• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.322-326
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• 2014

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, USA) recently it was reported that the children (< 5 year-old children) were more susceptible to Foodborne-illness. Confectionery products should be strictly controlled because they are children-preferred foods. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, South of Korea) tried to monitor contamination of organisms in confectionery products (such as biscuits, candies, chewing gums and ice candies) distributed in South Korea. MFDS evaluated the levels of indicator organisms: total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli as well as the levels of food-borne illness organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens. Experimental plans for microbiological test were in accordance with the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF). For this study, 1,005 samples were collected and from Seoul and Gyeongin region, South Korea. The average level of total aerobic bacteria in 1,005 samples was 1.7 log Colony Forming Unit(CFU)/g and the detection rate was 26.8%. The average level of Bacillus cereus was detected in 1.7 log CFU/g and the rate was 0.9%. There was no detection of coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens. The results of this study will be provided as the basic data to set the reasonable microbiological criteria of Korea Food Code.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.97-108
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• 2012

Physical, chemical and biological hazards of strawberry farms at the cultivation stage were analyzed to establish the GAP(Good Agricultural Practice) system. Samples were collected from the plants, cultivation environments(water, soil and air), and personal hygiene (hand, glove, and clothes) of three strawberry farms(A, B, and C) and were tested to analyze physical, chemical (heavy metals and pesticide residues), and biological(sanitary indications and foodborne pathogens) hazards. Physical hazards such as insects and pieces of metal and glass were found in the strawberry farms and can be potential bow for strawberry products. Heavy metal and pesticide residue as chemical hazards were detected at levels lower than the regulation limit. In case of biological hazards, total bacteria and coliform were detected at the levels of 1.6~7.3 and 1.3~5.6 log CFU/g, leaf, mL, hand or $100cm^2$. However, Escherichia coli was not detected in all samples. Bacillus cereus and Staphylococuus aureus were detected at levels of ${\leq}$ 1.1~6.1 log CFU and 4.7~5.4 log CFU/g, mL, hand or $100cm^2$, whereas Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. were not detected in all samples. This study demonstrates that various harzards were in strawberry farms at the growing stage. Therefore proper management such as GAP is needed to prevent the occurrence of food poisoning associated with the hazards revealed in this study.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 2013

To establish sample preparation method for detection of food-borne pathogens from lettuce, perilla leaves, cucumber, pepper, and cherry tomato, the influences of diluent composition, processing time, and proportion of diluent to sample were examined. Each produce was inoculated with 6.0 log $CFU/cm^2$ of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus. Each produce was treated with 0.1% peptone water, and D/E neutralizing broth. Processing time of produce was 30, 60, 90, and 120s, and the proportion of diluent to sample was 2 : 1, 4 : 1, 9 : 1, and 19 : 1. The number of bacteria after treatment of D/E neutralizing broth was higher than that of 0.1% peptone water (P<0.05). In cherry tomato, the population of S. typhimurium recovered from treated with D/E broth was higher than that recovered from treated with 0.1% peptone water by 1.05 log $CFU/cm^2$ (P<0.05). No difference in numbers of pathogens was observed in processing time. Optimum proportion of diluent to perilla leaf, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, and tomato was 9 : 1, 4 : 1, 2 : 1, 2 : 1, and 2 : 1, respectively. These data suggest that D/E neutralizing broth should be recommend as diluent, and the diluent volume applied to produce should be determined in proportion to produce surface area per weight (g).

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.506-512
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• 2009

Salmonellosis is an important worldwide foodborne infectious disease that is transmitted by many food vehicles including raw and processed animal products and fresh produce. In this study, the effectiveness of automated ELISA ($VIDAS^{(R)}$) and realtime PCR in the detection of Salmonella spp. in steamed pork and raw broccoli sprouts was evaluated by comparing their results with those of a conventional culture method. Bulk samples (500 g) of steamed pork and raw broccoli sprouts were inoculated with various levels of Salmonella and divided into 20 samples (25 g each). All the samples, including the controls, were analyzed using a conventional culture method, $VIDAS^{(R)}$, and real-time PCR to detect the presence of Salmonella. In addition, the levels of background flora in the steamed pork and the raw broccoli sprouts were determined. In the steamed pork that contained less than 100 CFU/g of aerobic bacteria, all three methods detected low levels of Salmonella without a statistical difference in their performance. In the broccoli sprouts with high quantities of background flora (ca. $6.7{\times}10^7$ CFU/g), however, all three methods were unable to detect low levels of Salmonella, and real-time PCR and $VIDAS^{(R)}$ more sensitively detected Salmonella than the culture method, with significant statistical differences. In conclusion, $VIDAS^{(R)}$ and real-time PCR could be superior to conventional culture methods in detecting Salmonella in food with high levels of background flora.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2015

This study is to investigate microbiological hazards which can be used as fundamental data to adequately control leeks hazards and develop leeks GAP model for those who want to get GAP system. The microbiological investigations on cultivation environments (soil and water), crops (leeks), personal hygiene (workers' hands, clothes and gloves) and working tools (boxes) have been conducted for one year, so the period was classified under non-cultivation, cultivation, and post harvest. Total bacteria was detected from soil (4.0~6.7 log CFU/g), leeks (4.6~5.1 log CFU/g), hands (ND~3.3 log CFU/hand) and gloves ($ND{\sim}5.4\;log\;CFU/cm^2$) while nothing was detected from the other samples. The coliform contamination of leeks (4.8~5.0 log CFU/g) was more high than that of soil (3.9~4.2 log CFU/g). In case of foodborne pathogens, only B. cereus was detected at the level of 0.5~4.6 log CFU/g (or hand, $100cm^2$). Fungi was observed at the level of 2.1~3.8 log CFU/g (or hand, $100cm^2$) excepting water and some working tools. These results demonstrate that the contamination of leeks is comparatively higher than that of soil sample. The reason may be the cross-contamination by biological hazards presenting on soil. Therefore, it is necessary to properly control soil and fertilizer for safety against biological hazards.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.123-130
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• 2023

Salmonella spp. are prevalent foodborne pathogens that are infective at relatively low concentrations, thus posing a serious health threat, especially to young children and the elderly. In several countries, the management and regulation of Salmonella spp. in food, including seafood, adhere to a negative detection standard. The risk of infection is particularly high when seafood is consumed raw, which underscores the importance of timely detection of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a combined pre-treatment and detection method that includes pre-culture and DNA extraction in order to detect five species of Salmonella at concentrations below 10 CFU/mL in seafood. The effectiveness of the proposed method was assessed in terms of the composition of the enrichment (pre-culture) medium, minimum incubation time, and minimum cell concentration for pathogen detection. Furthermore, a practical DNA extraction method capable of effectively handling high salt conditions was tested and found to be successful. Through polymerase chain reaction, Salmonella spp. Were detected and positively identified in shellfish samples at cell concentrations below 10 CFU/g. Thus, the proposed method, combining sample pre-treatment and cell culture with DNA extraction, was shown to be an effective strategy for detecting low cellular concentrations of harmful bacteria. The proposed methodology is suitable as an economical and practical in situ pre-treatment for effective detection of Salmonella spp. in seafood.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2024

This study investigated the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. In poultry meat and its association with foodborne illnesses in Gwangju, South Korea. It was found that out of the 307 samples of poultry meat examined, 111 (36.2%) were infected with Campylobacter spp. Among the isolated strains, 102 were identified as Campylobacter jejuni and 14 as Campylobacter coli. The detection rate of Campylobacter spp. was higher in duck meat (63.1%) than in chicken meat (26.0%). In 5 samples (1 chicken, 4 duck), both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were found together. The antimicrobial resistance test showed that 99 strains were resistant to more than one antimicrobial. The most common antimicrobial resistance was seen against ciprofloxacin (84.5%), followed by nalidixic acid (82.8%), tetracycline (44.0%), and gentamicin (2.6%). The isolated Campylobacter spp. were serotyped and the results showed the presence of HS2 (20 strains), HS15 (11 strains), HS19 (9 strains), and HS8 (8 strains). Considering the findings, it is recommended to maintain hygienic practices during the cooking process and to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of pathogenic bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.464-477
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• 2013

There is a great need to develop a training program proven to change behavior and improve knowledge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate employee hygiene knowledge, hygiene practice, and cleanliness, before and after HACCP system implementation at one small-size restaurant. The efficiency of the system was analyzed using time-temperature control after implementation of u-HACCP$^{(R)}$. The employee hygiene knowledge and practices showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) after HACCP system implementation. In non-heating processes, such as seasoned lettuce, controlling the sanitation of the cooking facility and the chlorination of raw ingredients were identified as the significant CCP. Sanitizing was an important CCP because total bacteria were reduced 2~4 log CFU/g after implementation of HACCP. In bean sprouts, microbial levels decreased from 4.20 logCFU/g to 3.26 logCFU/g. There were significant correlations between hygiene knowledge, practice, and microbiological contamination. First, personnel hygiene had a significant correlation with 'total food hygiene knowledge' scores (p<0.05). Second, total food hygiene practice scores had a significant correlation (p<0.05) with improved microbiological qualities of lettuce salad. Third, concerning the assessment of microbiological quality after 1 month, there were significant (p<0.05) improvements in times of heating, and the washing and division process. On the other hand, after 2 months, microbiological was maintained, although only two categories (division process and kitchen floor) were improved. This study also investigated time-temperature control by using ubiquitous sensor networks (USN) consisting of an ubi reader (CCP thermometer), an ubi manager (tablet PC), and application software (HACCP monitoring system). The result of the temperature control before and after USN showed better thermal management (accuracy, efficiency, consistency of time control). Based on the results, strict time-temperature control could be an effective method to prevent foodborne illness.