The burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide in Italy: A risk assessment-based approach.

The aim of this study was to assess Italian consumers' risk of cancer and burden of disease due to dietary exposure to acrylamide. Our model considered six age groups such as infants, toddlers, other children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, and the consumption of 31 food items. Using a risk-assessment-based approach, we first characterized the risk of neoplastic effects using the margin of exposure method. Then the risk of kidney, endometrial, breast, ovarian cancer, and total cancer was estimated using adjusted cancer slope factors while the burden of disease was quantified using Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The highest risk for females was related to breast cancer while the lowest was for kidney cancer. We found a comparable risk of total cancer among Italian males and females, estimated at around 1.59 to 3.57 cases per 100,000 individuals annually with the burden ranging between 12.3 - 25.4 and 11.4 - 24.1 DALYs respectively. Our findings provide insights on the multifaceted impact of acrylamide on public health by offering detailed insights into age-specific exposure levels, diverse cancer risks, and the dietary burden of disease related to acrylamide. Targeted interventions and policies can be developed towards mitigating the health risks associated with acrylamide exposure.

Comprehensive Review on the Biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes in Food Products.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, a group of human illnesses that appear more frequently in countries with better-developed food supply systems. This review discusses the efficacy of actual biocontrol methods combined with the main types of food involved in illnesses. Comments on bacteriophages, lactic acid bacteria, bacteriocins, essential oils, and endolysins and derivatives, as main biological antilisterial agents, are made bearing in mind that, using them, food processors can intervene to protect consumers. Both commercially available antilisterial products and solutions presented in scientific papers for mitigating the risk of contamination are emphasized. Potential combinations between different types of antilisterial agents are highlighted for their synergic effects (bacteriocins and essential oils, phages and bacteriocins, lactic acid bacteria with natural or synthetic preservatives, etc.). The possibility to use various antilisterial biological agents in active packaging is also presented to reveal the diversity of means that food processors may adopt to assure the safety of their products. Integrating biocontrol solutions into food processing practices can proactively prevent outbreaks and reduce the occurrences of L. monocytogenes-related illnesses.

The Occurrence of Non-Regulated Mycotoxins in Foods: A Systematic Review.

The aim of this systematic review is to provide an update on the occurrence and co-occurrence of selected non-regulated mycotoxins and provide an overview of current regulations. Fifteen non-regulated mycotoxins were found in 19 food categories worldwide. On top of that, 38 different combinations of non-regulated mycotoxins were found, with mixtures varying from binary combinations up to 12 mycotoxins. Taking into consideration the amount of evidence regarding the prevalence and co-occurrence of non-regulated mycotoxins, future steps should be taken considering continuous monitoring, scientific exchange, and generation of high-quality data. To enhance data quality, guidelines outlining the minimum quality criteria for both occurrence data and metadata are needed. By doing so, we can effectively address concerns related to the toxicity of non-regulated mycotoxins. Furthermore, obtaining more data concerning the co-occurrence of both regulated and non-regulated mycotoxins could aid in supporting multiple chemical risk assessment methodologies. Implementing these steps could bolster food safety measures, promote evidence-based regulations, and ultimately safeguard public health from the potential adverse effects of non-regulated mycotoxins.

Hand hygiene practices during meal preparation-a ranking among ten European countries.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to map consumers' food hygiene practices from 10 European countries and evaluate which demographic groups are more likely to be exposed to foodborne pathogens and establish a ranking of adherence to food hygiene practices in 10 European countries. METHODS: The research design consisted of a cross-national quantitative consumer survey regarding food safety and hygiene practices during meal preparation (SafeConsume project) and was conducted in ten European countries (France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain and UK). The survey questions were based on recommended hand hygiene practices and on observed practices from a field study performed in 90 European households from six of the countries covered by the survey (France, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and UK). SPSS Statistics 26 (IBM Software Group, Chicago, IL) was used for the descriptive and regression analyses of the data. Regression analyses were used to check the relation between demographic characteristics, country of origin and self-reported hand hygiene practices. RESULTS: According to the regression models, families with elderly members aged over 65 showed a higher tendency to follow proper hand washing practices compared to families without elderly members. Meanwhile, families with children under the age of 6 reported being up to twice as likely to wash their hands at critical moments compared to families without children. Overall, taking into consideration the likelihood of washing hands after touching raw chicken and the percentages scores for proper hand cleaning methods and key moments for hand washing, the rank of the countries regarding proper hand hygiene practices was the following: Denmark, Greece, Norway, Romania, Hungary, Germany, UK, Portugal, France, and Spain. CONCLUSIONS: Information and education should point both at the key moments as suggested by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) and safe practices. Public health burden generated by improper hand washing may be significantly reduced if education is targeted on consumers' behaviour and practices.

Food processing contaminants: Dietary exposure to 3-MCPD and glycidol and associated burden of disease for Italian consumers.

In this study we assessed Italian consumers' dietary exposure to 3-MCPD and glycidol followed by risk characterization, potential cancer risk and the associated burden of disease. Consumption data was retrieved from the most recent Italian Food Consumption Survey (2017-2020), while contamination data was obtained from the European Food Safety Authority. The level of risk due to exposure to 3-MCPD was negligible, below the tolerable daily intake (TDI), except for high consumption of infant formulas. For infants, the intake level was higher than the TDI (139-141% of TDI), indicating a potential health risk. Exposure to glycidol indicated a health concern for infants, toddlers, other children, and adolescents consuming infant formulas, plain cakes, chocolate spreads, processed cereals, biscuits, rusks, and cookies (margin of exposure (MOE) < 25,000). The risk of cancer due to exposure to glycidol was estimated and the overall health impact was quantified in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The risk of cancer due to chronic dietary exposure to glycidol was estimated at 0.08-0.52 cancer cases/year/100,000 individuals depending on the life stage and dietary habits in Italy. The burden of disease quantified in DALYs varied from 0.7 to 5.37 DALYs/year/100,000 individuals. It is crucial to continuously gather consumption and occurrence data for glycidol over time to track patterns, assess potential health risks, identify exposure sources, and develop effective countermeasures, as long-term exposure to chemical contaminants can lead to an increased risk for human health. This data is critical for protecting public health and reducing the likelihood of cancer and other health issues related to glycidol exposure.

Risk-benefit assessment of shifting from traditional meat-based diets to alternative dietary patterns.

The consumption of plant-based meat alternatives has recently transitioned from the niche market to the mainstream. However, changing the dietary patterns may lead to new health challenges referred to possible higher exposure to natural toxins found in plant-based food. The present project aimed to train the fellow in the field of chemical risk assessment and provide a comprehensive overview on how a change towards plant-based meat alternatives may represent a driver for emerging risks. Thus, within the EU-FORA programme the fellow engaged in the following activities: (i) perform a systematic review to analyse the distribution of natural toxins in the most common plant-based meat alternatives in Europe, (ii) risk-benefit assessment of shifting from meat-based diets to soy-based meat alternatives by modelling the substitution of meat with soy, and (iii) determine the occurrence of mycotoxins in plant-based meat alternatives from local markets in Parma, Italy. The fellow learnt the chemical risk assessment procedures applied by the researchers from the Department of Food and Drug of Parma University, thus gaining an in-depth expertise in all the steps. A risk-benefit assessment was performed modelling the intake of aflatoxin B1-contaminated soy-based meat analogues. The health impact due to intake of soy and exposure to aflatoxin B1 was estimated. Within the research group, the fellow also worked on developing a multi-mycotoxin determination method for plant-based meat alternatives matrices. The results of the project provide a picture reflecting the occurrence of natural toxins in plant-based meat alternatives and the need of upgraded regulation frameworks that take into account new products and dietary patterns. The EU-FORA fellowship was a great opportunity for the fellow to expand his professional network and increase his expertise in food safety by gaining new skills in chemical risk assessment, risk-benefit assessment and analytical chemistry.

Kitchen layouts and consumers' food hygiene practices: Ergonomics versus safety.

Our paper emphasizes the importance of the kitchen layout in facilitating consumers' food hygiene practices. A significant correlation was found between the sink placement (inside or outside the kitchen) and hygienic practices during food handling based on a survey performed on consumers from ten European countries, indicating that those who had the sink in the kitchen were more likely to perform proper hygiene practices than those who have not. The self-reported practices were supported by observed practices in 64 households from five European countries. The observational study combined with the examination of kitchen layouts revealed that the kitchen work triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, cooking stove and refrigerator, which is recommended for ergonomic reasons by architects and designers, did not necessarily support food hygiene practices in kitchens. Cross-contamination events were associated with the sink - countertop distances longer than 1 m. Based on this, a new kitchen triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, working place (usually countertop) and cooking stove, with the distance between the sink and the working place less than 1 m is proposed to be used as norm in kitchen designs for combining ergonomics with safety. This triangle is proposedly named the food safety triangle and is aimed to mitigate the risks of foodborne illnesses by creating an arrangement that facilitates hygiene practices. This study is the first to highlight the importance of implementing the concept of food safety in the kitchen design based on significant correlations between kitchen equipment placement and consumers' food safety practices.

Data on European kitchen layouts belonging to vulnerable consumers (elderly people and young families with children or pregnant women) and risk-takers (young single men).

The data presented here capture the structure of kitchen layouts belonging to consumers vulnerable to foodborne diseases and food risk-takers. Data were collected in the frame of the SafeConsume project by multidisciplinary research teams that visited consumers during preparing a meal and had the possibility to examine their cooking routines. Distances between sink and stove, sink and refrigerator, stove and refrigerator, sink and working place (countertop or table), stove and working place were analyzed to correlate food safety practices applied during cooking with kitchen arrangements. The results arising from analyzing the ergonomics of kitchens versus potential cross-contamination events are presented in Mihalache et al., [1]. These data contribute to a better understanding of real kitchen layouts and can be used as a starting point for future research regarding food safety-oriented arrangements instead of ergonomics-focused designs, for food safety risk assessments, as study cases for explaining specific measures that can be established to improve food handling and hygiene practices in homes and for sociological research pointing consumers' behavior during cooking.

Efficacy of Removing Bacteria and Organic Dirt from Hands-A Study Based on Bioluminescence Measurements for Evaluation of Hand Hygiene When Cooking.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dirt removal (bacteria and organic matter) of several hand-cleaning procedures. The results from the hand hygiene experiment indicated that washing hands with warm water and soap for 20 s is the most effective method investigated when hands are either dirty or greasy. Even if not proper washing, rinsing under running water for 5 s is a cleaning procedure that may significantly reduce the probability of cross-contamination, as it removes 90% of the hands' dirt. Although less effective than water and soap, the usage of antibacterial wipes was significantly more effective than wet wipes, indicating that they are a better choice when water and soap are not available. The results of this study enable us to inform consumers about the effectiveness of hand-cleaning procedures applied in their homes when cooking. Moreover, it can make consumers understand why, during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities recommended washing hands as a preventive measure of infection and using an anti-bacterial hand gel or wiping hands with an antimicrobial wipe if water and soap are not available.