Health risk assessment of Patulin intake through apples and apple-based foods sold in Qatar.

This is the first report on assessing the non-carcinogenic health risk associated with Patulin exposure in Qatar. The concentrations of Patulin, as determined in previous studies, in apples, apple juice, and apple-based baby foods sold in Qatar and nearby countries were used to conduct the health risk assessment (HRA). The risk related to Patulin intake by different age groups was calculated using the USEPA risk assessment models.

The characteristics, occurrence, and toxicological effects of patulin.

Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites secreted by different types of fungi to which humans can get exposed mainly via ingestion. Patulin (CHO) is a polyketide lactone produced by various fungal specifies, including Penicillium expansum as the main producer. P.

Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Self-Reported Practices, and Microbiological Hand Hygiene Levels of Produce Handlers in Qatar.

Workers' hygiene is one of the most important risk factors in transferring pathogens to foods. Produce handlers lacked basic knowledge on personal hygiene and food safety. Produce handlers' hand hygiene levels were below set standards.

Assessing safe food handling knowledge and practices of food service managers in Doha, Qatar.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess safe food handling practices, food safety knowledge, and adherence to implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point among 53 food safety managers working in randomly selected food service establishments in Qatar. Face-to-face interviews with the managers at each participating food service establishment were conducted using a survey consisting of 40 questions in October-December 2015. In addition to the survey questionnaire, a checklist was used to determine the implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point by observing actual practices applied at each food service establishment.

Application of MALDI Biotyper System for Rapid Identification of Bacteria Isolated from a Fresh Produce Market.

MALDI-TOF MS has revolutionized the identification of microorganisms and has become an indispensable part of routine diagnostics in the clinical microbiological laboratory. However, application of this technique in microbial surveillance outside of clinical settings is limited. In this study, we have evaluated the performance of a Bruker MALDI Biotyper System for the identification of bacteria isolated from the hand palms of fresh produce handlers and their surrounding environments in a wholesale fresh produce market in Doha, Qatar.

The potential of papain and alcalase enzymes and process optimizations to reduce allergenic gliadins in wheat flour.

The objectives of this study were to select effective enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of allergenic proteins, gliadins, in wheat flour and to optimize the enzymatic treatment conditions. Six proteases were tested. Hydrolyzed samples were tested for residual gliadin concentrations and in vitro allergenicity.

Evaluation of consumers' perception and willingness to pay for bacteriophage treated fresh produce.

Food-borne illnesses caused by bacteria such as enterohemorrhagic and spp. take a significant toll on American consumers' health; they also cost the United States an estimated $77.7 billion annually in health care and other losses.

Biocontrol of Escherichia coli O157: H7 on fresh-cut leafy greens.

The effect of a bacteriophage cocktail (EcoShield™) that is specific against O157:H7 was evaluated against a nalidixic acid-resistant enterohemorrhagic O157:H7 RM4407 (EHEC) strain on leafy greens stored under either (1) ambient air or (2) modified atmosphere (MA; 5% O/35% CO/60% N). Pieces (~2 × 2 cm) of leafy greens (lettuce and spinach) inoculated with 4.5 log CFU/cm EHEC were sprayed with EcoShield™ (6.

Reduction of major peanut allergens Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, in roasted peanuts by ultrasound assisted enzymatic treatment.

This study investigated the effects of ultrasound, enzyme concentration and enzyme treatment time on soluble protein and major allergenic proteins (Ara h 1 and Ara h 2) of roasted peanut kernels. A 3-factor, five-level orthogonal experimental design was implemented with various ultrasonication times, concentrations of trypsin or α-chymotrypsin and treatment times. The total soluble proteins were determined by the Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method, Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 were evaluated by SDS-PAGE and sandwich ELISA.

Enzymatic treatment of peanut kernels to reduce allergen levels.

This study investigated the use of enzymatic treatment to reduce peanut allergens in peanut kernels as affected by processing conditions. Two major peanut allergens, Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, were used as indicators of process effectiveness. Enzymatic treatment effectively reduced Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 in roasted peanut kernels by up to 100% under optimal conditions.

Development and application of quantitative methods for monitoring dermal and inhalation exposure to propiconazole.

Quantitative methods to measure dermal and inhalation exposure to the fungicide propiconazole were developed in the laboratory and applied in the occupational exposure setting for monitoring five farm workers' exposure during pesticide preparation and application to peach crops. Dermal exposure was measured with tape-strips applied to the skin, and the amount of propiconazole was normalized to keratin content in the tape-strip. Inhalation exposure was measured with an OVS tube placed in the worker's breathing-zone during pesticide handling.

Ecological risk assessment of neem-based pesticides.

A tiered process was used to evaluate the risks of pure azadirachtin (AZA) and two neem-based insecticides (Neemix and Bioneem) on six aquatic animals [crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus), grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), water fleas (Daphnia pulex), and mosquito larvae (Culex quinquefasciatus)] through short term acute toxicity tests. The risk was calculated using the level of concern endpoints (Q values) and relative hazard index (RHI) for acute and chronic exposure scenarios. The Q values of Neemix, Bioneem, and pure AZA derived from acute exposure tests indicated that D.

The use of nutshell carbons in drinking water filters for removal of trace metals.

Filtration of drinking water by point-of-use (POU) or point-of-entry (POE) systems is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Drinking water is filtered to remove both organic and inorganic contaminants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of granular activated carbon from nutshells (almond, English walnut, pecan) in a POU water filtration system to determine its effectiveness in removing select, potentially toxic metal ions, namely, copper (Cu2+), lead (Pb2+) or zinc (Zn2+) found in drinking water.

Comparative toxicity of two azadirachtin-based neem pesticides to Daphnia pulex.

Azadirachtin (AZA)-based pesticides (Neemix and Bioneem) demonstrated toxicity in 48-h nonrenewal toxicity assays using Daphnia pulex at levels that were comparable with several organophosphate pesticides. The median lethal concentration (LC50) values for the two neem pesticides were found to be 0.028 and 0.