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Ready-to-eat Foods (ready-to-eat + food)
Selected AbstractsAEROBIC PLATE COUNTS OF PHILIPPINE READY-TO-EAT FOODS FROM TAKE-AWAY PREMISESJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 2 2005MA. PATRICIA V. AZANZA ABSTRACT The Aerobic Plate Counts (APCs) of some Philippine ready-to-eat (RTE) foods from take-away premises were established for the first time within the context of using the information for the development of Philippine microbial guidelines for RTE foods. The calculated APCs for most of the RTE foods analyzed in the study were ,,10,5 cfu/unit of food sample. Among the reasons cited to explain higher APC values were: use of raw ingredients for the final product, temperature abuse during vending, inadequate cooking and use of leftovers. It was recommended that the generally acceptable microbial guideline value for APC of RTE foods set at <,105 cfu/unit be adapted locally until more precise microbial criteria for this food type could be developed through an appropriate scientific process. [source] Consumer Awareness and Willingness to Pay for High-Pressure Processing of Ready-to-Eat FoodJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Doris T. Hicks ABSTRACT:, Commercial, nonthermal processing of food, such as high hydrostatic-pressure processing (HPP), has increased. The safety and quality of foods produced by HPP has not been well communicated to the public. An online, nationwide consumer survey was implemented to assess awareness of alternative food processing technologies, consumer food safety attitudes and knowledge, and willingness to pay (WTP) for HPP products. The consumer survey was administered by ZoomerangÔ, an online survey clearinghouse. The survey was completed by 1204 adults. Frequencies and crosstabs were calculated on Zoomerang and SPSS used for one-way ANOVA and chi-square analyses. The survey assessed knowledge of HPP, attitudes about new food processing techniques, WTP for HPP foods and demographics. Overall, many demographic characteristics reflected U.S. census population. While traditional methods, that is, canning, freezing, and microwaving were all well recognized by over 80% of respondents, only 8% recognized HPP. Trends indicated an increase in age, education, and income reflected greater food safety knowledge. Regardless of demographics, no survey respondent exhibited knowledge mastery (80%). Given an explanation of HPP and its benefits, 39% of respondents indicated they would be WTP an additional cost, with higher income and education having the most impact. Majority of respondents indicated a WTP of $0.25 to $0.50 regardless of the value of the food product. More respondents were WTP slightly more for a more expensive product. New technologies often encounter a stumbling block in consumer acceptance and processing costs. A consumer's WTP, once they were informed, could encourage industry to look favorably on this technology. [source] Effect of Water Phase Salt Content and Storage Temperature on Listeria monocytogenes Survival in Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Roe and Caviar (Ikura)JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 5 2007Joong-Han Shin ABSTRACT:, Salmon caviar, or ikura, is a ready-to-eat food prepared by curing the salmon roe in a brine solution. Other seasonings or flavorants may be added, depending upon the characteristics of the product desired. Listeria monocytogenes growth is a potential risk, since it can grow at high salt concentrations (>10%) and in some products at temperatures as low as 3 °C. Ikura was prepared from chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) roe by adding food-grade NaCl to yield water phase salt contents (WPS) of 0.22% (no added salt), 2.39%± 0.18%, 3.50%± 0.19%, and 4.36%± 0.36%. A cocktail containing L. monocytogenes (ATCC 19114, 7644, 19113) was incorporated into the ikura at 2 inoculum levels (log 2.4 and 4.2 CFU/g), and stored at 3 or 7 °C for up to 30 d. L. monocytogenes was recovered by plating onto modified Oxford media. Aerobic microflora were analyzed on plate count agar. Samples were tested at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 d. L. monocytogenes did not grow in chum salmon ikura held at 3 °C during 30 d at any salt level tested; however, the addition of salt at these levels did little to inhibit Listeria growth at 7 °C and counts reached 5 to 6 logs CFU/g. Components in the salmon egg intracellular fluid appear to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. Total aerobic microflora levels were slightly lower in products with higher salt contents. These results indicate that temperature control is critical for ikura and similar products, but that products with lower salt contents can be safe, as long as good refrigeration is maintained. [source] The growth limits of a large number of Listeria monocytogenes strains at combinations of stresses show serotype- and niche-specific traitsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008S. Van Der Veen Abstract Aims:, The aim of this study was to associate the growth limits of Listeria monocytogenes during exposure to combined stresses with specific serotypes or origins of isolation, and identify potential genetic markers. Methods and Results:, The growth of 138 strains was assessed at different temperatures using combinations of low pH, sodium lactate, and high salt concentrations in brain heart infusion broth. None of the strains was able to grow at pH , 4·4, aw , 0·92, or pH , 5·0 combined with aw , 0·94. In addition, none of the strains grew at pH , 5·2 and NaLac , 2%. At 30°C, the serotype 4b strains showed the highest tolerance to low pH and high NaCl concentrations at both pH neutral (pH 7·4) and mild acidic conditions (pH 5·5). At 7°C, the serotype 1/2b strains showed the highest tolerance to high NaCl concentrations at both pH 7·4 and 5·5. Serotype 1/2b meat isolates showed the highest tolerance to low pH in the presence of 2% sodium lactate at 7°C. ORF2110 and gadD1T1 were identified as potential biomarkers for phenotypic differences. Conclusions:, Differences in growth limits were identified between specific L. monocytogenes strains and serotypes, which could in some cases be associated with specific genetic markers. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Our data confirm the growth limits of L. monocytogenes as set out by the European Union for ready-to-eat foods and provides an additional criterion. The association of L. monocytogenes serotypes with certain stress responses might explain the abundance of certain serotypes in retail foods while others are common in clinical cases. [source] A NUMERICAL APPROACH WITH VARIABLE TEMPERATURE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENT VALUES DURING BAKING OF COOKIESJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2006EREN DEMIRKOL ABSTRACT The increasing trade of ready-to-eat foods such as cookies highlights an interest in quality defects during baking. Heat (h and thermal diffusivity) and mass (mass transfer and diffusion coefficients) transfer parameters are significant parameters affecting the quality changes. Therefore, it is important to determine these parameters for modeling and process optimization studies. Among these, the h is important, revealing the relationship between the heating medium and product surface. As baking involves a simultaneous heat and mass transfer involving moisture diffusion and heat conduction inside and convective heat and mass transfer outside, a lumped system method may not be an accurate choice to determine the h value. Changes in the product volume and contact heating from bottom of the product also bring extra challenges to the determination of h. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use realistic approaches including simultaneous heat and mass transfer to determine the changes in h. The heffvalues for the bottom and top surface of the cookies were then determined, applying a numerical procedure where the surface temperature changes were the boundary conditions with evaporation on the surface. The hband ht values increased with baking temperature and varied with baking time. The results of this study showed that evaporative mass flux for the top surface, heat flux for the bottom surface and the product's volume changes were significant in the variation of h values. [source] LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES AND ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 INHIBITION IN VITRO BY LIPOSOME-ENCAPSULATED NISIN AND ETHYLENE DIAMINETETRAACETIC ACIDJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 2 2008T. MATTHEW TAYLOR ABSTRACT Encapsulation technologies that effectively reduce antimicrobial interaction with food components or protect antimicrobial compounds from food processing measures have the potential to improve the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat foods. Recent application of liposomes for the preservation of cheese has spurred research into their utility in other food matrices. To ascertain the feasibility of encapsulated antimicrobial for the control of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth in a model system, nisin (5.0 and 10.0 µg/mL) and the chelator ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid were entrapped in phospholipid liposomes. While phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes did not produce significant inhibition of target pathogens, PC/phosphatidylglycerol 8/2 and 6/4 (mol%) produced significant inhibition of pathogens. Near-complete inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 with liposomal antimicrobials at concentrations below those reported necessary for unencapsulated antimicrobial and chelator suggests that liposomes may represent a powerful technology for the encapsulation of antimicrobials and the control of foodborne pathogens. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The activity of many antimicrobials is abolished in many food products for a variety of reasons. Interference and cross-reactions of the antimicrobial and various food constituents, such as protein and fat, are difficult to overcome and often require large amounts of antimicrobial in order to gain significant reductions in the pathogen load in a product. Loss of solubility of some antimicrobials based on pH or ionic strength will negatively affect the antimicrobial potential of a compound like nisin. Liposome encapsulation technologies, such as that reported here, may allow for the maintenance of antimicrobial activity by protecting the antimicrobial against cross-reactions with food components. Additionally, the liposome core represents a microenvironment which can be manipulated by the manufacturer in order to preserve optimal antimicrobial solubility and stability conditions until the time of release. [source] Salmonella importance and current status of detection and surveillance methodsQUALITY ASSURANCE & SAFETY OF CROPS & FOOD, Issue 3 2009Hanna-Leena Alakomi Abstract Salmonella, a genus within Enterobacteriaceae, remains as an important human pathogen and it has been reported to be the most common food-borne bacterial disease in the world. Although majority of the Salmonella cases are sporadic, outbreaks occur frequently. Salmonella can be associated with many kinds of foods and the presence of Salmonella in ready-to-eat foods is considered significant regardless of the level of the contamination. Therefore isolation is carried out by enrichment culture of a defined weight or volume of the food (normally 25 g). The traditional and time-consuming detection and isolation of Salmonella spp. from food and feed utilizes a multistep protocol with nonselective pre-enrichment, followed by a selective enrichment step, isolation on selective agar media and a preliminary biochemical and serological confirmation. Several rapid methods have been developed to speed up the detection of Salmonella. This paper aims to give an overview of the occurrence and current status of Salmonella detection and surveillance methods. [source] Viral Inactivation in Foods: A Review of Traditional and Novel Food-Processing TechnologiesCOMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, Issue 1 2010Kirsten A. Hirneisen ABSTRACT:, Over one-half of foodborne illnesses are believed to be viral in origin. The ability of viruses to persist in the environment and foods, coupled with low infectious doses, allows even a small amount of contamination to cause serious problems. An increased incidence of foodborne illnesses and consumer demand for fresh, convenient, and safe foods have prompted research into alternative food-processing technologies. This review focuses on viral inactivation by both traditional processing technologies such as use of antimicrobial agents and the application of heat, and also novel processing technologies including high-pressure processing, ultraviolet- and gamma-irradiation, and pulsed electric fields. These industrially applicable control measures will be discussed in relation to the 2 most common causes of foodborne viral illnesses, hepatitis A virus and human noroviruses. Other enteric viruses, including adenoviruses, rotaviruses, aichi virus, and laboratory and industrial viral surrogates such as feline caliciviruses, murine noroviruses, bacteriophage MS2 and ,X174, and virus-like particles are also discussed. The basis of each technology, inactivation efficacy, proposed mechanisms of viral inactivation, factors affecting viral inactivation, and applicability to the food industry with a focus on ready-to-eat foods, produce, and shellfish, are all featured in this review. [source] Cooking DNA: the effect of ,domestic' cooking methods on detection of GM potatoINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2008Loraine Van Der Colff Summary The ability to detect GM material in otherwise unprocessed foods cooked using domestic methods is important should ,ready-to-eat' foods require labelling. This study addresses the issue of DNA degradation in foods as a result of cooking. A number of ,domestic' cooking methods were shown to affect the length of DNA sequences able to be PCR amplified from potato samples and the degree of degradation was treatment-specific. However, a. real-time PCR assay was developed and. GM material was positively identified in all cooked GM potato samples. This confirms that GM material should be able to be detected in otherwise unprocessed food samples cooked using domestic methods, even if the cooking process has partially degraded the DNA. Results indicate, however, that there may be implications of the cooking process on the ability to accurately quantify GM content in some cooked samples. [source] | |||||||||||||