Margy J. Woodburn

Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in nham (Thai-style fermented pork sausage).

The fate of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was determined when they were introduced into ground pork made into nham (Thai-style fermented pork sausage) with or without 0.75 or 1.5% added starter culture. Without starter culture, the numbers of E. coli remained little changed but there was slow multiplication of S. aureus. With 0.75% starter culture, S. aureus was no longer detectable after 48 h and E. coli numbers decreased by 1 log after 96 h. No viable S. aureus or E. coli were recovered after 36 h and 96 h, respectively, when 1.5% starter culture was added. The addition of a starter culture is recommended when making nham.

Safe Food: Care Labeling for Perishable Foods

Unsafe food handling is a current problem as indicated by the estimated high frequency of foodborne illnesses. Previous studies have found a low level of consumer awareness of food safety principles and the frequent use of high-risk practices in food preparation and storage. An interview schedule was designed to elicit information on household food handling practices and to test the po tential usefulness of both simple and more informative care directions on pack ages and in recipes. One hundred people who usually prepared the meals in each household were interviewed in one state. The sample responses indicated that cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods, inadequate cooking, and unsafe holding temperatures were frequent practices. For those foods for which an incorrect practice was chosen in response to the question, there was significant improvement in the choice made after simple care directions had been added to the label or to the recipe. A more informative label resulted in significant change only for one product. Respondents mentioned food labels and adver tisements most frequently as good ways to distribute information.

Nutrition-related characteristics of high school teachers and student performance

Abstract We assessed the relationship between nutrition-related teacher characteristics and effective nutrition education for their teenage students. Sixty-two high school teachers and 1,073 students completed the study, which included assessment of teachers’ knowledge, other nutrition-related characteristics, and dietary practices and assessment of students’ knowledge and dietary practices before and after a nutrition unit in the classroom. Of the seven teacher characteristics assessed, teachers’ knowledge was significantly related to changes in their students’ nutrition knowledge, and the teachers’ dietary practices approached significance in this relationship. Confidence as nutrition educators and teachers’ inflexibility positively related to students’ changes in dietary scores per 1,000 kilocalories of energy. Teachers’ characteristics were significantly interrelated: knowledge with flexibility, knowledge certainty, value, and interest; value with knowledge certainty and interest; interest with confidence as nutrition educators.

Research Process and Achievement: Roles of Administrators and Researchers in the Success of Home Economics Research.

The success of home economics research in our colleges and universities is de pendent upon a team effort by the dean or other unit administrator; the depart ment head, chairperson, or subject-matter leader; and the faculty doing the re search. All three must be convinced of the importance of research to the profes sion, the unit, and the individual. The expression of priority will be different for each participant but must be evident in administrative priorities. The interaction in fostering interdisciplinary research will also differ, and in some institutions, roles may be combined. The researcher urges that lack of funds not be used as the excuse for not doing research since home economists have proven that much can be accomplished on a small base. Given scarce resources, administrators and faculty can work together for maximum productivity. The ultimate reason for the researcher to do research is that “it brings me joy.” For all engaged in this team effort, there can be the satisfaction of reaching goals for home economics re search.

Food Safety Update

Welcome to the first edition of the Kansas State University/University of Missouri Extension Food Safety update. This information is intended to provide timely, credible food safety information to county/district FCS agents as well as anyone else interested in such information. I hope this is helpful to youplease let me know any comments or feedback you may have on this newsletter or any other food safety matters.

Thermal Inactivation of Botulinum Toxins in Canned Salmon

Canned salmon is a low acid food. If all C. botulinum spores are not destroyed by proper processing in home canning, a potential hazard of botulism exists. Boiling will destroy the toxin, but will also affect the palatability and appearance of the salmon. To determine the minimum temperature and heating time to destroy toxin, type A, B, or E toxin was added to canned salmon. Two-gram portions in small glass vials were heated at 68, 71, 74, 79 and 85°C for various lengths of time up to 20 minutes. To establish a heating procedure for cans and jars of salmon, spores of types A, B, and E C. botulinum were added to commercially canned salmon and to glass jars of home-canned salmon and incubated for 10 days. Open cans and jars were oven-heated at 350°F (177°C) to the same end-point temperatures. Assays for toxin were carried out with mice. Inactivation of toxin in salmon heated in vials showed an initial rapid drop in toxicity followed by a leveling-off of the rate so that 20-minute heating at 68 or 71°C did not destroy all of the toxin. At 79 and 85°C, the inactivation was much more rapid and all detectable toxin was destroyed within 2 to 5 minutes. For the oven-heating method for two sizes of cans and jars, an internal temperature of 85°C followed by a 30-minute holding period at room temperature was effective in inactivating botulinum toxin.

Microbial and Quality Assessment of Household Food Discards1

Quality aspects and microbial counts of household food discards were determined. Samples were analyzed for total aerobic and anaerobic plate counts, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus , total anaerobes, Clostridium perfringens , and molds. The length of household storage time, the householders reason for discard, the householders safety assessment of the food and laboratory panel evaluations of off-odor, off-color and off-texture were compared to the laboratory microbial analyses. In 62% of the microbiologically analyzed foods, the householder did not make correct safety assessments. In 9% of the microbiologically analyzed foods, an assessment of safe was made by the householder for foods which wre determined to be at risk. Aerobic plate counts (APC) were made after incubation at 5, 20, and 35°C. Panel odor scores were more closely related to APC at 5°C than to those at 20 or 35°C.