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Contents digest Milk formula pathogen Enterobacter sakazakii is an occasional contaminant of powdered infant formula milk that can cause a rare but life threatening form of neonatal meningitis, bacteraemia, necrotizing enterocolitis and netcrotising meningoencephalitis. Although E. sakazakii is generally associated with infant milk formula it has also been isolated from a diverse range of environments and foods. Since the organism is not part of the normal animal and human gut flora it is probable that soil, water and vegetables, and possibly rats and flies, are the principle sources of contamination. On page 443 Iversen and Forsythe summarize our knowledge so far about this emerging pathogen. Reported outbreaks associated with E. sakazakii in infant formula are summarized and it is believed that poor hygiene practices in the reconstitution and storage of prepared feeds is the probable source of many outbreaks. The five principle control measures for the risk management of this organism are outlined. These are; control of levels in raw ingredients, reduction of levels during heat treatment of raw milk and related ingredients, avoidance of post processing contamination, the application of strict microbiological criteria and the provision of appropriate information on the preparation and storage of the reconstituted milk.
Tackling angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the outgrowth of vasculature from pre-existing blood vessels. It is controlled by enzymes and has both positive and negative regulators. In healthy individuals it is usually down-regulated except where injury has occurred and it is becoming increasingly recognised that inhibition of angiogenesis holds promise for the prevention of many chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, dia-
Trends in Food Science & Technology 13 (2002) 442
betes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. On page 455 Losso explores the role of functional foods and nutraceuticals in the control of angiogenesis. The range of enzymes involved in angiogenesis and in particular those that stimulate the process are outlined. The active ingredients in a range of foods that have demonstrated anti-angiogenic function are presented and include phenolics such as in tea and turmeric, saponins and terpenes found in ginseng, vitamins, peptides, lipids and carbohydrates. The authors believe that antiangiogenic functional foods are a good prospect for future study because they are relatively low cost compared to drugs, have multi-specificity and appear immune to the development of drug resistance. Recent research has demonstrated that naturally occurring bioactive substances may delay the onset or progression of degenerative disease and propelled the inhibition of angiogenesis into main stream functional food research.
Food production model With an increasing number of new technologies and demanding consumers, it is more difficult than ever for food companies to select the most efficient and effective procedures to develop new products. More than half of new products are withdrawn from retailers’ shelves within a year. The product development process needs to become more consumer orientated to improve the degree of fit between a new product and consumer needs. On page 469 Benner and colleagues present a conceptual model for gathering and disseminating information to increase the efficiency of food production chains. They present The Chain Information Model and have constructed this model using data on consumer preferences from the literature combined with earlier research carried out at Wageningen University. They illus-
0924-2244/$ - see front matter # 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2003.09.005
trate the model using a case study on the production of a ready-to-eat meal with added glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are present in brassica and have a beneficial health effect, but are easily destroyed during processing. The model is used to determine the best way to develop the product so it retains enough glucosinolates to provide a health benefit. To work effectively, the model requires improved communication between the various players in the production network and consumers.
EHEDG report on mechanical seals The European Hygienic Equipment Design Group is a body which is supported by the European Commission to publish guidelines for safe practice in the food industry. Committees of experts in a given field work together to prepare a report. A summary of the latest of these reports is published in this edition of TIFS on page 478 with kind permission from the EHEDG secretariat. This reports deals with the design of mechanical seals for hygienic and aseptic applications. This area is particularly important as inappropriate design of such seals can cause contamination of a food by microorganisms or residues that may be toxic or allergenic. The design also needs to ensure that cleaning of the equipment does not cause environmental problems or allow for stagnant zones or small gaps between equipment parts. General design criteria for both single and dual mechanical seals are outlined. Installation requirements and the types of materials that should be used for constructing mechanical seals are also given. The properties of the various materials in different situations are also considered. The full report which also contains additional detail, a list of definitions and references is available at www.ehedg.org.
Tackling angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the outgrowth of vasculature from pre-existing blood vessels. It is controlled by enzymes and has both positive and negative regulators. In healthy individuals it is usually down-regulated except where injury has occurred and it is becoming increasingly recognised that inhibition of angiogenesis holds promise for the prevention of many chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, dia-
Trends in Food Science & Technology 13 (2002) 442
betes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. On page 455 Losso explores the role of functional foods and nutraceuticals in the control of angiogenesis. The range of enzymes involved in angiogenesis and in particular those that stimulate the process are outlined. The active ingredients in a range of foods that have demonstrated anti-angiogenic function are presented and include phenolics such as in tea and turmeric, saponins and terpenes found in ginseng, vitamins, peptides, lipids and carbohydrates. The authors believe that antiangiogenic functional foods are a good prospect for future study because they are relatively low cost compared to drugs, have multi-specificity and appear immune to the development of drug resistance. Recent research has demonstrated that naturally occurring bioactive substances may delay the onset or progression of degenerative disease and propelled the inhibition of angiogenesis into main stream functional food research.
Food production model With an increasing number of new technologies and demanding consumers, it is more difficult than ever for food companies to select the most efficient and effective procedures to develop new products. More than half of new products are withdrawn from retailers’ shelves within a year. The product development process needs to become more consumer orientated to improve the degree of fit between a new product and consumer needs. On page 469 Benner and colleagues present a conceptual model for gathering and disseminating information to increase the efficiency of food production chains. They present The Chain Information Model and have constructed this model using data on consumer preferences from the literature combined with earlier research carried out at Wageningen University. They illus-
0924-2244/$ - see front matter # 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2003.09.005
trate the model using a case study on the production of a ready-to-eat meal with added glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are present in brassica and have a beneficial health effect, but are easily destroyed during processing. The model is used to determine the best way to develop the product so it retains enough glucosinolates to provide a health benefit. To work effectively, the model requires improved communication between the various players in the production network and consumers.
EHEDG report on mechanical seals The European Hygienic Equipment Design Group is a body which is supported by the European Commission to publish guidelines for safe practice in the food industry. Committees of experts in a given field work together to prepare a report. A summary of the latest of these reports is published in this edition of TIFS on page 478 with kind permission from the EHEDG secretariat. This reports deals with the design of mechanical seals for hygienic and aseptic applications. This area is particularly important as inappropriate design of such seals can cause contamination of a food by microorganisms or residues that may be toxic or allergenic. The design also needs to ensure that cleaning of the equipment does not cause environmental problems or allow for stagnant zones or small gaps between equipment parts. General design criteria for both single and dual mechanical seals are outlined. Installation requirements and the types of materials that should be used for constructing mechanical seals are also given. The properties of the various materials in different situations are also considered. The full report which also contains additional detail, a list of definitions and references is available at www.ehedg.org.