Food Protection Trends
Abstracts - October 2007
Effect of an Educational Program on Attitudes of California Consumers Toward Food Irradiation
Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Safety of Diced Chicken Meat and Turkey Frankfurters
Comparison of Russian and United States Official Methods
of Analysis of Poultry for Salmonella
Effect of an Educational Program on Attitudes of California Consumers Toward Food Irradiation
Natnicha Bhumiratana-1, Lorna K. Belden-2, and Christine M. Bruhn-3
1-250/3 Sukumvit 55/8, Bangkok 10110 Thailand
2-Dietician (retired), Davis, CA 95616, USA
3-Dept. Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8598, USA
SUMMARY
The risk of foodborne illness can be reduced significantly
by irradiation of ground beef and poultry. Response to irradiated
food among California consumers was measured after
opponents to the process had been active in the state legislature.
Three-hundred consumers participated in an educational
program consisting of viewing an eight-minute video on food
safety and irradiation followed by a question-and-answer period.
Consumers were surveyed about their general knowledge and
attitudes toward food safety and irradiation before and after
participating in the program.
This program increased awareness of harmful bacteria and
the risk of foodborne illnesses. Despite attention to irradiation
in the legislature, over half of the respondents had not
heard of it prior to the program, and those against irradiation
reported that they knew little about it. This indicates that the
initial negative attitudes may be due to lack of information. After
the program, only 3% opposed offering irradiated food in the
supermarket, over 60% stated that they would choose irradiated
products, and almost 40% said that they would pay 10%
more for irradiated meat. Although the video tape provided important
information, people wanted details as to how the FDA
assessed safety and the nutritional value of irradiated food.
Full Text Article
Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Safety of Diced Chicken Meat and Turkey Frankfurters
Suvang Trivedi-1, A. Estes Reynolds-2, Anna V. A. Resurreccion-1, and Jinru Chen-1
1-Dept. of Food Science and Technology, The University of Georgia, Griffin, GA 30223-1797; USA
2-Athens, GA 30602-7610, USA
SUMMARY
Post-processing contamination of ready-to-eat meats with Listeria monocytogenes is a major
concern of the processed food industry. This study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of
electron (e) beam irradiation in inactivation of L. monocytogenes and control of the safety of ready-to
eat meats. Diced chicken meat and turkey frankfurters were inoculated with a six-strain mixture of L. monocytogenes at ca. 102 and 104 CFU/g, respectively. The inoculated meats were vacuum-packaged
and irradiated with 0, 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 kGy of e beam. The populations of L. monocytogenes as well
as psychrotrophic and total aerobic bacteria on diced chicken meat and turkey frankfurters were
determined twice a week during a 4-week storage period at 4oC. The results indicated that 3 kGy
was the only dose of e beam that was effective in eliminating 102 CFU/g of L. monocytogenes on
both types of ready-to-eat meats and total aerobic bacteria on turkey frankfurters. However, the
same treatment failed to control 104 CFU/g of L. monocytogenes on both meats, psychrotrophs on
both meats, and total aerobic bacteria on diced chicken. An incremental trend was observed in the
populations of surviving L. monocytogenes as well as psychrotrophic and total aerobic bacteria during
the 4-week storage period. The results suggest that e beam irradiation at 3 kGy can be used to control
the safety of ready-to-eat meats. However, it is crucial that the irradiated meat products be handled
appropriately in order to maintain the safety of the products ensured by the irradiation treatment.
The dependability of e beam irradiation for achieving a high level of bacterial reduction, especially a
high level of psychrotrophic bacterial reduction needs to be further investigated.
Full Text Article
Comparison of Russian and United States Official Methods
of Analysis of Poultry for Salmonella
James S. Dickson, Sergei Kozak, Ekaterina Lenchenko, Oleg Scliarov, and Brian W. Sheldon
*1-Dept. of Animal Science, 215F Meat Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
2-All-Russian Research
Institute of Poultry Processing Industry, Zelenograd, Russia
3-All-Russian State Center of Quality and Standardization
of Medicated Products for Animals and Feeds, Moscow, Russia
4-Moscow State University of Applied Biotechnology
5-Dept. of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
SUMMARY
Laboratory tests to compare the official analytical methods
for detection of Salmonella in poultry from Russia and the United
States were conducted within the framework of the US-Russian
Poultry Safety Consulting Center. Samples of ground poultry
meat, both inoculated and non-inoculated with Salmonella, were
analyzed. The samples were coded so that the researchers did
not know the status of each sample. The samples were tested
by two teams of researchers, each including representatives
of the US and Russian parties. Each team received a set of 50
samples, of which 20% were inoculated with Salmonella spp. at
a population of 3 to 25 cfu/gram. The official methods of the
two countries were very similar in many respects. Based on the
testing of positive (test) and negative (control) samples, it was
demonstrated that the methods were not statistically different
with this sample set and both methods correctly identified
all inoculated samples, with no false positive or false negative
samples detected.
Full Text Article
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