Quality, and Environment

This review gives an overview of the impact of novel nonthermal food technologies on food safety, on quality, and on the environment. It confirms that research in this field is mainly focused on analyzing microbial and/or chemical aspects of food safety. However, recent research shows that in spite of various food safety benefits, some negative (quality oriented) features occur. Finally, this paper shows the necessity of analyzing the environmental dimension of using these technologies.

Microbial community structure and distribution in the air of a powdered infant formula factory based on cultivation and high-throughput sequence methods

The air in a powdered infant formula (PIF) factory is a potential transfer medium for microorganisms. In this study, air samples from 6 main processing areas, almost covering the whole PIF processing line and 1 outdoor location, were collected from a PIF manufacturing plant during the winter and summer periods. A cultivation-based and an Illumina (San Diego, CA) high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing method was used to investigate the community structures and distributions of bacteria in the air. High microbial diversity (25 genera, 56 species), with a dominant community including Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, and Kocuria, was found by the cultivation-based method. Moreover, 104 genera were obtained from all samples by high-throughput sequencing methods. Lactococcus (32.3%), Bacillus (29.6%), and Staphylococcus (14.0%) were the preponderant genera. The indices from high-throughput sequencing results indicated that the bacterial community of the air samples was highly diverse. Significant differences in the diversity and distribution at 6 sampling locations were revealed using the 2 methods. In particular, the packaging process contained the highest proportion (39.4%) of isolated strains. The highest diversity in bacterial community structure was found in the outdoor location. More bacterial isolates and higher community diversity were observed in the summer samples compared with the winter samples. In addition, some pathogens, such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus cohnii, were mainly found in the large bag filling process, can filling, and packaging process areas. The present study provides greater insight into the microbial community and identifies potential sources of air contamination in PIF production environments and can serve as a guide to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in the production of PIF.

Identification of the risk factors associated with cheese production to implement the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system on cheese farms

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate, by statistical analyses, risk factors on cheese farms that can influence the microbial contamination of their products. Various assessment tools, such as cheese production questionnaires, food handlers' knowledge testing, and hygiene assessment system surveys, were used on 39 cheese farms on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. The microbiological status of 773 raw milk and cheese samples from the cheese farms was assessed by enumerating total viable counts and 4 pathogens: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. The results revealed that the highest contamination by Staph. aureus (4.39%, >10(5)cfu/mL) was found in milk, and the highest contamination by E. coli (5.18%, >10(3) cfu/mL) was found in cheese. Very few samples (0.52%) were contaminated by L. monocytogenes or Salmonella spp. The factors associated with any tested microorganism were "handling," "knowledge," and "type of milk." Subsequently, multidimensional logistic analysis for contamination by E. coli showed an independent association for factors "cleaning and disinfection test" and "type of milk." The probability of total aerobic contamination of milk increased with lower hygiene assessment system survey scores. These results emphasize the need to apply and maintain good hygiene practices, and to study risk factors to prevent contamination and bacterial growth. Further research is required in other areas with different cheese farm types to reinforce the validity of these results.