Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene
Volume:3 Issue: 3, Summer - Autumn 2017

Common methods in the preservation industry are not always successful in curbing food corruption. Storage of shrimp could be used for preventing the loss of essential fatty acids during storage in cool. The aim of this study was evaluating the effect of carotenoids and chitosan on the oxidative stability of frozen shrimp. In this study, shrimps were dipped in the different concentration of carotenoids and chitosan. Samples were kept at -18 ° C for 15, 30 and 45 days. The oxidative stability of samples was assayed with the TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) method. In the first stage, there was no significant difference between the oxidative stability of the samples. But in the second stage, there was a significant difference between the control sample and samples combined with carotenoid. In the third stage, a significant difference observed between the samples with chitosan and carotenoids. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the control sample in the first stage and the third stage. In this study, carotenoid as a natural antioxidant is recommended instead of using artificial preservatives.

Unsafe food propels a cyclical process of disease formation and malnutrition, especially in infants, young children, the elderly, and the sick. To ensure food safety, consumers are advised to pay close attention to the type and nature of food consumed. This study, therefore, investigates the trusted sources of information on food safety; identifies the major food safety information sought by consumers; and the factors that motivate consumers to read food safety information. Primary data were obtained with the use of pretested structured questionnaire in an interview schedule. A total of 220 consumers of pre-packaged food were used for the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Likert scale. The results showed that food labels were the fifth most trusted source of information on food after doctors, family, friends and colleagues, television and the internet. It also showed that consumers look out for the expiry date of the product before any other information and product comparison is the major motivation for individuals to read food labels. Therefore, we recommend that food regulatory bodies should ensure the enactment of better regulations on food labeling that can help improve consumer confidence in the content of food labels; and create awareness programs that encourage food consumers to pay closer attention to the use of food labels beyond just the product name and expiry date as a food label.

The most common form of pistachio consumption is the roasted type. This process is done with various additives at different temperatures. Acrylamide could be generated during the heating process of pistachio at high temperatures such as roasting method. It is neurotoxic, genotoxic and probable carcinogenic to humans and can produce due to Maillard reactions. In the current study, the effect of different time-temperature conditions and additives on the acrylamide content of roasted pistachios was investigated. Raw pistachio was formulated with different additive including; NaCl, starch, ascorbic acid, and sodium metabisulphite at three time-temperature; 120 oC -30 min, 150 oC -25 min, 180 oC -20 min by ELISA method. NaCl, sodium metabisulphite and ascorbic acid reduced the amount of acrylamide, and starch had no impact on the amount of acrylamide. The lowest amount of acrylamide was found in time-temperature of 120 oC- 30 min use each of NaCl, sodium metabisulphite and ascorbic acid.

Non-alcoholic malt beverages are nutritional soft drinks and suitable to replace with alcoholic drinks due to increased public concern about harms associated with synthetic sugars and alcohol. Malt beverages are rich sources for minerals such as zinc and copper, two essential minerals for normal human body functions. However, malt beverages may contain high levels of heavy metals, including lead and cadmium. Anodic Stripping Voltammetry was used to determine concentrations of these elements in non-alcoholic malt. Non-alcoholic malt beverages of 119 bottles representing 13 different brands in 11 different flavors were purchased from the market in Tehran. The mean concentration of zinc, copper, lead and cadmium were 1.34±1.00, 0.51±0.05, 0.04±0.02 and 0.05±0.03 mg/100 ml respectively. The results indicated that zinc and copper concentrations found in the malt beverages were too low to promote the beverages as sources of zinc and copper. Levels of lead and cadmium were below acceptable daily intake (ADI) established by the US Food and Drug Administration, which may alleviate concerns regarding heavy metal intake and malt beverages. The result of this study showed that malt beverages might be enriched with zinc and copper to be considered important sources for the minerals. Additionally, it can also be concluded that despite the differences between flavors and brands were not meaningful, but the bigger sample size may definite that brand 3 has the most micronutrients and the classic or plain flavored beverage has the least amount of Cd and Pb.

Probiotics are live microorganisms, which transit the gastrointestinal tract and their benefits to the health can be achieved through the consumption of dairy products. In this study, the survival and effect of the probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus casei) in the free and capsulated form in yogurt were aimed to investigate. Two types of yogurt were prepared by free and induced sodium alginate with 2% starch encapsulated Lactobacillus casei. The bacterial survival, acidity and sensory attributes were analyzed during storage for 20 days at the refrigerated condition (4˚C). Titration of acidity in yogurt with free L.casei cells was higher compared to yogurt containing encapsulated L.casei cells. The viable cell count of L.casei in free form for yogurt production was 2.3×108 CFU/ml at inoculation time and 107CFU/g after incubation at 42˚C to reach pH 4.5. When L.casei was encapsulated in sodium alginate beads, the probiotic survival raised at a rate of 1.05 log CFU/g during the same period of storage due to protection by microencapsulation. The results of sensory indices and eventually total score for each sample confirmed the lack of tangible impact by adding encapsulated bacteria in taste, appearance, oral and non-oral tissues. Final scores of probiotic yogurt samples containing free and encapsulated L.casei were not statistically different (p>0.05). The results indicated that encapsulation with sodium alginate can significantly increase the survival rate of probiotic bacteria in yogurt compared to probiotic yogurt over an extended shelf life.