Konstantinos V. Kotsanopoulos

Smoking of Fish and Seafood: History, Methods and Effects on Physical, Nutritional and Microbiological Properties

Smoking technology is increasingly used nowadays to impart particular organoleptic characteristics to fishes and as a means of maintaining and extending the shelf-life of these perishable products. The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of smoking have been recently studied in depth, and various methods of smoking are applied worldwide, focusing mainly on species groups such as salmon and other salted fish and seafood. Despite the obvious advantages of the process, there are also a number of hazards related to the consumption of smoked products. One of the most representative examples is the outbreak of various cancers common in countries such as Nigeria and Baltic countries due to the high content of foods in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced as a by-product of the process. Furthermore, many studies have demonstrated that smoking with pyrolytic flue gases causes environmental pollution. These facts can have a significant impact on the acceptance of these products by consumers. In this review article, the objective is to describe synoptically the general methods of fish smoking, to report both advantages and disadvantages resulting from these methods, to present safety aspects of smoking both with regard to microbiological and chemical issues and to provide some representative examples of smoked fish applications both in tabular and figural form.

Membrane Processing Technology in the Food Industry: Food Processing, Wastewater Treatment, and Effects on Physical, Microbiological, Organoleptic, and Nutritional Properties of Foods

Membrane processing technology (MPT) is increasingly used nowadays in a wide range of applications (demineralization, desalination, stabilization, separation, deacidification, reduction of microbial load, purification, etc.) in food industries. The most frequently applied techniques are electrodialysis (ED), reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), and microfiltration (MF). Several membrane characteristics, such as pore size, flow properties, and the applied hydraulic pressure mainly determine membranes’ potential uses. In this review paper the basic membrane techniques, their potential applications in a large number of fields and products towards the food industry, the main advantages and disadvantages of these methods, fouling phenomena as well as their effects on the organoleptic, qualitative, and nutritional value of foods are synoptically described. Some representative examples of traditional and modern membrane applications both in tabular and figural form are also provided.

Use of ultrasounds in the food industry–Methods and effects on quality, safety, and organoleptic characteristics of foods: A review

ABSTRACT The use of ultrasounds has recently gained significant interest in the food industry mainly due to the new trends of consumers toward functional foods. Offering several advantages, this form of energy can be applied for the improvement of qualitative characteristics of high-quality foods as well as for assuring safety of a vast variety of foodstuffs, and at the same time minimizing any negative effects of the sensory characteristics of foods. Furthermore, the non-destructive nature of this technology offers several opportunities for the compositional analysis of foods. However, further research is required for the improvement of related techniques and the reduction of application costs in order to render this technology efficient for industrial use. This review paper covers the main applications of ultrasounds as well as several advantages of the use of the technology in combination with conventional techniques. The effects of ultrasounds on the characteristics, microbial safety, and quality of several foods are also detailed

Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040) Implementation in Foods of Animal and Plant Origin: Review

The importance of environmental protection has been recently upgraded due to the continuously increasing environmental pollution load. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), wellknown as ISO 14040, has been repeatedly shown to be a useful and powerful tool for assessing the environmental performance of industrial processes, both in the European and American continents as well as in many Asian countries (such as Japan and China). To the best of our knowledge, almost no information is provided in relation to LCA implementation in Africa apart from an article related to Egypt. Although food industries are not considered to be among the most heavily polluting ones, for some like olive oil, wine, dairy, and meat processing, their impact on the environment is a heavy burden. The introduction of LCA aimed at identifying both inputs and outputs to find out which are the most detrimental to the environment in terms of water/energy consumption and solid/liquid and gas releases. In this review, a thorough coverage of literature was made in an attempt to compare the implementation of LCA to a variety of products of both plant and animal origin. It was concluded that there is a high number of subsystems suggested for the same product, thereby, occasionally leading to confusion. An idea toward solving the problem is to proceed to some sort of standardization by means of several generic case studies of LCA implementation, similarly to what had happened in the case of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) implementation in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and other countries.

Rapid detection of chemical hazards (toxins, dioxins, and PCBs) in seafood.

Among the various hazards occurring in fish and seafood chemical hazards and in particular toxins (ciguatera, scombroid fish poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic (brevetoxic) shellfish poisoning, puffer fish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning) have an important place in food poisoning cases. On the other hand, some of the chemical hazards are often due to the pollution of the environment (heavy metals, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons) and their detection is neither rapid nor facile. As a result there was a great need for developing new rapid and effective methods toward the chemical hazards determination mainly because of their high toxicity. The aim of this review is to provide the information about the new up-to-date detection techniques (Immunological, Chemical and Biochemical, and Molecular assays) in conjunction with detection limits. The latter is made possible by means of inclusion of seven comprehensive and, in most case cases, very extended tables. A reference is also made on the risk characterization of toxins as regards their importance to food contamination or poisoning.

The Role of Auditing, Food Safety, and Food Quality Standards in the Food Industry: A Review

Food safety and quality audits are used widely in the food industry for various reasons (to evaluate management systems, obtain certifications to certain food safety and quality standards, assess the condition of premises and products, confirm legal compliance, and so on). Nowadays, the increased interest of consumers on food safety and quality matters, triggered mainly by recent food scandals, has enabled the public and private food sectors to develop a variety of food safety and quality standards. These standards have both advantages and disadvantages and their effectiveness depends on several factors such as the competency and skills of auditors and the standard used in each case. Although the industry continuously invests in developing and improving these systems, the number of foodborne outbreaks per year appears to be quite stable in both Europe and the United States. This may be an indication that additional measures and techniques or a different approach would be required to further improve the effectiveness of the food safety and quality management systems. This article examines the role of audits and food safety and quality assessment systems in the food industry, presenting the results of several studies and briefly describing the main food safety and quality standards currently used in Europe (with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom and Greece), the U.S., Australia-New Zealand, and Asia.

A critical analysis of ISO audits results

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyse the results of several food quality and safety audits (ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ELOT 1416 and Codex Alimetarius) carried out in Greek food companies processing products of animal origin. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, both a quantitative and a qualitative review of the results were carried out. Findings It was revealed that the biggest ratio of non-conformities was recorded within the frame of ELOT 1416 standard (Greek scheme for the certification of HACCP Management Systems), or ELOT 1416 and ISO 9001 where a combination of standards was used. The highest ratio of observations was recorded against ELOT 1416 when used in combination with ISO 9001. The highest average of non-conformities per audit was recorded in meat (red meat and poultry) companies. With regards to the observations recorded, the highest average per audit was recorded in companies processing eggs. Considering the number of workers, the highest average of non-conformities per audit was observed in small companies. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the present study can be summarized into the fact that although a high number of audit reports were taken into account, an audit is an observation of the condition of a company on the day of the audit and the results can also be highly dependent on the skills of the auditors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first paper that analyses a high number of audit reports from Greek food companies and its conclusions can be of significant value to both the auditors and the industry enabling a more focused approach in the conduction of audits and implementation of the standards.

Jerusalem Artichoke: An Emerging Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

Abstract In recent year, sugar- and starch-based feedstocks have not been sustainable for biorefinery due to the fact that their cultivation for food use covers the biggest percentage of production. Although lignocellulosic biomass, mainly in the form of agricultural residues, is extensively available, its conversion and utilization as biorefinery (biofuels) is still not financially competitive. One solution to this problem is the development of an alternative energy crop/tuber crop, such as the Jerusalem artichoke (JA) (Helianthus tuberosus L.). JA is native to North America and recently has been recognized as a promising biomass for the production of biofuel. The use of its tubers offers numerous benefits over conventional crops, including low input cultivation, high crop yield, ability to grow in a wide range of climates and soil conditions and high tolerance to environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, pest, and plant diseases. Furthermore, the tubers are highly rich in inulin, which can be converted to fermentable sugars through hydrolysis. This chapter provides an overview of the potential uses of JA for the production of biofuels as well as an overview of the relevant production technologies.

Audit results of UK meat companies – critical analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the results of several food safety audits carried out by the Food Standards Agency in meat and poultry-processing companies and slaughterhouses in the UK and audits in aquacultures carried out by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Marine Scotland. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, both a quantitative and a qualitative review were carried out. Findings It was revealed that in meat and poultry companies, the highest average proportion of major non-conformities (MNCs) within the total number of companies was recorded in slaughterhouses, while based on the type of product, the corresponding percentage of MNCs was found in poultry companies. Both in meat/poultry companies and aquacultures, small-sized companies presented the highest average percentage of MNCs. It was also revealed that a very high percentage of MNCs and minor non-conformities were recorded in relation to “record keeping.” Research limitations/implications The limitations of the present study can be summarized into the fact that although a high number of audit reports were taken into account, and record keeping and past actions were reviewed as part of the audits, the audit represents only a snapshot in time and can heavily depend on the skills of the auditors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is very limited literature available that analyzes the results of audits and looks for trends in the food industry in the UK. The conclusions of this study can be of significant value to both the auditors and the industry by enabling a more targeted approach in the conduction of audits.