• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.603-616
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• 2010

Based on recent dramatic increases in foodborne outbreaks in restaurants, self-managed sanitation systems are now recommended to control contributing risk factors. This study aimed to improve sanitation management practices in restaurants and had two objectives. First, we tried to develop a self-managed sanitation check-list, including risk factors contributing to foodborne illness and Korean food hygiene regulation articles. We also tried to evaluate current sanitation management practices in restaurants according to operation and restaurant type. Thirty restaurants were evaluated by on-the-spot inspectors using an auditing tool consisting of four dimensions, seventeen categories, and forty-one items. Total compliance rate categorized by operation type significantly differed between chain restaurants and self-managed restaurants, with values of 85.5% and 51.6%, respectively. Therefore, self-managed restaurants, which showed the lowest compliance rate of below 30.0%, need more strict control to improve current unsanitary management practices, specifically relating to 'sterilization of knives, chopping boards, and wiping cloths', 'sanitation training', 'not allowing access into the kitchen to outsiders', 'handling of food or utensils on shelves at a 15 cm distance away from floor', 'prevention of cross-contamination of cooked foods or vegetables', and 'records of kitchen access or inspection'. Thus, an effective food sanitation system is essential and should be implemented to improve the existing sanitary conditions in restaurants. However, the most important factor to achieving food sanitation management objectives is food handlers' self-motivation.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate microbiological contamination levels in the manufacturing company of ginseng products (white and red ginseng). Firstly, the contamination level for ginseng and each stage ginseng were 1.8~4.9 log CFU/g (total bacteria), 1.2~3.0 log CFU/g (coliform), 0.8~4.1 log CFU/g (fungi). However, only Bacillus cereus among pathogenic bacteria was detected from a few sample. The contamination of total bacteria tended to decrease as ginseng was being processing. Therefore, that of finished products (white and red ginseng) showed the lowest contamination level among each stage ginseng sample. That of fungi decreased steadily, although the contamination of fungi has tended to increase right after ginseng was steamed. Secondly, the contamination level for working tools and facilities were $1.7{\sim}4.7log\;CFU/cm^2$ (total bacteria), $0.4{\sim}4.0log\;CFU/cm^2$ (coliform), $0.9{\sim}4.2log\;CFU/cm^2$ (fungi). Especially, washing and peeling machines were higher contamination level. Finally, the contamination level of worker who washed and steamed ginseng was higher than worker who shaped, sorted and stored ginseng. Also, Staphylococus aureus was detected at 0.2~0.7 log CFU/hand on some wokers' hands. These results showed proper heating condition (temperature and time) and tidy manufacturing facility are the most important to avoid developing any microbiological problem of Ginseng Products.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.589-600
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• 2007

Recently, with the rapid expansion of the franchise restaurants, ensuring food safety has become essential for restaurant growth. Consequently, the need for food safety training and related material is in increasing demand. In this study, we identified potentially hazardous risk factors for ensuring food safety in restaurants through a food safety monitoring tool, and developed training materials for restaurant employees based on the results. The surveyed restaurants, consisting of 6 Korean restaurants and 1 Japanese restaurant were located in Seoul. Their average check was 15,500 won, ranging from 9,000 to 23,000 won. The range of their total space was 297.5 to $1322.4m^2$, and the amount of kitchen space per total area ranged from 4.4 to 30 percent. The mean score for food safety management performance was 57 out of 100 points, with a range of 51 to 73 points. For risk factor analysis, the most frequently cited sanitary violations involved the handwashing methods/handwashing facilities supplies (7.5%), receiving activities (7.5%), checking and recording of frozen/refrigerated foods temperature (0%), holding foods off the floor (0%), washing of fruits and vegetables (42%), planning and supervising facility cleaning and maintaining programs of facilities (50%), pest control (13%), and toilet equipped/cleaned (13%). Base on these results, the main points that were addressed in the hygiene training of restaurant employees included 4 principles and 8 concepts. The four principles consisted of personal hygiene, prevention of food contamination, time/temperature control, and refrigerator storage. The eight concepts included: (1) personal hygiene and cleanliness with proper handwashing, (2) approved food source and receiving management (3) refrigerator and freezer control, (4) storage management, (5) labeling, (6) prevention of food contamination, (7) cooking and reheating control, and (8) cleaning, sanitation, and plumbing control. Finally, a hygiene training manual and poster leaflets were developed as a food safety training materials for restaurants employees.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.284-292
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the personal hygiene status of foodservice employees as well as microbiological counts of their hands according to food safety education. A survey was conducted for employees who worked at five foodservice facilities, and the results of the survey were assessed using the SAS program (ver. 9.3). A total of 20 employees' hands were sampled to analyze aerobic plate counts (APCs), coliforms counts (CCs), and Staphylococcus aureus. The food safety education program was composed of four education sessions, including microbiological evaluation of employees' hands. According to the survey results, all employees wore a sanitary uniform, hair cap, and shoes. However, 96% of employees used the restroom wearing sanitary shoes, whereas just 20% of them washed their hands using the standard method. Additionally, employees washed hands after using the restroom (100%), before using single-use gloves (76%), after eating (76%). The results of the microbiological hazards analysis of foodservice employees' hands showed that the average numbers of APCs and CCs before cooking were 5.53 log CFU/hand and 2.95 log CFU/hand respectively, whereas the average numbers of APCs and CCs while cooking at foodservice facilities were 6.49 log CFU/hand and 3.29 log CFU/hand, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 10% of their hands before cooking and 5% of their hands while cooking. The average numbers of APCs and CCs were significantly reduced before cooking as well as while cooking, and Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any of the samples as the frequency of food safety education increased. In conclusion, this study shows that it is necessary for foodservice employees to regularly participate in food safety education with effective instruments in order to improve their hygiene level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1497-1507
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to conduct importance and performance analysis of sanitation management in workers at small and medium foodservice industries using HACCP prerequisites. Questionnaires were distributed to 500 small and medium foodservice industry workers in Seoul Gyeonggi province, and a total of 458 responses were used for analysis. Factors with relatively low comparison degree were as follows. 'Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', 'regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', 'checking stocked raw materials', 'recording and filing the results of improved food safety factors', and 'regular cleaning and sterilizing of monitoring tools' factors must be improved along with their performance levels through sanitation education. According to the IPA results, among the 15 HACCP prerequisite factors with high importance but low performance were '2. Regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', '4. Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', '14. Preventing food cross-contamination'. Furthermore, the small and medium foodservice industry IPA with high importance but low performance were 'Regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', 'Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', and 'Preventing food cross-contamination' for the small foodservice industry, along with 'Vermin and rodents control' and 'Recording and filing the results of improved food safety factors' for the medium foodservice industry. Thus, there is a need for reinforced hygiene education through case studies on actual food service establishments to fulfill sanitation guidelines and set amended guides for much-needed items for small and mid-sized food service.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.650-663
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify the sanitation management items of school foodservice suppliers that require improvement, by assessing their sanitation practices with food commodities. Our field assessment was performed using a total of 20 vendors supplying agricultural products, meat products, seafoods and processed products; all were located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas. The assessment tool for sanitation management was composed of 93 checklist items and was used to evaluate seven different categories; the facility and environment, management of the facility and equipment, food materials management, process control, water management, personal hygiene management, and laboratory instrument management. A score of two was given for "satisfactory", one for "fair", and zero for "unsatisfactory". The overall average supplier score was 1.7/2.0 (85.8%). The score of the seafood vendors was highest at 1.9 (95.4%), while the lowest score of 1.3 (65.7%) occurred with the processed product suppliers. Among the sanitation management categories, water management was scored at 2.0, while inspection management was lowest at 1.4. The subcategories indicating needed improvements for the processed product suppliers were raw materials, storage, transport and recall. For the agricultural product suppliers it was preparation management. furthermore, one item within the laboratory instrument management category was unsatisfactory for both the agricultural and processed product suppliers. In conclusion, these results can be used to develop sanitation management procedures for suppliers, as well as by administration agencies to evaluate and guide those suppliers.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.249-257
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• 2015

The purposes of this study were to develop a small scale post-harvest facility, and consequently to evaluate the effects of applying the facility along with hygiene education on the level of microbial safety in Korean leeks production. A total of 135 samples were collected at three Korean leeks farms in Yangju, Gyeonggi province. Food safety indicators (Aerobic plate count (APC), coliform count, and Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus) on/in the samples were assessed. The microbial load measured as APC with harvesting tools such as comb, chopping board, and knife, at the farms where the small scale post-harvest facility had been operated (Farms A and B) was lower than that at another farm having no post-harvest facility (Farm C) by 1.44~2.33 log CFU / $100cm^2$. Moreover, the chopping board from Farm C was observed being contaminated with B. cereus at 6.03 log CFU / $100cm^2$. The coliform counts from the samples increased by 0.57~1.89 log CFU/g after leeks was submerged in ground water for washing. E. coli was recovered from leeks, soil, and the ground water used in the washing process, while no E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes was detected. Our results indicated that the small scale post-harvest facility developed in this study as well as the hygiene education played an important role in enhancing the level of microbial food safety in the leeks production environment. However, a disinfection technique could be needed during the washing step in order to prevent a potential contamination.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.310-316
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• 2022

In this study, we compared the microbial reduction effects of drying, hot water, and microwave sterilization in scourers and dishcloths to suggest a most suitable sterilization method. Three scourer types (silver, copper, and mesh) were used, and three dishcloth types (silver, bamboo, and cotton) were used. Drying time dependent reduction in Escherichia coli was high in silver and copper scourers, but minimal bacterial reduction was obtained against Bacillus cereus in all scourers and dishcloths. In scourers, E. coli was not detected after ≥30 s of hot water sterilization at 77℃, and B. cereus was not detected after ≥60 s of hot water sterilization at 100℃. In dishcloths, E. coli was not detected after hot water sterilization at 77℃ for ≥30 s, but B. cereus was detected after hot water sterilization at 100℃ for ≥60 s. In scourers, E. coli was not detected after microwave sterilization at 700 W for 3 min, but B. cereus was detected. In dishcloths, E. coli was not detected after microwave sterilization with 700 W for ≥1 min, but B. cereus was detected in the cotton dishcloth even after sterilization for 3 min. In conclusion, the use of antimicrobial scourers (silver and copper) and dishcloths (silver and bamboo) are not sufficient to reduce the microbial contamination. The guideline provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety suggesting dishcloth sterilization via hot water at 100℃ for 30 s was also found to be insufficient. Based on our research, we suggest that the most effective methods of microbial management are submerging scourers in hot water at 100℃ for ≥1 min, and sterilizing dishcloths for ≥3 min using a 700 W microwave.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2024

This study investigated the effectiveness of using pathogens and aqueous acids to reduce the Aspergillus ochraceus and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa contamination in livestock production environments. For this study, 1 mL of each bacterial suspension (10⁷-10⁸ spores/mL) was inoculated on a knife surface, dried at 37℃, and used under each treatment condition. First, to investigate the effect of organic acids, acetic, lactic, and citric acids were used. Subsequently, to select the appropriate concentration, they were prepared at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5%, respectively. Accordingly, to further maximize the effect of organic acid treatment, we combined the treatment with ultraviolet light. The two strains showed a significant difference (P<0.05) compared to the initial strain, with a greater than 90% decrease in the concentrations of all organic acids. Consequently, acetic and lactic acids decreased by approximately 5 and 2 log colony forming unit (CFU)/cm², respectively, when treated with ultraviolet light (360 mJ/cm²); however, citric acid decreased by less than 1 log CFU/cm². However, when manufactured with 4% acetic acid, a severe malodor was emitted, making it difficult for workers to use it in a production environment. Accordingly, the optimal treatment conditions for organic acid and ultraviolet light for application were selected as follows: immersion in a 4% lactic acid solution for 1 minute and then, sterilization with ultraviolet light at 360 mJ/cm². Finally, when a pork meat sample was cut with a knife that was finally washed with lactic acid and treated with ultraviolet light, the low level of inoculum transferred from the cleaned knife to the surface of the sample was not detected. In conclusion, using this established method can prevent cross-contamination of the surface of the meat during processing.