Food Hygiene and Safety Science最新文献

The analysis of ascorbic acid using the 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) titration method is a well-established technique, but requires the skilled handling of a burette for accurate measurements. In the present study, we propose a modified DCIP titrimetric method that replaces the burette with a dropper and employs an electronic balance to measure the titrated amount by weight. The dropper used can be flexibly selected, allowing for a wide range of drop sizes, from large to very small. This modification offers several advantages, including lower skill requirements, a 43% reduction in the analysis time, a 50% decrease in sample/reagent consumption, and the ability to prepare DCIP standard solutions tailored to the concentration of ascorbic acid in the sample being analyzed. Our analysis of several food samples using this improved method showed that inherent issues of the DCIP method, such as determining the titration end point, could not be resolved. Nevertheless, the improved titration method remains more convenient and adaptable than the original approach using a burette, enabling quick and accurate analysis, especially for unskilled analysts.

Because one toxic component of Paralepistopsis acromelalga, clitidine, is not commercially available as a reagent and because standards are difficult to obtain, a quantitative NMR method that requires no standard was investigated for this study. To compare the quantitative values obtained using the two methods, the absolute purity of the standard used for the LC-MS/MS method was calculated using quantitative NMR. The result was calculated as 89.8±1.5%: more than 10% lower than the result obtained using conventional HPLC purity. This finding is presumably attributable to the presence of water in the crystals. Calculating the absolute purity of the product before use is crucially important. The values of the Paralepistopsis acromelalga fruit extract were quantified and compared using conventional LC-MS/MS and quantitative NMR. The quantitative values did not differ significantly, suggesting that, in most cases, they were within a 5% margin of error. Furthermore, quantitative NMR provides several benefits not obtained using conventional methods, including its rapid measurement capability and its obviation of the need for a reference material for the measured substance. By virtue of these benefits, quantitative NMR is an extremely useful tool for natural toxin analysis where sudden outbreaks occur and for which rapid calculation of results is necessary.

The applicability of a method for simultaneous analysis of Acromelic acids A, B, and Clitidine, which are venomous constituents of Paralepistopsis acromelalga, was assessed for three simulations: tempura, chikuzenni, and soy sauce soup. All components were detectable for all cooking methods. No interfering peak affecting the analysis was observed. The findings indicate that samples of leftover cooked products can be used to ascertain causes of food poisoning by Paralepistopsis acromelalga. Additionally, results showed that most of the toxic components were eluted into the soup broth. This property is useful for rapid screening for Paralepistopsis acromelalga in edible mushrooms.

The growth and gas production test for Escherichia coli in the microbiological examination of food additives is stipulated in the ninth edition of Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (JSFA) and described as a part of the "Confirmation Test for Escherichia coli" in "Microbial Limit Tests" in the same manuscript. The growth and gas production test for E. coli indicated that the positive or negative of "gas production and/or turbidity" in EC broth should be confirmed after incubating at 45.5±0.2℃ for 24±2 h. If both gas production and turbidity are negative, the culture is additionally incubated up to 48±2 h to determine E. coli contamination. The internationally referenced Bacteriological Analytical Manual of the U.S. FDA had revised the incubation temperature in tests for coliforms and E. coli from 45.5±0.2℃ to 44.5±0.2℃ in 2017. Therefore, we conducted research in anticipation of this temperature change being reflected in the microbiological examination of the JSFA. We used seven EC broth products and six food additives across eight products that are available in Japan in order to compare the growth and gas production at temperatures of 45.5±0.2℃ and 44.5±0.2℃ of E. coli NBRC 3972, which is designated as the test strain in JSFA. Both with/without food additives, the number of EC broth products in which medium turbidity and gas production by the strain were positive in three out of three tubes at all test times was greater at 44.5±0.2℃ than at 45.5±0.2℃. These results suggest that the growth and gas production test for E. coli could be more appropriately conducted by incubation at 44.5±0.2℃ in the "Confirmation Test for Escherichia coli" for E. coli in the JSFA in comparison to 45.5±0.2℃. Furthermore, there were differences in the growth and gas production of E. coli NBRC 3972 depending on the EC broth product used. Therefore, the importance of "Media growth promotion test" and "Method suitability test" in the ninth edition of the JSFA should be emphasized.

The average dietary exposure to lead (Pb) in male and female Japanese individuals >1 year of age was estimated using 280 total diet samples representing 14 food groups from 10 areas over a two-year period. A probabilistic exposure estimation was performed using a two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation (2D-MCS) with a Bayesian estimation that consided the uncertainty of the estimation process. The Bayesian estimation was performed using the likelihood function with cumulative distribution function between the lower and upper boundary values for no-detected values. The median dietary exposure to Pb was estimated as 5.82 μg/person/day. The 90% interval was 2.51-16.9 μg/person/day. Comparison with previously reported Pb exposure values indicates that the estimation of Pb exposure distribution using total diet samples is reasonable. The contribution to Pb exposure was highest in the order of food group 8 (light-colored vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweeds: 20.0±16.1%)>food group 1 (rice and rice products: 12.3±19.0%)>food group 10 (fish and shellfish: 10.5±13.9%). Owing to the high uncertainties of contribution ratios, it was not possible to identify dominant food groups contributing to Pb exposure. However, it was evident that the uncertainty of the estimation of Pb exposure was influenced by the uncertainty of Pb concentration than the uncertainty of food consumption rate. In particular, the effect of uncertainty from the Pb concentration of the food group 1 was 68.2%. When the margin of exposures were calculated, the estimated probabilities that a value would be <1 were 14.5% for developmental neurotoxicity to children (1-6 years old), 0.13% for blood pressure and 0.93% for kidney disease in Japanese individuals ≥1 year of age. The findings suggest that the health risk due to dietary Pb exposure is small but not negligible.

We determined the fifteen types of plasticizers, including four kinds of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) used in 220 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys on Japanese market from 2019 to 2020. Three kinds of previously undetected types of PAEs were also detected, but not identified in this study. Di (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP) was the highest detection rate in 209 soft PVC toys out of 220 toys, with 71.2% for designated toys and 88.9% for not-designated toys, respectively, showing a gradual increase from the previous reports in 2009 and 2014. On the other hand, the usages of o-acetyl tributyl citrate and adipic acid esters decreased, but the six types of PAEs prohibited to use for the designated toys in Japan were not detected in them, the usage of diisobutyl phthalate were increased. In contrast, four types of PAEs were detected in not-designated toys. Among them, the detection ratio of di (2-ethyhexyl) phthalate decreased to about 1/10. The content levels of plasticizers in per each sample were continued to keep low level from the report five years ago. These results showed that the main plasticizer used in PVC toys is DEHTP, and that the usage of other plasticizers was decreased.

This study aimed to investigate the awareness of public health nurses (PHNs) regarding health foods and the actual utilization of health food-related information in specific health guidance. A questionnaire survey among PHNs working in municipalities in Kagoshima Prefecture (n=170, response rate; 41.5%) was conducted in September 2022. As a result, 39.4% of the PHNs had experience using health foods, and 43.5% consulted about health food from local residents. Major topics of consultation included effectiveness (78.4%) and drug interactions (35.1%). Approximately 10.2% of the PHNs always confirm the use of health food during specific health guidance, while 41.6% did not ever check. Additionally, 36.3% of the PHN were aware of the obligation to report adverse events caused by health foods to the prefectural governments and Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. The present study showed that recognition and intelligibility on health foods varied among PHNs. Therefore, knowledge acquisition on safety and efficacy is needed for proper use of health foods.

A validation study was performed on the modified analytical method for the migration solution of heptane, 20% ethanol and 4% acetic acid for the determination of bisphenol A migrating from polycarbonate food apparatuses, containers, and packaging. The analytes for the method were bisphenol A, phenol and p-tert-butylphenol. The repeatability, within-laboratory reproducibility and trueness of the method was estimated in the range of 0.2-1.8%, 0.4-2.6% and 95-102% respectively. These results showed that the method is useful as an analytical method for the migration solution of heptane, 20% ethanol and 4% acetic acid. Furthermore, the applicability of the determination methods with a fluorescence detector was verified. As a result of the validation study, the repeatability, within-laboratory reproducibility and trueness of the method was estimated in the range of 0.1-2.9%, 0.2-3.1% and 94-101% respectively. It was confirmed that the measurement with a fluorescence detector is also available.

Simple identification using a color reaction was applied to investigate poisoning, putatively caused by Omphalotus guepiniformis. Some leftover uncooked mushrooms had turned turquoise green when a beam reagent (5 w/v% potassium hydroxide ethanolic solution) was dripped onto the mushroom pileus. Furthermore, ethanol extract of the mushrooms exhibited the same color reaction. Then, illudin S, a toxic compound contained in O. guepiniformis, was detected in uncooked leftover mushrooms using LC-MS/MS analysis. Therefore, this case was inferred as caused by O. guepiniformis. These results indicate the identification method described above as useful for screening tests for investigating food poisoning caused by O. guepiniformis.