BfR: risk of infection via food very low

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are widely used in pig breeding stocks in Germany. The results of a nationwide BfR study confirm earlier studies in Germany and other EU member states. They are part of a study that was conducted last year in the European Union in breeding pigs. The results of the EU study published by the European Agency for Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The results of the BfR for Germany show: In 84 201 the stocks examined with breeding pigs (41,8 percent) were MRSA detected in the barn dust. Those who are professionally involved with pigs, are often carriers of this germ. "A risk of infection via food with pork is after all what we know, very low", says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. Meat should anyway be processed taking into account special kitchen hygiene and consumed only by heated. This inactivates potential pathogens.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are common pathogens. People become infected mainly in the hospital so. Since these pathogens are resistant to many antibiotics, it can be difficult to therapy. Certain types of this germ can cause infections outside of hospitals.

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Annual Hygiene training now easily perform online.

Mandatory, regular instruction, which must also be assigned a certificate usually cause much effort, the staff missing in operation and despite certificate is ultimately not sure what they get really taught in a classroom training.

Online learning programs ensure consistently high quality, are cost-effective, efficient and also minimize the time required.

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Around a quarter of the food and feed produced worldwide contain so-called mycotoxins, i.e. metabolic products of mold that attack grain plants in the field and crops. Even small amounts of these are harmful to human and animal health: Mycotoxins can attack the central nervous system, be carcinogenic and mutagenic - the fact that some of these substances can damage the immune system is particularly critical.

A research group led by the TU Dortmund is now addressing this risk and examining the entire food production process, from harvesting through processing to the consumer. The aim of the project is to develop a guideline which should help to minimize the contamination by the toxicologically questionable mycotoxins in food and feed. The joint project received funding of 1,8 million euros as part of the "Nutrition.NRW" competition. The project coordinator is Prof. Michael Spiteller from the Institute for Environmental Research (INFU) at the Technical University of Dortmund.

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Current BARO seminar

On November 10, 2009 (10.00 a.m. to 16.00 p.m.), the practical specialist seminar “Air hygiene in the food processing industry” will take place in the BÄRO training center in Leichlingen for the last time this year. The seminar contents: Introduction: What microorganisms are and what harmful influence they can have on people and food UV-C disinfection in the food processing industry plasmaNorm by BÄRO “- Free of grease and odor in the kitchen and production exhaust New possibilities for fire protection in kitchen exhaust systems. Free choice of location despite kitchen exhaust air Kitchen exhaust air and heat recovery - "one team" UV-C technology in the kitchen exhaust air: Advantages and areas of application of the BÄRO KitTech Areas of application, application examples, function and maintenance of the BÄRO systems in the area of ​​air hygiene

The seminar is aimed at plant managers, production managers, QM managers, QA officers and hygiene officers from the food industry as well as planners, architects and those responsible for building, ventilation and kitchen technology.

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Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered a new life form of Listeria. The cause of severe food poisoning can get rid of their cell wall and assume a so-called L-shape. Surprisingly, the bacteria can not only survive but even multiply in this state.

Around 20 years ago, many people in Canada have died from an epidemic caused by Listeria-contaminated milk. Doctors and scientists were faced with a big puzzle. They were able to detect the Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) on the farm from which the milk originated as well as in the patient. However, in the milk in question, researchers were unable to find the causative agents of dangerous food poisoning. Scientists at ETH Zurich around Professor Martin Loessner got to the bottom of the mystery and explored the ways of life of Listeria. In a recent work just published in the prestigious journal "Molecular Microbiology", they reveal something astonishing: Listeria can adapt their shape by building or dismantling their cell wall.

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New BfR leaflet to protect against infection

About the protection from Campylobacter infections from food informs a new consumer leaflet of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Infections with these bacteria are reported most frequently in Europe. In Germany more than 60.000 cases are registered annually. Particularly frequently, children infected under five and young adults. The consequences are diarrheal diseases, in individual cases, however, severe neurological disorders or arthritis. "Because Campylobacter mainly found in raw poultry meat, anyone who cooks himself, during the processing of special attention to the kitchen hygiene," says Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, President of BfR. Infections with Campylobacter, the campylobacteriosis can, thus be avoided by simple means.

Campylobacter are found worldwide in domestic and farm animals and in the environment. Will often land already during milking or slaughter on the food. Particularly frequently Campylobacter present in raw poultry meat. Much more rarely, the pathogen is found in raw milk and in beef and pork. Through lack Küchenhygiene the germ can also penetrate into other foods.

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Asklepios Klinik in Hamburg used special door handles and light switches against antibiotic-resistant bacteria - patients benefit

Door handles and light switches made of copper are an effective additional means of stopping the spread of dangerous germs in hospitals. This is the result of a field test that has received worldwide attention at the Asklepios Klinik Wandsbek in Hamburg. In the summer of 2008 and winter of 2008/2009, two hospital wards were equipped with door handles, door panels and light switches made of special copper alloys over a period of several months.

The neighboring areas kept their conventional handles and switches made of aluminum, stainless steel or plastic for research purposes. Independent scientists from the University of Halle-Wittenberg regularly took samples and compared the number of germs on the various contact surfaces. The desired effect occurred particularly on the door handles. For example, under everyday conditions it could be demonstrated that the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA) was reduced by a third. The repopulation of copper door handles and copper switches by germs has also been significantly reduced. This had an immediate benefit for the patients: In the wards equipped with copper clinics, there was a positive trend towards lower infection rates in patients during the study period, which, however, needs to be examined more closely in larger studies.

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Raw fruits and vegetables may generally be beneficial to health. In individual cases, however, they can act as a trigger for food infections. However, consumers, retailers, processing and monitoring authorities are often not aware of this fact. It happens that when outbreaks are investigated, “the usual suspects” such as eggs, poultry and meat are carefully examined, while other sources of vegetable infection remain undetected.

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Date in March

Harmful microorganisms in the air are still one of the biggest problems in the sensitive area of ​​food production. Whether bacteria, molds or yeasts: If fresh food is contaminated during the production process, there is a risk of rot, fermentation, slime formation, color changes or rancidity - and thus unnecessary, premature spoilage, depending on the goods. The consequences: quality problems, loss of goods and considerable losses in sales. Kill germs up to 99,9% - through natural UV-C radiation.

In the one-day seminar at the BÄRO training center in Leichlingen, operations managers, production managers, QM managers, QA officers and hygiene officers from the food industry learn how to remove microorganisms in the air through the use of modern UV-C disinfection technology in terms of food hygiene. Regulation and HACCP concepts can be reduced to almost zero. Wolfgang Ritzdorf, responsible for the Air Hygiene division at BÄRO: “The principle of our UV-C technology is simple. The air contaminated with microorganisms is sucked into our air disinfection devices around the clock, irradiated with UV-C in a closed chamber and then returned to the room air. In this way, the germ load in the air can be reliably reduced by up to 99,9% and the quality level of the goods can be increased permanently. Without the addition of chemicals. "

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Kitchen hygiene, hand washing, laundry washing, plumbing or school toilets - hygiene in everyday life is a neglected topic in research and in daily practice. Professor Martin Exner from the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at the University of Bonn draws this conclusion in the current Federal Health Gazette (Volume 51, Issue 11, 2008). This issue contains a total of nine articles on the subject of hygiene in everyday life. Publications in the Federal Health Gazette, which appears monthly and is available through bookshops, will have even more influence in the future. Since the journal was successfully included in the so-called "Science Citation Index Expanded", there will be an "Impact Factor" for the journal in the future. An impact factor documents how often articles from this journal are cited. The contributions from 2007 and 2008 are already taken into account, and the impact factor for the Federal Health Gazette will be published in mid-2010.

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Natural carotenoid with an unusual structure protects against oxidative damage

Carotenoids not only give carrots and red smear cheese such as Munster, Limburger or Romadur their delicious color, they also protect organisms from oxidative stress. A research team led by Hans-Dieter Martin and Wilhelm Stahl from the University of Düsseldorf has recreated and characterized one of these carotenoids in the laboratory. As he reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie, it is characterized by excellent antioxidant and light protection properties.

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