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Detection Of Mycotoxins Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Lourdes B. Martinez Rojas

Doctoral Dissertations

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungus that can be parasites or saprophytes of crops or livestock forage. Consumer demand for plant-based foods and interest in animal-based foods originating from animals fed plant-based feed has been on the rise. Therefore, monitoring mycotoxins occurring in the food supply is more critical than ever. The goal of this project is to improve surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy’s (SERS) ability to identify and detect mycotoxins using label-free SERS substrates. Two simple approaches were designed to enhance the detection of mycotoxins produced by the Aspergillus and Penicillium genera, ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1. Ochratoxin A was …

Design And Development Of An Instrument On Knowledge Of Food Safety, Practices, And Risk Perception Addressed To Children And Adolescents From Low-Income Families, Sueny Andrade Batista, Elke Stedefeldt, Eduardo Yoshio Nakano, Mariana De Oliveira Cortes, Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho, Renata Puppin Zandonadi, António Raposo, Heesup Han, Verônica Cortez Ginani

Food Science Department Faculty Publication Series

In the fight against foodborne diseases, expanding access to information for different groups is needed. In this aspect, it is crucial to evaluate the target audience’s particularities. This study constructed and validated an instrument containing three questionnaires to identify the level of knowledge, practices, and risk perception of food safety by low-income students between 11 and 14 years old. The following steps were used: systematic search of the databases; conducting and analyzing focus groups; questionnaires development; and questionnaires analysis. After two judges’ rounds, the final version was reached with 11 knowledge items, 11 practice items, and five risk perception items. …

Food Safety And Risk Of Foodborne Illness At A Food Center Extension: Toolkit For Front-Line Volunteers, Sara Anderson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Foodborne illness is a serious public health issue. One in six Americans has an episode of foodborne illness each year and over 50,000 are hospitalized. Food distribution centers are instrumental in decreasing food insecurity, however, some of the food donated is expired or may be damaged leading to increased risk of foodborne illness.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to educate front-line volunteers at a local food center regarding food safety.

Methods: A toolkit was developed to teach food safety to the front-line volunteers. Seven classes were given to front-line volunteers including a pre and post intervention …

Development Of Bacteriophage Based Detection Technique For Food Safety And Environment Monitoring, Ziyuan Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Foodborne or waterborne pathogens which are responsible for numerous worldwide outbreaks of disease have caused serious health problems and enormous economic cost. Development of new bacterial detection technologies with high sensitivity and specificity is of great importance for food safety and public health. This has highlighted the significance of developing rapid and effective techniques for pathogen screening. Thus we aim to explore a bacteriophage mediated detection system for foodborne or waterborne bacteria monitoring. Bacteriophage as a novel recognition probe has been applied in various biosensor by immobilizing phage particles on solid sensor surface. They possess high specificity for targeted microorganism …

Examining Two Sides Of Food System Challenges: A Case Study Of The Potential Impacts Of The Food Safety Modernization Act On U.S. Produce Growers And A Descriptive Analysis Of The International Food Certification Industry, Kathryn E. Lynch

Masters Theses

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) represents a major change to U.S. food policy. Because several FSMA rules require that covered businesses comply with standards by 2019 at the latest, the legislation is expected to have considerable effects on the U.S. food system in the near future. This research examines potential challenges associated with two different FSMA rules. The first essay uses farm-level data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture to estimate the number of farms and acres covered by the FSMA Final Rule on Produce Safety in the California, the Northeast, and the entire U.S. Industry information and interviews …

Enzymatic Digestion Improved Bacteria Separation From Leafy Green Vegetables, Danhui Wang

Masters Theses

An effective and rapid method for the separation of bacteria from food matrix remains a bottleneck for rapid bacteria detection for food safety. Bacteria can strongly attach to the food surface or internalize within the matrix which makes their isolation extremely difficult. Traditional methods of separating bacteria from foods routinely involve stomaching, blending and shaking, however these methods may not be efficient at removing all the bacteria from complex matrices. Here, we investigate the benefits of using enzyme digestion followed by immunomagnetic separation to isolate Salmonella from spinach and lettuce. Enzymatic digestion using pectinase and cellulase was able to break …

Layer-By-Layer Antimicrobial N-Halamine Polymer Coatings For Food Contact Materials, Luis J. Bastarrachea Gutierrez

Doctoral Dissertations

Cross contamination during food processing represents a risk for public health and financial burden. Surface modification of food contact materials to render them antimicrobial can be effective against such risk. The objective of the present work was to develop antimicrobial coatings with the potential to be applied in a variety of food contact materials. The polymer coatings developed became antimicrobial by incorporation of a type of chlorinated compounds called N-halamines, capable of regenerating their antimicrobial activity. Two layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly surface modification procedures were followed. In the first procedure, bilayers of branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were applied …

Development Of Capillary-Driven Microfludic Biosensors For Food Safety And Quality Assurance, Fei He

Doctoral Dissertations

Rapid detection technologies with high sensitivity and selectivity for pathogenic bacteria are critical in food safety and quality assurance. Traditional laboratory benchtop techniques (i.e. culture and colony counting) are time consuming and require complex sample handling. Microfluidics-based Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) systems offer a detection alternative where all detection steps are on one portable miniaturized device. The miniaturization of rapid foodborne pathogen detection at a low cost is especially ideal for resource-limited settings or for field-use. The goal of this study was to develop a disposable miniaturized microfluidic device for on-site pathogen detection. Capillary-driven microfluidics have been introduced in this study. Compared …

Food Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility Regarding Food Safety: A Content Analysis Of Restaurant Websites, Xi Y. Leung, Jean Hertzman, Mehmet Erdem

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

Nowadays, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concern of the food industry because of its wide range of potential benefits. Though CSR issues in the food industry are complicated, food safety rises as the ultimate CSR issue and receives the most attention from customers. With the development of the Internet, more and more food companies use websites to showcase their CSR on food safety and fulfill marketing goals. This study will conduct content analysis on the websites of the top 50 U.S. restaurant companies and discuss their involvement in food safety issues and their commitment to CSR regarding food safety. …

Food Safety Practices Among Chinese In The U.S., Bin Liu, Seonghee Cho

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

Improper food handling of Chinese has caused problems that cannot be ignored. Because of great favor on Chinese food and the indispensable role Chinese people play in the U.S., it is thus of our interest to study the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of Chinese population in the U.S. in the aspect of safe food handling. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Health Belief Model (HBM) have been applied widely in researches of health-related behaviors, but they haven’t been extensively used in empirical studies aiming at understanding people’s beliefs and practices of food safety. Based on TPB and HBM models, nine …

The Assessment Of Food Safety Practices In Temporary Foodservice Establishments, Soobin Seo, Carl Behnke

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

Temporary foodservice establishments (TFEs) such as farmer’s markets, festivals, and roadside stands tend to be more loosely regulated than permanent foodservice operations, in some cases allowing food prepared in uninspected homes to be sold to the public, and in other situations, exempting them from formal health department oversight. Due to these gaps in training and oversight, there are increased opportunities for foodborne illness outbreaks, placing the public at an increased risk. This study will use observational techniques in combination with a previously developed observational instrument at three types of temporary foodservice establishments: farmer’s markets, festivals, and roadside stands to answer …

Exploring A New Attribute In Determining Food Quality: Safe Cookware, Sanghyeop Lee, Kyungmi Seo Dr., Howook Sean Chang Dr.

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

Americans spend almost 50% of their food dollars on restaurant meals, and approximately 44% of adults eat at a restaurant each day (NRA, 2009). As the trend of eating out continues to increase due to challenges associated with work and social life, customers expect to receive safe food served in a clean and sanitary environment (Binkley, Nanivadekar, Thompson, & Brashears, 2010). Therefore, the successful restaurant needs to meet and exceed the customer’s expectations. In particular, HACCP and Servsafe certifications have been a critical in providing customers with safe food. In the academic domain, food safety has been a vital research …

The Development Of An Observational Instrument Assessing Food Safety Practices In Temporary Foodservice Establishments, Soobin Seo, Kay Miller, Carl Behnke

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

Temporary foodservice establishments, such as are found at farmers’ markets, are increasing in popularity. However, regulation of these foodservice vendors tends to fall in a grey area; some vendors do not fall under formal health department supervision, and others may sell food prepared in uninspected home facilities. This study focused on the development of an instrument to assess key temporary foodservice establishment food safety practices, specifically, behaviors related to food handling, hand washing, or glove usage. In order to minimize the Hawthorne Effect, this study chose a novel technology-oriented approach. Employee behaviors were observed and coded in accordance with Indiana …

The Effects Of Door Opening And Food Placement On Food Temperature Within The Refrigerator When Power Is Lost During A Disaster, Ameet S. Tyrewala, Doug Nelson, Barbara Almanza

Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism

This paper studies the effect of temperature change and heat gain on food stored in a refrigerator when the power goes out. The purpose of this study was to provide insight on how to prevent food from entering the temperature danger zone when the power goes out, and identify ways to prolong the time before the food went enters the temperature danger zone. The study was an experimental design in which full- and half-gallon containers filled with water were used to simulate food. The change in temperature of the water in the containers was tested against various variables to see …

A Multifactorial Risk Prioritization Framework For Foodborne Pathogens, Jm Ruzante, Vj Davidson, J Caswell, A Fazil, Jal Cranfield, Sj Henson, Sm Anders, C Schmidt, Jm Farber

Resource Economics Department Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.

Optimal Choice Of Voluntary Traceability As A Food Risk Management Tool, Dm Souza Monteiro,, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

Traceability systems are information tools implemented within and between firms in food chains to improve logistics and transparency or to reduce total food safety damage costs. Information about location and condition of products is critical when food safety incidents arise. This paper uses a principal-agent model to investigate the optimal choice of voluntary traceability in terms of precision of information on a given attribute at each link of a food chain. The results suggest that four scenarios may emerge for the supply chain depending on the costs of a system and whether or not the industry can internalize total food …

Expanding The Focus Of Cost-Benefit Analysis For Food Safety: A Multi-Factorial Risk Prioritization Approach, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

A pressing need in the area of food safety is a tool for making overall, macro judgments about which risks should be given priority for management. Governments often seek to base this prioritization on public health impacts only to find that other considerations also influence the prioritization process. A multi-factorial approach formally recognizes that public health, market-level impacts, consumer risk preferences and acceptance, and the social sensitivity of particular risks all play a role in prioritization. It also provides decision makers with a variety of information outputs that allow risk prioritization to be considered along different dimensions. Macro-level prioritization of …

Consumer Demand For Quality: Major Determinant For Agricultural And Food Trade In The Future?, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

The impact of consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system is an increased emphasis on quality differentiation but not all in the direction of upgrading quality. The more elite market segments are thriving and reaching growing numbers of consumers but the basic price/quality markets remain strong. Most recent economic studies find that consumers are willing to pay for food safety and other quality attributes, and for information about them. The magnitude of the valuations varies by food product, attribute, country, and study design. This literature and a case study of genetically modified foods suggest that consumer demand …

Consumer Demand For Quality: Major Determinant For Agricultural And Food Trade In The Future?, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

The impact of consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system is an increased emphasis on quality differentiation but not all in the direction of upgrading quality. The more elite market segments are thriving and reaching growing numbers of consumers but the basic price/quality markets remain strong. Most recent economic studies find that consumers are willing to pay for food safety and other quality attributes, and for information about them. The magnitude of the valuations varies by food product, attribute, country, and study design. This literature and a case study of genetically modified foods suggest that consumer demand …

Co-Regulation As A Possible Model For Food Safety Governance: Opportunities For Public-Private Partnerships, Mg Martinez, A Fearne, Ja Caswell, S Henson

Resource Economics Department Faculty Publication Series

Public concern about food safety is placing increasing pressure on government agencies to be more prescriptive and proactive in their regulation of the food industry. However, given the scarcity of public sector resources, concerns about the impact of regulation on competitiveness and the scale of the task at hand, there is growing interest in co-regulation, with public and private sectors work-ing hand-in-hand to deliver safer food at lower (regulatory) cost. This paper explores the scope for the co-regulation of food safety in the UK and North America, where there are distinct differences in the established regulatory processes. The authors conclude …

The Genius Of The Nation Versus The Gene-Tech Of The Nation: Science, Identity, And Gmo Debates In Hungary, Krista Harper

Anthropology Department Faculty Publication Series

Introduction In the late 1990s, Hungarian politicians, environmentalists, and agricultural lobbyists weighed the pros and cons of allowing genetically modified (GM) food and seeds to enter the Hungarian market. Starting around 1994, a small group of Hungarian environmentalists began researching GM issues. Initially, they feared that as a post-socialist country seeking foreign investment, Hungary would become prey to multinational corporations seeking an ‘emerging market’ with a lax regulatory environment. The terms of the debate were reframed over time, notably following 1998, when a number of European Union member states banned the imports of GM foods and when Hungarian expatriate geneticist …

Food Safety Innovation In The United States Evidence From The Meat Industry, Elise Golan, Tanya Roberts, Elisabete Salay, Julie Caswell, Michael Ollinger, Danna Moore

Julie Caswell

Recent industry innovations improving the safety of the Nation’s meat supply range from new pathogen tests, high-tech equipment, and supply chain management systems, to new surveillance networks. Despite these and other improvements, the market incentives that motivate private firms to invest in innovation seem to be fairly weak. Results from an ERS survey of U.S. meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants and two case studies of innovation in the U.S. beef industry reveal that the industry has developed a number of mechanisms to overcome that weakness and to stimulate investment in food safety innovation. Industry experience suggests that government …

The Genius Of The Nation Versus The Gene-Tech Of The Nation: Science, Identity, And Gmo Debates In Hungary, Krista Harper

Krista M. Harper

Introduction In the late 1990s, Hungarian politicians, environmentalists, and agricultural lobbyists weighed the pros and cons of allowing genetically modified (GM) food and seeds to enter the Hungarian market. Starting around 1994, a small group of Hungarian environmentalists began researching GM issues. Initially, they feared that as a post-socialist country seeking foreign investment, Hungary would become prey to multinational corporations seeking an ‘emerging market’ with a lax regulatory environment. The terms of the debate were reframed over time, notably following 1998, when a number of European Union member states banned the imports of GM foods and when Hungarian expatriate geneticist …

Survey Instrument For Case Studies Of Food Safety Innovation, Elisabete Salay, Julie A. Caswell, Tanya Roberts

PERI Working Papers

Firms innovate to prevent the presence of microbial pathogens in foods and to address other safety problems. To date, studies on the economics of food safety innovation are relatively rare. We designed a series of case studies of such innovation in the meat industry. Our objectives were to identify and analyze different types of innovation, the drivers of innovation, the mode of innovation development, and the impact of innovation on food safety and firm performance. Here we present the survey instrument developed to conduct the case studies. This instrument can be applied, with minor modifications to reflect research objectives, to …

Using Benefit-Cost Criteria For Settling Federalism Disputes: An Application To Food Safety Regulation, Ja Caswell, Jk Kleinschmit

Resource Economics Department Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.

Using Informational Labeling To Influence The Market For Quality In Food Products, Julie Caswell

Julie Caswell

In the United States, the federal government is increasingly using requirements for informational labeling on food products to influence 1) consumers' knowledge and purchasing patterns and 2) manufacturers' product offerings and marketing practices. We discuss the economic rationale behind these regulations and issues related to judging their success or failure.