Increased consumption combined with increasing risk to foodborne illnesses makes it necessary to identify potential sources of contamination in the food chain and apply intervention processes that prevent/minimize the risk of contamination. The current study investigated the effect of the decontamination treatments with chlorine and lactic acid on the survival of Salmonella on the rind and stem scar portions of inoculated mangoes. The presence of the pathogen in the treatment water, internalization and the effect of the treatments on the quality of the fruit were also determined. For scar (hydrothermal), a 3.0 log reduction was obtained for control and additional reductions of approximately 2.2 and 1.3 log cycles were obtained with lactic acid and chlorine respectively. Data indicates reduction in pathogen population in cooling for all the treatments except two (Control – increase of 0.3 logs, LA-LA – increase of 0.3 logs). A 0.5 log reduction was obtained for the control (initial - 4.4 log10 CFU/10 cm2) and additional reductions of approximately 1.7 and 1.3 log cycles were obtained for treatments with lactic acid and chlorine respectively during hydrothermal treatment on the rind. For cooling, lactic acid and chlorine gave an overall reduction of approximately 1.3 and 1.4 logs respectively compared to control. Although Salmonella was not detected in the core stem tissue by direct plating method for most of the samples, it was detected after the enrichment method. The pathogen was detected on the rind, stem scar and the stem tissue for most of the samples for as long as 12 days. Salmonella was detected in treatment water with and without sanitizers after dipping mangoes. Lactic acid was found to be more effective in reducing pathogen population compared to chlorine in all the treatment combinations; however, the sensory aspects (color and texture) of the fruit were compromised.

Enteric viruses are responsible for a significant amount of foodborne disease in the United States. Foodborne disease associated with enteric viruses has been increasing within the last few years due to technological advances and raised awareness. Salads and salad crops are the principal vector for transmission of enteric viruses. The objective of this study was to determine if viruses are able to attach non-specifically to the surface of lettuce and to determine the forces responsible for non-specific viral adsorption to lettuce. Additionally, the impact of the microbial flora on viral persistence was studied to determine the effect on viruses. The four viruses studied were echovirus 11, feline calicivirus, MS2 and φX174. The viruses were chosen based on their varying isoelectric points and similar physicochemical attributes. The isoelectric point was not the main factor determining virus attachment to lettuce. Viruses had varying attachment efficiencies, with echovirus 11 having the highest affinity to lettuce and φX174 the least. Viral adsorption to lettuce was mediated by electrostatic forces due to the removal of virus adsorption at pH 7 and 8 with the addition of 1 M NaCl to the buffer solutions. Microcosm studies indicated that the microbial flora did not have a negative impact on virus survival. The bacteriophages had the highest survival rate. Virus survival in the microcosm studies was not indicative of virus survival on the surface of the lettuce. The animal viruses exhibited survival rates greater than or equal to the survival of bacteriophages at 4° C, but at room temperature viable animal viruses rapidly declined compared to the bacteriophages. Additional studies also indicated that the microbial flora was not able to degrade the viruses for aerobic microbial growth. Overall, these results indicate that viruses are able to attach to the surface of lettuce, providing a possible explanation for the high incidence of virus associated disease involving salads and fresh produce. More importantly the use of surrogates for virus studies involving fresh produce must be re-evaluated, because of the lack of correlation between animal viruses and bacteriophages. Appropriate viral surrogates, if used, have to be carefully chosen based on viral physicochemical properties as well as the infectious route of the virus.

Small and very small slaughterhouses generally spray lactic acid for carcass decontamination utilizing a hand held sprayer. Even though this tool represents a very small investment, it may present important disadvantages such as uneven delivery of the spray over the carcass surface. If the decontamination treatment is not applied properly, the untreated areas of the carcass will still have high bacterial loads present and could be a source for recontamination of the areas that have been treated. A sanitizer spraying system (sanitizing halo system) was designed and assembled. The sanitizing halo system was tested at the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center, Texas A&M University. Thirteen carcasses were split in halves. Thirteen halves were sampled and used as control after knife trimming and water wash; then they were sprayed with 2% L-Lactic at 55°C with the sanitizing halo system. The other 13 halves were sprayed by the RMSTC employees utilizing a hand held sprayer. Counts of aerobic and mesophilic bacteria obtained from carcasses sprayed with the sanitizing halo system and the hand held sprayer were both significantly lower than the control counts. In addition, coliforms counts were below the detectable limit for the sanitizing halo system and the hand held sprayer. After testing, the sanitizing halo system was installed at two small commercial slaughter plants processing beef and pork carcasses. At each slaughter plant, 24 carcass halves were treated with 2% L-Lactic at 55°C using the sanitizing halo system, and the other 24 halves were used as control. Mesophilic bacteria populations were reduced in beef and pork carcasses by 2.9 and 1.9 log cycles, respectively, after the lactic acid treatment. Also E. coli counts were significantly lower in the three regions sampled after application of the 2% L-Lactic acid with the sanitizing halo system. From the data collected during this study, we recommend the sanitizing halo system as a tool to reduce the bacterial loads on the surface of beef and pork carcasses. The use of this system should help small and very small slaughterhouses to improve food safety performance while providing cost-efficiency, simplicity, and convenience.

The emergence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “mad cow” disease has forced new practices in raising of cattle, risk management in abattoirs, marketable cuts of meat and disposal of potentially infective material. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency defines BSE as a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. In 1996 BSE became a human health issue when a link was discovered between BSE and a new variation of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), a devastating and incurable disease with a very low-probability of infection but a high fatality rate (Collinge, 1999). To avert further BSE and potential vCJD cases, new policies need to be implemented (CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2008; DEFRA, 2004; OIE, 2007). These policies would not only protects the health of consumers in Canada, they are a prerequisite to exporting Canadian meat products. Failure to enact risk reduction measures has had devastating economic impacts (FDA, 2005; Hill, 2005; Mitura & Di Pietro, 2004; Poulin & Boame, 2003). However, not all technologies being used to manage the risk of prion diseases are deemed effective, and many have strong economies of scale which if implemented may well exclude small scale farming and slaughterhouses, unless consumers accept much higher cost products. Creating an effective management plan for animal by-products (ABPs) is a complex issue involving multiple conflicting objectives. In order to meet the objectives, the CFIA has approved five management options that offer varying levels of risk management while imposing different environmental, social and economic costs. The costs of these are linked to the operational scale and technology being considered. Furthermore, stakeholders are likely to be sensitive to different attributes of these options and design of successful policies. The focus of this research is on the tradeoff between managing the human health risk of exposure to the BSE prion and the economics of managing this risk while retaining consumer demand. The challenge lies in discovering alternative means of managing livestock waste tissue that are practical for producers and regulators and are attractive to consumers. This challenge was addressed by asking the following two questions: 1. What is the cost and effectiveness of different waste disposal options for British Columbia? 2. What is the extent of consumer willingness to share in the costs of increased food safety? In answering these questions a two stage methodology was designed. The first stage was a technological analysis whereby each was characterized and compared to the extent in which they satisfied operational objectives. The second stage was conducted through an online survey whereby we gather information on the following three broad categories, demographics, determinants of purchasing behaviour and willingness to pay for varying levels of food safety. The results of the technological analysis show that the technology of choice varies based on stakeholder preference. The survey results confirm earlier results that consumers value food safety and they are willing to pay to mitigate food safety risks (Hammitt, 1990; Latouche, Rainelli, & Vermersch, 1998; Loureiro, McCluskey, & Mittelhammer, 2003; McCluskey, Grimsrud, Ouchi, & Wahl, 2005; Röhr, Lüddecke, Drusch, Müller, & Alvensleben, 2005) Within the context of beef selection survey respondents are willing to pay up close to 184 cents per pound of beef more than they are currently paying and the study has highlighted the following two predictors of for this tendency: 1. Consumer willingness to pay for organic food and: 2. Respondent level of concern regarding food borne illnesses In terms of policy selection, regulations in BC should impose risk reduction measures that achieve considerable levels of risk management, communicate this clearly to the public as well as the impact of these measures on production costs and provide a means whereby consumers can select for this attribute, such as a labeling program.

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As a population in a world rises, and as conventional breeding seems to be as terrible as the worst nightmare, there appears necessity to find some of alternative sources of "meat". Yes, it's also good opportunity for vegetarians to add every essential amino acid to their diet. Entomophagy can be helpful with improving and ensuring food safety and food security, which is related with new world conception One Health and food -- borne diseases. Potential of insects can be well utilized, but only if they are farming properly, with right biosecurity plans and keeping sufficient hygiene and correct storage. Deeper we go in exploring insects and its good side, perfect nutritional value (FAO, 2010) we also strike on potentional hazards of its consumption. This work will be focused on microbiology (mainly fungi) and parasitology (nematodes) of given specimen in Indonesia, compared with Czech studies.

The emergence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “mad cow” disease has forced new practices in raising of cattle, risk management in abattoirs, marketable cuts of meat and disposal of potentially infective material. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency defines BSE as a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. In 1996 BSE became a human health issue when a link was discovered between BSE and a new variation of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), a devastating and incurable disease with a very low-probability of infection but a high fatality rate (Collinge, 1999). To avert further BSE and potential vCJD cases, new policies need to be implemented (CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2008; DEFRA, 2004; OIE, 2007). These policies would not only protects the health of consumers in Canada, they are a prerequisite to exporting Canadian meat products. Failure to enact risk reduction measures has had devastating economic impacts (FDA, 2005; Hill, 2005; Mitura & Di Pietro, 2004; Poulin & Boame, 2003). However, not all technologies being used to manage the risk of prion diseases are deemed effective, and many have strong economies of scale which if implemented may well exclude small scale farming and slaughterhouses, unless consumers accept much higher cost products. Creating an effective management plan for animal by-products (ABPs) is a complex issue involving multiple conflicting objectives. In order to meet the objectives, the CFIA has approved five management options that offer varying levels of risk management while imposing different environmental, social and economic costs. The costs of these are linked to the operational scale and technology being considered. Furthermore, stakeholders are likely to be sensitive to different attributes of these options and design of successful policies. The focus of this research is on the tradeoff between managing the human health risk of exposure to the BSE prion and the economics of managing this risk while retaining consumer demand. The challenge lies in discovering alternative means of managing livestock waste tissue that are practical for producers and regulators and are attractive to consumers. This challenge was addressed by asking the following two questions: 1. What is the cost and effectiveness of different waste disposal options for British Columbia? 2. What is the extent of consumer willingness to share in the costs of increased food safety? In answering these questions a two stage methodology was designed. The first stage was a technological analysis whereby each was characterized and compared to the extent in which they satisfied operational objectives. The second stage was conducted through an online survey whereby we gather information on the following three broad categories, demographics, determinants of purchasing behaviour and willingness to pay for varying levels of food safety. The results of the technological analysis show that the technology of choice varies based on stakeholder preference. The survey results confirm earlier results that consumers value food safety and they are willing to pay to mitigate food safety risks (Hammitt, 1990; Latouche, Rainelli, & Vermersch, 1998; Loureiro, McCluskey, & Mittelhammer, 2003; McCluskey, Grimsrud, Ouchi, & Wahl, 2005; Röhr, Lüddecke, Drusch, Müller, & Alvensleben, 2005) Within the context of beef selection survey respondents are willing to pay up close to 184 cents per pound of beef more than they are currently paying and the study has highlighted the following two predictors of for this tendency: 1. Consumer willingness to pay for organic food and: 2. Respondent level of concern regarding food borne illnesses In terms of policy selection, regulations in BC should impose risk reduction measures that achieve considerable levels of risk management, communicate this clearly to the public as well as the impact of these measures on production costs and provide a means whereby consumers can select for this attribute, such as a labeling program. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate