Measurement of food safety culture using survey and maturity profiling tools

Organizational culture is defined by dimensions and characteristics that can be used to measure food safety culture in food manufacturing through a food safety maturity model. Maturity models from quality, health care, and information technology have been used since early 1970 and this work presents a novel food safety culture maturity model with five capability areas and food safety pinpointed behaviours specific to functions and levels in a food manufacturing company. A survey tool linked to the model is used to measure a company's position within the maturity model framework. The method was tested with a Canadian food manufacturer and proved valuable to measure food safety culture across the five capability areas, which provides the manufacturer with a map for prioritizing future efforts to strengthen food safety culture.     

Clean hydrogen production with the Cu-Cl cycle - Progress of international consortium, I: Experimental unit operations

Advancement of the thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle for hydrogen production is reviewed and discussed in this paper. Individual unit operations and their linkage into an integrated cycle are being developed by a Canadian consortium, as part of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) for hydrogen production with the next generation of nuclear reactors. This paper focuses on the consortium’s latest advances on the Cu-Cl cycle, particularly with respect to hydrogen production with Canada’s Generation IV reactor, called SCWR (Super-Critical Water Reactor). Other heat sources may also be utilized for the Cu-Cl cycle, such as solar energy or industrial waste heat. In this first of two companion papers, recent developments in Canada’s nuclear hydrogen program are reported, specifically unit operation experiments of the Cu-Cl cycle and system integration. The following second companion paper will present system modeling with Aspen Plus, corrosion resistant materials, thermochemistry, safety, and reliability aspects of the Cu-Cl cycle.     

Nano-texture for a wear-resistant and near-frictionless diamond-like carbon

The effect of nano-scale surface texture on wear resistance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films was studied using a reciprocating ball-on-flat tribometer in dry, humid, and liquid water environments. The nano-scale surface texture was produced by depositing ∼1 μm thick DLC films onto silicon substrates pre-textured with pyramidal wells and polystyrene spheres. The surface roughness of the textured DLC films was about 50 nm in both cases. The friction and wear behavior of the flat and nano-textured DLC films were tested with AISI 440C-grade stainless steel balls at a contact load creating about 360 nm deep Hertzian deformation which is significantly larger than the surface roughness. At this condition, nano-texturing did not affect the friction coefficient, but it significantly reduced the wear of DLC films in dry and humid nitrogen compared to flat DLC. In dry nitrogen, the nano-textured DLC films showed the ultra-low friction without substantial wear of DLC and deposition of thick transfer films onto the counter-surface. The wear reduction appeared to be related to the stress relief in the nano-textured DLC film. In liquid water, surface features on the nano-textured DLC films were diminished due to tribochemical oxidation and material removal at the sliding interface.     

Pesticide residues determination in China vegetables in 2010–2013 applying gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

The levels of multi-pesticide residues in highly consumed types of vegetables in western regions of China were investigated in this study. Vegetable samples (506) were collected from local markets from 2010 to 2013, and the concentrations of 21 types of organophosphorus (OP) and pyrethroid (PYR) pesticides from the samples were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Ten OP pesticides were found in concentrations ranging from 0.0008 to 4.0544 mg/kg. Five types of PYR pesticides were determined to have concentrations in the range of 0.0009 to 6.0827 mg/kg. There were no residues in 69.76% of the samples. A portion (25.49%) of the samples contained pesticide residues less than or equal to the maximum residue limits (MRLs), and 4.94% of samples contained pesticide residues greater than their MRLs. This study provides useful information on the current contamination status of a key agricultural area in China from 2010 to 2013 and highlights the need for regular monitoring of pesticide residues in a greater number of vegetable samples and for longer periods, especially in leafy vegetables, to protect consumers.     

Occurrence of four mycotoxins in cereal and oil products in Yangtze Delta region of China and their food safety risks

A total of 76 cereal and oil products collected from Yangtze Delta region of China were analyzed for occurrences of aflatoxins (AFs), aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN). The mycotoxins were determined by the standard detection procedures using immunoaffinity column clean-up coupled with fluorometer (or HPLC-UV). ZEN was the most prevalent toxin, with the incidence of 27.6% (range = 10.0–440.0 μg kg⁻¹), and 9.2% of the evaluated samples were contaminated with a concentration higher than that of the legislation limit of China (60 μg kg⁻¹). AFs and AFB₁ were detected in 14.5% of the samples analyzed, the concentrations ranging 1.1–35.0 μg kg⁻¹ for AFs, and 1.0–32.2 μg kg⁻¹ for AFB₁; 4.0% of the samples had the concentrations of AFs and AFB₁ higher than that of the corresponding legislation limits of China (5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 μg kg⁻¹ for different products). OTA was detected in 14.5% of the cereal and oil products collected; the concentrations ranged 0.51–16.2 μg kg⁻¹. Only 2 samples showed OTA levels higher than that of the legislation limit of China (5.0 μg kg⁻¹). DON was detected in 7.9% of the samples; the concentrations ranged 100–700 μg kg⁻¹, and none of the samples showed DON concentration higher than that of the legislation limit of China (1.0 mg kg⁻¹). A total of 15.8% cereal and oil products were contaminated with at least two mycotoxins (multiple contaminations with different combinations including AFs-ZEN, AFs-OTA-ZEN, OTA-ZEN, ZEN-DON, OTA-ZEN-DON). The dietary exposure assessment results indicated that AFs (AFB₁), OTA, DON and ZEN from cereal-based products represented a series health risk to both adults and children in Yangtze Delta region of China. This is the first report of safety evaluation associated with major mycotoxins for the area.     

Anti-counterfeit code for aquatic product identification for traceability and supervision in China

There are not or weak anti-counterfeit functions in the current traceability system. As a result, the counterfeiters could imitate this system easily. This phenomenon had a large impact on the traceability system construction and on consumer trust in the traceability information. The aim of our research was to construct an anti-counterfeit code for aquatic product identification, for traceability and supervision of aquatic enterprises in the domestic market. The aquatic products batch code (APBC) was in the form of a segmented combination encoding an enterprise identification code, a product code and a check code, which implements a combination of traceability and supervision. An encryption algorithm based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was designed for decimal anti-counterfeit code based on the unique identification of the aquatic trace units. Simulation tests indicated that a diffusion rate of greater than 90% was achieved when the encryption was run four or more times, thereby leading to the implementation of an anti-counterfeiting technique for aquatic traceability, known as “one time, one code”. The anti-counterfeit code combined with GS1 was used in a product label, and the method has a high level of security and is used for supervision and tracing of aquatic products in China.     

Portuguese consumers' attitudes and perceptions of bivalve molluscs

Bivalves have been promoted as healthy food in many countries. Yet, little information is available about bivalve consumers' purchasing behaviour and attitudes. The aim of this study was to investigate the marketing and quality aspects of several bivalve species with economical value in Portugal and to examine the relationship between each respondent's demographic and socio-economic status with bivalve consumption attitudes and preferences. A randomly selected sample of 1778 people answered a web-based questionnaire. The majority of respondents claimed to consume clams (pullet carpet shell clam and Japanese carpet shell clam) and usually prefer bivalves from national production. Smell, size and cleaned shells were considered as the most important criteria when choosing live bivalves. Most consumers buy clams in supermarkets and revealed good knowledge about the risks associated with its consumption. Trust in the selling establishment and product's label information was the main perceived quality criteria associated to bivalve purchasing. Nonetheless, consumers' attitudes and preferences differed considerably according to their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The current findings provide a useful tool for producers and stakeholders involved in the trade chain of bivalves to understand the consumption profile and the most important quality criteria involved in bivalve purchase. Additionally, it is an important tool to predict the risks of bivalve consumption as well as to understand the different scenarios of contamination occurring in harvesting areas by national competent authorities.     

Patulin in homogenized fruit's and tomato products

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by microscopic fungi belonging to the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera. The natural occurrence of patulin in baby food products marketed in Italy is frequently detectable in moldy fruits and their derivatives. The EC Regulation 1881/06 has limited the presence of patulin in baby food to 10 μg/kg or 10 μg/L on the basis of a Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake (PMTDI) of 0.4 μg/kg BW set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). A total of 80 homogenized baby foods were analyzed to evaluate the exposure of babies to patulin through the consumption of these products. The experimental tests have revealed significant differences between the products from organic production and those in traditional production in all the categories analyzed. The tomato concentrates showed an average of patulin concentration of 7.15 ng/ml of product; the tomato sauce of 4.05 ng/ml; the tomato sauce to the baby foods of 5.23 ng/ml; the homogenized apple of 0.85 ng/ml; the homogenized pear of 0.79 ng/ml. The tomato sauce conventional vs organic crops showed an average of 5.75 vs 3.49 ng/ml, respectively; the homogenized pear conventional vs organic ones of 0.72 vs 0.76 ng/ml, respectively; the homogenized apple conventional vs organic ones of 1.92 vs 0.13 ng/ml, respectively. The low incidence of the patulin level in Italian products is a clear parameter to establish the quality of the fruits and their derived products.     

Home food safety knowledge,risk perception,and practices among Mexican-Americans

Little is known about the home food safety practices of Mexican-Americans living in the U.S. The current study examined the knowledge, perception of food safety risk and factors associated with home food safety practices among the Mexican-Americans who cook regularly for their families. Ten focus group interviews in New York and Texas identified a number of issues. Most participants did not defrost properly (i.e., placed frozen meat in the sink or countertop) and did not handle leftovers safely (i.e., cooled down more than 2 h at room temperature). Although participants reported good hygienic practices in the use of utensils when cooking, there seemed to be limited awareness of the dangers of cross-contamination when handling raw meats and produce; unsafe thawing of raw meats by leaving the raw meat in the sink or counter, and handling of cooked meats. Many incorrectly believed that the appearance of cooked meats was an indicator of safety, and that a food thermometer was unnecessary. These focus group findings informed a probability–based web panel survey (N = 468) of Mexican-Americans who cook for their families in the United States. The survey study reports two major findings: (1) Mexican-Americans' perception and awareness about food safety risk were closely related to their reported food preparation practices (except for eating raw eggs) and (2) Mexican-Americans born in the U.S. and those of Mexican origin living in the U.S. differed in their level of risk awareness and in their compliance with some associated food safety practices. Practical implications are discussed for designing targeted communication campaigns to increase compliance with safe home food preparation practices.