OBJECTIVE To assess the contraceptive properties, antimicrobial activity, and safety of mandelic acid condensation polymer (SAMMA). DESIGN Experimental study of SAMMA's in vitro and in vivo properties. SETTING Academic research laboratories. PATIENT(S) Healthy volunteers for semen donation in an academic research environment. INTERVENTION(S) Inhibition of sperm function indicators, conc...

Incorporating Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) in the initial stages of food product development allows for an assessment of the risk and severity of hazards, which may be associated with the raw materials used, their processing, the system of distribution, and the intended use. Implementation of a HACCP plan provides a mechanism to ensure that product safety is continuously achi...

The following is an up-to-date compilation of peer-reviewed research directed at microbial food safety risks, modes of contamination transfer, and disinfection or other risk reduction interventions for cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon. It was originally intended to support an updated, industry –oriented “white paper” on practical food safety guidance for melon growers, shippers, handlers, p...

Beneficial micro-organisms, isolated from various environments, can be ‘domesticated’ and used in agriculture, food and biotechnology. An analysis is required for new microbial strains and applications to ensure safety. Various regulatory frameworks apply and in some instances registration is required before marketing. Regulatory demands must be tuned to actual risk. ‘Overregulation’ could hamp...

The need to ensure the microbiological quality and safety of food products has stimulated interest in the use of mathematical models for quantifying and predicting microbial behaviour. For 20 years, predictive microbiology has been developed for predicting the occurrence of food-borne pathogens, although these tools are dedicated to bacteria. Recently, the situation has changed and a growing nu...

Legumes and oil bean seeds used for the production of condiments in Africa are inedible in their natural state; they contain some anti-nutritional factors especially undigestible oligosaccharides and phytate. Fermentation impact desirable changes by reducing anti-nutritional factors and increasing digestibility. Ugba is an alkaline fermented African oil bean cotyledon (Pentaclethra macrophylla)...

3. The Codex principles of risk analysis, particularly those for risk assessment, are primarily intended to apply to discrete chemical entities such as food additives and pesticide residues, or a specific chemical or microbial contaminant that have identifiable hazards and risks; they are not intended to apply to whole foods as such. Indeed, few foods have been assessed scientifically in a mann...

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their food and uncertain about food production practices. Potential threats to human health related to dairy products and dairy farming include errors in pasteurization, consumption of raw milk products, contamination of milk products by emerging heat-resistant pathogens, emergence of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic pathogens, chemic...

PURPOSE There is increasing interest in fitting children with soft contact lenses. This review collates data from a range of studies to estimate the incidence of complications, specifically corneal infiltrative events and microbial keratitis, in patients under the age of 18 years. METHODS Peer-review papers were identified using PubMed and the Web of Science. A broad range of studies are summ...

This study examines the groundwater quality in wells situated near agricultural fields in Saudi Arabia. Fruits (e.g., tomato and green pepper) irrigated with groundwater were also assessed for the occurrence of opportunistic pathogens to determine if food safety was compromised by the groundwater. The amount of total nitrogen in most of the groundwater samples exceeded the 15 mg/L permissible l...