Nitrosamines (Nams) have been demonstrated to possess carcinogenic properties in certain animal species, suggesting a potential link between the consumption of this compound and the development of cancer in humans. Multiple reports have highlighted the presence of nitrosamine contamination in various food groups, particularly meat and meat products. Consequently, the presence of nitrosamines in meat products has raised significant concerns. This study aims to examine the levels of nitrosamines in meat and meat products, explore the mechanisms underlying their formation in these foods, and identify potential strategies for reducing this compound in food. To achieve this objective, scholarly articles about the keywords Nitrosamine, Exposure, Meat and Meat Products, and Mechanism of Formation were retrieved from academic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, among others. The formation of nitrosamines (Nams) can be influenced by several factors including nitrosating agents, pH levels, the presence or accessibility of nitrite and nitrosable amines, and oxidative status. Moreover, the rate at which Nams form can be impacted by reducing these factors. Additionally, processed meat products may contain natural components and additives that interact with these factors to either hinder or facilitate the formation of Nams. Given the increasing consumption of sausages in daily diets, evaluating the levels of nitrosamines in meat products can serve as a quality measure for assessing nutritional value and the effectiveness of processing and thermal treatments.

Meat spoilage reduces the meat quality and the revenue from the meat industry. This study assessedthe direct impact of ineffective meat preservation methods on economic loss among meat retailersin the Dagoretti region of Nairobi, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 87 butcheriesand 9 supermarkets from low, middle, and high-income areas using a systematic sampling technique.The meat losses were measured by kilograms of spoilt meat and associated financial cost wasestimated. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to establish the significance of theassociation between preservation and demographic factors. A correlation analysis was used toestimate the strength of the relationship between the factors. The study revealed that most of meathandlers heavily relied on refrigeration methods (73%) for storing meat, and 27% hung meat at roomtemperature due to the high cost of electricity and deep freezers. Furthermore, it revealed that eachmeat retail business lost 2.3 kg (1.0-3.0 kg) on average per week, which indicates financial losses ofUSD 11.5 (Range 5.0-15.0 USD) per week or USD 598 (Range USD 260-790) per year. These losseswere mainly associated with moisture loss (49%) and microbial spoilage (22%). Poor storage andmeat handling practices were blamed for spoilt meat. Meat retailers reported fly menace disturbingtheir business. It’s recommended that the government implement policies to reduce electricity billsand enhance the adoption of refrigeration methods, while industry stakeholders should facilitateinitiatives for public awareness on appropriate methods of meat preservation. Additionally, retailcut meat products on display should be wrapped with permeable film to reduce moisture loss. Furtherstudy is needed for a comprehensive analysis of direct economic losses segregated by meat typesand preservation forms.

Honey is one of the richest sources of antioxidants due to a variety of phenolic acids and flavonoids.Another prime chemical indicator of assessing honey quality is 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)which indicates the freshness of honey as well as exposure to heat. Increasing HMF above thepermissible limit could cause cytotoxic and mutagenic effects. In this study, we evaluate theantioxidant activity and radical scavenging capacity of forty samples of natural and commercialIranian honey. Also, we determine the HMF content in these samples. This aim was achievedthrough ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay,and white methods. Results of DPPH (in the range of 3.13% to 66.61%) revealed there was nosignificant difference between natural and commercial honey in terms of radical scavenging activity(p˃0.05). On the other hand, the results of FRAP showed that natural honey had a significantlyhigher total antioxidant capacity than commercial honey (p˂0.05). There was a significant differencebetween honey samples from different plants, too. Furthermore, there was a significant differencebetween natural and commercial honey in terms of radical scavenging activity and HMF levels(p˂0.05). The result of HMF content was in the range of 8.64 to 98.48 mg/kg. Eventually, it couldbe concluded that climate, plant source, process of production and storage have an impact on theseparameters. Also, some honey samples have high HMF content due to heat-treated processes ordated products.

The increase of heavy metals concentrations in aquatic and terrestrial environments andtheir toxicity is of global concern. The bioaccumulation of toxic metals in fish poses aserious risk to human health when consumed. This study assessed the quality of Rabbitfish (Signus Sutor) and their associated health risks from four landing sites (namelyMalindi, Mazizini, Kizimkazi and Matemwe) in Zanzibar. The concentrations of toxicmetals, including Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni),and Arsenic (As), in the fish muscle were scrutinized using inductively coupled plasmaoptical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The detected mean concentration (mg/kg) of Pb,As, Cr, Cd, Cu, and Ni at Malindi were 0.25±0.14, 2.22±0.44, 0.02±0.02, 0.01±0.00, 0.02±0.02and 0.00±0.00 respectively; at Kizimkazi were 0.39±0.39, 2.30±0.44, 0.11±0.01, 0.07±0.04,0.17±0.13 and 0.15±0.04 respectively: at Matemwe were 0.38±0.12, 0.52±0.14, 0.04±0.02,0.05±0.01, 0.65±0.21 and 0.09±0.03 respectively; and Mazizini were 0.21±0.12, 5.56±1.37,0.02±0.02, 0.03±0.01, 0.05±0.02 and 0.15±0.05 respectively. The mean concentration levelsdetected for all the elements in the fish gathered from all four landing sites were belowinternational and local maximum (FAO/WHO) permissible limits for humanconsumption, except for Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb). The study also investigated therelationship between fish size and metal concentration which shows a positive correlationfor Cu and Ni. However, it was negative for the remaining metals, possibly due toecological and metabolic differences. The study emphasizes the necessity for regularmonitoring of the marine environment and enforcement of hygienic regulations, as well asthe treatment of land-based pollutants before they are discharged into the marineenvironment to protect fish quality.

In Guyana, street-vended beverages can often be bought in the local markets and someeating establishments; and are popular, sought-after beverages. The demand andconsumption of local beverages are likely to increase for both locals and foreigners. Thesafe production of fruit beverages by the fruit juice vendor will become crucial to preventspoilage and microbial contamination. This study analyses the bacteriological quality ofstreet-vended juices from two of the main markets in Georgetown, by enumerating thetotal viable count and identifying coliforms, Staphylococcus sp., Salmonella sp. and Shigellasp. This experimental study investigated street-vended juices. The standard plate countmethod was used to determine the total viable count on nutrient agar using serial dilutions.Selective media including MSA agar, EMB agar, and XLD agar; and other identificationtests were used to select for and identify specific bacteria. The data were presented asmean±SD and numbers of positive samples. About 90% of samples were contaminatedwith bacteria with an average of 5.8±1.9 log cfu/mL or 2.1x107 cfu/mL. Of the 20 juices,65% contained coliforms, 25% yielded E. coli, and 60% yielded Klebsiella sp. /Enterobacter sp.,65%yielded Staphylococcus sp., 25% were suspected to be Shigella sp. and 5% were suspectedto be Salmonella sp. Standards for ready-to-drink, non-carbonated beverages state thatcoliforms and other pathogens must be absent; therefore our findings are very worrying.We recommend that governmental and non-governmental agencies collaborate to bringmore awareness about hygiene and storage techniques for street vendors.

The prevalence of foodborne illness linked to the intake of freshly squeezed juices sold by streetvendors is on the rise, despite the widespread use of these beverages by millions of people indeveloping nations. Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate the microbiological standard andsafety of locally processed and street-vended sugarcane juices in Dar es Salaam to ascertain theirpresent condition. A total of 60 samples of sugarcane juice were gathered and examined. Streetvendors involved in the sugarcane juice business were interviewed followed by physical-chemicaland microbiological laboratory analysis. The pH of unpasteurized sugarcane juice was 4.8 and 4.9for iced and raw, respectively while the pH for pasteurized and pasteurized juice in which citric acidwas added were receptively, 4.3 and 3.1. The average level of titratable acidity was 0.083%. TheSoluble solids (°Brix) of unpasteurized raw, iced and pasteurized sugarcane juice ranged from 12.2-22.1, 2.4-13.8 and 14.1-15.8. The total plate counts (TPC) of unpasteurized sugarcane juice showeda mean of 5.592 and 5.64 log cfu/mL for raw and iced sugarcane juice, respectively. About 90% ofsamples were above TBS and Codex recommended maximum limits of 3.7 to 4 log cfu/mL or 5×10³-10⁴ cfu/mL. Unpasteurized raw and iced sugarcane juice were contaminated with 1.79 and 2.10 logcfu/mL of E. coli while no typical Salmonella spp. was detected in all 60 samples. The studyconcluded that the microbiological quality and overall handling practices associated withunpasteurized sugarcane juice sold in Dar es Salaam City were substandard.

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring toxins, predominantly produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These toxins are often found in numerous agricultural and food products throughout the world. The current study investigated the natural occurrence of total aflatoxins in dried split ginger purchased from different local markets in the Dar-Es-Salaam region, the eastern zone of Tanzania. Using a cross-sectional sampling design, a total of 50 ginger samples were analyzed in two preparations as a whole and peeled ginger based on Q+ Aflatoxin single-step lateral flow immuno-chromatographic assay. The results revealed that all ginger samples analyzed were positive for aflatoxins with levels ranging from 5.7–28.0 µg/kg and 3.1–21.5 µg/kg for whole and peeled ginger respectively. Forty (80%) and fifteen (30%) of the samples for whole and peeled ginger respectively were above the Tanzanian legally permissible limit of 10 µg/kg. Interestingly, aflatoxins level of contamination in whole ginger were significantly higher than in peeled ginger (p<0.0001). This is the first report on the natural occurrence of aflatoxins in whole and peeled ginger samples from Tanzania. The findings of this study indicated that ginger peels are relatively prone to aflatoxin contamination.