• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 2015

Objectives: Food safety has become one of the major public-concerning issues in Korea. In order to set guidelines to create manuals for the response to a food safety crisis by food industry, this paper classified food safety crises and suggested techniques to determine crisis level. Methods: This study clarified common terminologies and definitions including in food safety crises. It reviewed various food safety crises and described characteristics, types, and states of crises. Results: The results of this study suggested that a food safety crisis implied a situation in which hazards/risk spreading in the food supply chain was widely described, causing strong public concern followed by a socioeconomic impact, and therefore, requiring the implementation of a prompt and full response regarding the situation. In terms of seeking response plans, food safety crises might be classified according to the penalties resulting from violations of laws and regulations, causative substances, stages of the food supply chain, and first contact point for incidents. The crisis level for a food safety crisis could be classified according to its severity parameters. The guideline matrix was divided into four major stages: Blue/guarded, Yellow/elevated, Orange/high, and Red/severe. This study also suggested several methods for determining the crisis level, such as the simple judgement method, scoring methods using a check-list and a weighted check-list. Conclusion: The severity of related parameters might be of great importance in understanding a crisis and determining response options/challenges for crisis levels.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.646-653
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• 2016

This study performed a microbiological hazard analysis, which is required for the application of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system to Pteridium aquilinum and Platycodon grandiflorum. The manufacturing process was made by referring to the typical manufacturing process. Based on microbiological hazard analysis, grandiflorum root contained $6.2{\times}10^3CFU/g$ of bacteria, which has the largest amount of bacteria among the agricultural materials. On the other hand, microbiological hazard analysis of the raw materials and after the disinfecting process of confectionery showed a safe result. A microorganism test of the manufacturing environment and workers suggests that the microbiological hazard should be reduced through systematic cleaning, disinfection and accompanied by personal hygiene based on hygiene education for workers.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.948-953
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• 2007

The powdered cereal sunsik is a partially thermal-processed product that required safety evaluations for food-borne pathogens. Thirty-six sunsik products from Korean markets were collected and analyzed for contamination by total viable cell counts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and the spore-forming Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus. Enterobacter sakazakii, as a newly emerging pathogen, was also analyzed. Approximately 28% of sunsik were contaminated at 5 log CFU/g for total viable counts. Coliforms and E. coli were detected in 33 and 4% of the samples, respectively. The spore-forming B. cereus was found in 42% of the samples at a maximal level of 3 log CFU/g on average. About 6% the samples were contaminated with Cl. perfringens at an average level of 15 CFU/g. Forty-five % of sunsik contained E. sakazakii, at levels from 0.007 to over 1.1 cell/g by MPN method. In addition, one sunsik product for infants and children showed over 3 log CFU/g for both B. cereus and E. sakazaki. Therefore, concern should be placed on controlling for microbial hazards such as B. cereus and E. sakazakii in sunsik, particularly for the products fed to infants under 6 months of age.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2005

This survey was conducted to assess the consumer perceptions of food-related hazard in 500 housewives from all over Korea. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling method. The survey was performed using structured questionnaire through telephone interview by skilled interviewers. The results showed that 34.6% of the respondents felt secure and were not concerned about food safety, and 65.4% were concerned about food safety. Logistic regression analysis showed that the increasing concern on food brands, food additives (such as food preservatives and artificial color), and imported foodstuffs indicated the current increasing concern on food safety. Other related factors indicating the increasing concern on food safety were education level and care for children's health. The respondents who cared about food safety expressed a high degree of concern on processed foodstuffs such as commercial boxed lunch (93.3%), imported foods (92.7%), fastfoods (89.9%), processed meat products (88.7%), dining out (85.6%), cannery and frozen foods (83.5%), and instant foods (82.0%). The lowest degree of concern was on rice. All the respondents perceived that residues of chemical substances such as pesticides and food additives, and endocrine disrupters were the most potential food risk factors, followed by food-borne pathogens, and GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). However, these results were not consistent with scientific judgment. Therefore, more education and information were needed for consumers' awareness of facts and myths about food safety. In addition, the results showed that consumers put lower trust in food products information such as food labels, cultivation methods (organic or not), quality labels, and the place of origin. Nevertheless, the respondents expressed their desire to overcome alienation, and recognized the importance of knowing of the origin or the producers of food. They identified that people who need to take extreme precautions on food contamination were the producers, government officials, food companies, consumers, the consumer's association, and marketers, arranged in the order of highest to lowest. They also believed that the production stage of agriculture was the most important step for improving the level of food safety Therefore, the results indicated that there is a need to introduce safety systems in the production of agricultural products, as follows: Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), and Traceability System (75).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1301-1305
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• 2006

The development of rapid, infallible, and sensitive methods of detecting foodborne pathogens has received much impetus in recent years owing to an increased public awareness of the health hazards. For the rapid and simultaneous detection of these foodborne pathogens, a multiplex PCR method was developed. Yersinia enterocolitica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella spp. are bacteria of concern because of their specific growing condition that enables them to live at low temperatures. In order to detect each pathogenic bacterium, specific primers from Y. enterocolitica, St. aureus, and Sh. flexneri were selected and validated successfully. To apply this method to food stored at low temperature, Y. enterocolitica, St. aureus, and Sh. flexneri were artificially inoculated in lettuce and incubated for enrichment. The multiplex PCR assays were able to simultaneously detect three pathogens, and the presence of three bands was observed at initial inoculation levels of approximately 1$\times$10$^1$ CFU/g in lettuce. Therefore, this method could be used for simultaneous detection of Y. enterocolitica, St. aureus, and Shigella spp. contaminated in lettuce during cultivation, transportation, preservation, and storage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 1995

A hazard analysis which included watching operations, measuring temperatures of foods throughout preparation and display, and sampling and testing for microorganisms of total plate counts and coliform bacteria was conducted in various phases of product flow of Korean soups (Galbitang, Sullungtang, Jangkuk) prepared at Korean restaurants. Cooked foods were sometimes held at room temperature long enough to permit multiplication of bacteria that might have been present. This was confirmed by the finding of large numbers of aerobic mesophilic colonies ($10^6$) in samples of such foods after handling and holding for several hours before served. These bacteria decreased down to $10^1{\sim}10^2$ while the contaminated Tang were served. And internal temperature of Tang served was approximately $70^{\circ}C$. Critical control points identified were, pre-preparation, handling after cooking and holding on display. Guidelines were suggested for effective quality control of Tang (Korean soups) production. Handlers of these foods need to be informed of the hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.425-430
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• 2022

This study was designed to verify the shelf-life of a freeze dried-block type of convenience food for rockfish Sebastes schlegeli seaweed soup product stored at different storing temperatures (25, 35, and 45℃) for 5 months. The polyunsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratio of the product stored at 25℃ was higher than that of products stored at 35℃ and 45℃ for 5 months. The colorimetric assessment indicated a noticeable decrease in the brightness of product color after 5months of storage at 35℃ and 45℃. Increased storage temperature and time negatively affected the product color. The products stored at 35℃ and/or 45℃ for more than 3 months tended to be more yellowish-red in color than those stored at 25℃ for shorter periods. No disease-causing microorganisms, including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, posing health hazards to the human, were detected on food safety evaluation, regardless of storage conditions. Based on food visual shelf life simulator the shelf life of the rockfish seaweed soup was estimated approximately 22 months, considering the data from yellowness the safety factor of 0.7.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.227-240
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• 2015

Recent amendment on the Food Sanitation Act in Korea mandated the Minister of Food & Drug Safety to secure the scientific basis for management and reevaluation of standards and specifications of foods. Especially because the current food safety control is limited within the scope of 'Farm to Market' covering from production to retail in Korea, safety control at the plane of true 'Farm to Fork' scope is urgently needed and should include 'total diet' of population instead of individual food items. Therefore, 'Total Diet Study (TDS)' which provides 'closer-to-real' estimates of exposure to hazardous materials through analysis on table-ready (cooked) samples of foods would be the solution to more comprehensive food safety management, as suggested by World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Although the protection of diets from hazards must be considered as one of the most essential public health functions of any country, we may need to revisit the value of foods which has been too much underrated by the meaningless amount of some hazardous materials in Korea. Considering the primary value of foods lies on sustaining life, growth, development, and health promotion of human being, food safety control should be handled not only by the presence or absence of hazardous materials but also by maximizing the value of foods via balancing with the preservation of beneficial components in foods embracing total diet. In this regard, this article aims to provide an overview on TDS by describing procedures involved except chemical analysis which is beyond our scope. Also, details on the ongoing TDS in Korea are provided as an example. Although TDS itself might not be of keen interest for most readers, it is the main user of the safety reference values resulted from toxicological research in the public health perspective.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.896-903
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• 2021

For the safety assessment of microbiological and chemical hazards in raw short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum distributed in the Yeongnam and Honam areas during the spring season, the contamination levels of total viable bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and nine pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni) as microbiological hazards, and heavy metals (lead, cadmium, total mercury), benzopyrene, shellfish poison (paralytic, diarrhetic, amnesic), and radioactivity (¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs+¹³⁷Cs) were also analyzed in 15 samples based on the methods of the Korean Food Code. The average contamination levels of total viable bacteria were 3.11 (1.40-4.49) log CFU/g, and coliforms were detected in 5 out of 15 samples (1.18-1.85 log CFU/g). E. coli and S. aureus were not detected in all samples. Furthermore, the presence of 8 pathogens were not detected in all samples. The average contamination levels of lead, cadmium, and total mercury were 0.155 (0.079-0.264), 0.160 (0.040-0.287), and 0.017 (0.008-0.026) mg/kg, respectively. Benzo(a)pyrene, shellfish poison, and radioactivity were not detected in all samples. The results of this study suggest that the safety against all microbiological and chemical hazard factors in raw short-neck clams distributed in markets has been assured.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.365-378
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• 2009

This study performed microbiological hazards analysis in raw food materials, cooking processes, kitchen staff, utensils, and the environment in order to obtain contamination levels of S. aureus in school foodservice operations. S. aureus was not detected in cooked foods offered by the foodservice operations; however, it was found in raw food materials prior to cooking. In the case of vegetables, S. aureus was detected in washed mung bean sprouts, parboiled mung bean sprouts, and bellflower roots both before and after disinfection, at levels of 2.2, 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0 log CFU/g, respectively. For processed foods, S. aureus was detected in one sample of packaged bean curd as well as in mung bean jelly cake at the level of 1.5 log CFU/g. For meat products, S. aureus was detected in beef brisket and chicken at levels of 2.3 and 1.3 log CFU/g, respectively. To determine microbiological hazard data for the hands and gloves of cooking personnel, the staff members were divided into two groups: a group presenting Enterobacteriaceae or coliforms, and another group presenting neither Enterobacteriaceae nor coliforms. The results showed that S. aureus was detected on the hands of staff in each group at levels of 2.0 and 2.1 log CFU/hand, respectively, and at 1.8 and 0.0 log CFU/hand on the gloves of staff in each group, respectively. Among kitchen utensils, as an environmental factor in school foodservice operations, S. aureus was detected on meat knives, mixing bowls, and dish cloths at levels exceeding 1.0 log CFU/hand.