Journal - Menthol cigarettes and smoking cessation behaviour: a review of tobacco industry documents

Journal - Menthol cigarettes and smoking cessation behaviour: a review of tobacco industry documents - | agriculture commodities - commodity prices - food sciences | Abstract: Objective: To determine what the tobacco industry knew about menthol's relation to smoking cessation behaviour. 

Methods: A snowball sampling design was used to systematically search the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (LTDL) (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu) between 15 May to 1 August 2010. Of the approximately 11 million documents available in the LTDL, the iterative searches returned tens of thousands of results. A final collection of 509 documents relevant to 1 or more of the research questions were qualitatively analysed, as follows: (1) perceived sensory and taste rewards of menthol and potential relation to quitting; and (2) motivation to quit among menthol users.

Results: Menthol's cooling and anaesthetic effects mask the short-term negative physiological effects of smoking such as throat pain, burning and cough. This provides superficial physical relief as well as psychological assurance against concerns about the health dangers of smoking that would otherwise motivate smokers to quit. Menthol smokers, particularly women, perceive the minty aroma of menthol cigarettes to be more socially acceptable than non-menthol cigarettes. 

Discussion: Consumers believe menthol's sensory effects equate to health protections and that menthol cigarettes are more socially acceptable than non-menthol cigarettes. Menthol in cigarettes may encourage experimenters who find non-mentholated cigarettes too harsh, including young or inexperienced users, to progress to regular smoking rather than quitting, and may lessen the motivation to quit among established menthol smokers. The perception of menthol cigarettes as more socially acceptable lessens the impact of smoking denormalisation on quitting motivation. Menthol makes cigarettes easier and more palatable to smoke and less desirable to quit among established smokers. Fewer smokers quitting contributes to the incidence of tobacco-related diseases. 

Author: Stacey J Anderson

• Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
• Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA

Keywords: tobacco, cigarettes, Menthol, smoking, cessation, behavior, industry, anaesthetic, effects, sensory, smoker, health protection

Food Sciences: Measurement of Coffee Taste Using Lipid Membrane Taste Sensors

Food Sciences: Measurement of Coffee Taste Using Lipid Membrane Taste Sensors – Instant coffee and the components of coffee were measured by the taste sensing system which used lipid membrane taste sensors. The brands of instant coffee were discriminated easily and the difference of strength of sourness appeared clearly. In the case of measurement of components of coffee, only one-dimensional information was obtained, because all the response patterns are related to pH. Therefore it was difficult to detect a difference of delicate taste other than sourness. Thereupon, the preliminary treatment to coffee was tried to increase the information. The response of ch3 changed by adding milk or skim milk to coffee.

Different output patterns from other channels were obtained. In case of discrimination of brands of instant coffee contribution rate of PC2 improved by 5.8 times and the discriminating resolution was improved. The difference of delicate taste other than sourness was detected as PC2. The preliminary treatment to coffee increases the information and has the effect of improving discriminating resolution.

An improvement of the resolution by the preliminary treatment to coffee will greatly contribute to quality control of coffee and development of new products. Improvements of taste sensors and studies of connection between response of sensor and sensory evaluation are being carried out.

Author: H. KOMAI¹, Y. NAITO¹, K. SATO¹, H. IKEZAKI¹, A. TANIGUCHI¹, K. TOKO²

¹Research Laboratory Anritsu Corporation 1800, Onna, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa-ken 243, Japan

²Department of Electronics, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University @food sciences

Preparation of Raw Mannan and Mannanase from Palm Oil Cake

ABSTRACT: Mannan, that is many in farm waste and can be a source of biomass besides cellulose and xylan, are still not widely used. During this time utilization of Mannan biomass, mainly from palm oil cake and copra, were more intended for animal feed with a low efficiency of utilization rate. The advances of glico-science and glico-technology provide high benefits in the production of various oligosaccharides which  known can be utilized as a functional food.

The degradation of mannan by several types of mannanase enzymes can be obtained mannose and manno-oligosacharides that serves as a functional food which can be utilized as a prebiotic. Waste biomass from industrial of plantations, agriculture and forest products in Indonesia containing mannan polysaccharides, particularly waste from the production of palm oil, copra and coffee, can be used for the production mannosa of and manno-oligosaccharides. By the production of palm oil (crude palm oil, CPO) , it  is produced waste of sludge and palm oil cake. About 20 ~ 40% fiber composition of this palm oil cake is a beta-Mannan. 

For the fermentation process, the first step is to perform the substances analysis and preparation of Mannan from palm oil cake. The optimum condition of initial preparation by catalytic hydrolysis of palm oil cake is on the use of 150 g / L substrate in water, 2% catalyst, the temperature of 110^oC conducted over 1.0 hours . The process of hydrolysis of 250 g / L for palm oil cake in water with 2% catalyst and heating to 90^oC for 1.5 hours followed by the deposition process of 1:1 acetone produces samples with Mannan concentration 19.1% .

The result of substrate hydrolysis of palm oil cake using selective microbes, Streptomyces and Saccharoployspora (BTCC collection) showed that qualitatively oligosaccharide compounds was formed. Both isolates of the bacteria produced mannanase enzymes with the highest specific activity after 24 hours of fermentation.

Keywords: palm oil cake, mannan, mannosa, manno-oligosaccharides, functional food

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Pricing of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) in South Sumatra through the Perspective of Bilateral Monopoly Market

ABSTRACT : This study aimed to identify where the price of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) of palm oil is set by local governments in the price range of bilateral monopoly market approach, in terms of whether they have been providing protection to farmers and close to prices that reflect a balanced bargaining power, or more lead to the monopsonist price, or even lead to monopoly pricing.

The study was done on the condition and data (1998-2002) of three Perkebunan Inti Rakyat (PIR) --- plasma nucleus system plantation. They were PIR Transmigrasi of private and state enterprises management, and PIR-KUK. The analysis methode used were single-equation econometric model of demand and supply of FFB.

The results showed that the price of FFB established by local government has protected farmers from the possibility of monopsony market prices that can occur if no policy intervention. However, the FFB price level in a bilateral monopoly market perspective, which KUD (Farmers Cooperation) represents farmers as a monopolist, still tend to be closer to the monopsonist price. It also reflects the more powerful bargaining position of the nucleus rather than farmers, and the price of FFB as a derivatives position of global CPO prices. It takes commitment and a more serious effort by both sides to enhance cooperation partnership in order to get a fairer FFB price.

Keywords : Palm Oil, FFB, CPO, PIR, price, monopsony, monopoly, bilateral monopoly market
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Partial Transesterification of Palm Oil with EtOH on Producing Diglycerides as Emulsifying Agent

ABSTRACT : The high of palm oil production growth push the need for diversification of palm oil into other products with high economic value. One of the products is an emulsifying agent. Emulsifying agent made from vegetable oils is biodegradable, so it does not pollute the environment, and sustainable supply is guaranteed because it comes from natural resources that can be renewed. In the production of an emulsifying agent made from raw palm oil, the transesterification reaction is an initial stage that will affect quality of the product.

This study aims to assess the condition of partial transesterification of palm oil. Transesterification process using palm oil and NaOH as a catalyst. Variables used are percent of the catalyst weight NaOH (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 {mol NaOH / kg oil}), the transesterification temperature (40, 50, 60, and 70 ° C), the transesterification time (15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes), and reactant ratios (1:3, 1:4, 1:5, and 1:6 mol {oil: ethanol mole}), to assess the impact on performance of diglycerides producted . Diglycerides product tested for its ability as an emulsifying agent in lowering the surface tension of water and in maintaining the stability of emulsion oil / water.

The results showed that the diglycerides producted has the ability lower the surface tension of water at the optimum percent of catalyst weight NaOH of 0.3 mol NaOH / kg of oil, transesterification temperature 50^oC, reaction time 30 minutes, and reactant ratio 1 oil mole : 6 ethanol mole.

Keywords : emulsifying agents, diglycerides, palm oil, NaOH, transesterification
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The Prospects of Coconut Processing Byproducts

ABSTRACT : The fruit flesh is the main component of coconut, while coconut fiber, shell, and water is a byproduct of fruit (by-product). With the production of coconuts in Indonesia, an average of 15.5 billion eggs per year, the total follow-up materials that can be gained 3.75 million tons of water, 0.75 million tons of charcoal, 1.8 million tons of coir fiber, and 3.3 million tons of coir dust as a byproduct.

Feasibility of processing byproduct of coconut fruit is very promising if planned and managed properly. Based on financial analysis in 2004, B / C and IRR coir processing into fibers and coir dust for 10 years was 3.58 and 76%; shell into charcoal for 5 years 1.11 and 23%, and coconut water become nata de coco for 5 years 1.32 and 32%.

Development of by-product processing industry should be supported by technical feasibility, especially the availability of raw material supply and marketing, and processing equipment that is suitable for processing fiber. To obtain sufficient raw materials for processing coconut husk required area 300 ha. Coir processing is integrated with the processing of coir dust into compost in order to obtain additional income. To produce 1 ton of fiber is obtained about 5 tons of coir dust. Location processing byproduct should be in the vicinity of the source of raw materials and to ensure continuity of supply and product marketing efforts suggested in the form of joint enterprise.

Keywords : Coconut, Cocos nucifera L., processing, byproduct
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Potential Evaluation of Freshwater Macroalgae Spirogyra sp., Hydrodictyon sp., Chara sp., Nitella sp., and Cladophora sp. as Source of Vegetable Oil

ABSTRACT : Research on the potential of Jatropha oil and Palm Oil as a renewable energy source has been widely reported. However, algae also has promising potential as a renewable energy source for raw materials of biodiesel production.

This study aims to obtain freshwater macroalgae species that contain a high oil content which can be converted into biodiesel. Green macroalgae samples collected from freshwater ponds and rivers in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, fields in Dago Biru (Bandung), Lido Lake in Sukabumi, and Lake Situ Bagendit in Garut.

Macroalgae samples were then cleaned and dried with sun-dried for 1-2 days and then re-weighed and then dried in an oven with a temperature of 60 ^oC for 2-3 days to obtain a constant dry weight. Samples of algae that have been dried and then extracted by maceration method using the solvent n-hexane for 2x24 hours, then partitioned with methanol and made soluble pigment removal using activated carbon for 2-3 days.

The extract then evaporated with a vacuum evaporator and obtain algae oil. The quality of the extracted algal oil then analyzed based on the value of acid number, saponification and iodine numbers using standard methods, ie successive FBI-03-A01, FBIA03-FBI-03 and A04-03. Results of quantification analysis of oil content of macroalgae were tested showed Nitella sp. 0.61% w / w, Cladophora sp. 0.57% w / w, Hydrodictyon sp. 0.54% w / w, Chara sp. 0.3% w / w, and Spirogyra sp. 0.15% b / b.

The test results show the quality of macroalgae oil acid number in the range of 55-143 mg KOH / g, which indicates high acid conditions in these algae oil, saponification value 400-500 mg KOH / g oil algae showed a short carbon chain that is in the range butyric acid (C-4) that is more suitable to utilize as a food source (such as supplements) and animal feed, and iodine number in the range of 3-28 g g I2/100 that within the standard requirements of the raw material of biodiesel.

Keywords : Macroalgae, biodiesel, algal oil
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True Amino Acid Digestibility of Fermented Shrimp Waste in Broiler Chicks

Abstract : Thirty 55 days old of MB-202 male broiler chicken were used in a completely randomized design to evaluate the digestibility of Aspergillus sp. fermented shrimp waste (FSW) by force feeding technique. There were 4 dietary treatments, each having 6 replicates. 

Three diets each of A. niger FSW (FSWn) , A. oryzae FSW (FSWo) and A. sojae FSW (FSWs) were formulated and one raw SW diets as control. The birds were fasted for 24 h and force feeding as quickly as possible and total excreta sampling for amino acids digestibility evaluation. The amino acid digestibility of FSW groups were higher as compared to the raw SW. Among FSW groups treatment, the digestibilities FSWn were higher for all amino acid. Supplementation of the diets with lysine have more attention in order to utilization of FSW as broiler feedstuff.

Key words : Digestibility, amino acid, fermentation, shrimp waste
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JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

Summary: 10 to 30% of the population of industrialised countries are believed to suffer from food‐borne disease annually. Contamination of food with dangerous bugs (i.e. bacteria and viruses) is a major cause of such illnesses. Consumers have a key role to play in disease prevention through good hygiene and food safety practices within the home.

A series of international food safety conferences were organised from 2003 to 2005 as part of the European Union Risk Analysis Information Network (EU‐RAIN) project (www.eu‐rain.com). This booklet focuses on food safety in the home as discussed by experts at these conferences. To increase the general level of awareness of the bugs that cause food poisoning, short summaries on the most frequently implicated bugs are provided. Bacterial bugs discussed include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, Staphylococcus, Yersinia, Shigella, Clostridium and Escherichia coli, while viral bugs covered include Norovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatitis A virus and Hepatitis E virus. Associated foods and disease symptoms are described. Information on the BSE associated illness, variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob Disease (vCJD), and chemical and physical hazards in food are also discussed. Specific guidelines for food safety in the home are then outlined, with the background behind their use explained. Areas covered include: (1) keeping your kitchen clean and well maintained; (2) avoiding cross‐contamination; (3) being a responsible food handler; (4) using your fridge correctly; (5) avoiding problems with frozen foods; (6) cooking food properly; (7) taking extra care if cooked food is not eaten immediately; (8) storing non‐perishable foods correctly; (9) washing fruit and vegetables; (10) being vigilant for signs that food has ‘gone off’; (11) ensuring that pets or pests don’t contaminate food; (12) avoiding chemical residue problems; and (13) being food safety aware while on holidays.

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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals

Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals

ABSTRACT: Human health is related to animal life, health and disease primarily through animal food products and the safety and risks connected to these products. In other terms: the quality of the food produced from animal products (eggs, milk and meat) is important in order to maintain human health and be a safe resource for food.

In this paper, food quality can be described in terms of process quality and product quality: Process quality arrives from how animals live their lives, and how the food is produced and processed, and product quality is defined by the values of the food product itself (nutrition, sensorial), including food safety. In this paper, the relations between animal production with focus on disease handling and human health risks is briefly explored and discussed. Animal health and food safety is related to each other through the presence of zoonotic diseases, and the potential threats of certain substances in the food product such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, or drug residues, and through transfer of bacteria being resistant to antimicrobial drugs.

The potentials for veterinary homoeopathy is concluded to be linked to food quality and safety through a potential for gradual minimisation of disease level in animals, no transfer of antimicrobial residues or resistant bacteria, and through a philosophical impact on the way of keeping animals and systematically removing all obstacles to cure not only WHEN they are diseased via building up a good and healthy animal production system and focus on breeding, feeding, human care-taking and allowing the animals as much freedom of choice as possible in order to fulfil natural needs and natural behaviour.

The potentials for developing a good veterinary homoeopathic treatment practice is far from being fulfilled at the moment. Education among farmers as well as among veterinarians is needed, and the current conflicting legislation complicates the use of veterinary homoeopathy in the EU countries. The perspectives for using veterinary homoeopathy in farm animal treatment practice on a more global level seems very relevant, as much medicine is being used followed by severe problems with antimicrobial resistance and drug residues in many countries, e.g. in the so-called developing world. The perspectives of implementing homoeopathic treatment approaches into veterinary practice in e.g. African countries seem even more difficult than for e.g. Northern Western-European countries.

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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology

ABSTRACT: A recent trend of food safety issues in Japan is discussed from a perspective of information ecology. The Japanese food safety policies have gradually introduced a set of methods of the risk analysis that has embodied in the 2003 Basic Food Safety Law and the Food Safety Commission after the discovery of BSE cows in 2001.

The outcomes include an introduction of the traceability system for food products. Besides, a public arena of debates on food safety has emerged with issues on food pollution by dioxins, genetically modified (GM) foods and foods with disguised origins. In the arena, diverse arguments and practices have come out from different actors that include consumer unions, environmental groups, the food-distribution industry, the food-processing industry, farmers and some newly-entered industries. Contested strategies of these actors, interacting with policy change mentioned above, seem to bring a new design of information about food safety. The arena can be considered as a hybrid forum comprised of actors with different qualities. This paper analyses the hybrid forum by using three ideal types of strategies taken up by different actors in order to alleviate risks derived from food: informational, cooperative and technological strategies, in relation to three elements of the risk analysis.

Keywords: food safety, risk analysis, hybrid forum, traceability
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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice

Introduction: Morinda citrifolia L. (noni) is an evergreen or small tree that grows in many tropical regions of the world. Morton (1992) reports that the fruit of this tree has a history of use in the pharmacopoeias of Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asia. In the past decade, the global popularity of noni fruit juice has increased dramatically (Dixon and others 1999; McClatchey 2002). While there are several publications describing various potential health benefits of noni fruit (Wang and others 2002), journal publications regarding safety are limited.

A few case reports have been published in which a connection is attempted between an adverse event and noni fruit juice consumption (Mueller and others 2000;Carr and Bergeron 2004;Millonig and others 2005; Stadlbauer and others 2005). However, the sketchy details and limited number of cases reported are inadequate to draw any conclusion. On the other hand, the fruit has been subjected to an official safety evaluation within the European Union and found to be acceptable for human consumption (European Commission 2002).

This review article will compensate for the lack of information and context in the published literature, and will thus assist health professionals and scientists in assessing the wholesomeness of noni fruit juice.

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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety

ABSTRACT: Microwaves refer to the electromagnetic waves in the frequency range of 300 to 300,000 mega hertz. Once microwave energy is absorbed, polar molecules and ions inside the food will rotate or collide according to the alternating electromagnetic field and heat is subsequently generated for cooking. The use of microwave oven provides a convenient way to thaw, cook and reheat foods.

However, the safety of the microwaved food has on and off aroused some public interest. This study reviewed the basic principles of microwave cooking, the associated potential food hazards and the health risks, if any, posed to consumers as a result of consumption of microwave food. Our review of available evidences suggested that the use of microwave cooking results in foods with safety and nutrient quality similar to those cooked by conventional cooking, provided that the consumers followed the given instructions. Advice to the public when using a microwave oven was also given.

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Other important journals:  

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish

ABSTRACT: In 4 separate dominant lethal experiments, groups of mice were fed laboratory diets (Oakes, 41B, PRD, BP nutrition rat and mouse maintenance diet No.1). The diets were either untreated (negative control diets) or irradiated at 1, 2.5, and 5 Mrad and were freshly irradiated, or stored.5 The animals were fed their test diets for a period of 3 weeks prior to mating.

Groups of mice given a single intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg cyclophosphamide per kg body weight served as the positive controls. Freshly irradiated PRD diet fed to male mice of both strains caused an increase in early deaths of offspring of females mated to the males in week 7 and to a lesser extent in week 4. The increase due to irradiation was small by comparison with that produced by the positive control compound. The responses for the other irradiated diets showed no significant increases in early deaths of offspring, although some values for Oakes diet were high. The effect of storage was examined with PRD and BPN diet on one occasion and produced conflicting results. Thus there was some evidence that irradiated PRD diet has weak mutagenic activity in the meiotic and/or pre-meiotic phase of the spermatogenic cycle, which appeared to be lessened on storage.

FULL TEXT >>

Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources

ABSTRACT: The American public is concerned about food safety, and there is a growing realization that we are ill equipped to handle major food-borne illness outbreaks and bioterrorism. Since veterinary medicine plays an important role in assuring the safety of our nation’s food supply, we would like to present to veterinary and public health educators a newly emerging resource for food-safety educational materials.

This article describes an integrative collaborative approach for the creation and dissemination of engaging food-safety teaching resources for veterinary faculty. This USDA-funded project, Design to Dissemination: Developing Materials and Repository for Integrative Veterinary Food Safety Education, involves expert teachers in diverse fields and from many veterinary schools. The purpose of the project is to create materials that teach students food safety from farm to fork, and it offers teachers clinically relevant teaching resources that are difficult to create or locate. The educational materials are being created as smaller ‘‘building blocks’’ of content, commonly referred to as ‘‘learning objects’’ (LOs), focused on individual learning objectives. These learning objects are placed in the Veterinary Food Safety Education Learning Object Repository, where they are catalogued, stored, and kept accessible and where faculty can search, evaluate, and download teaching materials to use in their courses. In this way the learning objects can be more easily shared and reused or repurposed for other courses and applications. With this article we hope to excite faculty in veterinary schools and public-health programs and encourage them to use the repository and participate in piloting the educational materials.

Key words: food safety, distance education, e-learning, public safety
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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?

Abstract: A theoretical model of consumer response to publicized food safety information on meat demand is developed with an empirical application to U.S. meat consumption. Evidence is found for the existence of pre-committed levels of consumption, seasonal factors, time trends, and contemporaneous own- and cross-commodity food safety concerns.

The average demand response to food safety concerns are small, especially in comparison to price effects, and to previous estimates of health related issues. This small average effect masks periods of significantly larger responses corresponding with prominent food safety events, but these larger impacts are short-lived with no apparent food safety lagged effects on demand. 

Keywords: food safety information, demand system, U.S. meat demand

FULL TEXT >>

Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
  
• JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: User-Fee Financing of USDA Meat and Poultry Inspection

ABSTRACT: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finances about 13.5 percent of its budget outlays through user fees for overtime and unscheduled meat and poultry inspections. User fees play an increasingly important role in financing government programs, and FSIS has frequently requested expanded authority to charge user fees for more of its operations.

Congress has consistently rejected the FSIS requests and has placed important restrictions on fees and the uses of fee revenue at those agencies that have been granted more extensive user fee authority. This report surveys the application of user-fees for financing meat and poultry inspection programs in other countries; reviews user-fee systems in other Federal agencies, particularly those with food and agricultural missions or regulatory responsibilities; and discusses the relevant economics literature on the use and design of user fees. Finally, we suggest several elements that should underlie the structure of user fees for meat and poultry inspection, should such a program be introduced.

Keywords: user fees, meat inspection, public finance
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Other important journals: 

• International Trade and Food Safety: Economic Theory and Case Studies
• JOURNAL: Does Food Safety Information Impact U.S. Meat Demand?
• JOURNAL: Enhancing Food-Safety Education through Shared Teaching Resources
• JOURNAL: Ionizing radiation for t2 control of Vibrio and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish
• JOURNAL: Microwave Cooking and Food Safety
• JOURNAL: A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice
• JOURNAL: Issues on food safety from a perspective of information ecology
• Protecting the food chain: food safety, animal and human health and the use of homoeopathy in farm animals
• JOURNAL: Guidelines for Domestic Kitchen Food Safety

JOURNAL: Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake in Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide

ABSTRACT: Regular intake of cocoa-containing foods is linked to lower cardiovascular mortality in observational studies. Short-term interventions of at most 2 weeks indicate that high doses of cocoa can improve endothelial function and reduce blood pressure (BP) due to the action of the cocoa polyphenols, but the clinical effect of low habitual cocoa intake on BP and the underlying BP-lowering mechanisms are unclear.

The study objective was to determine effects of low doses of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate on BP. Randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded, parallel-group trial involved 44 adults aged 56 through 73 years (24 women, 20 men) with untreated upper-range prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension without concomitant risk factors. The trial was conducted at a primary care clinic in Germany between January 2005 and December 2006. Participants were randomly assigned to receive for 18 weeks either 6.3 g (30 kcal) per day of dark chocolate containing 30 mg of polyphenols or matching polyphenol-free white chocolate. 

Primary outcome measure was the change in BP after 18 weeks. Secondary outcome measures were changes in plasma markers of vasodilative nitric oxide (Snitrosoglutathione) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostane), and bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols. From baseline to 18 weeks, dark chocolate intake reduced mean (SD) systolic BP by –2.9 (1.6) mm Hg (P < .001) and diastolic BP by –1.9 (1.0) mm Hg (P < .001) without changes in body weight, plasma levels of lipids, glucose, and 8-isoprostane. Hypertension prevalence declined from 86% to 68%. The BP decrease was accompanied by a sustained increase of S-nitrosoglutathione by 0.23 (0.12) nmol/L (P < .001), and a dark chocolate dose resulted in the appearance of cocoa phenols in plasma. White chocolate intake caused no changes in BP or plasma biomarkers.

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Other important journals:

• Photochem: Antioxidant Detection and Soybean Storage Study for Planetary Outposts
• Thailand: Biotechnology for Farm Products and Agro-Industries
• The Food and Fiber System: Contributing to the U.S. and World Economies
• Three Puzzles of Private Governance: GlobalGAP and the Regulation of Food Safety and Quality
• Understanding the FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification Standard
• JOURNAL: Antioxidant Properties of Cocoa Powder
• JOURNAL: The Role of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis in Investigating a Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Roma Tomatoes
• JOURNAL: Consumers Perception of Food Traceability in Europe
• Regions, Borders, and Regulation: The Food Safety & Security Case

JOURNAL: Antioxidant Properties of Cocoa Powder

ABSTRACT: This study was aimed to determine antioxidant properties of cocoa powder. Crude cocoa extracts were fractionated using prepacked column (25 cm ¥ 2.0 cm) with Sephadex LH 20 and an increase in water–acetone (85:15, 70:30, and 40:60, v/v) as elution.

The resulting fractions 1 (F1), 2 (F2) and 3 (F3) were tested for phenolic contents, antioxidant capacity, identification of bioactive compounds liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) and stability test. Theobromine and caffeine were major compounds detected in F1 and F2. Monomer, dimer and trimer were identified in F3 as m/z 289, 578 and 867, respectively. Addition of F1 and F2 could reduce antioxidant capacity of F3. Catechin and epicatechin in F3 was stable when stored at 4 and -20C for 5 months. High antioxidant capacity in F3 was likely due to the monomeric, dimeric and trimeric phenolic compounds. The presence of methylxanthines could reduce antioxidant capacity of flavonoids in cocoa powder.

FULL TEXT>>

Other important journals:

• Photochem: Antioxidant Detection and Soybean Storage Study for Planetary Outposts
• Thailand: Biotechnology for Farm Products and Agro-Industries
• The Food and Fiber System: Contributing to the U.S. and World Economies
• Three Puzzles of Private Governance: GlobalGAP and the Regulation of Food Safety and Quality
• Understanding the FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification Standard
• JOURNAL: Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake in Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide
• JOURNAL: The Role of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis in Investigating a Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Roma Tomatoes
• JOURNAL: Consumers Perception of Food Traceability in Europe
• Regions, Borders, and Regulation: The Food Safety & Security Case

JOURNAL: The Role of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis in Investigating a Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Roma Tomatoes

ABSTRACT: In July 2004 the PA Dept of Health (PA DOH) and the PA Dept of Agriculture (PDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), were involved in the investigation of a multi-state foodborne outbreak of Salmonella. The outbreak, centered in Pennsylvania, involved food items purchased at deli counters of a large gas station chain.  

Routine surveillance by the PA DOH’s pulsed- field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) lab showed a spike in serotype Javiana, and PFGE analysis of these isolates identified an outbreak pattern. An epidemiologic investigation implicated tomatoes as the source of infection. From tomatoes the PDA isolated Salmonella, which the PA DOH rapidly serotyped as Anatum. Subsequently, PFGE established a direct patient-tomato link for this organism. As the epi investigation and PFGE testing continued, four serotypes (Javiana, Anatum, Thompson, and Typhimurium) were eventually implicated. PFGE  results failed to support the involvement of one epi-linked serotype (Muenchen). The standardized CDC PFGE protocol (Ref. 1) using multiple enzymes was used to further characterize the isolates. Through the CDC-sponsored PulseNet communications system, PFGE results were posted to the WebBoard. Rapid responses from neighboring states revealed this to be a multi-state outbreak. 

FULL TEXT>>

Other important journals:

• Photochem: Antioxidant Detection and Soybean Storage Study for Planetary Outposts
• Thailand: Biotechnology for Farm Products and Agro-Industries
• The Food and Fiber System: Contributing to the U.S. and World Economies
• Three Puzzles of Private Governance: GlobalGAP and the Regulation of Food Safety and Quality
• Understanding the FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification Standard
• JOURNAL: Antioxidant Properties of Cocoa Powder
• JOURNAL: Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake in Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide
• JOURNAL: Consumers Perception of Food Traceability in Europe
• Regions, Borders, and Regulation: The Food Safety & Security Case