Principles for building public-private partnerships to benefit food safety, nutrition, and health research.

The present article articulates principles for effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) in scientific research. Recognizing that PPPs represent one approach for creating research collaborations and that there are other methods outside the scope of this article, PPPs can be useful in leveraging diverse expertise among government, academic, and industry researchers to address public health needs and questions concerned with nutrition, health, food science, and food and ingredient safety. A three-step process was used to identify the principles proposed herein: step 1) review of existing PPP guidelines, both in the peer-reviewed literature and at 16 disparate non-industry organizations; step 2) analysis of relevant successful or promising PPPs; and step 3) formal background interviews of 27 experienced, senior-level individuals from academia, government, industry, foundations, and non-governmental organizations.

How experts are chosen to inform public policy: can the process be improved?

The ever-increasing complexity of the food supply has magnified the importance of ongoing research into nutrition and food safety issues that have significant impact on public health. At the same time, ethical questions have been raised regarding conflict of interest, making it more challenging to form the expert panels that advise government agencies and public health officials in formulating nutrition and food safety policy. Primarily due to the growing complexity of the interactions among government, industry, and academic research institutions, increasingly stringent conflict-of-interest policies may have the effect of barring the most experienced and knowledgeable nutrition and food scientists from contributing their expertise on the panels informing public policy.

Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity.

There has been substantial public debate about the susceptibility of research to biases of various kinds. The dialogue has extended to the peer-reviewed literature, scientific conferences, the mass media, government advisory bodies, and beyond. While biases can come from myriad sources, the overwhelming focus of the discussion, to date, has been on industry-funded science.

Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity.

There has been significant public debate about the susceptibility of research to biases of various kinds. The dialogue has extended to the peer-reviewed literature, scientific conferences, the mass media, government advisory bodies, and beyond. While biases can come from myriad sources, the overwhelming focus of the discussion, to date, has been on industry-funded science.

Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity.

There has been significant public debate about the susceptibility of research to biases of various kinds. The dialogue has extended to the peer-reviewed literature, scientific conferences, the mass media, government advisory bodies, and beyond. Whereas biases can come from myriad sources, the overwhelming focus of the discussion to date has been on industry-funded science.

Fate of Aflatoxin M in Cottage Cheese.

Two batches of long-set cottage cheese were prepared from milk naturally contaminated with aflatoxin M. Cottage cheese was stored for 2 weeks at 7°C. Analyses for pH, moisture content and AFM were done on days 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14 of storage.

Aflatoxin: Toxicity to Dairy Cattle and Occurrence in Milk and Milk Products - A Review.

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced by some common aspergilli during growth on feeds, foods or laboratory media. Aflatoxin B (AFB) is a decaketide (C-polyketide) which is synthesized by the mold from acetate units via the polyketide pathway. Methionine contributes the methoxy-methyl group.

Fate of Aflatoxin M in Brick and Limburger-like Cheese.

Three batches of brick cheese were prepared, using milk which was naturally contaminated with aflatoxin M (AFM). Cheeses were allowed to ripen with a smear for 2, 3 or 4 weeks, and then were either waxed or wrapped in foil to simulate production of mild brick, aged brick or Limburger-like cheese, respectively. These cheeses were analyzed for AFM at intervals for about 26 weeks.

Inactivation of Aflatoxin M in Milk Using Hydrogen Peroxide and Hydrogen Peroxide plus Riboflavin or Lactoperoxidase.

Use of hydrogen peroxide (HO), HO plus riboflavin (Rib.) and HO plus lactoperoxidase (LPO) to inactivate aflatoxin M (AFM) in naturally contaminated raw whole milk was examined. Effectiveness of treatments was evaluated by determining percent of AFM inactivation, using thin-layer chromatography and fluorodensitometry.