Porcine Blood and Liver as Sporadic Sources of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in the Production Chain of Offal-Derived Foodstuffs in Poland.

Pig's blood and liver are valuable edible slaughter by-products which are also the major ingredients of offal-derived foodstuffs. The aim of the study was an evaluation of the occurrence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and porcine adenovirus (pAdV) as an index virus of faecal contamination in pig's blood and liver for human consumption. In total, 246 samples of retail liver (n = 100) and pooled pig's blood (n = 146) were analysed for the presence of HEV and pAdV. Blood samples were individually collected from 1432 pigs at slaughter age. Viral genomic material, including RNA of a sample process control virus was isolated from food samples using a QIAamp® Viral RNA Mini Kit. Virus-specific IAC-controlled real-time PCR methods were used for detection of target viruses. HEV RNA was found in 6 (2.4%; 95% CI: 0.9-5.2) out of 246 samples of tested foodstuffs. The virus was detected in pig's blood (3.4%; 95% CI: 1.1-7.8) and liver (1.0%; 95% CI: 0.0-5.0) with no significant differences observed in the frequency of its occurrence between the two by-products (t = 1.33; p = 0.182 > 0.05); however PAdV was detected more frequently in pig's blood than in liver (t = 4.65; p = 0.000 < 0.05). The HEV strains belonged to the 3f and 3e subtype groups and the pAdV strains were assigned to serotype 5. PAdV was detected in pigs regardless of the farm size from which they originated. The number of animals raised on the farm (the farm size) had no influence on the occurrence of HEV or pAdV infections in pigs (F = 0.81, p = 0.447 > 0.05 for HEV; F = 0.42, p = 0.655 > 0.05 for pAdV). Although HEV was detected in pig's offal only sporadically, consumers cannot treat its occurrence with disregard as it demonstrates that HEV-contaminated pig tissues can enter the food chain.

Concentration levels of cadmium and lead in the raw and processed meat of Helix pomatia snails.

This work reports on cadmium and lead contaminations in the edible snail Helix pomatia harvested in Poland. One hundred and 24 samples of Helix pomatia meat collected from seven provinces (voivodeships) of Poland were analyzed for their trace metal levels by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The research was conducted in 2 stages. The 1st stage analyzed snail meat prior to any further technological treatment (raw meat). In the 2nd stage, the trace element levels were measured in meat subjected to technological treatment (processed meat). The trace element contents in raw meat samples ranged from 0.06 mg kg-1 to 0.22 mg kg-1 for Cd and from 0.06 mg kg-1 to 0.18 mg kg-1 for Pb. The analyses revealed an increase in the cad- mium content from 0.12 mg kg-1 to 0.18 mg kg-1 in thermally treated snail meat and no changes in lead concentration during the two-stage heat treatment. Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 does not specify the Cd and Pb residue limits in meat of terrestrial edible snails. The limits are set for in- vertebrate aquatic organisms meat (i.e. shellfish, mollusc, cephalopod) and range from 0.5 mg/kg to 1.5 mg/kg of tissue fresh weight for Pb and from 0.5 mg kg -1 to 1 mg kg-1 for Cd (EU Commis- sion 2006). The results demonstrate that the land snail Helix pomatia has a tendency to bioaccu- mulate trace elements, and the cooking process is likely to affect (increase) the Cd content in the snail meat.

Microbiological quality of milk sold directly from producers to consumers.

The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of raw cow milk from direct sale points. Raw cow milk samples were collected from 5 randomly selected direct sale points for microbiological evaluation. The samples were analyzed to determine total aerobic bacterial count, somatic cell count (SCC), counts of Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus, and presence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and inhibitory substances. The mean counts of total aerobic bacterial in samples from all direct sale points were between 9.2×10(4) and 3.6×10(7) cfu/mL. Milk samples collected from 5 direct sale points revealed counts Enterobacteriaceae ranging from 6.4×10(1) to 1.7×10(6) cfu/mL. Escherichia coli were detected in 12 milk samples with counts ranging from 5.0×10(0) to 1.1×10(2) cfu/mL. Staphylococcus spp. bacteria were found in all milk samples, at counts ranging from 1.6×10(3) to 5.1×10(4) cfu/mL. Listeria monocytogenes bacteria were detected in 1 sample, and SCC in all samples ranged from 78,000 to 1,730,000/mL. The examined samples did not contain Salmonella rods or inhibitory substances. In the samples examined in this study, international hygiene standards were exceeded for total aerobic bacterial count (n=48) as well as for SCC (n=19). Two milk samples contained pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) that pose a potential hazard for consumer health.