Food Safety News and Research

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Garlic compounds can kill foodborne pathogen present in infant formula powder

Garlic may be bad for your breath, but it's good for your baby, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.

26 Nov 2013

Mediterranean sofrito linked with low incidence of cardiovascular effects

The Mediterranean sofrito, the typical tomato-based sauce that seasons many dishes, has a high concentration of polyphenols which are associated with a low incidence of cardiovascular effects.

16 Nov 2013

Nanomaterials database restructured to improve functionality, add scientific credibility

Nanomaterials are the heart of the smaller, better electronics developed during the last decade, as well as new materials, medical diagnostics and therapeutics, energy storage, and clean water. However, exposure to nanomaterials may have unintended consequences for human health and the environment.

29 Oct 2013

Researchers identify agricultural management practices that can reduce contamination risk in produce

Researchers from Cornell University have identified some agricultural management practices in the field that can either boost or reduce the risk of contamination in produce from two major foodborne pathogens: salmonella, the biggest single killer among the foodborne microbes, and Listeria monocytogenes.

22 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Young people could spark needed entitlement changes; Priebus demands that Sebelius go; GOP's 'absurd debate' on Hill health coverage

Eventually this shutdown crisis will end. And eventually the two parties will make another stab at a deal on taxes, investments and entitlements. But there's one outcome from such negotiations that I can absolutely guarantee: Seniors, Wall Street and unions will all have their say and their interests protected. So the most likely result will be more tinkering around the edges, as our politicians run for the hills the minute someone accuses them of "fixing the deficit on the backs of the elderly" or creating "death panels" to sensibly allocate end-of-life health care.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers develop potential new tool for speedier detection of food pathogens

Researchers have developed a system that concentrates foodborne salmonella and other pathogens faster than conventional methods by using hollow thread-like fibers that filter out the cells, representing a potential new tool for speedier detection.

16 Oct 2013

Scientists to highlight Bio-Rad's Droplet Digital PCR applications at CHI Digital PCR Conference

Since its introduction in 2011, Bio-Rad Laboratory's Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR-) technology has demonstrated the potential to be a transformative technology, particularly in clinical applications.

8 Oct 2013

Battle over health law brings gov't to brink of shutdown

A stopgap bill to fund the government when the fiscal year ends Oct. 1 continues to be caught up in Republican efforts to defund, delay or derail the health law. Federal agencies have contingency plans in place.

1 Oct 2013

Research provides answers to issues related to human pathogens in mushroom growth substrate

Strict requirements on the use of animal manures in fresh produce production imposed by the new federal food-safety law threatened to adversely impact the mushroom industry, which relies on horse and poultry manure for a specialized growth substrate.

23 Sep 2013

FDA takes action to prevent food distribution from rodent and insect-infested facility

U.S. Marshals seized food products at Gourmet Provisions, LLC and Royal Cup, Inc., after U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators found widespread and active rodent and insect infestation on the premises.

21 Sep 2013

University of Nebraska-Lincoln to offer Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention graduate program

One-third of all children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese. In South Dakota, 32.5 percent of children ages 5 to 19 are overweight or obese. Among Native American children in the state, that number is 48.1 percent.

19 Sep 2013

Researchers present research outcomes on food risk and benefit communication created by FoodRisC

Consumers in Europe are often overwhelmed with the vast amounts of food risk and benefit information presented to them, some of which can be perceived as conflicting or confusing.

13 Sep 2013

Researcher characterises influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks

Ducks and gulls are the natural hosts of influenza A virus. Ragnhild Tønnessen's PhD research project has characterised influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks in Norway. Her discoveries may lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology and host adaptation of influenza A virus.

12 Sep 2013

Annual treated wastewater in North America roughly equals volume of Niagara Falls; less than 4% is reused

Amid growing competition for freshwater from industry and cities, coupled with a rising world shortage of potash, nitrogen and phosphorus, an international study predicts a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide.

7 Sep 2013

Study identifies new tool to accurately analyze mtDNA deletions associated with diseases, aging

A study published today in Aging Cell identifies a new tool to accurately analyze extremely rare mitochondrial DNA deletions associated with a range of diseases and disorders as well as aging. This approach, which relies on Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR-) technology, will help researchers explore mtDNA deletions as potential disease biomarkers.

4 Sep 2013

Researchers develop novel technique and device for rapid pasteurization of eggs

Researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a novel technique and device for rapidly pasteurizing eggs in the shell without damaging the delicate egg white. The process could lead to a sharp reduction in illnesses caused by egg-borne salmonella bacteria, a widespread public health concern.

30 Aug 2013

Researchers develop ddPCR technology to quantify rejection biomarker in organ transplant injury

A recently reported blood test for the early detection of organ transplant injury could enable more timely therapeutic intervention in transplant patients and thus help to avoid longer term damage. As described by scientists at the University Medical Center G-ttingen and Chronix Biomedical, a molecular diagnostics company, the new method uses Bio-Rad Laboratories' Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR-) technology to overcome the obstacles of earlier tests, which were both time-consuming and costly.

28 Aug 2013

Over 1,700 new chiral HPLC/SFC applications added to Phenomenex’s online resource

Phenomenex Inc., a global leader in the research and manufacture of advanced technologies for the separation sciences, announces the addition of over 1,700 new chiral HPLC/SFC applications to its online resource, including more than 400 new SFC (supercritical fluid chromatography) methods. Phenomenex’s extensive chiral application database is unique in the industry, particularly with the addition of the SFC methods, which were developed in collaboration with the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

19 Aug 2013

Novel potential biomarker present in CSF reveals signs of dementia decade before

A study published today reported the identification of what may be the earliest known biomarker associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results suggest that this novel potential biomarker is present in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) at least a decade before signs of dementia manifest.

16 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Fears of health law's adverse selection; GOP's 'fundamental miscalculation;' special deal for Congress keeps dissent low

Yet despite the care the administration took in establishing incentives and safeguards, even some of Obamacare's most committed backers are wondering whether the experiment will work as advertised -; or, like Harvard's P.P.O., go off the rails along the way. Adverse selection is perhaps the direst threat. ... Healthier Americans will probably flock to cheaper bronze plans. And insurers will vie to enroll the healthy. In some states, big insurers have chosen not to participate in exchanges to avoid their strictures. On the outside, they could still sell cheap plans to skim off the healthy and avoid a rule that insurers on the exchanges must also offer more generous silver and gold plans (Eduardo Porter, 8/7).

9 Aug 2013