Risk Factors Influencing Microbial Contamination in Food Service Centers

Valero, Antonio; Rodríguez, M.; DenissePosada-Izquierdo, Guiomar; Pérez‐Rodríguez, Fernando; Carrasco, Elena; Garcı́a-Gimeno, Rosa Marı́a

doi:10.5772/63029

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The concept to use microbial species and their abundances for monitoring, assessing and managing processes has already been applied in several fields such as hygiene [124], food safety [125] or ecology [126]. With the advances in microbiome research, the approach to use single species and/or microbial diversity parameters as indicators is also considered for other areas such as soil quality [127,128], crop health and productivity [129,130] or human health [131].…”

Section: Indicator Direct or Indirect Information On Measuring Effortmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process Disturbances in Agricultural Biogas Production—Causes, Mechanisms and Effects on the Biogas Microbiome: A Review

2019

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Disturbances of the anaerobic digestion process reduce the economic and environmental performance of biogas systems. A better understanding of the highly complex process is of crucial importance in order to avoid disturbances. This review defines process disturbances as significant changes in the functionality within the microbial community leading to unacceptable and severe decreases in biogas production and requiring an active counteraction to be overcome. The main types of process disturbances in agricultural biogas production are classified as unfavorable process temperatures, fluctuations in the availability of macro- and micronutrients (feedstock variability), overload of the microbial degradation potential, process-related accumulation of inhibiting metabolites such as hydrogen (H2), ammonium/ammonia (NH4+/NH3) or hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and inhibition by other organic and inorganic toxicants. Causes, mechanisms and effects on the biogas microbiome are discussed. The need for a knowledge-based microbiome management to ensure a stable and efficient production of biogas with low susceptibility to disturbances is derived and an outlook on potential future process monitoring and control by means of microbial indicators is provided.

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Section: Indicator Direct or Indirect Information On Measuring Effortmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process Disturbances in Agricultural Biogas Production—Causes, Mechanisms and Effects on the Biogas Microbiome: A Review

2019

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“…Food handlers are defined as individuals who are fully or partially involved in the food preparation process that come into contact with food and food contact surfaces, including those who harvest, slaughter, storage, transport, process, and prepare food [12,13]. Therefore, they can be vectors for food contamination directly, by leading to the transmissions of pathogens to food, and indirectly, by favoring cross-contamination [14]. Improper food handling by handlers has been responsible for foodborne outbreaks worldwide [15] and is commonly reported as a contamination-contributing factor [16] to foodborne outbreaks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers

et al. 2019

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This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers’ practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers’ point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

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“…Such measures, also known as prerequisite programs (PRPs), are based on the principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and may include proper cleaning and disinfection as well as personal hygiene practices, among other practices (Gaze, ; Food and Drug Administration [FDA], ). While risk factors contributing to microbial persistence and spread in food facilities have been identified (Valero, Rodriguez, Posada‐Izquierdo, & Peres‐Rodriguez, ; Wirtanen & Salo, ), their potential impacts on the likelihood and levels of contamination in prepared foods are not well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Agent‐Based Model for Pathogen Persistence and Cross‐Contamination Dynamics in a Food Facility

Mokhtari

Doren

2018

Risk Analysis

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We used an agent-based modeling (ABM) framework and developed a mathematical model to explain the complex dynamics of microbial persistence and spread within a food facility and to aid risk managers in identifying effective mitigation options. The model explicitly considered personal hygiene practices by food handlers as well as their activities and simulated a spatially explicit dynamic system representing complex interaction patterns among food handlers, facility environment, and foods. To demonstrate the utility of the model in a decisionmaking context, we created a hypothetical case study and used it to compare different risk mitigation strategies for reducing contamination and spread of Listeria monocytogenes in a food facility. Model results indicated that areas with no direct contact with foods (e.g., loading dock and restroom) can serve as contamination niches and recontaminate areas that have direct contact with food products. Furthermore, food handlers' behaviors, including, for example, hygiene and sanitation practices, can impact the persistence of microbial contamination in the facility environment and the spread of contamination to prepared foods. Using this case study, we also demonstrated benefits of an ABM framework for addressing food safety in a complex system in which emergent system-level responses are predicted using a bottom-up approach that observes individual agents (e.g., food handlers) and their behaviors. Our model can be applied to a wide variety of pathogens, food commodities, and activity patterns to evaluate efficacy of food-safety management practices and quantify contamination reductions associated with proposed mitigation strategies in food facilities.

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Risk Factors Influencing Microbial Contamination in Food Service Centers

Cited by 27 publications

References 77 publications

Process Disturbances in Agricultural Biogas Production—Causes, Mechanisms and Effects on the Biogas Microbiome: A Review

Process Disturbances in Agricultural Biogas Production—Causes, Mechanisms and Effects on the Biogas Microbiome: A Review

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers

An Agent‐Based Model for Pathogen Persistence and Cross‐Contamination Dynamics in a Food Facility

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