This study was conducted on 161 fattening pig farms located in Aragón (Northeast Spain). Serum samples from 1200 pigs were tested for antibodies against T. gondii by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Antibodies to T. gondii (≥1:20) were detected in 301 pigs (24.52%). The seroprevalence observed in the present study indicates a widespread exposure to T. gondii, as seropositive pigs were found in 96.67% of the farms studied although low pig titers were determined. Risk factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence were presence of cats in or around the farms, presence of dogs around the facilities, low number of animals in the farms, poor hygiene and bad maintenance of the farms. Finally, it was observed that where rodent baits were used, Toxoplasma prevalence was lower. Risk management measures including control of cats and rodents on the farms, among others, could help to reduce the observed prevalence levels. By mouse bioassay, T. gondii was detected in 73.7% and isolated from 42.1% of seropositive pigs and a significant relation between the titers of pigs and the presence and viability of T. gondii in the tissues was found. The detection of T. gondii is not possible by currently practiced meat inspection. Nevertheless, the increased probability of detecting viable forms of T. gondii in tissues of pigs with titers ≥1: 80 could be used as the cutoff for discriminating higher risk animals, and could be used as an effective control tool for the industry of cured meat products. In practical terms, we propose that this value could be used as a critical limit in the HACCP system.

This study characterizes the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of a propolis-based dietary supplement (PDS) and investigates its incorporation into apple juice to decrease the intensity of the heat treatment required to inactivate 5 log10 cycles of Escherichia coli O157:H7. As the source of propolis, we used a PDS containing 0.2 mg/μL of propylene glycol-extracted propolis (propolis). The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (IC50) of the PDS were 82.15±3.53 mg/g and 0.055±0.003 mg/mL, respectively. Regarding antimicrobial activity, propolis (0.2 mg/mL) was very effective under acidic pH against Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e, inactivating more than 5 log10 cell cycles in 1h, but hardly inactivated or sub-lethally injured E. coli O157:H7 Sakai. However, incorporating propolis (0.2 mg/mL) into acidic buffer decreased the time needed to inactivate 5 log10 cycles of E. coli O157:H7 Sakai at 51 °C by more than 40 times. Moreover, when combined with heat in apple juice, propolis (0.1mg/mL) reduced the thermal treatment time and temperature needed to inactivate 5 log10 cycles of E. coli by 75% and 3 °C, respectively. The corresponding PDS concentration did not decrease the organoleptic properties of the apple juice, which implies the possibility of obtaining a sensorially appealing, low-pasteurized apple juice with the functional properties provided by propolis.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii and distributed worldwide. Ingestion of viable cysts from infected raw or undercooked meat is an important route of hor...

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, whose transmission has usually been attributed to ingestion of undercooked or raw meat. Dry-cured ham is a high-quality meat product of increasing economic relevance, and epidemiological studies point to cured meat products as a risk factor for acquiring toxoplasmosis. With the aim of contributing to the risk assessment process, 50 samples of fresh pork meat and commercial cured ham were collected in the city of Zaragoza (northeastern Spain), and the presence of viable forms of T. gondii was analyzed. A mouse concentration bioassay technique was used, and the presence of the parasite in mice was determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay. T. gondii was detected in two samples of rib, reflecting a frequency of 8% positive fresh pork meat (4% positivity of total samples analyzed). Brains of seropositive mice were analyzed by histology and PCR, although the parasite was not isolated in the seroconverted mice. No viable forms were detected either...

An analytical procedure based on solid-phase extraction, using ethyl acetate as the elution solvent, and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence and diode array detection was developed for the identification and quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in honey. The method has been optimized and validated in accordance with Commission Regulation 333/2007 and Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. This method allows the identification of the 15 PAHs that should be monitored in food matrices, as proposed in 2002 by the Scientific Committee on Food and later by the European Union in the Commission Recommendation 2005/108/EC, because of their genotoxic and carcinogenic properties. The results of the validation study were in agreement with quality criteria described in European legislation in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, and ruggedness, and the method was applied to the analysis of 42 honey samples (21 from Spain and 21 from other regions). The honey samples were not contaminated by PAHs at detectable levels and thus could be marketed without health risk.