Microanalytical Quality of Canned Crabmeat, Sardines, and Tuna.

A 1-year national retail market survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of canned crabmeat, sardines and tuna. The official methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists were used to count light filth such as whole or equivalent flies, insect fragments, rodent hair fragments, whole feathers or feather fragments and feather barbules. Over 4000 samples of 200 g (crabmeat) or 225 g (sardines and tuna) were analyzed; filth levels were generally low. Maximum counts for each defect were 8 whole or equivalent flies for canned sardines, 18 insect fragments for canned crabmeat, 3 rodent hair fragments for canned crabmeat and tuna, 2 whole feathers or feather fragments for canned crabmeat and 5 feather barbules for canned crabmeat. Percent of samples containing each defect ranged as follows: whole or equivalent flies, 0.2% for canned sardines and tuna to 1.8% for canned crabmeat; insect fragments, 0.5% for canned sardines to 11.1% for canned crabmeat; rodent hair fragments, 0.3% for canned sardines to 4.7% for canned crabmeat; whole feathers or feather fragments, 0.0% for canned tuna to 0.2% for canned crabmeat; and feather barbules, 0.4% for canned crabmeat to 1.4% for canned tuna.

Microanalytical Quality of Imported Green Coffee Beans.

A 3-year national survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of green coffee beans offered for import into the United States. The methods of the Food and Drug Administration's Macroanalytical Procedures Manual were used to analyze samples for mammalian excreta, insect damage and mold. Insect damage was the most frequently encountered defect. The percent of samples containing insect damage was 70.6%, and the range of insect-damaged beans was 0 to 31.0% per sample. Mold was found in 23.5% of the samples, and percent of moldy beans ranged from 0 to 31.0% per sample. Mammalian excreta was found in 9.3% of the samples, and levels ranged from 0 to 50.63 mg/lb. African and Asian coffee beans generally had higher mean analyte levels than did beans from Central and South America.

Microanalytical Quality of Ground and Unground Marjoram, Sage and Thyme, Ground Allspice, Black Pepper and Paprika.

A 3-year national retail market survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of ground and unground marjoram, sage and thyme, and ground allspice, black pepper and paprika. The official methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists were used to count light filth such as insect fragments, rodent hair fragments, feather barbules, mites, thrips and aphids. Insect fragments were the most frequently encountered defect, with count means ranging from 7.8 for 10 g of ground allspice to 287.7 for 10 g of ground thyme. The percent of samples containing insect fragments ranged from 70.8 to 99.6 for ground allspice and ground thyme, respectively. Other counts ranged as follows: rodent hair fragments, 0 to 200 (for 10 g of ground sage); feather barbules, 0 to 60 (for 10 g of ground sage); mites, 0 to 999 (for 25 g of unground thyme); thrips, 0 to 99 (for 25 g of unground thyme); aphids, 0 to 116 (for 10 g of ground sage). Howard mold counts of paprika ranged from 0 to 99%, with a mean of 2.8%.

Microanalytical Quality of Macaroni and Noodles.

A survey was conducted to determine the sanitary quality of macaroni and noodle products. The official method of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists was used to recover light filth such as insect fragments, whole or equivalent insects and rodent hair fragments from 225-g samples of macaroni and noodles (764 units of macaroni and 725 units of egg noodles). Insect fragments, the most frequently encountered defect, were found in 66% of the macaroni product samples and 83% of the egg noodle samples. Insect fragment counts ranged from 0 to 317 with a mean of 4.3 for macaroni products and 0 to 343 with a mean of 6.8 for egg noodles. Ranges of other defect counts in macaroni products were 0 to 5 for rodent hair fragments and 0 to 9 for whole or equivalent insects. Ranges of other defects in egg noodles were 0 to 12 for rodent hair fragments and 0 to 17 for whole or equivalent insects.

Microanalytical Quality of Ground and Unground Oregano, Ground Cinnamon and Ground Nutmeg.

A 3-year national retail market survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of ground and unground oregano, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. The official methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists were used to count light filth such as insect fragments, rodent hair fragments, feather barbules, mites, aphids and thrips. Insect fragments were the most frequently encountered defect, with count means ranging from 27.9 to 265.7. The percent of samples containing insect fragments ranged from 92.0 to 97.5 for unground and ground oregano, respectively. Other counts ranged as follows: rodent hair fragments, 0 to 703; feather barbules, 0 to 99; mites, 0 to 52; thrips, 0 to 95; aphids, 0 to 209.

Microanalytical Quality of Wheat Flour.

A survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of wheat flour. Samples were collected and analyzed by the USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service under the quality check program for contract government purchases. The Association of Official Analytical Chemists' method for light filth in flour was used to extract fragments of insects, feathers and rodent hairs; insect heads, larvae, mites and psocids. Insect fragments were most frequently encountered: 83% of the samples contained insect fragments, with counts ranging from 0 to 721 and a mean of 12.52. Ranges of other counts were rodent hair fragments, 0 to 75; feather barbules, 0 to 3; insect heads, 0 to 2; mites, 0 to 2; insect larvae, 0 to 3; psocids 0 to 1.

Defects of Inshell Walnuts, Pecans and Brazil Nuts.

A survey was done to determine the level of defects in inshell walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts. The analytical data, which represented inshell nuts at the national retail level, were obtained on 406 samples of Brazil nuts, 386 samples of pecans and 450 samples of walnuts. Defective inshell nuts were classed as insect-infested, moldy, rancid, decomposed, shriveled, blank and dirty. The mean and percentage range of total defects were walnuts 4.0 (0-23.5), pecans 5.7 (0-47.0), and Brazil nuts 5.7 (0-24.1). The percentages of samples of each nut type which contained at least one defect were walnuts 88.0%, pecans 93.5%, and Brazil nuts 97.0%.

Mold in Fruit Nectars and Infant Fruit Purees.

A national retail market survey was made to determine the levels of mold contamination in apricot, peach, and pear nectars and in apricot, peach, and pear infant purees. A total of 1987 samples were analyzed. The mean and range of Howard mold counts for each product were apricot nectar 1.5% (0-15%), peach nectar 1.2% (0-8%), pear nectar 1.1% (0-9%), apricot puree l.0% (0-10%), peach puree 0.9% (0-9%) and pear puree 0.5% (0-6%).

Mold in Jellied and Whole-Berry Styles of Cranberry Sauce.

A survey was made to determine the level of mold contamination in jellied and whole-berry style cranberry sauce. The analytical data obtained were representative of the cranberry sauce at the national retail level. The mean and range of Howard mold counts for each style were as follows: jellied, 4.1% (0-98%); and whole berry, 1.6% (0-10%). The percentage of samples of each style found to contain mold were: jellied 85.8% and whole berry 64.9%.

Microanalytical Quality of Unsweetened Chocolate.

A survey was made to determine the sanitary quality of unsweetened chocolate. The analytical data obtained were representative of unsweetened chocolate at the national retail level. The mean and range for each defect, based on a 100-g sample, were as follows: insect fragments, 23.69 (0-95); whole insects, 0.02 (0-4); feather fragments, 0.07 (0-9); and rodent hairs, 0.57 (0-6). Positive samples found for each defect were as follows: insect fragments 99.1%; whole insects 0.7%; feather fragments 4.6%; and rodent hairs 33.2%. The association between the defect pairs is shown in correlation coefficients. It was determined that each defect occurs independently of the others.