Food contamination and food poisoning are presenting a substantial safety risk to consumers worldwide. In the era of information quantity and availability, the potential of social-media data has attracted increasing attention from relevant government regulatory agencies, food companies, and consumers. This paper takes text data from online media as a research object and innovatively proposes a new type of food text-mining technology based on the associated attention mechanism to quickly screen for potential food safety issues. First, we used the mutual information between each review Chinese word segment(CWS) and label to calculate the correlation score between each word and food safety hazards. Then, the attention score in supervised deep learning was combined in order to assess whether foods sold online may be unsafe for consumers. We compared the method in this paper with existing text-mining methods on food-safety-related datasets and found that the proposed method performs markedly better than the benchmark model, achieving an accuracy rate of 96.95\(\%\). A team of food safety experts also performed a food risk assessment on the prediction results produced by the proposed model, and experimental results showed that the proposed tool can markedly reduce the time required to screen for food safety risks. This study provides a fast and cost-effective food-safety screening method and helps reduce consumer dietary safety hazards.

Adulteration of meat products is a serious global issue. This study aims to establish a multiplex PCR detection system for species authentication in meat products. Six sets of species-specific primers were designed to target mitochondrial DNA variable regions in six animal species, generating 271, 119, 860, 574, 751. and 210 base pairs (bp) long fragments for beef, mutton, pork, chicken, duck, and mouse, respectively. The six pairs of species-specific primers mixture was used to analyze mixed DNA samples. Ingredients of meat products were identified according to the size of the bands which were amplified with specific primers. Based on the performance of serial specific verification tests, the multiplex PCR assay showed high specificity to the corresponding species, and no cross-reactivity with the other five animals. Detection limits for DNA samples from the six animal species varied between 0.01 and 0.001 ng in a 20 μL PCR mixture. Seven processed meat products were successfully identified via the multiplex PCR assay. This study provides a simple, rapid, sensitive, specific and effective molecular technique for meat authentication. It can be directly applied to differentiate between beef, mutton and four more species in animal-derived foods.

In the EU, a post-mortem inspection of finishing pigs comprises visual inspections of the carcass and offal followed by additional examinations, such as palpation and incision of parts, when needed. Moreover, it can include various laboratory tests. Since European meat inspection is regulated by the EU, one may assume that post-mortem inspection is performed in the same way in the Member States. However, previous studies showed that variations exist. This article shows the results of a survey performed in September 2020 on how visual meat inspection of finishing pigs is applied in Europe. By using a questionnaire, palpations, incisions and other procedures for 10 gross pathological findings and laboratory methods applied by official veterinarians to evaluate the fitness of meat for human consumption were assessed. We received 44 responses from 26 European countries. Most respondents reported that visual meat inspection was a generally applied inspection method. The main reason for not applying visual meat inspection was export requirements. The most important reasons for applying palpations and incisions in addition to visual inspection were findings detected in ante- or post-mortem inspection. There was considerable variation in the use of palpations and incisions, other post-mortem procedures and laboratory tests to assess meat fitness for human consumption. The respondents mentioned some country-specific practices, but we also observed variations within the responding official veterinarians that could not be explained by country of origin or years of work experience. Additional detailed studies on the variation are needed before harmonisation of meat inspection procedures are attempted.

Plastic materials are the main food packaging material both in developed and developing countries, because of their reliable ability to protect and transport food at lower costs. Unfortunately, they harm the environment due to their resistance to biodegradation, lack of waste management, and restricted recyclability. Moreover, they may pose adverse health effects to consumers. Therefore, there is a need to develop environmentally friendly food packaging using bio-based or biodegradable materials. For instance, several innovations based on biopolymers are being developed especially in developed countries. On the other side, in many developing countries, there is a long tradition of using plant leaves as food packaging. These leaves have cultural, religious, and environmental significance in the tropics. Unfortunately, they do not always guarantee the integrity of the packaged products and there is a need to promote them to take full advantage of their potential. However, there is little information on leaf packaging in literature. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview on the state-of-the-art of leaf packaging in developing countries, in an attempt to compile the information required for further investigations needed to take full advantage of the environmental importance of leaf packaging. This study highlights mainly various plant species used as leaf packaging, treatments undergone by the leaves before their use, and leaf packaging effects on food quality and safety. It also discusses future perspectives to promote leaf packaging.

Patients with celiac disease have to rely on the safety of gluten-free foods (GFF), which are frequently contaminated by gluten. Hence, the evaluation of the gluten level in these foods is important. The aim of this study was to assess the gluten content in GFF available in Morocco. It was carried out on 84 food samples including 52 labelled gluten-free foods (L-GFF) and 32 naturally gluten-free foods (N-GFF), belonging to six categories (pasta, cookies and cakes, baker's yeast, dried vegetables, dried fruits, and cereals). To quantify their gluten content, samples were analysed using a sandwich enzyme immunosorbent assay (R5 ELISA Ridascreen® gliadin Mendez), considering 20 mg/kg (ppm) as the contamination threshold. The overall contamination rate was 23.8% (L-GFF: 21.9%, N-GFF: 25%). Among the six analysed categories, three did not show any contamination (pasta, cookies, and baker's yeast). The contamination rate was 5.3% in dried vegetables, 25% in dried fruits, and 42.1% in cereals. All oat samples were affected. L-GFF locally manufactured were more often contaminated than those imported (28.6 vs. 16.7%). Our data show a high prevalence of gluten contamination of GFF, affecting both N-GFF and L-GFF, and oats were the most contaminated food. Therefore, regular checks of GFF by the competent authorities are necessary in order to avoid the sale of unsafe GFF for celiac patients. Likewise, manufacturers should be encouraged to adopt adequate quality management systems.

Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to public health. Fresh foods, especially ready-to-eat (RTE) products, can serve as vehicle for resistance dissemination if eaten directly without further processing by the consumer. This study investigated the presence of Enterobacterales resistant to clinically relevant antibiotics in RTE products acquired from 3 Portuguese supermarkets. Food samples (n = 42) were processed and plated in selective medium, followed by the identification of the isolates as well as the determination of the antibiotic resistance profile. Environmental bacteria resistant to beta-lactams and colistin were detected. Furthermore, the detection of Yersinia enterocolitica and Klebsiella oxytoca isolates was of special relevance.

In the present study, a solid phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to detect difenoconazole residues in spinach, wax gourd, and summer squash was developed. In addition, field trials were conducted to investigate the dissipation and residue behavior of difenoconazole in six representative regions across China for each studied vegetable, and the dietary risk for Chinese consumers was evaluated using risk quotient methods. The average recoveries of difenoconazole in the three matrices were 81.5–97.8%, and relative standard deviations were 4.0–10.2%. Difenoconazole rapidly dissipated in spinach, wax gourd, and summer squash with half-lives of 2.3–5.9 days. The terminal residues of difenoconazole ranged from 0.029 to 4.74 mg/kg in spinach at 3, 5, and 7 days, < 0.01 to 0.036 mg/kg in wax gourd at 5, 7, and 14 days, and < 0.01 to 0.12 mg/kg in summer squash at 5, 7, and 10 days, which were all much lower than the maximum residue limits in China. The dietary risk assessment revealed that the potential risks of difenoconazole for Chinese consumers were acceptable. The risks for children were significantly higher. Therefore, the proposed preharvest intervals for managing difenoconazole in spinach, wax gourd, and summer squash were 3, 5, and 5 days, respectively.

As wheat flour is a raw material for many food products, its cleanliness has a great impact on the safety of flour-derived products. The red flour beetle known as Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a major pest of wheat flour. Insects’ invasion in wheat flour increases the pollutants, which may result in the reduction of edibility and safety as well as substantial economic losses. Therefore, this review aimed to elucidate the recent research regarding the reproduction, detection, and disinfestation of T. castaneum in wheat flour. Environmental factors and wheat flour varieties directly affect the reproduction of T. castaneum. In terms of detection methods, the uric acid method, near-infrared spectroscopy, and molecular biology detection have shown promising results. To control T. castaneum, physical processes such as the impact insecticidal machine, temperature control, and diatomaceous earth were introduced. For industrial applications, impact insecticidal machines may become the most common control method in the future.

The EU’s decision to ban animal testing for toxicity testing, has positively influenced the pace of developing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). This development also supports replacing animal methods in other forms of risk assessment (RA), such as for oral-toxicity testing. This study aims to identify the hurdles and opportunities for validation and implementation of NAMs in the current EU’s chemical RA. Through conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 stakeholders, experiences and perspectives about the validation and implementation of NAMs in RA for orally ingested chemicals were analyzed. Stakeholders considered the use of NAMs for RA processes both a cultural and generational issue. Both were perceived as hurdles for reaching the next generation RA approach. The differing views on NAMs originated from experience and stakeholder positions, but communication and collaboration on developing future RA approaches could support overcoming this skepticism. Irrespectively of their background, all interviewees were generally optimistic that NAMs will support the development of more accurate and sustainable RA. This research highlights the need for the EU to adjust legislation and guidance documents to shift in testing requirements from the traditional overexposure approach to more predictive, mechanistic testing in RA, which will take time. This study, however, shows that—when all stakeholders engage in communication and confidence building—NAMs can already play an important role in reducing and refining animal testing.

Caffeine-containing food supplements are often used as weight loss or memory enhancement support, which increases the potential risk for overdosing the compound. Whereas the presence of iodine-containing seaweed fucus in such products may result in thyroid disorders, when permanently overdosed. The study aimed to assess the content of caffeine and iodine in food supplements. Caffeine amount in tablets and capsules ranged from 91.8 to 138.9% of the declared content, and 2.6 ± 0.3 to 21.8 ± 2.8 mg/portion for the herbal blends with undeclared caffeine content. Iodine content ranged from 10.6 ± 0.4 to 52.5 ± 3.7 µg/portion of the products. Our results, although preliminary, suggest questionable usefulness of the tested preparations as weight loss support. Likewise, a simultaneous consumption of the recommended amounts with caffeine from other sources (e.g. coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.), is unlikely to cause adverse effects.

Fish such as tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is an important source of high biological value animal protein. Fish can be exposed to antimicrobials in intensive aquaculture systems or exposed to remnants of the antimicrobials released to various water bodies via drainage systems. This study aimed at screening for antimicrobial residues in two major fish species commonly consumed in Egypt, namely, tilapia, and catfish, either in wild or cultured fish using a microbial inhibition assay. Besides, quantitative estimation of tetracycline (oxytetracycline and doxycycline) residues in the edible fish muscles was carried out using the solid phase extraction (SPE) technique and high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection (HPLC-PAD). In addition, the effects of different cooking methods (pan-frying, grilling, and microwaving) on oxytetracycline and doxycycline residues in tilapia and catfish were investigated. The microbiological inhibition assay revealed that 2, 24, 18, and 32% of the examined wild tilapia, cultured tilapia, wild catfish, and cultured catfish, respectively, contained antibiotic residues. Cultured tilapia, wild catfish, and cultured catfish had mean concentrations of oxytetracycline residues of 0.147 ± 0.067, 0.106 ± 0.046, and 0.313 ± 0.044 µg/g. 3 (6%), 4 (8%), and 9 (18%) of the sampled cultured tilapia, wild catfish, and cultured catfish exceeded the established maximum permissible limits (MPL) of tetracycline (0.100 ng/g). The mean concentrations of doxycycline residues were 0.276 ± 0.045, 0.026 ± 0.004, and 0.070 ± 0.010 µg/g in cultured tilapia, wild catfish, and cultured catfish, respectively, with 2 (4%) of the cultured tilapia exceeding the MPL of doxycycline. Consumption of fish with high residual levels of tetracyclines might pose potential health risks to consumers. In an experimental trial, heat treatment of tilapia and catfish could significantly reduce both oxytetracycline and doxycycline residues, particularly grilling had the highest reduction rates.

Food colorants are imperative ingredients for attracting consumers and in deciding their preferences. Here we discuss the current status of natural colorants and synthetic food colorants on the Indian market by appraising the growth of the food colorant market both globally and nationally, based on published case studies on synthetic food colorants (SFCs), rules, and regulations implemented by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on natural food colorants and SFCs. The substantial lacunae in the research on the impacts of SFCs in the Indian population identified through our literature survey signify the scope and need for appraisal of the issues prevailing in the Indian food colorant market as well as the necessity of renewing the food colorant policies. The illegal use of banned food colorants, the adulteration of natural food colorants, mislabelling of SFCs as natural colorants, and the permitted use of internationally banned food colorants, as well as the unawareness among consumers are serious issues recognized. Appropriate labelling to denote natural food colorants' presence, renewed standards of policy to determine the permitted use of food colorants, comprehensive regulations for the production and use of natural food colorants, stringent rules to constrain the production of toxic SFCs are obligatory to breakdown the dilemma on the Indian food market. Most importantly, awareness and responsiveness should be generated among consumers regarding the illegal use and adulteration of colorants and the need to use natural colorants. We also recommend a logo to designate the presence of natural colorants which will aid the consumers to make the right choice.

Patulin is a fungal by-product that contaminates fruits and vegetables, especially apples, and is mainly produced by Penicillium expansum. In the present study, thiourea-polygalacturonic acid (TPGA) complexes were synthesized in three ratios, i.e. 1:1 (T1P1), 1:2 (T1P2), and 2:1 (T2P1). They were evaluated for patulin removal from apple-juice simulated solution. The characterization of TPGA complexes was specified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Adsorption tests were carried out to study variable effects of the TPGA ratio, TPGA concentration, contact time, and patulin initial concentration. The results showed that the amide bond was the main binding agent of the TPGA complexes, and the complexes formed aptly in having nano particle sizes. The T1P2 nanocomplex gave the best results, which means that polygalacturonic acid was more effective than thiourea in the adsorption process. The results also indicated that increasing the contact time, adsorbent, and patulin concentration ultimately increased the adsorption capacity. This nanocomplex could adsorb the whole toxin at all patulin concentrations (i.e. 25, 50, and 100 μg/L) in short durations (i.e. 1, 2.5 and 5 h, respectively). The results of adsorption tests were well adapted to the pseudo-first order model (with R2 of 0.991, 0.993, and 0.996) and Freundlich isotherm model (R2 = 0.997). Moreover, these nanocomplexes were able to remove 91.35% of patulin from contaminated apple juice. This work demonstrated that TPGA nanocomplexes can serve as potential materials for removing patulin.Graphical abstract

The German National Reference Centre for Authentic Food (NRZ-Authent) and the competent German food control authorities of the federal states cooperated within the framework of the 10th joint Europol INTERPOL operation OPSON (OPSON X) in the detection of adulterated meat products. A total of 63 meat product samples were collected and analysed by the authorities using standard analytical procedures and subjected to a recently published 16S rDNA metabarcoding analysis. The sequence reads were analysed using 3 bioinformatics data processing strategies. The study aimed to gain additional data on the test samples regarding the authenticity of the declared species and to validate the 16S rDNA metabarcoding method with representative samples. The method was tested not only on 63 test samples, but also on 5 commercial samples from 2 interlaboratory comparison studies and 9 mock mixtures in parallel. The 16S rDNA metabarcoding method was able to detect species that were not target species of the used standard analytical methods, but failed, as shown previously, to detect fallow deer. Otherwise, the qualitative results of the 16S rDNA metabarcoding method were very similar to those of the methods currently in use by the German food control laboratories. Thus, the method has great potential to be used as a screening method for the authentication of mammal and poultry species in meat products.

DBN9501 is a new maize transgenic event characterised by being resistance to insects and herbicides. To meet genetically modified (GM)-labeling requirements and monitor the unintended release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), developing a creditable and applicable method for identifying and quantifying GM events is essential. Herein we developed an event-specific method and validated it through inter-laboratory ring trials using blind samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of copy number ratio were confirmed at 0.05% and 0.1%, respectively. The quantitative bias ranged from -3.52 to 10.38%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was < 25%. Furthermore, the expanded uncertainty for the blind samples S1 − S5 was 0.22%, 0.10%, 0.05%, 0.03%, and 0.02%. These results demonstrated that the event-specific quantitative PCR method could identify and quantify GM DBN9501 for further routine lab analysis.

This article aims to present an updated discussion about the relevant aspects of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in food systems and challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic for food industries. To accomplish this review, data from relevant papers describing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security were retrieved from selected databases. The lessons learned by the food industry after facing the challenges for production, transport, storing, and trading, in order to protect food workers’ and consumers’ health during the COVID-19 pandemic are valuable for possible future epidemics. Managing this economic sector in the post-COVID-19 era is a new challenge. Food industries realized great strides in good hygiene practices that served as quick action tools to prevent dissemination of the virus among workers during food manufacturing and ensured food safety. In addition, lockdown measures in some countries showed the importance of food availability, revealing that food industry and food distribution are activities that cannot be paralyzed. Future studies are still necessary to improve the knowledge on the viability of SARS-CoV-2 in food materials and protection of the food chain against viruses.

Despite the high health relevance of fiber consumption, there is a shortfall in the recommended dietary fiber intake. The present study aimed to gain a deeper insight into the consumer perspective on dietary fiber. A quantitative consumer survey was conducted using an online questionnaire (cross-sectional study, primary study). The sample (611 German consumers) drawn from an online access panel is approximately population representative regarding the quotation variables (age, gender, and education). The associations with dietary fiber were recorded by means of an open-ended question. In addition, the preferences for naturally high-fiber foods and two types of fiber-enriched products were recorded by means of statements. In addition, diet-related health orientation, skepticism toward fiber enrichment, and sociodemographic variables were collected. A content-structuring content analysis was used to evaluate the open queried associations. A cluster analysis was performed to identify consumer segments regarding the preference for the different types of fiber-containing foods. The analyses of the openly queried associations show that 83.8% of the consumers named at least one association. The most frequently mentioned associations were related to grain (products) (29.5%), fruit/vegetables/potatoes (14.7%), and health/healthy eating (12.6%). Regarding the preference for the three types of fiber-containing foods, four consumer segments could be identified by cluster analysis. The originality of the study lies in the fact that consumer associations with dietary fiber in relation to food were recorded unaided and general consumer preferences for naturally fiber-rich and fiber-enriched foods were assessed. Based on the findings of the study on fiber-related associations and preference structures of consumers, implications for target group-specific consumer information to promote adequate fiber consumption can be derived.

Green tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide, also in Morocco. It has numerous health benefits due to its various bioactive compounds. However, there are concerns about the contamination of green tea by some toxic heavy metals, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). The aim of this study was to investigate the contamination levels of Pb and Cd in green tea samples taken from six different brands in Morocco by using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Cd was detected in 59 out of 76 samples in the range of 0.002–0.743 μg/g, accounting for 77.63% of the analyzed samples, with a mean value of 0.121 ± 0.006 μg/g. For the rest of the samples (22.37%), Cd were below the limit of detection (LOD). For Pb, 67 samples (88.16%) were reported to have Pb levels ranging from 0.002 to 1.155 μg/g, with a mean value of 0.159 ± 0.006 μg/g. For the remaining samples (11.84%), Pb levels were < LOD. Samples from brand D had the highest content of Pb (1.145 μg/g) and Cd (0.728 μg/g) among the samples analyzed. Pb levels in all green tea samples were far below the standard limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) (10 μg/g) and China (5 μg/g). However, for Cd levels, 3 green tea samples exceeded the recommended maximum limit (0.3 μg/g) set by WHO. Both the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) values for individual elements and the Hazard Index (HI) values for Cd and Pb were far below 1.

Consumers in many countries express increased expectations associated with food quality. When their satisfaction is not achieved, they may raise a complaint. The main aim of this study was to analyze the overall perception of food quality and complaints associated with poor food quality. In parallel, this study categorized food quality and complaint attributes based on a Kano model. Finally, this research also examined food properties that are key contributors to consumer complaints as well as complaint resolution actions in handling complaints. To perform this research, a field survey was conducted with 844 interviewees from the Republic of Serbia. Food products perceived to be of the highest quality were spices, cereals, and confectioneries, opposed to meat and ready-to-eat meals scoring lowest. Food odor is recognized as a perfect dissatisfaction attribute (associated with food spoilage). A cluster analysis revealed two clusters dependent on age and education of the respondents. The ‘demanding consumers’ are not satisfied with taste, odor, color, and physical appearance of purchased food, opposed to the ‘tolerant consumers’ with no quality issues. The majority of respondents expects some compensation in case of complaints associated with poor quality but didn’t raise any oral or written complaints lately. In case of complaints, a perfect resolution action is product replacement. This survey revealed that taste and odor are highly ranked reasons for complaints, that the younger population is more tolerant to low quality and that the type of food is in correlation with complaints and perception of food quality.

This work aimed to optimize the E-beam treatment of whole-boned dry-cured hams to reach the food safety objective for Listeria monocytogenes. According to the zero-tolerance criteria in the USA and China, 2.39 decimal reductions are required. Boned hams were grouped by their thickness in clusters A (≤ 7 cm) and B (> 7 cm). All of them were contaminated with Listeria innocua as a surrogate of the pathogen. The inoculum (approx. 107 cells) was placed in the space before occupied by the bone. Then, bilateral treatments at 1 and 2 kGy were applied to A and B clusters, respectively. Listerial load reductions higher than 2.39 log colony forming units (CFU) were observed in the innermost part of the pieces. The absorbed doses by the treated hams were < 3 kGy, avoiding the radiation over-exposure that could compromise their sensory quality. Therefore, taking into account the thickness of whole-bone ham pieces could optimize the sanitization effect of the E-beam treatment.