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The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology currently covers a limited number of human health-related impact categories. Microbiological food safety is an essential aspect for the selection of an appropriate food production system and has been neglected in the LCA so far. A framework for the inclusion of a microbiological food safety indicator, expressed as disability-adjusted life year (DALY) value of the consumed food product to the human health damage category (end-point) was created, and applied in a case study model on the cooked-chilled meals as the ready-to-eat meals can be associated with the occurrence of foodborne illness cases and outbreaks. This study suggests a framework for the inclusion of microbiological risk caused by Bacillus cereus associated with the consumption of ready-to-eat meals (in Belgium) in the LCA. The results indicated that the microbiological risk of one package of the investigated ready-to-eat meal was 1.95 × 10−6 DALY, and the obtained DALY value was included as an impact category in the LCA methodology. Inclusion of other categories of food safety (including chemical safety hazards, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and mycotoxins) in LCA could be done in the same fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of seaweeds in the human diet has a long history in Asia and has now been increasing also in the western world. Concurrent with this trend, there is a corresponding increase in cultivation and harvesting for commercial production. Edible seaweed is a heterogenous product category including species within the green, red, and brown macroalgae. Moreover, the species are utilized on their own or in combinatorial food products, eaten fresh or processed by a variety of technologies. The present review summarizes available literature with respect to microbiological food safety and quality of seaweed food products, including processing and other factors controlling these parameters, and emerging trends to improve on the safety, utilization, quality, and storability of seaweeds. The over- or misuse of antimicrobials and the concurrent development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a current worldwide health concern. The role of seaweeds in the development of AMR and the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes is an underexplored field of research and is discussed in that context. Legislation and guidelines relevant to edible seaweed are also discussed.

Food safety in Malaysia is not considered an issue yet. From the previous year (2005- 2015) records, the incidence rate of food poisoning had been fluctuating and despite that, cases continue to occur especially among school students. As a developing nation, it is high-time that Malaysia begins to emphasize on food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in the socio-economic development of the country, and at the same time, gain benefits in terms of economic returns and trade through food safety enforcement. Most importantly, public health is achieved through food safety implementation and accentuation. The current standing point of the Malaysia’s food safety is discussed in this review. In addition, the review will also discuss the role of academicians as intervention contributions in tackling food safety issues. The review is hoped to provide valuable and concentrated information and knowledge to readers in the light to drive Malaysia into ensuring safer food for the public.

Staphylococcal foodborne intoxication, in which major symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea, occurs after ingestion of thermostable staphylococcal enterotoxins produced in food by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci. Staphylococcal enterotoxins are normally not or only slightly inactivated during food processing, storage, distribution or during the preparation of the food in the kitchen. Therefore, if enterotoxigenic staphylococci are able to grow in food to more then 105 - 106 cfu/g/ml before they are killed there is still a risk of intoxication with consumption. The legislation of the Republic of Serbia lays down criteria for coagulase- positive staphylococci in food. However, the number of coagulase-positive staphylococci may not always be a good indicator of the presence of staphylococal enterotoxins, and the number of cells may have already decreased although the product still contains enterotoxins. The microbiological criteria for coagulase-positive staphylococci and/or staphylococcal enterotoxins in food are essential and useful to protect public health.

Higher education students usually ask for more training based on case studies. This was addressed by designing a specific food safety module (24 hours) in which students were shown how to predict microbiological risks in food products i.e. they were asked to determine product shelf-life according to product formulation, preservation methods and consumption habits using predictive microbiology tools. Working groups of four students first identified the main microbiological hazards associated with a specific product. To perform this task, they were given several documents including guides for good hygiene practices, reviews on microbiological hazards in the food sector, flow sheets, etc. . . After three-hours of work, the working groups prepared and gave an oral presentation in front of their classmates and professors. This raised comments and discussion that allowed students to adjust their conclusions before beginning the next step of their work. This second step consisted in the evaluation of the safety risk associated with the two major microbiological hazards of the product studied, using predictive microbiology. Students then attended a general lecture on the different tools of predictive microbiology and tutorials (6 hours) that made them familiar with the modelling of bacterial growth or inactivation. They applied these tools (9 hours) to predict the shelf-life of the studied product according to various scenarios of preservation (refrigeration, water activity, concentration of salt or acid, modified atmosphere, etc. . . ) and/or consumption procedures (cooking). The module was concluded by oral presentations of each working group and included student evaluation (3 hours).

Photodynamic inactivation is a phenomenon that has the potential to cause microbial inactivation using visible light. It works on the principle that photosensitizers within the microbial cell can be activated using specific wavelengths to trigger a series of cytotoxic reactions. In the last few years, efforts to apply this intervention technology for food safety have been on the rise. This review article offers a detailed commentary on this research. The mechanism of photodynamic inactivation has been discussed as have the factors that influence its efficacy in food. Efforts to inactivate bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been analyzed in dedicated sections and so has the application of this technology to specific product classes such as fresh produce, dry fruits, seafood, and poultry. The challenges and opportunities facing the application of this technology to food systems have been evaluated and future research directions proposed. Thus, this review will provide insights for researchers and industry personnel looking for a novel solution to combat microbial contamination and resistance., (© 2019 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Teaching microbiological food safety and food safety in general at the primary school level is crucial, because behaviour is more easily influenced at that stage. The purpose of this review was to identify challenges in the education of primary school children related to microbiological food safety and to review the type of activities published and evaluated in the scientific literature targeting primary school children. The most frequently applied approach in the reviewed studies is target population-tailored workshops. The knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) model is most widely used for evaluation purposes, based mostly on the self-report and recall levels. Studies that compared theoretical and practical educational approaches unanimously demonstrated that theoretical awareness is not effective for changing and maintaining appropriate behaviour, whereas experiences had a significant impact. The review highlighted the differences and deficiencies in home economic teachers regarding formal education. The development of proper teaching methodologies and educators seems to be the key to the achievement of aware, confident, and skilled students (on the consumer level) during primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridium bacteria were already known to Hippocrates many years before Christ. The name of the Clostridium species is owed to the Polish microbiologist, Adam Prażmowski. It is now known that these Clostridium bacteria are widespread in the natural environment, and their presence in food products is a threat to human health and life. According to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports, every year, there are poisonings or deaths due to ingestion of bacterial toxins, including those of the Clostridium spp. The strengthening of consumer health awareness has increased interest in consuming products with minimal processing in recent years, which has led to a need to develop new techniques to ensure the safety of microbiological food, including elimination of bacteria from the Clostridium genera. On the other hand, the high biochemical activity of Clostridium bacteria allows them to be used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. Awareness of microbiological food safety is very important for our health. Unfortunately, in 2022, an increase in infections with Clostridium bacteria found in food was recorded. Knowledge about food contamination should thus be widely disseminated.