Search results

Allergenic substances cause food allergy, which represents a major health issue in most countries. This underlines the importance of considering the products' labeling as well as applying related regulatory practices. The objective of this study was to assess the labeling practices of allergens in food products in Morocco.

This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 156 food products collected from four supermarkets in a Moroccan megacity. The data related to the allergen substances (allergen declared, emphasis characters, precautionary allergen labeling) were collected from labels of food products.

The number of foods included in this research was 156, of which 7 (4.5%) did not mention the allergy alert. The analysis of the allergy alert in the others sample (149) showed 266 nonconformities, noticed in 112 (71.8%) products. The labeling emphasis characters were observed in 33.3% of products, and only 13.5% mentioned “contains allergen” as a mandatory statement to declare the presence of allergens. Allergic alerts found in places concealed, removable by the opening of the seal or difficult to see were observed in 28.9%. The use of a precautionary allergen labeling statement was noticed in 40.4% of products.

Moroccan regulations on food allergens are demanding like those of the European Union and more demanding than those of most African countries. However, the application of this regulation remains unsatisfactory and 266 non-conformities were found in 112 (71.8%) products. The absence of emphasis characters and the declaration in inappropriate places represent the most observed non-conformities. Therefore, Moroccan manufacturers must strictly adhere to regulations to avoid exposure of predisposed consumers to potentially threatening allergenic substances.

The aim of this paper is to explore consumer knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to food additives and to investigate manufacturers' attitudes and practices pertaining to food additives and their control.

Questionnaire administered face-to-face interviews were conducted with 180 consumers from the population working at the University of Mauritius while an interview guide was used for in-depth interviews with 12 manufacturers.

The results showed that 65 per cent of all respondents never checked food labels for additives. Overall, the respondents had poor knowledge on food additives. A significant relationship was established between level of education and knowledge rating based on percentage correct answers to food additive questions (p<0.05). The mean percentage correct answers for consumers with different educational levels increased in the following order: primary education; secondary education; tertiary education (p<0.05). The responses relating to attitudinal statements reflected indecision and certain misconceptions. In-depth interviews with local food manufacturers revealed positive attitudes and practices towards food additives. Several problems relating to additive control were mentioned, such as outdated regulations and weak enforcement.

Given the sample sizes, the consumer research should not be extrapolated to the Mauritian population while the exploratory manufacturer study should not be generalised to the whole food industry.

These findings provide a factual basis for further investigations, review of current food legislation and development of education strategies for consumers, all aiming towards enhancing the effectiveness of the national food control system in Mauritius.

Examines the sixteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize oils extracted from Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythis pisonis, Dipteryx lacunifera, Carya illinoensis and Juglans regia, regarding their characterization and fatty acid profile.

The oils were extracted from oilseeds by cold pressing and physico‐chemical characterization was performed by using standard methods for oils and fats. The oxidative stability and fatty acid profile also were determined.

According to the results, the physico‐chemical properties of oils from nuts and walnuts were comparable to those of good quality conventional oils. The oil seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and linoleic acids.

Implies the identification of fatty acid profile and physico‐chemical properties of oils extracted from nuts and walnuts, and to prevent certain types of diseases.

The paper identifies a new source of essential fatty acids extracted from oilseeds.

This study aims to analyze the soursop and sugar apple seeds as to its composition, to evaluate the antioxidant potential of seeds extract and characterize the oil extracted from them, regarding the fatty acids profile and content of tocopherols.

To obtain the extracts, dried and crushed seeds were extracted with ethanol for 30 minutes, at a ratio of 1:3 (m/m, seed: ethyl alcohol) under continuous stirring at room temperature. Then, the mixture was filtered and the supernatants subjected to rotoevaporator at 40°C aiming to determine, by direct weighing, the yields of dry extracts.

According to the results, the soursop and sugar apple seeds constituted significant sources of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates and can therefore be used in food and feed, and offer relevant antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds. The oil seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and linoleic acids and they have significant amounts of total tocopherol.

Implications are the identification of bioactive compounds extracted from seeds of tropical and subtropical fruits, and to prevent certain types of diseases.

The information presented might be directly used for developing of functional foods such as fruits.

The article tries to identify new source of compounds extracted from fruits.

This article reports a case study carried out in four Swedish schools trying to use TQM to improve their operations. Qualitative methods in the form of observation, in‐depth interviews, focus‐group interviews and feed‐back seminars have been used in the study. Specific quality dimensions for the different stakeholders of the schools have been defined. Based on these dimensions, the results of the quality project have been assessed and found to be positive. Reported effects include: a broader and more relevant view of the organisation and its stakeholders which has led to greater job satisfaction, better communication on all levels but especially with parents, increased participation, enhanced co‐operation between different departments as well as on the personal level, improved leadership by the management, more effective and comprehensive evaluations and an increased ability to really implement actions. Lessons on important points when using TQM in this context are also reported.

In view of the current difficulty of separation of troxerutin, the purpose of the paper is to separate and purify semi-synthetic flavonoid compound troxerutin by macroporous adsorption resin (SZ-3).

Comparing the adsorption performance and resolution of three different polar resins and choosing a resin to optimize the process parameters such as sample volume, eluent concentration and elution temperature to obtain high-purity troxerutin. After separating and enriching by resin column chromatography, detected the sample by LC-MS analysis.

This research found that the optimal conditions of the adsorption and desorption were sample volume S = 90 mg/g resin, methanol concentration C = 25%, T = 20 °C. the content of troxerutin increased significantly from 88% to more than 96%. Then confirmed the sample was troxerutin by LC-MS. In addition, the resin could be used for at least 10 cycles in the separation and purification experiments of troxerutin.

Purification of troxerutin with new SZ-3 resin for the first time. Under the optimal conditions, the purity and recovery of troxerutin was 96.4% and 39%. In this study, the authors established a purification process of troxerutin successfully that was simple, economical, environment friendly, with high purity and high recovery rate to provide a reference program for changing the status of troxerutin separation difficulties.

The hospitality sector underpins the Dominican Republic's (DR) economy but may be a setting where foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) can occur. The purpose of this research is to conduct a systematic mapping exercise on the available scientific literature related to FBDOs in hospitality in the DR and their link to reported food safety and hygienic practices.

A predefined search protocol applied the principles of PRISMA guidance. Publications (n = 2,793) from databases (e.g. Web of Science, PubMed) were identified and systematically selected for relevance. A full-text assessment based on the inclusion criteria led to the identification of a refined list of studies and academic publications (n = 22) included in this review. The descriptive analysis of the collated data is then presented graphically.

A low rate of reporting highlights a knowledge gap on FBDOs, the related food safety hazards and how they are mitigated by stakeholders and local health authorities in the DR. Improving government and other stakeholder capacity to report, investigate and understand FBDOs and the practices involved is essential.

The research has implications for Government, businesses and public health officials and managers in the hospitality sector in the DR. A potential research limitation is that the search strategies could miss some relevant articles.

The findings provide a framing for improved risk analysis in implementing food safety management strategies for FBDOs.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic mapping research assessing evidence of FBDOs affecting hospitality in the DR.

This paper aims to identify the local information items that are needed by search and rescue (S&R) teams for an effective disaster response following an earthquake. Currently, it is a challenging and time‐consuming task to collect most of this information from a disaster environment. It was envisioned that the local information identified can be stored on distributed databases that are placed in the buildings and will be used to improve S&R operations.

The information items are obtained through a literature review and via interviews conducted with experts from disaster response organizations. The data collected were triangulated to generate a data model, which was then validated internally and externally by expert feedback.

A data model including a detailed list of information items required during S&R operations was generated, along with justification of the information needs. The findings show that not only information related to buildings, but also other information related to the residents and the contents of the buildings are needed, such as residents' health information, and hazardous materials and their specific locations.

The data model presented can be used by researchers to further develop systems that can be used during an earthquake.

Previous studies have only provided a list of some important local information groups to be stored; however, they do not include in‐depth studies on the information needs of S&R teams following an earthquake. In this paper, information needs were fully explored and elaborated, and a data model was developed covering information items required for effective earthquake S&R.