Food products suitable for Muslim consumers should behalalcertified, particularly when their origins or production processes are doubtful. However, there is a multiplicity ofhalalstandards. This situation may generate confusion, particularly for producers in Western countries who would like to certify their products in order to export them to Islamic countries. This study analyzed the reasons underlying the multiplicity of standards and reviewed the attempts of harmonization over time. Then, the case study of application to slaughterhouses was considered, by comparing four differenthalalstandards (namely GSO 993:2015, OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, HAS 23103:2012, and MS 1500:2019) representative of different geographic areas. Animal stunning was critically examined, comparing tradition with modernity. The study evidenced that the basic requirements related to slaughtering are common to all thehalalstandards considered, but several differences occur in more specific details. Only a close collaboration between the authorities of all the countries involved in issuinghalalcertifications will lead to a homogeneous regulatory framework with unified certification and accreditation procedures, increasingly required in a globalized market.

Significance: RNAi is used to elucidate gene functions also in phytopathogenic fungi, where it is expressed by hairpin RNAs delivered through plasmids, sequences integrated in fungal or plant genomes, or by RNAi generated in planta by a plant virus infection. These approaches have drawbacks ranging from instability of hairpin constructs to difficulties in preparing and handling transgenic plants to silence homologous sequences in fungi grown on these plants. Here we show that RNAi can be expressed in phytopathogenic fungi by direct transfection with a plant virus-based vector and that the approach also can be used to obtain foreign protein expression in fungi. This technique could find wider application for functional genomics in filamentous fungi of biomedical and phytopathological interest.

Broad beans (Vicia fabaL.) are rarely consumed in Northern Europe and in the USA, whereas they are constantly present in the culinary habits of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. This grain legume is characterized by interesting nutritional properties because of high levels of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and dietary fiber, coupled with a low content of saturated lipids and the presence of several bioactive compounds. However, broad beans are much more than a cheap source of nutrients. Among the oldest domesticated legumes, they have also a cultural value linked to an ancient symbolic meaning. Generally associated with funerary rituals, broad beans have also a positive significance being “dead” seeds with a regenerative capacity. This review focuses on the social symbolism of broad bean consumption and its associated rituals. Furthermore, the culinary habits related to this legume are analyzed along different Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, from Egypt to Iran. Soups, thick gruels, and purees were found to be by far the most common culinary preparations. Using the Egyptianful medamesas a model, the study highlights a link between broad bean–based dishes in different countries, which arises from similar environmental conditions and from cultural interactions along trade routes. Enhancing the knowledge of these ethnic legume-based foods could improve the diet of Western countries by increasing the consumption of legumes.

In recent years, halal certification has become an area of significant interest due to the high level of Muslim awareness about halal products, with the development of halal hubs and investments in Muslim countries. Unfortunately, the halal market is negatively affected by various factors, like the multiplicity of halal standards, disagreements between halal certification bodies and halal accreditation bodies, an increase in halal food crime in some countries, weakness of the authorities in ensuring the integrity of halal certification, and involvement with politics and religion, which have caused some anxiety among Muslim consumers. Therefore, the aim of this work is to inform lawmakers and animal welfare organisations in the EU regarding halal food. It shows data from literature regarding animal welfare in the EU and Islam, provides a critical consideration on the aim of a religious diet and its correlation with public health and food safety, and describes the state of the art of halal accreditation bodies (HAB) and halal certification bodies (HCB), in addition to providing information about gaps in the halal market, and a description of the unethical behaviour of some HCBs. The integrity of these bodies is necessary to make halal standards more comprehensive and efficient, and this can be achieved through the activation of a harmonised monitoring system for halal accreditation bodies in Muslim countries and national EU accreditation bodies.