IMPLEMENTATION OF HAZARD ANALYSIS CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) TO THE DAIRY INDUSTRY: CURRENT STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES

The dairy industry is confronted with new challenges because of the continuously increasing complexity of the ingredients/packaging materials used and the technological advances/processes employed. The current structural development of the dairy industry means that any quality failures are bound to have more widespread consequences than previously. Consequently, the role of preventive controls is becoming increasingly important. Implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) by the dairy industry is anticipated to enhance consumer confidence in its products and reduce the existing barriers in international trade. This review discusses the implementation of HACCP principles throughout the production and distribution chain of milk and dairy products.     

Implementation of quality control methods (physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory) in conjunction with multivariate analysis towards fish authenticity

Nowadays authenticity of foods and fish in particular has become of crucial importance because of high number of adulteration cases. Authenticity control has gained ground thanks to the development of several rapid physico‐chemical and microbiological methods aiming at distinguishing one species from another based on solid scientific evidence. It has been proven that despite the precision and accuracy of robust analytical and protein and DNA‐based techniques, detection of authenticity could not be claimed without resorting to multivariate analysis. This review summarizes both the most advanced and state of the art used techniques for detecting fish and seafood authenticity (both in terms of species and geographical origin). Another issue reported in this review is the preservation of fish and seafood through the implementation of old and novel techniques (ice, modified atmosphere packaging). Several informative tables were included in this paper referring to the employed quality control and sensory analysis methods and multivariate analysis for fish and seafood.     

Use of ultrasounds in the food industry–Methods and effects on quality,safety, and organoleptic characteristics of foods: A review

The use of ultrasounds has recently gained significant interest in the food industry mainly due to the new trends of consumers toward functional foods. Offering several advantages, this form of energy can be applied for the improvement of qualitative characteristics of high-quality foods as well as for assuring safety of a vast variety of foodstuffs, and at the same time minimizing any negative effects of the sensory characteristics of foods. Furthermore, the non-destructive nature of this technology offers several opportunities for the compositional analysis of foods. However, further research is required for the improvement of related techniques and the reduction of application costs in order to render this technology efficient for industrial use. This review paper covers the main applications of ultrasounds as well as several advantages of the use of the technology in combination with conventional techniques. The effects of ultrasounds on the characteristics, microbial safety, and quality of several foods are also detailed     

Fish industry waste: treatments, environmental impacts, current and potential uses

Fish waste management has been one of the problems having the greatest impact on the environment. Fish farming detrimental effects on the marine environment in particular have become an issue of public concern. In European Union, numerous Directives, Decisions and Regulations were voted in an attempt to minimise the environmental impact of fisheries within the frame of Integrated Coastal Management. Treated fish waste has found many applications among which the most important are animal feed, biodiesel/biogas, dietic products (chitosan), natural pigments (after extraction), food‐packaging applications (chitosan), cosmetics (collagen), enzyme isolation, Cr immobilisation, soil fertiliser and moisture maintenance in foods (hydrolysates). In this review, an update of both environmental impact (inputs and outputs) and treated fish waste uses is provided by means of six comprehensive tables and seven figures.     

Functional foods: a survey of health claims, pros and cons, and current legislation

Functional foods stand for a new category of remarkably promising foods bearing properties (i.e., low cholesterol, antioxidant, anti-aging, anticancer, etc.) that have already rendered them quite appealing. There are many classes offunctionalfoods (pro- and pre-biotics, dietary fiber, low fat, etc.), and their definition is occasionally confused with that of nutraceuticals and novel foods. Consumers' main skepticism regarding functional foods resides in the veracity of health claims and in the low and often inadequate control of their claimed properties. Legislation concerning this matter is progressing at an extremely low pace and currently only Japan, the U.K., U.S.A., and Scandinavian countries have managed to make notable progress. Moreover, the labeling of functional foods is far from informative, providing scanty information about nutritional value, storage, and cooking recipes. It is anticipated that technological advances in the food industry, in conjunction with extensive clinical trials and governmental control, will eventually guarantee the credibility of health claims and ensure consumers' confidence in functional foods.