Popular Ethnic Foods in the United States: A Historical and Safety Perspective

The Safety of Ethnic Foods in Campania Region: A Preliminary Study

Ethnic food is produced by an ethnic group—using their familiarity with local ingredients of plants and/or animal origin—and it is consumed in a country other than the country of origin. In Italy, the ethnic food market has expanded over the last three decades. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correct labeling, the microbiological communities and the allergens present in 50 ethnic foods. The visual inspection of labels and microbiological and allergen analyses have been carried out for evaluating their food safety. The visual inspection of labels revealed the absence of labeling in Italian and/or a failure to specify the place of origin. Microbiological analyses showed the absence of pathogens (i.e., Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli 0157:H7) in all matrices, but the presence of process hygiene indicator bacteria (total bacterial count, Coagulase-positive Staphylococci, Bacillus cereus, coliforms, yeasts and molds) was found in 37 samples. With regard to allergens, 12 samples were non-compliant for the presence of at least one allergen, while only two products were of species different from those declared on the label. This research highlights the need to increase the control of ethnic foods and also to improve the labeling system by standardizing international regulations.

Food neophilics' choice of an ethnic restaurant: The moderating role of authenticity

This study attempts to identify the salient factors affected by food neophilia and its interaction with demand authenticity in the choice of an ethnic restaurant. By undertaking a series of multivariate and univariate analyses between these two predictors and five key dining attributes: food quality, service quality, FLEs attitude, atmosphere, and price, it is revealed that restaurant customers consider different factors in their buying decision process, depending on individuals' food neophilia level, needs for authenticity, and demographic characteristics. The results show that authentic quality of food, authentic atmosphere, friendly and prompt service encounters are the most important factors. The findings further suggest that price sensitivity is higher in the market with a low to moderate need for authenticity. Cultural backgrounds, on the other hand, seem to influence how customers embrace roles and professional skills of the frontline staff rather than customer-employee relationship. Given the lack of research in examining food neophilia in the ethnic restaurant selection empirically, this study allows a better understanding of this market segment which contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of food consumption and preferences as well as offers useful insights for ethnic restaurant businesses.

Predicting Food Safety Compliance for Informed Food Outlet Inspections: A Machine Learning Approach

Consumer food environments have transformed dramatically in the last decade. Food outlet prevalence has increased, and people are eating food outside the home more than ever before. Despite these developments, national spending on food control has reduced. The National Audit Office report that only 14% of local authorities are up to date with food business inspections, exposing consumers to unknown levels of risk. Given the scarcity of local authority resources, this paper presents a data-driven approach to predict compliance for newly opened businesses and those awaiting repeat inspections. This work capitalizes on the theory that food outlet compliance is a function of its geographic context, namely the characteristics of the neighborhood within which it sits. We explore the utility of three machine learning approaches to predict non-compliant food outlets in England and Wales using openly accessible socio-demographic, business type, and urbanness features at the output area level. We find that the synthetic minority oversampling technique alongside a random forest algorithm with a 1:1 sampling strategy provides the best predictive power. Our final model retrieves and identifies 84% of total non-compliant outlets in a test set of 92,595 (sensitivity = 0.843, specificity = 0.745, precision = 0.274). The originality of this work lies in its unique and methodological approach which combines the use of machine learning with fine-grained neighborhood data to make robust predictions of compliance.

An enhanced antibacterial nanoflowers AgPW@PDA@Nisin constructed from polyoxometalate and nisin

A new composite, AgPW@PDA@Nisin, with shell-core structure was successfully synthesized by a polydopamine (PDA) surfaced conjugated nisin (an antibacterial 34 amino acid polycyclic peptide) as shell and polyoxometalates (Ag₃PW₁₂O₄₀ = AgPW) as core. The composite was characterized by the zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The AgPW@PDA@Nisin showed flower hierarchical structure and potential antibacterial activity against S. aureus ATCC29213. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of it were 4 and 32 μg/mL. AgPW@PDA@Nisin nanoflowers-induced bacterial death bears the characteristic of cell morphology, membrane integrity and permeability changing, nucleotide leakage. It indicated that the AgPW@PDA@Nisin interfere with the cell membrane, resulting in antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The cytotoxicity of the nanoflowers was low on HDF-a (human dermal fibroblasts) cells. A new class of hybrid inorganic-organic nanoflowers based on polyoxometalates and nisin with enhanced antibacterial properties can be developed for food preservation.

Street Food, Food Safety, and Regulation: What is the Panorama in Colombia?

ABSTRACT

Public management of street food is a challenge in many countries. In Colombia, despite the extent of the economic, social, and food contributions of the segment and the concern from the public health perspective, the amount of research on the subject still remains insufficient. Thus, this study aimed to establish a panorama of the street food trade in Colombia, considering its mode of operation, food security, and regulatory context, based on the scientific literature published between 2000 and 2018. A literature review was carried out in the Medline, SciELO, LILACS, Scopus, Redalyc, and Google Scholar databases, as well as in the University of Colombia's institutional repositories and scientific books. A set of 19 publications were selected and evaluated for three dimensions-work and culture, food safety, and regulation-according to the objectives and methodologies applied. In category 1, relative to work and culture, five studies were retrieved (26.3%), highlighting the economic and social contribution of the sector and the protection of food cultural heritage. Category 2, referring to hygiene and microbiological safety in the activity, covers 11 publications (57.9%) and comprised the largest research field of interest in the country. Among the food pathogens surveyed, Salmonella spp. were the most investigated, registering nonconformity in the samples (6.55%). Category 3, with three articles (15.8%), covered public policies and regulation of the segment, highlighting the challenges to regulating the sector and the need for intersectional articulation in administrative policies. The results confirm both the relevance of the segment to food security and the concern with microbiological hazards, demanding strategies to improve its regulation and functioning in the country, with the aim of protecting the health of consumers.

HIGHLIGHTS

Ocorrência de bactérias patogênicas e deteriorantes em sashimi de salmão: avaliação de histamina e de susceptibilidade a antimicrobianos

Resumo O estudo das condições higiênico sanitárias de alimentos cárneos consumidos crus, como o sashimi, é necessário para definir sua qualidade e possíveis consequências para a saúde humana. Foram coletadas 60 amostras de sashimi de salmão (Salmo salar), de dez restaurantes na cidade de São Luís, Maranhão - Brasil, sendo seis de cada local. As amostras foram analisadas para contagem de coliformes a 35 °C, coliformes a 45 °C e Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e negativa, identificação da presença de Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus e Aeromonas spp, teste de suscetibilidade a antimicrobianos dos isolados e quantificação de histamina nas amostras. Os resultados mostraram elevadas contagens de coliformes a 35 °C e 12 amostras com >102 NMP/g de coliformes a 45 °C, presença de E. coli e de Salmonella sp. em 3 amostras cada, ausência de V. parahaemolyticus e Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase negativa entre <20 e 5,0x104 UFC/g, presença de Aeromonas spp. em 95% das amostras, sendo 60 isolados A. hydrophila e 6 A. caviae. Para suscetibilidade aos antimicrobianos, os isolados de E. coli foram sensíveis a CPM, CTX, LVX, PPT e SUT, dois resistentes a AMP; um resistente a GEN, um a AMI e um a AMC. Os isolados de Salmonella foram sensíveis a AMC, CPM, CFO, CRX, GEN, LVX e PPT, um resistente a AMI e um a AMP e SUT. Os isolados de Aeromonas foram resistentes em média a cinco dos antimicrobianos, sendo a AMP (97%), a CRX (90,9%) e a AMC (77,3%), e 81,8% foram sensíveis ao CPM. Os níveis de histamina variaram de 44,06 ± 0,74 a 505,46 ± 8,83 mg/kg, sendo 21 das amostras com níveis superiores a 100 mg/kg. As amostras apresentaram condições higiênicos sanitárias insatisfatórias e riscos para a saúde pública, por identificação de bactérias patogênicas e elevadas concentrações de histamina capazes de causar intoxicação escombróide, e ainda, isolados com multirresistência aos antimicrobianos testados.

Childhood food allergies: An evolutionary mismatch hypothesis

For hominins living in the Paleolithic era, early food antigen exposures—in utero and throughout infancy—closely matched later exposures, and therefore immune system tolerance mechanisms evolved under the expectation of this condition being met. This predicts that the degree of mismatch between early and downstream food antigen exposures is a key variable underlying the development of childhood food allergies. Three historical periods are identified in which the degree of mismatch climbs from near zero to substantial, as we transition from one period to another. The first encompasses our long history as foragers; the second begins with the advent of farming and the third spans only the most recent two or three decades, and manifests from social changes driven largely by an explosion in access to information. Testable predictions are generated and evaluated in light of available evidence, and an approach for primary prevention of childhood food allergies is proposed.

USDA's National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) produces high-quality data for USDA food composition databases: Two decades of collaboration

For nearly 20years, the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) has expanded and improved the quantity and quality of data in US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) food composition databases (FCDB) through the collection and analysis of nationally representative food samples. NFNAP employs statistically valid sampling plans, the Key Foods approach to identify and prioritize foods and nutrients, comprehensive quality control protocols, and analytical oversight to generate new and updated analytical data for food components. NFNAP has allowed the Nutrient Data Laboratory to keep up with the dynamic US food supply and emerging scientific research. Recently generated results for nationally representative food samples show marked changes compared to previous database values for selected nutrients. Monitoring changes in the composition of foods is critical in keeping FCDB up-to-date, so that they remain a vital tool in assessing the nutrient intake of national populations, as well as for providing dietary advice.

Restaurant Policies and Practices for Serving Raw Fish in Minnesota

The number of restaurants serving sushi within Minnesota is continuously increasing. The practices and protocols of serving raw fish are complex and require detailed planning to ensure that food served to patrons will not cause illness. Although the popularity of sushi is increasing, there is a lack of research on food safety issues pertaining to preparation of raw fish and sushi rice. To address this gap, the Minnesota Department of Health Environmental Health Specialists Network Food program collected descriptive data on restaurant practices and policies concerning the service of raw fish and sushi rice in 40 Minnesota restaurants. At each restaurant, a specialist interviewed a restaurant manager, conducted an observation of the sushi prep areas in the restaurant kitchen, and reviewed parasite destruction letters and invoices from fish supplier(s). Over half of the restaurants (59%) were missing one or more of the parasite destruction letters from their fish supplier(s) guaranteeing that fish had been properly frozen to the time and temperature requirements in the Minnesota Food Code. A total of 42 parasite destruction letters from suppliers were observed; 10% were considered "adequate" letters. The majority of the letters were missing details pertaining to the types of fish frozen, the length of time fish were frozen, or details on what temperatures fish were held frozen or a combination of all three. Most restaurants were using time as a public health control for their sushi rice. For those restaurants using time as a public health control, 26% had a written procedure on-site, and approximately 53% were keeping track of time. Bare hand contact during sushi prep was observed in 17% of restaurants, and in more than 40% of the restaurants, at least one fish was mislabeled on the menu. Findings from this study indicate that many Minnesota restaurants are not complying with the Food Code requirements pertaining to parasite destruction for the service of raw fish or the use of time as a public health control for sushi rice.

Effect of Grapefruit Seed Extract on Thermal Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes during Sous-Vide Processing of Two Marinated Mexican Meat Entrées

D- and z-values for Listeria monocytogenes were obtained for two Mexican meat entrées: pork meat marinated in tomatillo (green tomato) sauce (PTS) and beef marinated in a red chili sauce (BRCS), with addition of 0, 200, and 800 ppm of grapefruit seed extract (GSE). Meat samples inoculated with L. monocytogenes were packaged in sterile bags, immersed in a water bath, and held at 55, 57.5, 60, and 62.5°C for different periods of time. Depending upon the temperature, D-values at 0 ppm of GSE ranged from 26.19 to 2.03 min in BRCS and 26.41 to 0.8 min in PTS. Adding 800 ppm of GSE to BRCS thermally treated at 55 and 62.5°C significantly decreased inactivation time by 35%. A reduction in time of 25.9, 10.6, and 40.1% at 55, 57.5, and 60°C, respectively, was observed in PTS with 800 ppm of GSE. The z-values of L. monocytogenes were not significantly affected by GSE addition; average z-values were 7.25 and 5.09°C for BRCS and PTS, respectively. Estimated thermal lethality for a 7-D log reduction of L. monocytogenes under commercial-size sous-vide conditions at a reference temperature of 55°C was reached at 78 and 71 min for BRCS without and with 800 ppm of GSE, respectively. For PTS, 7-D reduction was attained at 69 and 61 min without and with addition of 800 ppm of GSE, respectively. Supplementing both Mexican meat entrées (BRCS and PTS) with 800 ppm of GSE rendered L. monocytogenes cells more sensitive to the lethal effect of heat. The results of this study will assist the retail food industry in designing acceptance limits on critical control points pertaining to cooking regimes to effectively eliminate L. monocytogenes in BRCS and PTS sous-vide processed Mexican meat entrées.

Inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores in a tsuyu sauce using continuous ohmic heating with five sequential elbow-type electrodes

AIMS

The effect of ohmic heating (OH) in a pilot plant system which had a zig-zag shaped (elbow-type) ohmic heater with five sequential voltage electrodes was investigated on Bacillus cereus spores in a commercial tsuyu sauce.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The electrical field was fixed at 26·7 V cm(-1) with an alternating current frequency of 25 kHz. Raw tsuyu sauce (50 l) inoculated with B. cereus spores was submitted in a 4 × 3 factorial design to the OH system and heated at 95, 105, 115, and 125°C each for 30, 60, and 90 s. Survival of B. cereus spores and colour change in the commercial tsuyu sauce were both measured before and after treatment. As the treatment temperature and time increased, the number of surviving B. cereus spores decreased. The OH treatment in a bath-type process at 105°C for more than 30 s resulted in the total inactivation of the inoculated B. cereus spores (average 5·4 log reductions to undetectable levels after treatment). The OH protocol of heating at 105°C for 60 s which ensure complete eradication of the inoculated spores without compromising product quality was chosen and investigated for its suitability for commercial application on bulk quantities of samples (500 l). Reliable and reproducible reductions in B. cereus spore counts of 4·7-5·5 log CFU ml(-1) (mean ± standard deviation = 5·1 ± 0·3 CFU ml(-1) ) were achieved by the selected protocol of the continuous OH treatment (105°C for 60 s).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that OH treatment with five sequential elbow-type electrodes has great potential as an industrial sterilizing method for liquid food contaminated with B. cereus spores.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This procedure will enhance the microbiological quality of liquid foods while minimizing quality deterioration.