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Nontyphoidal salmonellae are among the most prevalent foodborne pathogens causing gastrointestinal infections worldwide. A high number of cases and outbreaks of salmonellosis are associated with the consumption of eggs and egg products, and several of these occur at the household level. The aim of the current study is to critically evaluate the current status of knowledge on Salmonella in eggs from a consumer's perspective, analyzing the hazard occurrence and the good practices that should be applied to reduce salmonellosis risk. Following a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) based approach, some steps along the food journey were identified as Critical Consumer Handling (CCH)—steps in which consumers, through their behavior or choice, can significantly reduce the level of Salmonella in eggs and egg products. From shopping/collecting to consumption, each of these steps is discussed in this review to provide an evidence-based overview of risk factors of human salmonellosis related to egg consumption. The main message to consumers is to choose Salmonella-free eggs (those that some official entity or producer guarantees that does not contain Salmonella), when available, especially for dishes that are not fully heat treated. Second, as guaranteed Salmonella-free eggs are only available in a few countries, refrigerated storage from the point of collection and proper cooking will significantly reduce the risk of salmonellosis. This will require a revision of the actual recommendations/regulations, as not all ensure that eggs are maintained at temperatures that prevent growth of Salmonella from collection until the time of purchasing.

This paper examines the Romanian consumers' knowledge regarding food hazards and their awareness on certified labelled food, while identifying the sources of information they trust. The study reveals that half of the consumers are not aware of hazards as mycotoxins and pathogenic microorganisms likeListeria,Campylobacter,YersiniaandClostridium, while they perceive food additives and GMOs as being hazardous. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and principal component analysis (PCA), it was found that certified labelled food provides the consumer with a general feeling of trust; however, consumers do not discriminate what the certification is standing for. Also, science books are recognized as trustful sources of information but family and media are the first option at hand for making an opinion on what can put somebody at risk. Applying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) modelling it was possible to link consumers’ knowledge and awareness with their trust and to identify means to communicate in order to fill the existing knowledge gaps and alleviate part of their food related anxieties. Suggestions on how to manage this process are given with the aim to make Romanian consumers understand the efforts of food chain participants to ensure food safety, to avoid confusion on what is risky and what is not, and to determine them to share responsibilities on food safety. The study may inspire strategies for consumer education based on adopting a risk-based approach to food safety not only in Romania, but in other countries too, as similarities may exist.

Considering the growing interest in functional foods, the identification of the individual species of elements is of great importance in understanding specific nutraceutical properties. The present study aims to compare the dynamic of the elemental content (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Se), total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity of Trifolium pratense L. and Medicago sativa L. sprouts in different germination stages. The elemental profile was established by atomic absorption spectroscopy after the microwave acid digestion of the samples, while total polyphenols and anti-radical activity were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. Phenolic compounds and anti-radical activity of both alfalfa and red clover sprouts varied with germination stages. Germination can significantly increase the anti-radical activity in the first 3 days of germination, followed by a decline in the following days. An increase in total polyphenols was noticed, starting from the second day of germination in both plant species. There were significant (p &lt, 0.05) differences for Ca, Na, Fe, K, Zn, and Mg contents among the sprouts, depending on the germination stage and plant species. The calcium contents of alfalfa ranged between 200.74 &micro, g/g DW (raw seeds) and 2765.31 &micro, g/g DW (sprouted), while in red clover between 250.83 &micro, g/g DW and 601.59 &micro, g/g DW. Maximum selenium content in alfalfa sprouts, reached in the 3rd day of germination (11.42 &micro, g/g DW), exceeded the maximum value measured in red clover (9.42 &micro, g/g DW). The data were subject to statistical processing using analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA).

This paper aimed to establish the relationship between food safety knowledge, food shopping attitude, and self-reported kitchen practices among Romanian consumers. The study used data collected in an online survey applied on 985 consumers. A knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) model applied by structural equation modelling revealed significant correlations between knowledge and attitude (r=0.36;pβ=0.17,pβ=0.47,p&nbsp

Application of high pressure-thermal treatment (600 MPa and 70 &deg, C, 20 min) for obtaining edible films functionalized with thyme extracts have been studied in order to evaluate the antimicrobial capacity of films structure to retain and release the bioactive compounds. The high pressure-thermally treated films (HPT) were compared with the thermally treated (TT) ones (80 &plusmn, 0.5 &deg, C, 35 min). The film structures were analyzed and the sorption isotherms, water vapor permeability, antimicrobial activity and the volatile fingerprints by GC/MS were performed. The HPT film presented more binding sites for water chemi-sorption than TT films and displayed significantly lower WVP than TT films (p &lt, 0.05). TT films displayed slightly, but significant higher, antimicrobial activity (p &lt, 0.05) against Geotrichum candidum in the first day and against Bacillus subtilis in the 10th day of storage. The HPT film structure had ~1.5-fold higher capacity to retain volatiles after drying compared to TT films. From the HPT films higher amount of p-cymene and &alpha, terpinene was volatilized during 10 days of storage at 25 &deg, C, 50% RH while from the TT films higher amount of caryophyllene and carvacrol were released. During storage HPT films had a 2-fold lower capacity to retain monoterpenes compared to TT films.

A transdisciplinary observational study, coupled with a web-based survey, was conducted to investigate refrigerated storage of food, in five European countries. The investigated consumer groups in this study were: young families with small children and/or pregnant women, elderly people, persons with an immunodeficient system, and young single men. The refrigerator temperature was monitored for approximately two weeks using a temperature data logger. Variables such as country, income, age of refrigerators, education, living area, refrigerator loading practices had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on the overall average fridge temperature, whereas consumers' practices showed a significant influence (p < 0.05) on registered temperature values. Compared to temperatures inside the fridges belonging to young families and young single men group, the temperatures inside refrigerators belonging to elderly was in the temperature danger zone (5–63 °C). The lowest temperatures were recorded in UK consumers’ refrigerators, whereas the highest were in French households. Presence of Listeria monocytogenes was confirmed in three refrigerators out of 53 sampled (two in Romania and one in Portugal). The most vulnerable category to food safety risks is represented by elderly persons with low education, unaware of safe refrigeration practices and the actual temperature their fridges are running. This research was supported by the Horizon 2020 project SafeConsume (Grant Agreement No. 727580).

The safety of many foods is dependent on ensuring the cold chain until the time of consumption. A weak link is the consumer part of the chain as the temperatures of domestic refrigerators are often too high and the users have limited possibilities to monitor and adjust the temperatures. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether common consumer practices for monitoring that food is kept cold are valid. Consumers demonstrated limited ability to assess food and surface temperature by tactile sense with lower precision at 8 °C compared to 4 °C. Almost 20% of the consumers were able to detect the exact food and surface temperature kept at 4 °C, while at 8 °C only 13% detected the exact temperature. A web-based survey mapping consumer practices showed that more than 40% of consumers never checked the temperature in their refrigerators, 38% rely on food coldness to evaluate if the refrigerator is running at adequate temperature and 65% lack knowledge on how to correctly asses temperature in the fridge. Most of the comments emphasized the situations where consumers could be at risk due to misevaluation of refrigerated food and surfaces real temperature indicating the necessity for better monitorization of cold food chain at domestic level.

Several encapsulation variants to deliver the anthocyanins from cornelian cherry fruits, using soy proteins alone or in combination with maltodextrin and freeze-drying or spray-drying, were studied. The resulting powders were characterized in terms of flow properties, encapsulation retention and efficiency, color, bioavailability of anthocyanins with simulated gastrointestinal conditions, particles microstructure, and stability during storage. The highest encapsulation efficiency was obtained when using soy proteins-maltodextrin biopolymeric systems with spray-drying. The in vitro studies showed that the best protection was delivered when using a mixture of coating materials, allowing a controlled release of the anthocyanins in the intestinal environment. The powder obtained by spray-drying had nearly perfect spherosomes, in which the anthocyanins were retained as droplets coated by fine membranes. Anthocyanins are best protected during storage at 8 °C and low aw values. This study showed that the microencapsulation of cornelian cherry anthocyanins using spray-drying is more effective than freeze-drying and can be used to develop new functional foods and supplements.

Two formulations of salami were obtained: a conventional salami (50 % beef, 20 % pork and 30 % animal fat, w/w) and a reformulated one (50 % beef, 20 % pork and 30 % a mixture of olive and palm oil - 2.5:1, w/w). Storage studies were performed by accelerated shelf life testing at 20�C and different relative humidity, in comparison with 4 and 8�C after 22 days of storage. Halsey model was the best one to describe the desorption isotherms. The products stability was evaluated by TBA (thiobarbituric acid) index and colour changes. TBA increased with the increase of the environment relative humidity at 4 and 8�C. Modified Weibull model described the changes in colour as a function of TBA and water activity. Bound water characteristics have markedly changed at 20�C for both products. The results of this work can be used as reference in defining reformulated salami minimal durability.

Capability of thyme natural antimicrobials (NAs) to reduce the intensity of high pressure processing (HPP) and enhance the inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh cheese was investigated. Thyme extracts were obtained by supercritical fluid extraction at 30 MPa and 40 MPa and their concentration was estimated in units of carvacrol (190.44–609.57 μg/mL). The acceptable sensorial threshold of thyme extract in cheese was 0.2% (v/w), a value lower than the MIC for L. monocytogenes. Detailed kinetic studies of L. monocytogenes inactivation in cheese were performed following HPP (200–300 MPa) treatments. A maximum 1.68-log10 CFU/g supplementary reduction was achieved for L. monocytogenes in cheese with HPP & NAs than without NAs. The kinetic parameter zp indicated an accelerated inactivation of L. monocytogenes when HPP was combined with thyme NAs, as hurdle applied to fresh cheese (55.99 MPa for HPP and 33.29 MPa for HPP with thyme NAs). Industrial relevance Applied as a post-processing treatment high pressure processing (HPP) is considered an effective listericidal tool that produces limited quality changes in foods compared to other preservative methods. In order to overcome the main drawback related to HPP effect on cheese structure, a combination of pressure with natural antimicrobials (NAs) is proposed for reducing the intensity of processing while improving microbiological safety of food. The efficacy of L. monocytogenes inactivation in cheese by HPP and HPP with NAs from thyme was kinetically evaluated and modeled in the present work. The current results provide support for the industrial development of more effective combined HPP with NAs treatment, able to minimize the risk of Listeria presence in cheese.

Oleoresin supercritical extracts from sea buckthorn were microencapsulated in whey proteins isolate and casein, in two states: native (N) and cross-linked mediated by transglutaminase (TG). The encapsulation efficiency showed values higher than 92% for total carotenoids and lycopene. Phytochemicals content was 352.90 &plusmn, 1.02 mg/g dry weight (DW) for total carotenoids in TG and 302.98 &plusmn, 2.30 mg/g DW in N, with antioxidant activity of 703.13 &plusmn, 23.60 mMol Trolox/g DW and 608.74 &plusmn, 7.12 mMol Trolox/g DW, respectively. Both powders had an inhibitory effect on &alpha, glucosidase, of about 40% for N and 35% for TG. The presence of spherosomes was highlighted, with sizes ranging between 15.23&ndash, 73.41 &micro, m and an agglutination tendency in N, and lower sizes, up to 35 &micro, m in TG. The in vitro digestibility revealed a prolonged release in an intestinal environment, up to 65% for TG. Moisture sorption isotherms were studied at 20 &deg, C and the shape of curves corresponds to sigmoidal type II model. The presence of cross-linked mediated aggregates in TG powders improved stability and flowability. Our results can be used as evidence that cross-linked aggregates mediated by transglutaminase applied for microencapsulation of oleoresins have the potential to become new delivery systems, for carotenoids and lycopene, being valuable in terms of their attractive color and biological and bioaccessibility properties.

Bambara bean protein is a promising ingredient for further applications in food and non-food industries. In this study, structural changes in Bambara bean protein isolate (BBPI) produced during high pressure processing (HPP) in the 200–600 MPa range at different pH (4.5, 7 and 9) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modelling. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that vicilin, a 7S globulin, was the major protein in BBPI. Intrinsic fluorescence analysis at pH 4.5 showed a red-shift when BBPI was treated at high pressure. Phase diagram and quenching experiments demonstrated a third-state model for dissociation of vicilin at pH 9, and existence of four intermediate states when HPP was applied on BBPI at pH 7. Detailed information at atomic level on the structural changes of main proteins from BBPI was provided by molecular modelling. At a glance, HPP resulted in decrease of the total number of hydrogen bonds stabilizing the structure of proteins, which altered exposure of both Tyr and Trp residues. This work is important in development of new food formulations with adequate nutritional and functional properties based on Bambara bean protein.

High-pressure thermal processing (HPTP) is an emerging technology that requires packaging materials able to withstand the strong effects of heat and pressure. The most recent findings and reported changes within the flexible polymers after HPTP treatment are discussed, as well as the safety and quality aspects of the interactions in the food–package–environment system. Barrier properties (O 2 , CO 2 , water vapor permeability), migration of potentially toxic compounds, and flavor scalping are compared for different commercially available films. Mechanical properties and packaging integrity show that the most promising multilayer films for HPTP treatment should incorporate EVOH as a main component.

This study determined the colonisation scenario of Listeria monocytogenes in a newly-opened ready-to-eat meat processing facility using a combination of classical microbiology and molecular biology techniques. Samples (n=183), including food contact surfaces, non-food contact surfaces, raw materials and food samples, collected on four sampling occasions, were analysed for L. monocytogenes by the ISO 11290:1996 standard method and by real-time PCR applied to the second enrichment broth from the ISO method. No L. monocytogenes were detected on the first sampling occasion, but by the second sampling occasion a persistent clone had colonised the facility. Analysis of the second enrichment of the ISO method by real-time PCR was more sensitive for the detection of L. monocytogenes than the ISO method alone. In order to reduce the risk of cross contamination and the public health risk, awareness and proactive measures are required to control L. monocytogenes from the first days of production in a newly opened meat processing facility.

International audience; The data presented here capture the structure of kitchen layouts belonging to consumers vulnerable to foodborne diseases and food risk-takers. Data were collected in the frame of the SafeConsume project by multidisciplinary research teams that visited consumers during preparing a meal and had the possibility to examine their cooking routines. Distances between sink and stove, sink and refrigerator, stove and refrigerator, sink and working place (countertop or table), stove and working place were analyzed to correlate food safety practices applied during cooking with kitchen arrangements. The results arising from analyzing the ergonomics of kitchens versus potential cross-contamination events are presented in Mihalache et al., [1]. These data contribute to a better understanding of real kitchen layouts and can be used as a starting point for future research regarding food safety-oriented arrangements instead of ergonomics-focused designs, for food safety risk assessments, as study cases for explaining specific measures that can be established to improve food handling and hygiene practices in homes and for sociological research pointing consumers' behavior during cooking.