Using an online questionnaire, this study evaluated the profile of a Brazilian population’s food handling practices in the home environment. The questionnaire, containing questions about domestic behavior in terms of hygiene and food handling, was built and available through social media sites. Information about the participants’ profiles, their food prepreparation, food preparation, and food post-preparation practices, and the occurrence of foodborne diseases (FBDs) was included in the questionnaire. A total of 701 responses were obtained. The interviewees included 78.31% female participants and 21.68% male participants, with an average age of 31.2 years. Nearly all (94.3%) had a complete or incomplete higher education. In the pre preparation stage, the participants evaluated the shelf life (97.28%) and storage temperature (44.79%) of the products while purchasing them. Regarding food handling practices, only a few participants washed the food packages before storing them (31.95%) or removed hand jewelry or other adornments when washing food (61.48%). Most participants washed their hands (91.58%) and washed vegetables (99.28%). But a group of interviewees reported washing raw meat (27.81%) before preparing it. Cutting surfaces such as plastic (50.36%) and glass (49.36%) tops were the most prevalent in the study. Most respondents did not know how long they had been using their cutting boards (67.62%) and mentioned using the same surface to handle both raw and ready-to-eat products (84.17%). As for the preparation, most interviewees declared they did not check the food temperature during preparation (86.31%), ignoring the ideal cooking temperature (88.26%). Regarding the occurrence of FBDs, 79.17% of the interviewees reported having suspicious clinical signs associated with contaminated foods and 65.59% did not seek medical help. Thus, the participants demonstrated ignorance about adequate practices for food safety in the home environment, highlighting the need to conduct health education programs within the Brazilian population.

Histamine intoxication, known as scombroid fish poisoning, is caused by the consumption of foods with high levels of histamine. This biogenic amine is formed as a result of histidine decarboxylation by bacterial decarboxylases present in food, including fish and fish products. The aim of this study was to investigate the content of histamine at different production stages of canned, marinated and smoked fish.

It has been suggested that coagulase-negative staphylococci can serve as reservoirs of virulence genes for other bacteria. This study assessed the presence of such genes in selected isolates recovered from meat of the giant African snail (Achatina achatina). Virulence genes were detected using a polymerase chain reaction targeting specific primers. Two representative isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the staphylococcal enterotoxin A gene (sea) was present in five out of the eight isolates studied. The isolates expressed resistance mainly to three antibiotics: chloramphenicol, norfloxacin and cloxacillin in descending order of incidence. Most importantly, the Staphylococcus sciuri isolate NEDU 181, in addition to being resistant to the three aforementioned antibiotics, also harboured the sea gene. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of toxigenic and antibiotic-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. in commercially-available fresh snail meat. With staphylococcal enterotoxin A known to survive cooking temperature, this presents a food safety concern.

Objective: This study aims to develop and validate an Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic technique combined with a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model for rapid quantification and monitoring of aflatoxins in chicken feeds and food grains. Materials and Methods: A model of ATR-FTIR-PLSR was developed using ATR-FTIR spectra of mixed aflatoxin standards in 100% acetonitrile (112 samples) and 75% methanol (112 samples), validated by testing its prediction on 125 feed/food samples spiked with variable concentrations of aflatoxins, and applied to screen 660 samples of commercial chicken feeds and food grains from Nigerian and Malaysian markets for total aflatoxins, for which the dietary exposure risks to aflatoxins (DERA) and associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risks were evaluated for both countries. Results: The ATR-FTIR-PLSR model demonstrated excellent prediction power [R2 = 99.59%, p = 0.001, root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) = 1.69, RMSE p = 1.98, bias = −0.26], sensi¬tivity (limit of quantitation and limit of the method < 5.0 ng/gm), precision (coefficient of variation = 0.97–1.72), and accuracy (% recovery of 88%–106%) in all the spiked samples. The model's pre¬diction was statistically reliable (R2 = 99.8%, p < 0.05) when compared with a high-performance liquid chromatography method. Levels of aflatoxins in the commercial samples signify high DERA (0.92–138.2 ng of aflatoxins/kg BW/day) and HCC risk (1.07%–159.91% of HCC/100,000 people/ year) in the exposed populations. Conclusions: Results feature the conceivable implementation of the proposed ATR-FTIR-PLSR model for rapid, accurate determination and monitoring of aflatoxins in commercial chicken feeds and food grains; and the need to strengthen aflatoxin control/prevention strategies in the study populations. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(3.000): 546-564]

Irresponsible use of antibiotics, inability to follow label guidelines, or insufficient withdrawal periods before slaughtering poultry could result in antibiotic residues in edible poultry tissues, thereby representing hazards to public health. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the residual levels of three commonly used antimicrobials including oxytetracycline (OXY), enrofloxacin (ENRO), and sulfadimidine (SULFA) in muscle, skin, and giblets of chicken carcasses quantitatively. Additionally, the obtained residual values were compared to the maximum residue limits (MRLs) stated by the regulatory authorities. The findings denoted that the muscles of fresh domestic broilers had significantly higher values of OXY, ENRO, and SULFA than those of fresh native breeds and imported frozen chicken (p<0.05). Similarly, in pooled giblets (equal weights of liver and kidneys), OXY and ENRO were significantly higher in domestic broilers than in native breeds (p<0.05). Likewise, ENRO and SULFA residues were higher in skin samples of domestic broilers than in native breeds. In comparison to the MRLs reported by the European Commission, the muscles from 20, 60, and 50 % of examined domestic broiler carcasses exceeded the MRLs of OXY, ENRO, and SULFA., respectively, whereas muscles from 20, 70, and 50 % of examined native breed carcasses surpassed these MRLs, respectively. Conversely, in imported frozen broilers, no muscle samples topped the MRL of OXY, while 10 % of the examined carcasses exceeded the MRLs of both ENRO and SULFA. Therefore, very extensive work is needed to monitor the antimicrobial residues in poultry tissues, as well as educational programs about the proper use of antibiotics in poultry production with emphasis on the public health risks of antibiotic residues in food should target the farmers.