LISTERIA EN ALIMENTOS: Qué debe saber

GENERALIDADES

Listeria monocytogenes constituye un patógeno emergente con niveles excepcionalmente altos de mortalidad, particularmente en aquellas personas más susceptibles como lo son los recién nacidos, ancianos e inmunodeprimidos.

Su temperatura óptima de crecimiento es de 35-37ºC, aunque crece también a temperaturas de refrigeración (4ºC). El rango de pH y actividad de agua (aw) óptimo para su multiplicación esta entre 5-9 y >0.92, respectivamente. Toleran concentraciones elevadas de cloruro de sodio (10%) y son móviles a 25 pero no a 35 oC.

EPIDEMIOLOGÍA

Existen casos de Listeriosis reportados en todas partes del mundo. La tasa de incidencia de la infección es de 2-15 casos por millón de personas, incluyendo casos esporádicos como brotes.

Listeria monocytogenes puede ser transmitida por tres vías principalmente:

1. contacto con animales,
2. contaminación cruzada
3. Por los alimentos

Sin embargo, son las 2 últimas fuentes las responsables de la mayoría de los casos de listeriosis.

Es frecuente que L. monocytogenes se encuentre en una variedad de productos alimenticios tanto crudos como procesados de origen animal o vegetal, tales como hortalizas, leche no pasteurizada, quesos (quesos de pasta blanda madurados), helados, carne de cerdo, ave, vacuno, embutidos ahumados y fermentados, mariscos crudos y salmón ahumado. En el caso de los alimentos cocidos, éstos se contaminan luego del proceso térmico en la planta de procesamiento o durante el trayecto de los mismos desde la planta hasta su plato.

A pesar de que son muchos y diversos los alimentos que pueden contaminarse con L. monocytogenes, las epidemias y los casos esporádicos de listeriosis están predominantemente asociados a alimentos listos para consumo (Ready to eat food), una categoría grande y heterogénea de productos alimenticios que puede dividirse en muchos subgrupos diferentes y que varía de unos países a otros en función de las costumbres alimentarias locales, de la disponibilidad e integridad de la cadena de frío, y de reglamentos que determinan, por ejemplo, la temperatura máxima del alimento en el punto de venta al por menor.

La Reglamentación Sanitaria Chilena no incluye este patógeno entre las especificaciones, situación diametralmente opuesta a lo que ocurre en países desarrollados como Estados Unidos y miembros de la Unión Europea.

IMPORTANCIA EN ALIMENTOS

L. monocytogenes representa una amenaza para la industria de alimentos, ya que esta puede colonizar, multiplicar y persistir en los equipos e instalaciones de las plantas procesadoras de alimentos y los hogares.

Ente los principales factores asociados se puede mencionar su capacidad de crecer a bajas temperaturas, adherirse a las superficies (mesones, tablas para picar, etc) y equipos, donde forma estructuras de resistencia denominadas biofilms. Estas estructuras le entregan resistencia a desinfectantes y sanitizantes, tales como derivados de amonio cuaternario, soluciones alcalinas, ionóforos y soluciones cloradas, que son comúnmente empleados en la industria alimentaria. Cuando Listeria se adhiere y forma los biofilms en las superficies, éstas se convierten en focos potenciales de diseminación y contaminación de los productos, dificultando así su eliminación.

RECOMENDACIONES DE CONTROL (Minsal 2008)

• Lávese bien las manos antes y después de manipular alimentos
• Lave bien superficies y utensilios de cocina antes y después de usarlos
• Evite la contaminación cruzada, evitando el contacto de alimentos crudos con aquellos que se encuentran listos para el consumo
• Consuma solo productos lácteos pasteurizados
• Lave todas las frutas y verduras, incluso aquellas listas para el consumo
• Consuma carnes (vacuno, ave, cerdo) y pescados bien cocidos
• No cocine directamente en el microondas
• Establezca un programa de limpieza de su refrigerador

Fuente: Laboratorio de Microbiología y Probióticos (INTA); Ministeio de Salud; CDC

Aporte: Álvaro Figueroa

Listeria in smoked salmon UK Foods Standard Agency

Listeria is not a problem in RTE smoked salmon the problem starts when the product get it home
A survey from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) showed low levels of Listeria in smoked fish in retail outlets. The food safety regulator said that more than 3,000 samples of ready-to-eat hot and cold smoked fish were analysed to check for Listeria monocytogenes, the main type of Listeria that causes illness in humans, between July and November 2006 from over 1,000 retail outlets in the UK.
While traces of Listeria monocytogenes were found in 302 samples, 99 per cent were within the legal limit for ready-to-eat foods, according to FSA. In addition, the Agency stated that no salmonella was detected in any of the samples tested but that it found variations in storage temperatures at retail ranging from -14°C to 13.3°C.
Salmon safety controls The UK Salmon Processors and Smokers Group (SPSG) said that FSA’s findings come as no surprise to its members. “Food safety is our sector’s number one priority and members of SPSG have been working hard over many years to ensure the right production controls are in place,” claims the association.
The SPSG told FoodProductionDaily.com that its members implement rigorous hygiene, safe handling and storage methods to help prevent the growth of any low levels of Listeria which might naturally be present:
“They monitor the raw material, process and product for Listeria and take appropriate preventative actions to minimise the risk of it occurring in smoked fish. Companies regularly review their production operations and follow industry best practice, which is fully communicated across the sector.”
Food puzzle Dr Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at the FSA said: 'Although only a snapshot of one type of food, this survey adds another piece to the Listeria puzzle. We know cases are on the increase in the over-60s, but we don't know why.
“These findings suggest that, Listeria isn't generally a problem in ready-to-eat smoked fish at point of sale – but it doesn't tell us what happens when people get it home.
"Are they preparing and storing food correctly and eating it within its 'use by' date? These and other questions are at the heart of further work we’re doing with our expert scientific committees to get to the bottom of this increase in Listeria monocytogenes.'

Source:FoodProductionDaily.com

Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Fish and shellfish are more likely to cause foodborne-illness according CSPI.

Foodborne illness is dramatically underreported
The agency said that outbreaks involving fresh produce grabbed the headlines this year and last, but an analysis of the rates of outbreak-related illnesses caused by various foods shows that fish and shellfish account for more sicknesses per bite than any other category.
Outbreaks: The CSPI claims that its alert database, even when not adjusted for consumption, has more seafood outbreaks - 1,140 - than for any other category of food.
“Fin fish, such as tuna, grouper, mahi mahi, and salmon, were linked to 694 of those outbreaks; molluscs, including oysters, clams, and mussels were linked to 175 outbreaks; and the rest linked to shrimp, lobster, or foods such as crab cakes and tuna burgers.
“While Vibrio bacteria and noroviruses contributed to those, naturally occurring toxins such as scombrotoxin and ciguatoxin account for a plurality of seafood outbreaks,” stated the agency.
It said that, according to its data, a pound of fish and shellfish is 29 times more likely to cause illness than the safest food category, a pound of dairy foods.
Prevention urged: The CSPI said that as foodborne illness is dramatically underreported, and due to the fact that it is so difficult to prove which food caused an outbreak, its data represents just the tip of a very large iceberg: “Each year, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne illness sickens 76 million and kills 5,000 Americans.”
The not for profit consumer group is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce its reliance on recalls and warnings and instead focus on preventing these problems ever reaching consumers.

Bicarbonate turns bacteria virulent

Findings in Bacillus anthracis may provide basis for new drug development
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have discovered that bicarbonate is the key chemical that signals Bacillus anthracis, the aerobic sporulate bacterium that causes anthrax, to become lethal. This finding opens up new avenues of exploration for the development of treatments for bacterial infections.
The scientists identified bicarbonate, a chemical found in all body fluids and organs that plays a major role in maintaining pH balance in cells, as providing the signal for Bacillus anthracis to unleash virulence factors. Without the presence of the bicarbonate transporter in the bloodstream, the scientists found, the bacteria do not become virulent.
Scientists have known for some time that bicarbonate is implicated in many diseases, but controversy has existed about whether bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, or some combination of these two molecules are responsible for triggering bacterial pathogenesis. This study confirms, for the first time, that it is indeed bicarbonate, rather than carbon dioxide, that signals the gram-positive B. anthracis to become virulent. This finding also is significant because other pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Vibrio cholerae have bicarbonate transport pathways similar to B. anthracis and thus are likely to have similar virulence triggering mechanisms.
Gram-positive bacteria are the major culprits driving the increase of community and hospital acquired bacterial infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 10 percent of all patients, or about 2 million people, contract hospital acquired infections each year. These bacteria are often resistant to multiple antibiotics, making the problem a growing public health concern and the need for new antibacterial treatment more urgent. Now, the bicarbonate transporter pathway may be investigated as a potential new target for drug intervention.
The best medium for toxin production was one that people believed mimicked conditions found in the blood of a human or animal host, where anthrax bacteria would find both carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. But it is not known which of these two molecules was the more important for bacterial pathogenesis, according to these results bicarbonate is the molecule that triggers the growth by mimicking the host growth conditions.
Source: PLoS Pathogens Nov 2008
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Half of Americans losing trust in food supply

Consumers ask fors better and earlier information from FDA
According to a recent national food safety and labeling poll conducted by Consumer Reports National Research Center, American consumers are concerned about food safety, and they want the government to inspect the food supply more frequently. While 73% polled currently regard the overall food supply as safe, 48% said their confidence in the safety of the nation’s food supply is slipping. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects domestic food production facilities once every five to 10 years, and foreign facilities less frequently.

Two-thirds of respondents said the FDA should inspect domestic and foreign food-processing facilities at least once a month. Additionally, eight in 10 consumers strongly agree that when food safety problems arise, the FDA should disclose to the public the location of retailers who sold the potentially harmful food, including fish, produce, and processed foods, as the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) is currently required to do for meat. On Nov. 19, the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board approved standards that would allow organic fish farmers to use wild fish as part of their feed mix provided it did not exceed 25% of the total. Yet, 93% of Americans agree that fish labeled as organic should be produced by 100% organic feed.

Finally, while the FDA recently proposed allowing meat or milk products from cloned or genetically engineered animals to be sold without labels, 94% of those polled believe that meat and dairy products from cloned animals should be labeled as such. As Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and Policy Analyst at Consumers Union explained, “The American public wants to know more about their food, where it comes from, how safe it is, and will vote with their dollars to support highly meaningful labels.”
Source: http://www.ift.org/news_bin/news/news_home.shtml
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Prensa confunde quesos de vaca en brote de listeriosis

La autoridad ordena el retiro de quesos Brie Lescure de la marca Chevrita

El retiro se determinó luego de que la autoridad descubriera la presencia de la bacteria que provoca esta enfermedad -Listeria monocytogenes- en uno de estos quesos de vaca, que era almacenado en el refrigerador de una persona de 60 años que padece la enfermedad.

Según aseguró la directora del Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP), Ingrid Heitmann, al practicarle el análisis genético, la bacteria que el sujeto de 60 años tenía en su sangre coincidió con la que estaba en el queso.

A la fecha se han registrado cuatro casos de personas fallecidas por esta enfermedad, dos corresponden a recién nacidos y dos a adultos mayores.

En tanto, casi el 60% de los 91 casos del brote epidémico se ha presentado en Las Condes y Vitacura, lo que coincide con el sector donde principalmente se consume el mencionado queso de cóctel Brie Lescure, preparado en base a leche de vaca, .

Por su parte, el Seremi Metropolitano de Salud, Roberto Belmar, sostuvo que no se ha decretado una alerta sanitaria, ya que para esto se debe tener completa seguridad del origen de la enfermedad, el que hasta ahora no está claro.

Fuente: Emol.com

Aporte: Álvaro Figueroa

Antibiotic resistant E. coli could spread, warns Soil Association

Excessive use of modern antibiotics in veterinary and human medicine are blamed
Antibiotic resistance is a major concern, as it is well understood that excess use can reduce effectiveness. Around 30,000 people in the UK alone are estimated to have bacteria with an enhanced type of antibiotic resistance known as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL); increasing resistance means there is less likelihood of infections in humans being successfully treated with antibiotics in the future.
The pathogen, discovered in cows at an unidentified farm, is a vero-toxin producing bacteria known as E. coli O26 which produces E. coli (VTEC). Nineteen out of 20 calves and three out of 40 cows were found by government vets to be positive. This is the first time that VTEC E. coli has been found with ESBL in the UK, and only the third time in the world.
According to the Soil Association, which is calling for limit to be imposed on the veterinary-use of modern penicillin-type antibiotics, the farmer has been given hygiene advice to protect his family, but no restrictions have been placed on animals from the affected herd.
This means that they can be sold locally to unsuspecting farmers and for export “so the Soil Association fears that the hyper-resistant strain will spread more widely”.
Soil Association policy advisor Richard Young called the incident “one of the most worrying developments in the continuing rise of ESBL E. coli”.
He added that there is a lack of awareness that continued high use of antibiotics in farming is contributing to increasing antibiotic resistance in humans.
“The government often calls on doctors to prescribe antibiotics less often. But similar advice needs to be given to veterinary surgeons and farmers”.
The organic association is also campaigning for restrictions of modern cephalosporins – a class of antibiotics – on all farms, both conventional and organic.
As of January 2009, it is restricting cephalosporin use on the organic farms it certifies in a bid to prevent the spread of ESBLs, in addition to other kinds of antibiotics that are already limited.
Source: http://www.foodqualitynews.com/layout/set/print/content/view/print/227146
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Time to count the burden of foodborne disease

Many people suffer or die from foodborne disease each year
Foodborne disease outbreaks make the news daily. We can assume that billions of people fall ill every year, and that many die, because they ate food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals. But no-one has ever quantified the problem comprehensively. Indeed, we have only a sketchy idea of how many people suffer from foodborne diseases every year, or the economic damage they cause.
The recent reports of melamine-contaminated milk powder in China remind us that foodborne illnesses can hit at anytime and anywhere. Over 50,000 children in China suffered kidney problems and four died from drinking the contaminated milk powder, which was also exported to dozens of countries. There is no telling how many more victims we will see over the coming months.
Wide spectrum We usually associate foodborne diseases with diarrhea or vomiting, but they cause hundreds of illnesses. Their wide spectrum encompasses well-publicized ones, such as salmonellosis, avian flu and variant Creutzfeld-Jacob-Disease, but also less well-known ones, such as contamination by aflatoxin in peanuts, pistachios and other nuts as well as milk or methylmercury in fish, which can cause neuro-developmental disorders.
The real tragedy of these diseases is played out in developing countries, especially those with tropical climate where people are more exposed to hazardous environments, poor food production processes and handling, inadequate food storage and hygiene during food preparation, and poor regulatory standards.
Every year, over 2 million children die from diarrheal diseases, a considerable proportion of which probably came from food. But the real death toll from across the spectrum of foodborne disease is likely to be much higher.
Economic impacts Beyond these health impacts, foodborne diseases also affect economic development, and particularly challenge agricultural, food and tourist industries.
Developing countries' access to food export markets depends on their ability to meet the World Trade Organization's regulatory requirements. Unsafe exports can cause severe economic losses. For example, in early 2008, Saudi Arabia refused Indian poultry products valued at nearly US$500,000 following a bird flu outbreak in West Bengal.
In 2007, the WHO launched an international initiative to fill in the gaps. The WHO Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases aims to quantify how many people die from or are affected by all major foodborne causes each year. It hopes to report by 2011.
Source: kuchenmullert@who.int.
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Deadly intestinal bugs more common than thought

C. difficile cause severe diseases and nosocomial infections
A nasty, sometimes deadly intestinal bug is at least six times more common than was thought, researchers said, based on a survey of hundreds of U.S. hospitals. The bacteria, Clostridium difficile, is resistant to some antibiotics and has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes.
Doctors say it plays a role in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations each year, and that number has been growing.
The latest study estimates that more than 7,100 hospital patients are infected with it on any given day. That number is between 6.5 and 20 times greater than previous estimates, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Researchers from that group presented their findings at a medical conference in Orlando.
"This study shows that C. difficile infection is an escalating issue in our nation's health care facilities," said Dr. William Jarvis, the study's lead investigator, in a prepared statement. Jarvis, formerly a scientist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a consulting epidemiologist hired by the association.
The new numbers are based on surveys of about 650 U.S. hospitals. Each hospital was asked to pick one day between May and August of this year to review every patient's medical records for documentation of the infection. A total of 1,443 infected patients were identified, and about 70 percent were older than 60.
Past studies have tried to measure the anaerobic bacteria incidence in different ways, making comparisons with previous estimates difficult. However, the researchers believe their latest estimate indicates the bug is far more common than previously believed.
The infection control group recommends that hospitals and nursing homes beef up cleaning efforts, such as using bleach, and that medical staff quickly isolate patients who have C. difficile infection.
Last year, the same researchers released a report that found dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) — may be infecting as many as 5 percent of hospital and nursing home patients. According to that estimate, MRSA is a more common problem than Clostridium difficile, which infects about 1.3 percent.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/news/fullstory_71500.html

Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

New bacteria discovered in raw milk

Chryseobacterium oranimense can grow under refrigeration temperatures
Raw milk is illegal in many countries as it can be contaminated with potentially harmful microbes. Contamination can also spoil the milk, making it taste bitter and turn thick and sticky. Now scientists have discovered new species of bacteria that can grow at low temperatures, spoiling raw milk even when it is refrigerated. According to research published in the November issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, the microbial population of raw milk is much more complex than previously thought.
"When we looked at the bacteria living in raw milk, we found that many of them had not been identified before," said Dr Malka Halpern from the University of Haifa, Israel. "We have now identified and described one of these bacteria, Chryseobacterium oranimense, a Gram negative bacillus which can grow at cold temperatures and secretes enzymes that have the potential to spoil milk."
New technologies are being developed to reduce the initial bacterial counts of pasteurized milk to very low levels. Most enzymes will be denatured at the high temperatures used during pasteurisation, which means they will stop working. However, the heat-stable enzymes made by cold-tolerant bacteria will still affect the flavour quality of fluid milk and its products. Because of this, research into cold-tolerant bacteria and the spoilage enzymes they produce is vital.
"Milk can be contaminated with many different bacteria from the teat of the cow, the udder, milking equipment and the milking environment," said Dr Halpern. "Milk is refrigerated after collection to limit the growth of microbes. During refrigeration, cold-tolerant, or psychrotolerant, bacteria that can grow at 7°C dominate the milk flora and play a leading role in milk spoilage. Although we have not yet determined the impact on milk quality of C. oranimense and two other novel species (C. haifense and C. bovis) that were also identified from raw milk samples, the discovery will contribute to our understanding the physiology of these organisms and of the complex environmental processes in which they are involved. There is still a lot to learn about the psychrotolerant bacterial flora of raw milk."
There is an ongoing debate about the benefits and risks of drinking unpasteurised milk. Some people believe the health benefits resulting from the extra nutrient content of raw milk outweigh the risk of ingesting potentially dangerous microbes, such as Mycobacterium bovis, which can cause tuberculosis, and Salmonella species. Because of these risks, many countries have made the sale of unpasteurised milk illegal. Pasteurisation involves heating milk to around 72°C for 15-20 seconds in order to reduce the number of microbes in the liquid so they are unlikely to cause disease. Some bacteria produce extracellular enzymes that are remarkably heat tolerant and can resist pasteurisation. Lipase enzymes cause flavour defects and proteases can lead to bitterness and reduced yields of soft cheese.
"In Israel, dairy companies estimate that cold-tolerant bacteria can cause a 10% loss of milk fats and proteins. When researchers looked at these bacterial communities, they found that 20% of the bacteria isolated were found to be novel species and 5% of these were members of the genus Chryseobacterium," said Dr Halpern. "Because of their effect on milk quality, it is important that we develop sensitive and efficient tools to monitor the presence of these cold-tolerant bacteria."
Source: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Dry Dog Food Continues

Contaminated dry dog food is the cause, cases started in 2006
Eight more people -- mostly young children -- infected, bringing total to 79, CDC says-- Eight more cases of people becoming infected with Salmonella traced to dry dog food have been identified. The outbreak, which started in 2006, marks the first time that dry dog food has been identified as a source of the bacterial infection in people.As of Oct. 31, 79 cases of Salmonella Schwarzengrund had been reported in 21 states. Most of the cases involved children 2 years old and younger, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The dog food has been traced to a Mars Petcare U.S. plant in Everson, Pa. On Sept. 12, the company announced a recall of approximately 23,109 tons of dry dog and cat food sold under 105 brand names. The plant is now closed, the CDC said in the Nov. 7 issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.In late 2007, the plant was shut down for several months for remodeling, cleaning and disinfection, Barton Behravesh said. Young children are particularly vulnerable, because they're more likely to get sick from small doses of salmonella, Barton Behravesh said.

The primary cause of infection was feeding a pet in the kitchen, she said.People can take a few simple steps to protect themselves from Salmonella infection from pet food, Imperato said. "These include regular washing of pet feeding bowls to prevent bacterial growth; the thorough washing of hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds after handling dry pet foods, including pet treats; and scrupulously avoiding contact between dry pet foods and foods consumed by humans and food preparation surfaces and utensils," he said.Infection with the Salmonella pathogen produces an illness called salmonellosis.

According to the CDC, most infected people develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. The illness typically lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. But, for some, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. In these patients, the infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, and then to other parts of the body, leading to death unless antibiotics are administered promptly. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
Source: http://health.usnews.com

Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Obama and Congress need to put food safety on their agenda

The fragmented nature of the federal food oversight system should be changed soon.
There's a full plate of urgent issues awaiting President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress. The Government Accountability Office, Congress' nonpartisan watchdog, listed 13 of them last week. Along with some obvious choices, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and oversight of the financial industry, the GAO included food safety.The government's ability to safeguard the nation's food supply and respond quickly to outbreaks of food-borne illness are undermined by "the fragmented nature of the federal food oversight system," the GAO said. There are 15 federal agencies administering at least 30 laws; that leads to poor coordination, inconsistent policy and wasted resources.Anyone not convinced that improving food safety is important should talk to a Florida tomato grower. During a national outbreak of Salmonella earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration initially fingered tainted tomatoes as the prime suspect. Growers in Florida and other states lost at least $100 million in sales.The FDA later switched to blaming contaminated peppers from Mexico. Angry tomato growers' representatives told Congress afterward that no one in the government seemed to be in charge.The Salmonella outbreak, which sickened at least 1,400 Americans, was the latest in a series of food scares in recent years tied to contaminated fresh produce, including spinach, lettuce and cantaloupes. So while the government is rightly urging Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables for good health, it's falling short in protecting produce.The FDA, charged with ensuring the safety of 80 percent of the nation's food supply, has been underfunded and understaffed for years. That has left too few resources for inspections, enforcement and scientific research. Congress and the president belatedly began moving in the wake of the salmonella outbreak to increase the agency's budget.

But stronger laws and better coordination among regulators also are needed to adapt to today's globalized food supply and better prevent or trace illness outbreaks. Members of both parties in Congress, including Republican Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow, have been working together on these kinds of improvements.
In particular, the FDA needs to establish mandatory national safety standards that would apply to fresh produce from farm to fork, based on the best science available. Those national standards would replace a patchwork of state and industry standards around the country, and fill in gaps where no standards exist. They would also be applied to imported produce.The Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University, which advocates national standards, says they could be put in place for about $70 million. That's at least $30 million less than the value of a tax break Congress extended last month for auto-racing track owners.Groups representing the nation's fruit and vegetable growers have said they'd welcome the standards. They know how wide the damage from even an isolated case of tainted produce can spread.As the Obama administration dives into the economic crisis and national security, it needs to save some room for protecting public health by making overdue improvements to food safety.
Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

For tastier food, just add bacteria

Anaerobes from saliva can produce thiols and transform odorless foods in aromas
Gargling, sucking and spitting are the unsavory actions that serious wine lovers say a proper tasting demand. But the full complexity of taste may come from something even more distasteful: mouth bugs. These bacteria help give us the rich flavors of wine, onions and peppers.
It has long been known that smell plays a big part in the perception of flavour, and Christian Starkenmann and his team at Firmenich, a flavor company in Geneva, Switzerland, had previously found that saliva can turn odorless sulphur-containing compounds from fruit and vegetables into aromatic chemicals called thiols. Now they have shown that bacteria in saliva are responsible.
The team's sniffing panel could detect odors from the compounds only when extracts were dissolved in saliva. The aromas wafted up after 30 seconds and faded after 3 minutes (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, DOI: 10.1021/jf801873h).
At least one species of mouth bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum, is responsible for the conversion. The team showed this by adding the bacterium to otherwise sterile saliva containing the odorless starting substances. Only when the bacterium was added were the thiols created. Starkenmann says the compounds could be used to flavor food.
Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

FDA starts up to date current federal food processing safety rules

Additional protection against foodborne illness is the goal.
The regulator claims a survey involving 2,700 US food processing facilities of a range of different sizes will be the first stage in a process aimed at revising the existing good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that govern the safe processing, packaging and storage of food in the US. The current GMPs were drawn up in 1986 and no longer reflect developments in science and technology claims the FDA.
Key issues The agency said its survey of processing plants will seek information about five key issues relevant to the GMP modernization effort including employee training, sanitation and personal hygiene, allergen controls, process controls, and recordkeeping. According to the FDA, responses will be kept confidential and will only be used for statistical purposes.
More inspections sought Meanwhile, a poll conducted by the US Consumer Reports National Research Center claims consumers are concerned about food safety and they want the government to inspect the food supply more frequently. The participants, according to the report, stated that the FDA should conduct visits of foreign and domestic food processing plants at least every month. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) must inspect meat plants daily; however, the FDA has no such requirement for food processing plants.
The survey comes in the wake of a number of high profile food recalls and scares in the US related to fresh produce as well as beef, and it also follows the recent melamine scare linked to Chinese milk products.
Import worries Eighty-three percent of the respondents are concerned with harmful bacteria or chemicals in food and 81 per cent are concerned with the safety of imported food, according to the survey's findings.The Center said that 95 per cent of those surveyed said that processed or packaged food should be labelled by their country of origin and that country of origin labelling for products should always be available at point of purchase.
Cloned food Nearly three quarters of the consumers polled believe that cloning of food animals should be prohibited while 60 per cent are concerned about meat or milk products from cloned or genetically engineered (GE) animals, with the majority calling for GE food, meat and dairy products to be labeled as such, stated the survey. In addition, more than two-thirds of the respondents are concerned about the safety of meat treated with carbon monoxide to preserve red color, with 93 per cent agreeing that the packaging should clearly state if meat has been treated using this method, according to the poll. The report stated that 90 per cent of those polled agreed that meat that contains any irradiated components should be labeled as such; the USDA is currently considering the exemption of irradiated whole carcasses from labeling.
Source: FDA http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/plan_spanish.html
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Hobs may reduce Clostridium perfringens in chickens, claims US study

Lupulus used in beer contains bitters acids which are powerful antimicrobials
The scientists focused on one compound of the hob plant in particular, lupulone, and assessed its ability to control levels of C. perfringens in chickens.
The ARS group said the study, which was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, was triggered by the need to find alternatives to antibiotic use in poultry feed as several types of bacteria are building resistance to antibiotics.
The research will be of interest to meat processors as bacteria such as C. perfringens in the intestines of chickens can cause contamination of meat during processing and can also result in significant production losses by causing disease in the broiler chicken, explained the researchers.
Bacteria
Food poisoning linked to C. perfringens is the third most commonly reported foodborne illness in the US. Infection with the bacteria normally causes diarrhoea and severe abdominal pain. While it may occasionally cause nausea, it rarely causes vomiting or fever. Although the bacteria are killed at cooking temperatures, the heat-resistant spores they produce are able to survive and may actually be stimulated by the heat to germinate.
Results
The research team delivered different concentrations of lupulone via water to chickens inoculated with C. perfringens and they found that after 22 days the pathogen counts were significantly reduced in the lupulone-treated group compared to another group of chickens that did not receive the treatment. The reductions ranged from 30 to 50 per cent, according to the authors.

The researchers concluded that Lupulone administered through they called for further research into the agent as an antibiotic alternative for intestinal infections.
Fuente: Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Aporte: Claudia Henríquez P.

FSIS provides new guidance to inspectors for E. coli testing in raw beef

Samples can be sent before the establishment completes pre-shipment review.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is providing new guidance to inspection program personnel on collecting samples of beef manufacturing trimmings and other raw ground beef and patty components for E. coli O157:H7 testing.
Currently, FSIS personnel are not to send samples to a laboratory until the establishment has completed pre-shipment review for the sampled lot.
Under this notice, however, inspection program personnel are instructed not to wait, and instead submit the raw beef sample to the laboratory after the establishment has completed all interventions, except for any intervention that is based on microbiological test results. Consequently, FSIS, in many cases, will be collecting and submitting samples to the laboratory before the establishment completes pre-shipment review.
Source: http://www.meatingplace.com/
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Serious Salmonella Outbreak Hits Holland

Ham is the suspected source

An antibiotic-resistant strain of the Salmonella bacteria has made between 2,000 and 3,000 people ill since mid-August and resulted in around 30 people being hospitalized, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.
The public health institute RIVM says it is a 'very serious outbreak'. The source of the infection has not yet been traced but could be ham, the RIVM told the Volkskrant.
Source of Article: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/11/serious_salmonella_outbreak_hi.php
Aporte: Guillermo Figueroa

Sanitation kit could combat Norovirus in food plants

A kit for sanitizing food handling environments when bodily fluid spillages occur can restrict the spread of potential contaminants such as Norovirus
Food safety and sanitation product supplier, Chemstar Corporation, said the new container enables employees in a food processing plant to clean and disinfect bodily fluids spillages quickly and safely at a time when ‘intense media focus on the recent outbreaks of Norovirus, Salmonella and E. coli has resulted in the further scrutiny of cleaning and disinfection protocols in the food industry.”
Bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, faeces, and urine may contain bacteria, pathogens or viruses such as Norovirus, which is one of the most common causes of gastroenteritis, is highly contagious and can be spread through human contact
All-in-one kit
Envirox Tb has a claim against Norovirus and meets Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA ) blood borne pathogen standards for Hepatitis B virus and HIV.
US research
The findings of the University of Ottawa and North Carolina State University research teams were published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology and show that transmission of multiple enteric viruses can be reduced by a newly synergistically formulated ethanol-based hand sanitizer.
The research team said that they undertook suspension and fingerpad protocol assessments using the new sanitizer and the control.
In the suspension test, the new ethanol-based sanitizer showed reduced infectivity of human rotavirus (HRV), poliovirus type 1 (PV-1), and human Norovirus (HNV) surrogates FCV and MNV-1 by greater than 3 log whereas the control alcohol-based sanitizer reduced only HRV by greater than 3 log and none of the additional viruses by greater than 1.2 log after the same exposure.
In the fingerpad experiments, the newly developed sanitizer produced a 2.48 log reduction of MNV-1 while the control product only produced a 0.91 log reduction.
“Based on these results, we conclude that this new ethanol-based hand sanitizer is a promising option for reducing the transmission of enteric viruses, including Norovirus, by food handlers and care providers,” said the team.
Fuente:http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Food-Alerts/Sanitation-kit-could-combat-norovirus-in-food-plants
Aporte: Claudia Henríquez P.

La exposición a la luz artificial reduce la calidad de las verduras

La iluminación reduce la calidad de algunos vegetales, ya que acelera su transpiración y respiración
Investigadores del Área de Tecnología de los Alimentos de la Universidad de La Rioja han demostrado que la exposición a la luz artificial produce un efecto negativo sobre la calidad sensorial de los vegetales mínimamente procesados, aquellos alimentos listos para su consumo inmediato tras un tratamiento mínimo de lavado, pelado, cortado y envasado en films poliméricos. El color se ve especialmente afectado en los vegetales no pigmentados (coliflor, espárrago, puerro y parte blanca de la acelga), mientras que en los vegetales verdes (brócoli, puerro y parte verde de la acelga) es la textura el atributo sensorial que sufre el mayor deterioro. Ello se debe a que la luz activa la apertura de los estomas (poros por donde se produce el intercambio gaseoso en las plantas), provocando un aumento de las tasas fotosintética y respiratoria.
Tras iluminar diversos envases de vegetales no pigmentados, los científicos comprobaron que presentaban atmósferas con mayores niveles de CO2 y menor contenido en oxígeno que los mantenidos en la oscuridad con el mismo tipo de film. Por su parte, los vegetales verdes almacenados en condiciones de iluminación mostraban un aumento de la tasa respiratoria, aunque ésta se veía compensada por la actividad fotosintética de la propia planta. En este caso, la composición de la atmósfera interior del envase y la duración del producto dependían de la permeabilidad del film utilizado.
Finalmente dicho equipo de investigadores comprobó que los vegetales frescos o casi frescos "no suelen sobrepasar las dos semanas de vida útil en las estanterías" de los establecimientos.

Aporte: Jacqueline Cabezas
Fuente: http://www.consumer.es/web/es/alimentacion/2008/10/21/180901.php

Proteínas de la leche de vaca pueden ocasionar alergias en lactantes

La lactancia permite a los niños obtener todos los elementos esenciales que necesitan para su desarrollo, como vitaminas, proteínas, aminoácidos, lípidos, entre otros.

Resulta extraño escuchar que un bebé pueda ser alérgico a la leche materna; en realidad, el término no es apropiado según especialistas, se trata más bien de una alergia a los componentes lácteos provenientes de la vaca. Este trastorno es ocasionado por la dieta de la madre, que puede ser rica en ese tipo de productos y, obviamente, el factor alimentación está vinculado con la composición de la leche materna.

En esos casos se indica a la madre una dieta libre de lácteos derivados de este animal. Las fórmulas lácteas indicadas para alimentar a los niños que presenten este tipo de trastornos son elaboradas a base de soya. Sin embargo, aproximadamente 20% de los niños alérgicos a la proteína de la leche de vaca, también pueden ser alérgicos a los derivados de la mencionada leguminosa. También son recomendadas las fórmulas a base de hidrolizados de proteínas, conocidas también como hipoalergénicas.

Neonatologos, explican que los síntomas que pueden presentar los bebés con este tipo de alergia son múltiples, tales como: lesiones rojizas en la piel (eczema), rinitis, bronco espasmos, cólicos, reflujo gastroesofágico y trastornos en la evacuación, como la diarrea o el estreñimiento.

Al no ser tratados oportunamente, se podrán evidenciar patologías respiratorias crónicas, lesiones cicatrízales en la piel y eczemas; además de desnutrición, esofagitis y asma bronquial.

La lactancia es la fuente alimenticia por excelencia del ser humano en sus primeros años de vida, y sus beneficios son múltiples e insuperables. El adecuado crecimiento del bebé, su correcta nutrición y desarrollo psicomotor, son sólo algunas de las ventajas que provee este vital alimento.

Fuente: http://www.portalveterinaria.cl/
Aporte: Araceli Terán

Melamina en huevos

El escándalo de la melanina en productos Chinos adquiere nuevas aristas.

En este sentido, autoridades de Hong Kong acaban de pedir a Pekín que investigue la presencia de esta sustancia en huevos importados de las granjas de Dalian, en el noreste de China.

Los exámenes realizados durante este fin de semana revelaron unos niveles de melamina en los huevos casi el doble de lo permitido, 4,7 miligramos por kilo. "Hemos contactado con la agencia de seguridad alimentaria de la región y esperamos que puedan hacer más para reducir el riesgo en el origen", declaró el secretario de Sanidad de Hong Kong, York Chow.

Se ha hecho público que la ciromazina, un derivado de la melamina, se usa frecuentemente en pesticidas y piensos para animales en China. Además, los expertos creen que esta sustancia es absorbida por las plantas.

Es así como inspectores chinos descubrieron que más de 500 establecimientos elaboradores de piensos aplicaban prácticas ilegales o dudosas, donde se incorporó melamina a los piensos compuestos, acción calificada como "delictiva y que debe ser combatida con firmeza". En los dos meses transcurridos desde que China reconoció que había leche contaminada con melamina, esta sustancia ha sido detectada en huevos, golosinas y otros productos. Su presencia en piensos compuestos ya ha creado temores sobre la seguridad de la carne, el pescado y ahora el huevo.

Fuente: consumaseguridad.com

Aporte: Valerie Weinborn