Edition 441: 03 - 10 June 2009
FSA investigates undeclared animal protein in chicken products
The Food Standards Agency
(FSA) has conducted a study looking into injection powders which are used to retain water in chicken products, supplied mostly to the catering industry. The study was carried out using a range of methodologies including real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and relatively new proteomic techniques. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether injection powders which often contain hydrolysed animal protein, contain protein from animal sources other than chicken - particularly beef and pork. If this was found to be the case, the FSA intended to call for those selling such chicken products to label them appropriately and in doing so, protect the consumer. The full text of the study can be found here.
Chicken breast is regularly bulked up using water injection. This is common and legal, and can increase the succulence of the meat. If the water content is more than 5%, the water must be labelled as an ingredient. A further mixture of ingredients are often added to help to retain this added water during freeze/thawing and cooking. Such added ingredients can include maltodextrins, sodium citrate and monosodium glutamate. The main water retention ingredient used, however, is hydrolysed collagen protein.
A survey carried out by the FSA in 2001 first identified that undeclared hydrolysed collagen protein found in chicken breasts sold by wholesalers, may have originated from beef or pork. Following from this, labelling requirements for meat were introduced in 2003. These stated that added water and ingredients from other animals must be declared in the name of the food. Since this first survey there have been considerable developments in proteomics, and it is now possible to identify specific proteins from individual peptides. The amino acid sequence of collagen varies slightly between animal species, and these differences combined with new proteomic techniques formed the basis of the method used in the recent FSA study.
In the recent study, the FSA collected four samples of chicken injection powders from two premises producing chicken breast products. They also collected a powder sample from a third premises outside the UK. All powders were declared as containing only hydrolysed poultry or chicken protein. Three 10kg boxes of different brands of chicken breast products were also tested. The samples were tested for the presence of chicken, turkey, pork and beef DNA. They were also analysed to determine the species origin of any proteins present.
The results of the analyses showed the presence of undeclared proteins from a non-poultry source in all of the injection powders tested. Bovine collagen was found in all of the powders and also in one injected chicken sample. The results indicated that porcine collagen may also be present.
The FSA is now working with researchers to determine what further work needs to be done, including further surveys and enforcement activities, in order to continue to monitor this problem. They are working with other European Member States to gather more information to determine how widespread the problem is. They stress that the presence of these proteins does not make the chicken unsafe, but that labelling the food accurately is very important.
RSSL' s DNA and Protein Laboratory uses PCR techniques to detect pork and beef DNA in protein extracts and other complex ingredients. Routine meat speciation can also be carried out using ELISA techniques to detect pork, beef, lamb, poultry and horse. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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Olive extract could act as antioxidant in cooked beef and pork
A recent study published in Food Chemistry has investigated the ability of polyphenol extracts from the waste waters of olive oil production to act as an antioxidant for pre-cooked beef and pork.
Lipid oxidation is associated with undesirable flavours in cooked meat products and producers have used a number of synthetic antioxidants to prevent or reduce this oxidation. But consumers are increasingly demanding products with natural additives. Olives contain many polyphenols with very good antioxidant capabilities and previous studies have shown that oleuropein, hydroxyl-tyrosol, tyrosol , quercetin, caffeic acid, vanillic acid and o- and p-coumaric acid are all effective antioxidants. It has been estimated that only 2% of the total phenolic compounds in olives is retained in the oil during olive oil production and that the remainder is lost in the waste waters and solid waste. Use of crude polyphenol extracts from olive oil waste could add value to this by-product. Other studies have shown olive oil to be an effective antioxidant for the packaging of canned fish and whilst this might indicate a similar effect for cooked meat, Dejong and Lanari state that the type of product can strongly affect antioxidant activity and so this research was warranted.
The researchers minced beef and mixed each sample with either a control sample of water, or olive, tea or wine extracts at a concentration of 50 or 100 GAE/kg before cooking and subsequently storing for 0, 3 or 6 days. (GAE expresses the total phenolic compounds of the extracts as mg of gallic acid equivalence). Samples of pork were similarly prepared. After storage, lipid oxidation was determined using TBARS (Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances). Tea and grape extract were used as comparisons, since they are an excellent source of phenolic antioxidants and have been shown to be capable of inhibiting lipid oxidation in meat and fish. In addition, samples of beef were prepared with different combinations of oleuropein, hydroxyl-tyrosol, tyrosol , quercetin, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid and rutin at a standard total concentration. These were also cooked and stored for 0 or 6 days and again lipid oxidation was determined using TBARS. The major phenolic compounds contained in the olive extract were determined by HPLC and identified as hydroxyl-tyrosol, tyrosol, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and vanillic acid.
Dejong and Lanari found that olive, tea and grape extracts significantly inhibited lipid oxidation with tea being the most effective and grapes the least. Beef showed more inhibition than pork and the authors indicate that this is likely to be due to differences in the phospholipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and/or free iron contents of each meat. A strong dose effect was shown and lipid stability increased between 63-67% in beef and 40-43% in pork at the higher polyphenol concentration depending on the extract used. The authors of the study also investigated the antioxidant activity of the individual polyphenols in beef and found that the best antioxidants were quercetin, hydroxyl-tyrosol, caffeic acid and oleuropein, whilst rutin and tyrosol were less effective. P-coumaric acid and vanillic acid were ineffective or showed a slight pro-oxidative effect. Dejong and Lanari indicate that this agrees with previous studies which showed that antioxidant effect of polyphenols was strongly dependent on the number and position of free hydroxyl groups on the aromatic ring. They performed statistical analysis to indicate the relationship between the composition of the olive extract and its antioxidant activity. It was found that as well as the individual compounds, the interactions between certain pairs of polyphenols, including tyrosol and quercetin, hydroxyl-tyrosol, oleuropein and caffeic acid, showed an additional effect.
In conclusion the authors note that waste water from olive oil production significantly inhibited oxidation in both beef and pork, and whilst this was dose dependent, it was higher in beef than pork. They note that in comparison with commercial antioxidants made from tea and grapes the olive extract showed comparable properties.
RSSL’s Functional Ingredients Laboratory can analyse food products for polyphenolic components. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or email enquiries@rssl.com
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Adolescent TV viewing, soft drink consumption and habit strength
Appetite is a journal specializing in behavioural nutrition and the cultural, sensory, and physiological influences on choices and intakes of foods and drinks. It covers normal and disordered eating and drinking, dietary attitudes and practices and many aspects of human and animal behaviour towards food. Amongst the current articles in press is a study of Dutch teenagers which examined the relationship between television viewing and soft drink consumption and tried to find out if the strength of the habits involved in such consuming or viewing had an additional influence on these behaviours.
Soft drink consumption and sedentary behaviour such as television viewing are likely to lead to a positive energy balance and contribute to the development of overweight and obesity, and effective interventions to change these behaviours are urgently needed. In devising programmes which might accomplish this outcome, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is often used. This theory proposes that any intention to behave in a certain way arises from attitude (is the behaviour positively or negatively valued?), subjective norm (degree to which significant others feel the behaviour should be performed) and perceived behavioural control (PBC). PBC measures the extent to which the behaviour is under a person’s control and whether or not the behaviour is easy or difficult to perform. Traditionally, TPB has focused on single health behaviours, but scientific attention is now beginning to turn to the investigation of the occurrence of multiple behaviours simultaneously.
In the current study, de Bruijn and van den Putte from the Amsterdam School of Communications Research, collected data from 312 students from vocational and secondary schools in Gouda in the Netherlands. The students were asked to complete frequency-duration questionnaires in April 2008. These asked how many days per week they drank sugar-sweetened soft drinks while they were watching television. They were also asked how many minutes/day of television, overall, they watched, and how many glasses or cans of soft drink they consumed in total. Other questions and statements tried to assess the student’s attitude to the acceptability of television viewing and soft drink consumption. For instance, they were asked to score statements such as “I intend to limit my amount of soft drink consumption”, “I intend to limit my amount of television viewing”, “most people who are important to me believe I should limit my soft drink consumption/television viewing” and “I find limiting my amount of soft drink consumption/television viewing very easy (+2) or very difficult (-2)”.
The results are presented as a series of figures in which habit, attitude, subjective norm and PBC for both television viewing and soft drink consumption are linked by either dashed or solid lines which indicate hypothesised or theoretical inks between them. Mathematical formulae are used to measure the size of these effects. The discussion involves much behaviour-associated jargon which can be quite difficult to follow. However, the authors do suggest that interventions to limit soft drink consumption may need to focus on increasing perceived behavioural control rather than on creating more positive attitudes. Habit strength proved to be the strongest correlate of both television viewing and soft drink consumption, confirming earlier evidence that health behaviour may become partially habitual. Overall, it is suggested that the study shows the potential usefulness of investigating clustering effects of both motivational and habitual constructs to explain adolescent soft drink consumption and TV viewing. (Appetite, 2009, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2009.05.008).
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A controlled trial study by researchers from the Institute of Food Research and the University of Nottingham and published in the British Journal of Nutrition compared an acid-unstable emulsion with an acid-stable fat emulsion. The point of the investigation was to find out if the acid-stable emulsion would be emptied from the stomach more slowly, cause more rapid lipid absorption and lead to a greater feeling of satiety than the acid-unstable one.
Consumption of high-fat, pre-processed food could be linked partly to the obesity epidemic in the Western world. Fat is often added to products as an emulsion and not only affects the palatability of a product but can also have an impact on the product’s stability. Previous studies by Marciani et al. have indicated that acid-stable emulsions stimulate greater cholecystokinin release (a peptide hormone of the gastrointestinal system responsible for stimulating the digestion of fat and protein – Wikipedia) and are associated with delayed gastric emptying. The researchers hypothesised that acid-stable meals would not only empty more slowly but that when a lipid entered the duodenum it would be more rapidly hydrolysed, and by increasing the concentration of non-essential fatty acids (NEFA) locally, would stimulate more cholecystokinin release and that this would be associated with prolonged fullness.
The study initially recruited 12 male volunteers with an average age of 24 and a BMI of 23.8 kg/m2. One participant withdrew at the start of the study. Having fasted overnight the subjects were asked to attend two morning sessions where they were supplied with a test meal. At each session a participant randomly drank within 10 minutes, 500 ml of one of two oil-in-water emulsion meals. The two emulsions used had equal lipid content (50 g fat), equal energy content (3150 kJ) and equal oil droplet size distribution. For the acid-stable emulsion, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate Tween 60 surfactant was used. This emulsifier is widely used in cakes and pastries (Telegraph). For the acid-unstable emulsion sorbitan monooleate Span 80 was used. Four and a half hours after consuming the drink the volunteers then ate a low fat cheese and salad sandwich meal with still water. At hourly intervals for 12 hours the volunteers’ sense of fullness, appetite and hunger was monitored using visual analogue scales. Blood was taken at baseline and then at 30 minute intervals for the first two hours and then at 1 hour intervals for up to 12 hours. Using MRI the volunteers’ stomachs were scanned every 20 minutes until they seemed to be empty.
Marciani et al found that the acid-unstable fat emulsion broke up to form layers of the watery phase of the meal with the fat floating on top. This resulted in the watery phase being emptied from the stomach before the fat layer. One hour after the meal the stomach volume of the acid-unstable emulsion was only half of that of the acid-stable emulsion. The researchers also found that compared to the acid-unstable emulsion, the acid-stable emulsion made participants feel fuller, less hungry and have less appetite.
Despite the difference in stomach emptying rates, the researchers indicated that both emulsions were estimated to deliver energy from the stomach to the duodenum at a similar rate. They note, therefore, that the rate that which the stomach empties is modulated between the two meals to provide this constant rate of energy delivery. As gastric emptying can be induced by lipids, the acid-stable meal, which contains more fat in the bulk phase empties more slowly. As the acid-stable emulsion will not have been broken down in the stomach, it will have been introduced to the duodenum as a fine emulsion. The acid-unstable meal however will have had its droplet size distribution altered significantly, thus causing a proportion to coalesce into the floating bulk oil noted earlier. The researchers suggest that this may then offer a smaller surface area causing lipid absorption to be delayed and more spread over the small intestine, and that this would be consistent with the decrease in satiety.
The researchers said that this study shows “it is possible to delay gastric emptying and increase satiety by stabilising the distribution of fat emulsions [within the stomach] against the gastric acid environment.” They claim that this could have implications for the design of novel foods. (For comments on the usefulness and limitations of this study see NHS choice).
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Age related macular degeneration (AMD) of the eye is a major cause of blindness, and since the number of elderly people in the population is growing, AMD is becoming both a personal and public health concern. In an article in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, a team of authors based at Tufts University, US, used data taken from 2924 participants in AREDS (Age-Related Eye Disease Study) to explore the relationship between dietary intakes of lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and AREDS supplements containing vitamins A, E and C and zinc. The role of the glycaemic index (GI) of the foods consumed was also evaluated.
The AREDS trial subjects were randomly assigned to receive (1) placebo, (2) antioxidants (vitamin C 500 mg, vitamin E 400 IU and beta-carotene 15 mg), (3) zinc, 80 mg as zinc oxide and copper, 2 mg as cupric oxide, or (4) antioxidants (as in 2) plus zinc. At the start of the study subjects received a general physical and ophthalmic examination, a questionnaire on basic characteristics and demographic data, and a food frequency questionnaire. Stereoscopic fundus photographs of the macula were taken after two years, and then annually thereafter for 8 years of follow up. Eyes were classified in terms of their AMD severity and the presence of drusen crystals within the eye. The dietary glycaemic index (dGI) for each subject was calculated from the food frequency questionnaire.
The results confirmed the benefits of dietary DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the placebo group, but they also showed that there was an antagonistic interaction between dietary DHA intake and the use of AREDS supplements on the risk for early AMD progression. Other dietary nutrients showed no associations with risk for early AMD progression. In relation to DHA and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) intake and the progression to advanced AMD, only study subjects in the highest quartile of intake had a significant (25%) decreased risk compared with the lowest quartile. Further analysis of the data showed that the highest quartile for DHA or EPA intake offered protection against progression to geographic atrophy and neovascular AMD, which are the most severe forms of the disease, even in those subjects taking the AREDS supplements.
Multivariate analysis for the global effect of low-GI foods showed a significant protection against progression to advanced forms of the disease, independent of the type of AREDS intervention. Further stratification analysis showed that there was a synergistic interaction between low GI diets and AREDS supplements. This suggested that people at risk of advanced AMD should consume a low GI diet, with the benefits of such a diet being even greater in those taking the AREDs supplements. Analyses for progression to advanced AMD suggested that a higher dietary beta-carotene intake was associated with an increased risk for disease, with this increase being the most pronounced in those who received the AREDS antioxidants-plus-zinc supplement. Since beta-carotene intake has also been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer, it is recommended that people taking supplements to combat AMD should only take supplements not containing beta-carotene.
Overall, therefore, higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and diets with a low GI were associated with an even lower risk for advanced AMD, than either of these two dietary factors alone. There was no significant association with the risk for progression to advanced AMD in the analyses of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc or lutein/zeaxanthin. The results also showed that typical Western diets were low in omega-3 fatty acids. For instance, the 75th percentile of DHA and EPA intakes were 64.0 and 42.3 mg/day, respectively, which the authors point out are far lower that the recommended total intake of 650 mg/day for DHA + EPA. To achieve this level of omega-3 intake two to three servings per week of cold-water oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, shellfish and herring would need to be consumed. Western diets also typically contain large amounts of high GI, refined carbohydrates. The data from the present study indicate that a 6-unit reduction in dGI (equivalent to replacing 5 slices of white bread with 5 slices of wholegrain bread) from a daily diet of a person consuming 250g of total available carbohydrate per day, might eliminate almost 8% of advanced AMD cases in a 5-year period. (Chiu, et al. British Journal of Ophthalmology, published online 9 Jun 2009; doi:10.1136/bjo.2008.143412. Summary in BBC Health News 08/06/09).
Note: Medscape.com (04/06/09) features two further articles which suggest that regular consumption of fish, nuts, olive oil and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, and avoidance of trans fats, are associated with a reduced risk of developing AMD. Both articles appeared in the May 2009 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Oils and Fats Analysis
Glycaemic Index Service
Vitamin Analysis
RSSL's Functional Ingredients Laboratory provides vitamin analysis in a wide range of matrices including drinks, fortified foods, pre-mixes and multi-vitamin tablets. Storage stability studies can be used to ensure that the required levels of vitamins are still available at the end of shelf life. RSSL's Lipids Laboratory has expertise in all aspects of fat analysis and fatty acid profiling, including the determination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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Effect of fat content on digestibility/bioacessibility of cocoa polyphenols
It is now common knowledge that cocoa contains a wide range of polyphenols, specifically procyanidins with a high degree of polymerisation. Additionally, small amounts of flavonoids and phenolic acids have also been found in various cocoa-derived products. Several in vitro digestion models have been applied to different food matrices to measure the release of polyphenols during digestion, but their interaction with food components including proteins, carbohydrates, fibre and fats have rarely been taken into account.
In a study by Ortega et al. published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the digestibility and bioaccessibility of the phenolic fraction (procyanidins, phenolic acids and flavones) of cocoa during gastric and duodenal phases were investigated and the effect of the fat content of the food matrix evaluated. Two different cocoa sources were used: cocoa liquor with a 50% fat content and a cocoa powder with a 15% fat content. There were differences in the initial phenolic concentrations in the two cocoa sources and thus to normalise the results, indexes were formulated called the Digestibility Index and the Bioaccessibility Index. The Digestibility Index can be described as the proportion of phenolics present in the complete digesta after gastric or duodenal digestion whereas the Bioaccessibility Index can be described as the proportion of phenolic groups that are solubilised and thus could become available for absorption.
There was found to be a high digestibility index of phenolic acids in cocoa liquor during gastric digestion. It was suggested that this was due to a combination of factors such as the ring scission (“splitting”) of other phenolic compounds (procyanidins and flavones) in the food matrix. This could have led to a majority concentration of these simple phenolic molecules and possibly different rates of solubilisation from the cocoa fibre to which phenolic compounds often bind. In contrast, no differences were observed in the digestibility of flavone glycosides b etween the two cocoa matrices after gastric digestion. This higher phenol digestibility found in cocoa liquor may be due to fat digestion under the acidic conditions of the gastric and duodenal phases, leading to disruption of the food matrix. The high fat content of liquor could also have provided greater micellarisation efficiency, which is the formation of micelles containing the polyphenols and providing them protection during duodenal digestion.
The bioaccessibility index was used to evaluate the proportion of digested polyphenols that were solubilised into the water phase and available for potential absorption, thus it was not affected by the fat content in the digestion media. The highest solubilisation into the water phase was by phenolic acids followed by procyanidins. Flavones showed the lowest water phase solubilisation which the authors attributed to the presence of a glycosidic residue in their molecular structure.
Overall, these results provide potential information for maximising the use of the polyphenols as healthy nutrients and shows that the availability of some of these phenolic compounds is enhanced by a higher fat content in the cocoa samples in which they are found, relating to the ability of the fat fraction to interact with certain phenolic compounds following a better micellarisation of the digested polyphenols.
RSSL’s Functional Ingredients Laboratory can analyse food products for polyphenolic components. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or email enquiries@rssl.com.
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**Tesco recalls some lamb rogan josh
**Various brands of frozen pie products recalled
**Asda withdraws some apricot conserve
**From Australia and New Zealand
**From Canada
**From the US
**European Rapid Alerts for week 23
**Canadian cheese recall justified but inspection criticised
**No cocaine detected in Red Bull Energy Drink from Singapore or China
**Links to recall web sites
**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods
**Tesco recalls some lamb rogan josh
Tesco has recalled some of its own-brand Lamb Rogan Josh products, because the products contain wheat, soya and sulphites that are not mentioned on the product labels. This means the products are a possible health risk for anyone who is allergic or sensitive to these ingredients. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
**Various brands of frozen pie products recalled
Certain brands of frozen pie products have been recalled from stores because they might contain small pieces of white plastic on top of the products. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert for Information.
**Asda withdraws some apricot conserve
Asda has withdrawn some of its Extra Special Apricot Conserve, because it contains sulphur dioxide, which is not mentioned on the product label. This makes the product a possible health risk for anyone who is sensitive to sulphur dioxide. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
**From Australia and New Zealand
- Campbell’s Soup Australia is conducting a voluntary national recall of Campbell’s Country Ladle Potato and Leek Soup as a precautionary health measure. Pieces of rubber have been identified in some cans.
**From Canada
- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain products as they may be contaminated with Salmonella. This food contains pistachios that have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., due to Salmonella contamination.
- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain foods because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. These foods contain peanut products (butter/paste, as well as whole, crushed, powdered, etc.) that have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) due to Salmonella contamination.
**From the US
- N.Y. Fish, Inc. of Brooklyn, NY is recalling I ♥ NY Fish brand Imperial-European Style Smoked Salmon in vacuum packed 3 oz, 8 oz, 16 oz, and whole side “to be weighed at time of sale” sizes of lots starting with # 142 xxxx, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
- The manufacturer of Le Pain Quotidien’s Noir Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread is recalling a limited number of 14.15 oz. jars of Noir Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread because the product may contain undeclared milk.
**European Rapid Alerts for week 23
The results of rapid alerts for week 23 (up to 5/6/2009) are now available on the Europa web site.
**No cocaine detected in Red Bull Energy Drink from Singapore or China
Following alerts on detection of traces of cocaine in Red Bull energy drink imported from Austria, the Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has collected various types of Red Bull energy drinks imported from Thailand, Vietnam, Austria and Malaysia, and sold in Singapore. Tests conducted at the Health Sciences Authority laboratories for Food Safety and Illicit Drugs & Analytical Toxicology did not detect any presence of cocaine in any of the samples tested. (FlexNews.com 05/06/09)). In addition, China's General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has declared that no cocaine was found in beverages produced by Red Bull's local branches in Beijing and Hubei Province. (FlexNews.com 05/06/09).
**Canadian cheese recall justified but inspection criticised
A report has found that a Canadian regional government acted appropriately in recalling cheese contaminated with Listeria in Quebec in 2008 after it made 30 people ill and caused two deaths, but it has criticised the regional government over its food inspection process. The provincial ombudsman is quoted as saying that there was cross-contamination between different cheeses and also between cheeses and other food products. So, there was no choice. They had to recall and massively destroy the cheeses recalled. But she goes on to say that the incident had exposed deficiencies in food safety procedures. The official outlined 12 recommendations to improve the system. (Food Quality News)
**Links to recall web sites
For UK product recalls visit the Food Standards Agency’s Food Alerts and Allergy Alert web sites.
For US product recalls visit the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web sites.
For product recalls in Australia and New Zealand visit the FSANZ web site.
For Canada go to The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
For Ireland go to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods
Food e-News does not cover product recalls and mislabelling alerts for Kosher or Halal products. If you need information on these please go to the London Beth Din Kashrut Division where there is a facility on the home page to access the kosher alerts system. For US Kosher alerts please go to Kashrut.com and follow the link labelled 'Consumer Kashrut Alerts' for Kosher alerts. For Halal alerts go to the Muslim Consumer Group web site, which also outlines the criteria used to judge if products are halal or not.
RSSL's Emergency Response Service (ERS) helps customers deal with a wide range of product emergencies and offers advice on crisis management. It operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. To request an ERS presentation or find out more please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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**Food safety week symposium on E. coli outbreak
**Review finds excessive cola consumption can cause muscle problems
**Public meeting announced on Listeria in retail facilities
**Raw milk from New York dairy tainted with Listeria
**Gordon Ramsay hit by food poisoning
**Canadian cheese recall justified but inspection criticised
**Use before dates may help food waste reduction
**BPA safety review
**Nanotechnology could benefit food safety, quality and shelf life
**Russia banned Pork from two plants due to e coli contamination
**Home baking ban at school fairs due to food safety
**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
**The Food Safety Network
**Food safety week symposium on E. coli outbreak
The Western Branch of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) is holding a free symposium entitled “Learning the Lessons from the South Wales E. coli O157 Enquiry”. The symposium features Professor Hugh Pennington (author of the E. coli report) Mr Brian Curtis (expert witness to the enquiry) and Mr Paul Bache (food hygiene and HACCP consultant with expertise in the meat industry). It will be held at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Llandaff Campus, South Wales, on Wednesday 17 June 2009 from 16.00 – 20.30 hr. The event is ticket only, with tickets available from Ray Newberry.
**Review finds excessive cola consumption can cause muscle problems
According to a review published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice by Researchers from the Univeristy of loannina, drinking excessive amounts of cola per day can cause a chronic depletion of potassium leading to muscle weakness and even paralysis. Since 1994 Elisaf et al state that there have been 6 reports of cola induced potassium deficiency. Consumption of cola ranged from 2 to 9 litres of cola per day. However after the discontinuation of cola ingestion and the oral or intravenous supplementation of potassium patients recovered. FEN 438 (20 May) also reported a study on this issue. (Reuters)
**FSA provides update on melamine contamination
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has updated the list of products tested in the UK and found to be contaminated with melamine. As the Agency is told about any further products, this page will be updated. Melamine is an industrial chemical that should not be present in food.
**Public meeting announced on Listeria in retail facilities
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration have announced a public meeting to discuss a new risk assessment on Listeria monocytogenes at retail facilities. The meeting, to be held in Washington, aims to provide a forum for interested parties to discuss the objectives of the interagency assessment and processes by which it can be conducted. In a news release, the USDA indicates that little is known about how Listeria contamination occurs in retail practice and that the assessment will look at cross-contamination and the effectiveness of various intervention measures amongst other topics. (USDA FSIS)
**Raw milk from New York dairy tainted with Listeria
The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets has announced that raw milk from Breese Hollow Dairy in Hoosick Falls may be tainted with Listeria. The dairy has suspended production and consumers have been warned not to drink raw milk from the affected dairy. Breese Hollow holds a license to legally sell raw milk and officials analyse monthly samples for pathogens. A routine sample was found to be contaminated and the dairy voluntarily suspended sales. Following confirmation of the results, the dairy is now prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent samples show the raw milk is clear. Raw (non-pasteurised) milk is said by some to contain organisms beneficial to health but the FDA does not agree and insists milk sold across state lines is pasteurised. 22 states agree with the FDA and have banned raw milk sales while the others allow the sale within their borders. (News Inferno)
**Gordon Ramsay hit by food poisoning
Gordon Ramsay suffered from food poisoning when he visited Australia for Melbourne’s Good Food and Wine Show. A very brief item in the Daily Mail (06/06/09) suggested the chef was affected by a virus which caused vomiting.
**Use before dates may help food waste reduction
Ministers say food products should only have a 'use-before' date rather than a sell-by and best-before. This is because it is the only way of giving consumers a safety cut-off point. To prevent waste, sell-by and best-before dates are to be removed. The article by the Daily Mail states that stores will also be encouraged to stop offering jumbo packs and buy-one-get-one-free deals. It is thought that these encourage customers to buy in bulk, only to throw away any surplus. According to Wrap, a waste reduction body, 1.3 million unopened yoghurt pots, 440,000 ready meals, 5,500 chickens and 5.1million potatoes are thrown away each day. The subject of food waste mountains was also tackled by the Telegraph.co.uk (09/06/09). Sorting household recycling at the kerbside is the best and cheapest option in most cases, according to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). Food waste was also on the agenda at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)’s FutureSource 2009.
**BPA safety review
According to an article by Food Quality News the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it is reviewing its advice that bisphenol A (BPA) is safe for use in baby bottles and food containers. The findings should be announced within weeks. An FDA spokesman has stated that the FDA’s chief scientist had been asked to take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position and is quoted as saying that he intends to review all the data, listen to people on all sides of this issue, and talk to experts inside and outside of the federal government
**Nanotechnology could benefit food safety, quality and shelf life
Delegates at the Institute of Food Technology's annual conference in California were told that nanotechnology promises benefits for food safety, quality, and shelf life provided the challenges it brings can be overcome. A senior scientific and regulatory consultant in food toxicology with Cantox Health Sciences International stated that there are five significant challenges including safety in the workplace, distinguishing between natural nanoparticles and those introduced by human intervention, economics, an uncertain regulatory future and food safety. A former IFT president, John Floros, is quoted as saying that it is not the government's responsibility to advocate nanotechnology or appease consumer concerns. He said it was up to scientists and academics to convey the right message. (Food Production Daily)
**Russia banned pork from two plants due to E.coli contamination
Russia has banned pork from two plants belonging to the US meat company, Tyson Foods Inc, due to the discovery of E.coli in the meat. The plants affected are Columbus Junction, Iowa, and Waterloo, Iowa. The US Department of Agriculture and Russia will work together to resolve the issue. A spokesman for Tyson Foods is quoted as saying that they had very few details about the Russian plant de-listings and were confident about the safety of their pork products. Russia has also banned pork from a Brazilian and Paraguay plant because of E.coli contamination. (Reuters)
**Home baking ban at school fairs due to food safety
Dundee City Council has banned home baking from Dundee schools as the council think it is a health risk. Parents of a primary school were sent a letter informing them that the cake stall would not be allowed at the fun day. A council spokesman is quoted as saying that the decision has been taken by the education department on health and safety grounds. Microbiologist Hugh Pennington told BBC Scotland that the ban was going too far and stated that this is food that was pretty safe, and unless it has got cream fillings. He went on to say that if the foods concerned are home baked scones or bread or something similar, then it is about as safe a food as you can get! (BBC)
**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
Regular global updates on food poisoning outbreaks and animal diseases, such as avian influenza, foot and mouth, Ebola, SARS, and Anthrax can be found on the International Society for Infectious Diseases ‘ProMED-mail’ web site.
**The Food Safety Network
The International Food Safety Network (iFSN) at Kansas State University provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues. An international repository of food safety-related information, FSN offers consumer, student and industry outreach services, information research, on-line resources, collaborative projects, evaluation and analysis, and a capacity to address current and emerging food safety concerns.
Contamination Identification
RSSL's scientists are able to assist food businesses to manage food safety issues more effectively. The laboratories have considerable experience in the detection and identification of foreign bodies, heavy metals, allergens, toxins and chemical residues. For more information on any of these services and RSSL's Emergency Response Service, please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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**EU rules on food extraction solvents (recast)
**EU decision on expert group on organic food production
**Shellfish classification for Scotland agreed
**Natural mineral waters recognised by EU Member States
**Germany is 13th EU Member State to query GM maize risk assessment
**Veterinary residues – monepantel
**Veterinary residues - tiludronic acid and iron fumarate
**Problems with EU heath claims legislation
**Protected names for speciality products
**Products of animal origin regulations
**No change to EU rules for Rosé Wine
**EU rules on food extraction solvents (recast)
Directive 2009/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States on extraction solvents used in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients (Recast). This is a mere recast of Council Directive 88/344/EC, which introduces in addition the principle of comitology with scrutiny to amend the list of permitted extraction solvents. The Directive enters into force on 26 June 2009.
**EU decision on expert group on organic food production
Commission Decision 2009/427/EC establishes an expert group for technical advice on organic production. The group is required to deliver technical advice to the European Commission (DG Agri) in order to decide on the authorisation of the use of products, substances and techniques in organic farming and processing, to develop or improve organic production rules and, more in general, for any other matter relating to the area of organic production.
**Shellfish classification for Scotland agreed
The Food Standards Agency has agreed the 2009/10 classification areas for shellfish production in Scotland in accordance with European Union legislation. The document listing the classifications came into affect from 1 April 2009.
**Natural mineral waters recognised by EU Member States
In accordance with Article 1 of Council Directive 80/777/EEC of 15 July 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters, the European Commission has published an up-to-date list of natural mineral waters recognised as such by the Member States.
**Germany is 13th EU Member State to query GM maize risk assessment
Germany has added its voice to those of 12 other EU Member States that wrote to European Food Safety Authority raising concerns about the way it carried out its risk assessment of Monsanto's MON810 transgenic (genetically modified) maize. The European Food Safety Authority recently called in national experts to respond to a letter from 12 European Union member-states about the safety of Monsanto's MON810 maize variety, the only biotech crop approved for cultivation in Europe. The letter to EFSA Director Catherine Geslain-Lanelle, which came from the French permanent representation in Brussels, was also signed by various ministers and ministries from France and 11 other member-states — Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta and Poland. An identical letter also was sent to European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. The letter aimed to ensure that EFSA's re-assessment of the GM maize variety covered all the concerns that the 12 had raised. (From AgBiotechReporter, subscription needed. Topic also covered in CheckBiotech.org).
**Veterinary residues – monepantel
Commission Regulation (EC) No 478/2009 of 8 June 2009 amending Annexes I and III to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin, as regards monepantel.
**Veterinary residues - tiludronic acid and iron fumarate
Commission Regulation (EC) No 485/2009 of 9 June 2009 amending Annex II to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin, as regards tiludronic acid and iron fumarate
**Problems with EU heath claims legislation
A number of news sources are reporting on considerable disquiet on the way in which the new EU Health and Nutrition Claims legislation is being applied. FoodNavigator.com, in particular, suggests that matters will come to a head on Monday 15 June 2009 when 120 executives from the largest food, supplements and ingredients companies in Europe meet with representatives of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to discuss the way in which health claims are being assessed and the science which the EFSA believes is required to underpin the claims. In another article, EU health claims rules are being blamed for a “brain drain” of innovative ideas going elsewhere as EFSA’s strict stance on many claims is likely to stifle new product development. Some MEPs have also called on the European Commission to halt the application of the claims legislation and stop EFSA publishing any more opinions. (EU Food Law Weekly, Agra Informa 05/06/09).
**Protected names for speciality products
An application has been made for a protected geographical indication (PGI) for ‘Pesca Di Verona’. ‘Pesca di Verona’ PGI refers to the Persica vulgaris Mill. species and is reserved to peaches with white or yellow flesh and nectarines with yellow flesh from early-, intermediate- and late-ripening cultivars.
An application has also been made for a protected designation of origin (PDO) for ‘Pistacchio Verde di Bronte’ a name which is reserved for the fruit, in shell, shelled or peeled, of plants of the botanical species Pistacia vera, cultivar Napoletana, also known as Bianca or Nostrale, grafted on to Pistacia terebinthus. Up to 5 % of plants of varieties and/or of rootstock other than P. terebinthus are allowed.
An application has also been made for a protected designation of origin (PDO) for ‘Arzúa-Ulloa’, which is a cheese made from raw or pasteurised cow’s milk which, following a production process encompassing the stages of coagulation, cutting and washing of the curd, moulding, pressing, salting and maturation, acquires particular characteristics, details of which are given in the application.
**Products of animal origin regulations
The Products of Animal Origin (Disease Control) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009 No. 1297) have been published and come into force on 30 June 2009. These Regulations amend the Products of Animal Origin (Disease Control) (England) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008 No. 465) to implement the requirements in section 4(d) of Annex II of Council Directive 92/119/EEC in respect of any meat from pigs with antibodies against swine vesicular disease (referred to as “seropositive pigs” and defined in regulation 3(c)) in which disease has not been confirmed but which the Secretary of State has required to be slaughtered.
**No change to EU rules for Rosé Wine
Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, announced today that there would be no change to the rules on producing rosé wine. Over recent weeks, professional organizations from the wine-making sector have called on the European Commission to keep the current ban on the blending of red and white table wines to produce rosé table wine. According to Fischer Boel, many wine producers had been concerned about the proposed change to the regulations and a majority believed that ending the ban on blending could undermine the image of traditional rosé wine. The 2008 wine reform included changes to the rules on wine-making practices. The implementing regulation, to be voted on by Member States later this month, will maintain the status quo for rosé wine. (From FlexNews.com (08/06/09).
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**Caffeine intake prevents risk taking after extreme sleep deprivation
**Dioxins in breast milk may hamper breastfeeding
**Pub puddings are high in salt
**Curry may help prevent Alzheimer's disease
**Delivering bioactive compounds via nanotechnology
**Skimmed milk and blood pressure
**Caffeine intake prevents risk taking after extreme sleep deprivation
According to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, caffeine use prevents increased risk taking that occurs after several nights of total sleep deprivation. Results indicate that despite extreme sleep deprivation, participants who had consumed caffeine did not exhibit increased risky behaviour on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a computerized measure of impulsive risk-taking. Participants who received the placebo were unchanged from baseline on the cost/benefit ratio of the BART at 51 hours of sleep deprivation, but showed a significant increase in risk-taking by 75 hours. The caffeine group remained unchanged from baseline at either 51 or 75 hours of wakefulness and was significantly less risky than the placebo group at 75 hours. According to principal investigator Maj. William D. "Scott" Killgore, PhD, research psychologist at the Harvard Medical School and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, sleep deprivation may not have a simple linear effect on risk taking; however, there may be a 'breaking point' during which a person may show a drastic release in their ability to control or inhibit behaviour. In this study, caffeine seemed to protect against that breaking point. (Quoted direct from Eurekalert.org 10/06/09).
**Dioxins in breast milk may hamper breastfeeding
According to the results of a study at the University of Rochester Medical Center, exposure to dioxins during pregnancy harms the cells in rapidly-changing breast tissue, which may explain why some women have trouble breastfeeding or do not produce enough milk,. Researchers believe their findings, although only demonstrated in mice at this point, begin to address an area of health that has an impact on millions of women but has received little attention in the laboratory. (From University of Rochester press release, in which there is more information about this study).
**Pub puddings are high in salt
A study by the lobby group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) has found that although they taste sweet, one in three popular pub puddings, including favourites such as sticky toffee pudding and chocolate fudge cake, could contain more than 1 g of salt. That is equivalent to one sixth of the recommended daily allowance for adults and double the average content of a normal bag of crisps. One of the sticky toffee pudding desserts samples actually contained nearly 2 g, equivalent to two rashers of bacon. CASH have called for pubs and restaurants to follow in the footsteps of supermarkets in agreeing to meet 2012 targets for salt content recently set by the Food Standards Agency. (Telegraph.co.uk 03/06/09)
**Curry may help prevent Alzheimer's disease
Professor Murali Doraiswamy, director of the Mental Fitness Laboratory at the Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Centre, US, has told a conference that curcumin (a component of the curry spice turmeric) could help to prevent Alzheimer's disease. He said that there was strong evidence that the curcumin binds to the amyloid protein plaques in the brain, thought to cause dementia, preventing its spread. Basic research on animals genetically engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown that curcumin can produce benefits in this respect. Whilst an occasional curry will not make up for a poor lifestyle, experts have suggested that with a good diet and plenty of exercise, eating curry regularly could help prevent dementia. Although currently all research has been done on animals, a clinical trial is now reported to be in progress to test curcumin's effects in Alzheimer's patients. (Telegraph.co.uk 03/06/09).
**Delivering bioactive compounds via nanotechnology
The use of nanoscale materials to stabilize and deliver bioactive compounds in foods was a major theme of the annual International Food Nanoscience conference. Topics of discussion included solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), (emulsions of high-melting –point lipids with size ranges from 50 to 500 nanometers), the challenges to SLN manufacturing, polymeric nanoparticles for improved health, the development of nanosized self-assembled liquid vehicles and iron and iron/zinc-containing nanostructured compounds. The benefits and applications of these materials were considered. Other themes of the conference included the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) efforts in food nanoscience, natural nanostructures in foods, consumer perceptions about nanotechnology and antimicrobial coatings for food safety. Contributions were made from universities and institutions from Canada, Louisiana, Israel and Switzerland at a day-long 100-strong conference sponsored by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agent and Advanced Foods and Materials Network. (Nanotechnology also mentioned above in Food safety).
**Skimmed milk and blood pressure
“Drinking a glass of skimmed milk a day can cut blood pressure by up to a third,” reported The Daily Telegraph. The cohort population-based study, carried out in the Netherlands, aimed to examine whether dairy products are associated with incidence of high blood pressure in older adults. Over 2000 eligible subjects completed a checklist detailing food and drink consumption, general food habits and use of supplements. They were then interviewed using a semi-quantitative food diary, from which the researchers calculated total dairy intake, then compared against blood pressure assessments made at the beginning of the study and at later two and six-year time-points. At the two-year follow-up, having taken into account several dietary and lifestyle factors, the risk of hypertension was found to decrease with an increasing intake of dairy products, those consuming the highest quantity of low-fat dairy calculated to have a 31% decreased risk compared to the lowest intake. However, reassessment after six years showed no significant associations, which weakens the strength of the observations and conclusions that can be drawn from this study. Comment on study in NHS – Behind the Headlines (03/06/09).
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This Newsletter was posted on: 10 June 2009
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