Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 31 1 9 Leila Peivasteh-Roudsari Food Safety and Hygiene Division, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health , Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. AND Halal Research Center of IRI, Food and Drug Administration, Tehran, Iran. Mohaddeseh Pirhadi Food Safety and Hygiene Division, Department of Environmental Health, Health School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Hadis Karami Food Safety and Hygiene Division, Department of Environmental Health, Health School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Behrouz Tajdar-Oranj Halal Research Center of IRI, Food and Drug Administration, Tehran, Iran. AND Student Research Committee, Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology/National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Ebrahim Molaee-Aghaee Food Safety and Hygiene Division, Department of Environmental Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Parisa Sadighara Food Safety and Hygiene Division, Department of Environmental Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2019 04 22 2019 12 31 Probiotics are commonly defined as live microorganisms (yeast or bacteria), when getting ingested in adequate amounts, they exhibit the beneficial effects on the host. During the past two decades, probiotic microorganisms as health-promoting agents have been increasingly added to various types of food products, especially in fermented food and also drugs. Due to the importance of food safety aspects of the human diet and with regards to some adverse effects of probiotics for human, we decided to carry out a review on probiotics and their adverse effects byresearch in literature. Previous studies indicated that several aspects, including safety, functional and technological characteristics, have to be considered in the selection of probiotic microorganisms. Safety aspects include origin (gastrointestinal tract of healthy human), non-pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance. Some probiotic microorganisms such as enterococci have been considered as an opportunistic pathogen for humans and cause disease, possess agents for antibiotic resistance and potential virulence factors. The bacteria used as a probiotic in food should be completely safe. Probiotic bacteria should be chosen from the healthy human micro-flora and should not have any antibiotic resistance that would prevent treatment of a rare probiotic infection. This review focused on key issues concerning the safety aspects of probiotics added to particular food products for improvement of general health and also discussed the criteria for probiotic selection in details.   https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/181

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 23 10 18 Aarinade Omotayo Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. Oladipo Olaniyi Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. Juliet Akinyele Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. 2019 01 04 2019 09 08 This work described the isolation and identification of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from ‘Kati’(a sorghum based fermented food), and to evaluate the antibacterial effect of bacteriocin on selected pathogenic bacteria. The identities of the isolates were revealed to be as Lactobacillus plantarum, L. brevis, L. fermentum KAT1, L. fermentum KAT2 and Lactococcus lactis using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Out of 28 LAB, five were found to inhibit selected pathogenic bacteria namely; Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus cereus. The unpurified bacteriocins produced by the isolated LAB were characterized with respect to the effect of temperature, pH and surfactant. The test isolates showed activities of 6400, 6400, 6400, 3200 and 1600 AU/ml respectively. Crude bacteriocin from L. brevis and L. lactis were the most heat stable at 121ºC for 60 min. Bacteriocins from L. plantarum, L. lactis and L. fermentum KAT1 showed the highest antibacterial activity and stability at pH 2.0 to 6.0. Exposure to Tween 20 increased the bacteriocin activity of the LAB isolates except for L. fermentum KAT2 where loss of activity occurred. The findings from this study suggest that bacteriocinogenic LAB present in ‘kati’ have potentials to inhibit pathogenic/spoilage microorganisms in foods. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/164

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 31 19 23 Courage Saba Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. Mariam Vivian Antwi Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. Frederick Adzitey Department of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. 2019 01 24 2019 09 08 The most popular street vended foods in Ghana; fried rice, Jollof and Waakye were examined inthe Tamale Metropolis from April to May 2015 to determine the prevalence of B. cereus. Street vended Fried rice, Jollof rice and Waakye were purchased, transported aseptically and Bacteriological Analytical Manual guidelines were used to isolate and enumerate B. cereus. The samples were classified based on the microbial loads of <103 cfu/g, 103≤104 cfu/g and >105 cfu/g for satisfactory, borderline and unsatisfactory respectively. Fried rice recorded the highest number of unsatisfactory samples 18/30 (60.0%), followed by Waakye 8/30 (26.7%) and the least was Jollof 7/30 (23.3%). There is the need for regular training for vendors and further work to determine toxins produced by B. cereus. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/167

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 31 24 29 Kate Bigson Department of Home Economics Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. AND Department of Catering, Hotel and Institutional Management, Wa Polytechnic, Wa, Ghana. Edward Essuman Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana. Gifty Otoo Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. John Nsor-Atindana Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana. 2019 04 03 2019 09 08 This research was designed to evaluate how foodstuffs are acquired and stored prior to meal preparation under the Ghana School Feeding program in Wa and Cape Coast schools. A cross-sectional and descriptive survey research designs were used in the study. A purposive and simple random sampling technique was employed in selecting 120 participants computed with Graph pad prism version 16, statistical software. Information was obtained using questionnaire, observation and unstructured interview instruments. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science software version 22 and results represent in tables and charts. Findings revealed that most schools did not have food storage places. This situation may force kitchen staff to keep the food ingredients in their homes and bring them when the need be. Kitchens were mostly shed and firewood was mostly used as cooking fuel. It was observed that some of the caterers bought some food ingredients from hawkers who found their ways to the school compounds. Almost all the kitchen staff (97.3% for Wa and 100.0% for Cape Coast) buy from the open market and not the farm gate. This has resulted in food insecurity in some of the regions. Owing to the findings, it was recommended that government should enact policies for all caterers to buy directly from the farm gate at cheaper prices; designated and well-built kitchens, as well as dining rooms, be provided for schools. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/179

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 31 30 38 Oladipo Olaniyi Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria Juliet Akinyele Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria 2019 04 29 2019 09 08 The possible health threat accompanied with the ingestion of ‘Burukutu’, an alcoholic beveragemade from fungal contaminated cereals grains calls for regular inspection. The study aimed at the isolation of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus and quantification of aflatoxins in‘Burukutu’ sold in Akure, Nigeria. The fungi associated with the samples were isolated and counted using standard microbiological methods. Aflatoxins were extracted from 64 samples using different solvents and analyzed with the aid of High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). The aflatoxins in the samples applied on pre-heated HPTLC plates were estimated under fluorescent UV light. Cooked fermented milled malted grains ‘Burukutu’ (CFMMG) had the highest fungal counts of6.8×102 and 2.9×102 cfu/ml at 24 and 48 h of incubation respectively. The fungal isolates identified from the samples were: Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium solani, Rhizopusstolonifer, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Penicillumitalicum, Saccharomyces cerevisae and Candida krusei. All the analyzed samples showed varied quantity of aflatoxin concentrations. The overall quantification of aflatoxins G1, G2, B1 and B2 revealed significant reduction in end products ‘Burukutu’ whencompared with the substrates from which it was made. Different general fungi associated with ‘Burukutu’ were identified. There was also a decline in the level of aflatoxins in ‘Burukutu’ whichwas a product of natural fermentation. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/183

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 31 39 45 Reza Alizadeh Veterinary Medicine graduate, Veterinary Faculty, Urmia branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran Amir Amniattalab Department of Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, Urmia branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran. 2019 04 29 2019 09 08 This study was carried out for the evaluation of the prevalence rate and the pathology of various lesions in the confiscated livers of slaughtered Azeri buffaloes at Urmia Abattoir, Northwest Iran. Livers of 306 Azeri buffaloes were inspected grossly during five months according to their color and consistency changes in Urmia Abattoir. Among the inspected carcasses, livers of 28 buffaloes had various lesions. The collected tissue samples of confiscated livers were placed in 10% buffered formalin as a fixative solution in order to prepare pathologic sections with a thickness of 6 μm. The sections were stained by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and periodic acid schiff (PAS) methods. The most common pathologic changes in the confiscated buffalo livers were fatty change (46.4%), hepatitis and cholangitis (42.9%), and bile duct hyperplasia (39.3%) respectively. The results of this study have shown that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between hepatic congestion and sex. In addition, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between hepatic lesions and age. The results of this study have revealed that fascioliasis has an important role in the creation of some hepatic lesions such as bile duct hyperplasia, fatty change, and hepatitis in buffaloes. Since various hepatic lesions can reduce buffalo productions and has negative influence on animal reproduction, it is necessary to pay more attention to accurate performing of antiparasitic program and the evaluation of possible role of poisonous plants, heavy metals, and mycotoxins in the generation of hepatic lesions of buffaloes. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/184

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 1 2019 12 23 46 50 Naficeh Sadeghi Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. AND Halal Research Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran. AND Water Health Research Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran. Masoomeh Behzad Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy, Tehran university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Behrooz Jannat Halal research center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran. Mohammadreza Oveisi Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy, Tehran university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mannan Hajimahmoodi Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Mozafzri Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2019 05 07 2019 09 08 Histamine is one of the well-known biogenic amines and responsible for causing allergic reactions. The presence of biogenic amines in the foodstuff is harmful, if it enters in a large amount to blood. In sea-food products, due to lack of proper storage at appropriate temperatures (freezing), histamine may be formed and will remain in the product, since it is already dry and heat resistance. Hazard of histamine consumption and average amount of canned fish consumed worldwide makes histamine measurement in canned fish very important. In this study 56 samples from 22 different brands were assessed and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used by spectro-photometry for histamine detection. Our study showed that histamine levels in canned fish available in Tehran market, though it is high (5.75±5.98 mg/100 g tuna), but is not in a hazardous state (p<0.01). Our research showed that lowest and highest histamine concentration were 2.14±0.17 and 21.69±0.11 mg/100 g of fish respectively. It also indicates that medium does not affect the histamine content. There were no significant differences in the samples of fish and tuna fish for histamine. The amount of histamine in the tuna was below the standard limit (<50 mg histamine/100 g). Further studies should be carried out to investigate the presence of histamine in various fish and other sea-food. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/186

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety distending toxin and other virulent factors in Escherichia coli samples from animal livestock, retail foods and gastroenteritis human cases in Qatar 112 119 Adriana Morales Gomez Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Nilda Valenzuela Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Kenlyn Peters Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Ahmed Salem Department of Animal Resources, Ministry of Environment, Qatar. Ali Sultan Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar. Sanjay Doiphode Hamad Medical Cooperation, Qatar. Emad Ibrahim Hamad Medical Cooperation, Qatar. Hussni O. Mohammed Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. 2019 10 25 2020 05 10 Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is a heterotrimeric AB-type genotoxin produced by several clinically important bacterial pathogens To better understand the risk of CDT within the food supply and human gastroenteritis patients in Qatar, we investigated the frequency of the CDT gene (cdtB) among Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains recovered from food products, animal livestock, and human gastroenteritis patients. In this cross-sectional study, E. coli isolates were screened for cdtB using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). cdtB positive strains were further examined for E. coli cdtB gene types (cdt I, cdt II, cdt III, cdt IV, and cdtV), serotypes O157: H7, and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. Screening for other virulent factors, stx (Shiga toxin gene) and eae (gene that encodes intimin) genes were also performed. The cdtB gene was detected in E. coli isolates sourced from all three groups; animal livestock (17%), retail foods (8%), and human gastroenteritis patients (3%). Although the incidence of cdtB gene harboring E. coli is relatively low among gastroenteritis patients, there is still a risk of infection from animal reservoirs as well as retail food products. Among the three groups, E. coli isolates from humans had the lowest occurrence of cdtB, stx, eae, and O157: H7. Furthermore, we advise implementing further monitoring at the food production and preparation level. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/218

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 5 2 2020 06 20 120 125 Basadi Masitha Department of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology, National Food Technology Research Centre, Mpuutsane Indistrial Area, Kanye, Botswana Bokani Sereme-Mothobole Department of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology, National Food Technology Research Centre, Mpuutsane Indistrial Area, Kanye, Botswana Kago Kabelo Department of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology