Master of Science / Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health / Mark D. Haub / Research has shown that many consumers do not use the proper food safety practices when cooking in the home. Although many studies have been conducted to observe the food safety behaviors and practices in a domestic home kitchen, the food safety behaviors of consumers when using an outside grill has not been vastly explored. The objective of this study was to gain insight on consumers' food safety practices and behaviors when preparing meat and poultry on an outdoor grill. A nationwide survey of grilling consumers (n=1024) was conducted to evaluate the food handling behaviors of consumers who use an outdoor grill to prepare meat and poultry. The survey consisted of 50 questions based on the four core practices of food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill. The results showed that there was low adherence to consumers not rinsing meat or poultry before preparation, separating utensils for raw and cooked meat, and using a thermometer to ensure doneness. Respondents who grilled poultry followed safer food handling practices than respondents who grilled meat. An observational study (n=30) was conducted to observe consumers prepare poultry products on an outdoor grill. Participants were assessed on handwashing skills, cross contamination behavior, and how they determined the doneness of the poultry. This study illustrated that consumers were not washing their hands thoroughly, especially after handling packaging. Many consumers were observed contaminating surfaces or items in their kitchen after touching the raw poultry. Consumers also failed to use clean utensils for the cooked poultry after using the utensil on raw poultry. Consumers used several methods to determine the doneness of the poultry. Visual cues such as looking at the appearance or color of the poultry was primarily used by consumers to check if the poultry was fully cooked, followed by piercing or cutting the poultry open and using a thermometer. Thermometer use in this study was found to be higher than the usage in prior studies. A separate study assessed poultry grilling recipes (n= 242) for a specified temperature of doneness and additional food safety information. Recipes from cookbooks, magazines, and online sources were evaluated. Over half of the recipes did not specify a temperature of doneness, but used time, visual or textural indications to determine doneness. The findings of this research show that consumers could benefit from education to improve their food handling skills when preparing meat or poultry on an outdoor grill. Educational efforts should focus on proper handwashing procedures, how to reduce cross contamination and the importance of using a thermometer to ensure doneness.

1p. / Keeping food safe to eat is as simple as keeping hot foods hot, cold foods cold, and all foods clean. This article outlines particular options for keeping coolers cold.

No mercado alimentício, a busca de inovações objetiva mais que tornar um alimento mais saboroso. Aspectos como aroma, cor, facilidade de preparo e aceitação do consumidor são decisivos para seu sucesso. Atualmente, na América do Norte e na Europa, um produto denominado grilling plank vem se destacando na defumação de peixes e carnes. Embora no Brasil o churrasco seja prato típico, esse produto, obtido por meio da industrialização da madeira, ainda é pouco conhecido no país.Historiadores relatam que sua origem remonta aos nativos da costa americana do Pacífico, que utilizavam a madeira de árvores de Thuja plicata, espécie encontrada na região, para preparar peixes, o que lhes conferia sabor suave e maciez. A ideia difundiu-se e, atualmente, outras espécies como Prunus avium e Alnus glutinosa também são utilizadas. Considerando-se a biodiversidade de espécies de árvores existente no país, pode-se afirmar que o Brasil apresenta significativo potencial para que sejam encontradas espécies com as propriedades e características necessárias para a industrialização de grilling planks. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar e caracterizar a madeira de espécies nativas brasileiras com potencial para a confecção do produto em questão. A identificação de espécies propícias foi realizada por meio da caracterização de suas propriedades físicas e químicas, bem como da consulta à bibliografia especializada. As espécies analisadas neste trabalho foram: Amburana cearensis, Cedrela fissilis, Myrocarpus frondosus e Ocotea porosa. / In the food market, the search for innovations aims more than making food more palatable. Aspects like aroma, color, ease of preparation and consumer acceptance are decisive for its success. Currently, both in North America and Europe, a product called grilling plank has been standing out in the smoking of fish and meat. Although in Brazil barbecue is a typical dish, this product, obtained through wood industrialization, is still little known in the country. Historians report that its origin goes back to the Pacific Coast Native Americans, who used Thuja plicata wood, common in the region, to prepare fish, providing them with softness and mild taste. The idea has spread and nowadays other species such as Prunus avium and Alnus glutinosa are used for the same purpose. Due to the biodiversity of tree species in the country, Brazil presents significant potential for finding species with the properties and characteristics necessary for the industrialization of grilling planks. The objective of this work was to identify and characterize the wood of Brazilian native species with potential for the production of the product in question. The identification of propitious species was carried out through the characterization of their physical and chemical properties, as well as the study of specialized literature. The Brazilian species analyzed in this research were: Amburana cearensis, Cedrela fissilis, Myrocarpus frondosus and Ocotea porosa.