1,720,966 research outputs found
Prevalence of Balantidium coli (Malmsten, 1857) infection in swine reared in South Italy: A widespread neglected zoonosis
No full textBackground and Aim: Balantidiasis, caused by Balantidium coli (syn. Neobalantidium coli or B. coli), represents a neglected parasitic infection of zoonotic significance affecting a variety of hosts, including domestic pigs that are the main reservoir. B. coli has a direct life cycle with a fecal-oral route transmission that occurs mainly by the ingestion of food and water contaminated with cysts. The ingestion of meat contaminated during inappropriate slaughtering processes may represent a new potential route of transmission. Only a few studies have investigated the prevalence of B. coli in domestic pigs in Italy, despite its high prevalence and zoonotic significance. This study aimed to improve the knowledge on B. coli prevalence in domestic swine reared both in intensive and "en plein air" breeding systems in the south of Italy. Materials and Methods: The infection rate of B. coli in pigs bred in 15 different pig farms and regularly slaughtered in South Italy, in the Calabria region, was investigated. From 2017 to 2019, 177 terminal parts of the rectums of pigs, of which 91 commercial hybrids and 86 autochthonous (Nero Calabrese), reared, respectively, in intensive and "en plein air" breeding system, were tested for parasite detection. After the slaughtering, the terminal part of the rectum was sampled and transported to the laboratories and immediately processed. For the detection of trophozoites, fresh smears of feces were examined at light microscopy. Moreover, flotation was performed using a sodium chloride solution, then smears of feces were dispersed on microscope slides and examined at light microscopy. The observed parasites were identified at the species level using morphological characteristics. Results: B. coli was detected in a total of 83 (i.e., 46.89%) pigs, with a significantly higher prevalence (p<0.0001) found in commercial hybrid (i.e., 59/91-64.84%) pigs rather than in autochthonous ones (i.e., 24/86-27.91%). It follows that the infection was more common in pigs reared in the intensive breeding system than in "en plein air" ones (p<0.0001). The infection prevalence was higher in males than in females and lower in elder animals than in younger ones (p=0.012 and p<0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: The breeding system is likely the main discriminant for the parasite spread as well as the hygienic condition of the farms. Good manufacturing and hygiene practices along the food production chain are crucial in preventing human balantidiasis transmission by meat consumption. The high B. coli prevalence, the wide spectrum of host species, and its zoonotic significance push toward a greater public interest
A new approach to modelling the shelf life of Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)
Full text linkA total of 217 Gilthead seabreams were subdivided in four groups, according to four different storage conditions. All fish were evaluated by both Quality Index Method (QIM) and microbiological analysis, sampling skin, gills and flesh, separately. A QIM score predictive system was set by modelling the growth of microflora of skin, gills and flesh and coupling these predictions to each related partial QIM score
(QIMSkin, QIMGills, QIMFlesh). The expression of QIM score as a function of bacterial behaviour was carried out by the employment of two coefficients. The predicted mean bacterial concentrations corresponding to the QIM score at 14 days were always near to Log 8 CFU g^{ -1} in the case of 'S' (skin) and 'G' (gills) series. Moreover, predicted QIM scores were in a good agreement with observed data, reproducing the observed mean time of rejection as well as the bacterial spoilage level (Log 8 CFU g^{ -1}), for all kinds of storage condition
Ethnic seafood products sold on the Italian market: labelling assessment and biological, chemical and physical risk characterization
Full text linkEthnic foods are nowadays increasingly consumed by Western citizens. However, deficiencies in traceability and poor hygiene conditions have been often reported for ethnic foods. In this study, seafood products (fish, crustaceans and seaweeds) purchased in Southern Italy from ethnic food stores were analysed to assess their labelling compliance with EU law (Regulation EU No 1169/2011 and Regulation EU No 1379/2013) and the presence of microbiological, chemical and physical hazards. Over 96% of the collected products were found as non-compliant with EU law on labelling. Regarding biological contamination, the quantification of enterococci (22.1% of the samples), moulds -including the potential aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus- (36.4% of samples) and the detection of Vibrio alginolyticus (7.8% of samples) should be emphasized. The presence of foreign bodies (physical contamination) in 18.2% of the samples highlighted the lack of targeted control systems. Overall, the major concerns arose from the chemical contamination related to the presence of variable percentages of metals derived from anthropogenic activities. This hazard was especially found in seaweeds products, which should be therefore better monitored throughout the food chain in order to protect public health. Outcomes from this study integrates the scarce data present in the literature and provide an overview of the major risks related to the consumption of ethnic seafood sold within EU market
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Modelling Bacterial Dynamics in Food Products: Role of Environmental Noise and Interspecific Competition
Full text linkIn this paper we review some results obtained within the context of the predictive microbiology, which is a specific field of the population dynamics. In particular we discuss three models, which exploit tools of statistical mechanics, for bacterial dynamics in food of animal origin. In the first model, the random fluctuating behaviour, experimentally meas- ured, of the temperature is considered. In the second model stochastic differential equations are introduced to take into account the influence of physical and chemical variables, such as temperature, pH and activity water, subject to deter- ministic and random variations. The third model, which is an extended version of the second one, neglects the environ- mental fluctuations, and concentrates on the role of the interspecific bacterial interactions. The comparison between expected results and observed data indicates that the presence of noise sources and interspecific bacterial interactions improves the predictive features of the models analyzed
Development of a predictive model for the shelf-life of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)
Full text linkDespite its commercial value, the shelf-life of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) during refrigerated storage was poorly investigated. In this regard, the Quality Index Method (QIM) was proposed as a suitable scoring system for freshness and quality sensorial estimation of fishery products. This study aims to develop a deterministic mathematical model based on dynamic temperatures conditions and a suc-cessive statistical analysis of the results obtained. This model will be exploited to predict the shelf-life of the Atlantic mackerel based on specific storage temperatures. A total of 60 fresh fishes were subdivided into two groups and respectively stored in ice for 12 days at a constant temperature of 1±0.5°C (Group A) and a fluctuating temperature ranging between 1 and 7°C (Group B). Microbiological analysis and sensory evaluation through the QIM were performed on each fish at regular time inter-vals. A critical value of 6 Log cfu/g of spoilage bacteria (mainly psychotropic) associated with a significant decay of the sensorial characteristics was exceeded after 9 days of storage for Group A and 3 days for Group B. A reliable prediction of fish freshness was obtained by modelling the QIM as a function of the spoilage bacteria behaviour. A coefficient β of correlation was determined to convert the spoilage bacteria load into a Quality Index score. The adoption of mathematical predictive models to assess microbial behaviour under different environmental conditions is an interest-ing tool for food industries to maximize production and reduce waste
Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal as Alternative to Fish Meal for Aquaculture Feed
No full textHermetia illucens meal (HIM) as ingredient in feed represents a way to achieve more sustainable food production. The aim was to characterize the chemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics of four diets for Sparus aurata, isoenergetic and isoproteic, containing 0%, 25%, 35% and 50% of HIM in substitution of fish meal (FM). Analyses were carried out using gas chromatography for fatty acids and amino acids, ICP-OES for minerals and liquid chromatography for aflatoxins and following International Organization for Standardization methods for microbial flora. E-sensing analysis of the diets was evaluated using an artificial sensory platform (E-eye, E-nose and E-tongue). The chemical results were submitted to a one-way ANOVA while Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the e-sensing data was performed. No significant differences were observed for polyunsaturated fatty acids, thrombogenic and peroxidation indices among the diets. The replacement of FM with HIM increased the content of lysine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and valine, while phosphorus, calcium and sodium content decreased (p < 0.01) as the percentage of HIM increased. Lead was significantly below the maximum level set by the EU regulation. The diets showed good hygienic and sanitary quality. The artificial senses permitted distinguishing color, odor and taste among the diets. Data allow considering Hermetia illucens as alternative protein source in fish nutrition
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