The numerous health benefits provided by fish consumption may be compromised by the presence of toxic metals and metalloids such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, which can have harmful effects on the human body if consumed in toxic quantities. The monitoring of metal concentrations in fish meat is therefore important to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and consequent consumer protection. The toxicity of these metals may be dependent on their chemical forms, which requires metal speciation processes for direct measurement of toxic metal species or the identification of prediction models in order to determine toxic metal forms from measured total metal concentrations. This review addresses various shortcomings in current knowledge and research on the accumulation of metal contaminants in commercially consumed marine fish globally and particularly in South Africa, affecting both the fishing industry as well as fish consumers.

Food consumption patterns in South Africa have changed dramatically over the past decades and likely will continue to change over the coming decades. Various food-related studies conducted over the last few decades indicate that food consumption shifts in South Africa have been towards a more Westernorientated diet, with nutritional consequences contributing to increased obesity and other non-communicable diseases. Several sources of data may be used to examine patterns in food consumption over time. Each of these methods has its own merits depending on the desired outcome, but are difficult to compare as each measures different levels of dietary information. As a result of the lack of regular national or comparable food consumption data in South Africa, the objective of this study was to establish, through the use of databases (FAOSTAT food balance sheets and Euromonitor International © Passport), the broad food and beverage consumption shifts in South Africa since 1994. Our findings indicate that food consumption shifts have been towards an overall increase in daily kilojoules consumed, a diet of sugar-sweetened beverages, an increase in the proportion of processed and packaged food including edible vegetable oils, increased intake of animal source foods, and added caloric sweeteners, and a shift away from vegetables. The largest shifts in food consumption were observed for soft drinks, sauces, dressings and condiments, sweet and savoury snacks, meat, and fats and oils. Convenience, health and nutrition, and indulgence were the main drivers of the increase in consumption of packaged foods and beverages. These shifts in food consumption are concerning as relates to their fat, sugar and salt composition and potential effect on public health.

No abstract

Biochemistry of post-mortem muscle tissue is complex, and several factors affect the fresh meat color and color stability, both of which influence consumer acceptance. Therefore, improving meat color and meat color stability is of significant value to the meat industry and consumers. While extensive literature is available on the color and color stability of domestic ungulates, literature on wild ungulates is notably lacking. With an increasing global demand for meats from wild ungulates, it is critical to identify the knowledge gaps regarding their color and color stability. The objective of this paper is to overview the exogenous and endogenous factors influencing the color and color stability of fresh meats from domestic and wild ungulates. The literature highlighted that the pre- and post-harvest factors influencing meat color and meat color stability are interrelated and not mutually exclusive. Current research indicates that the effects of several of these factors are specific to species, breed, and muscle source. Novel ways to manipulate these factors using a biosystems approach should be explored to improve color attributes of fresh ungulate meats.

No abstract