Journal of Preventive Medicine

Description

For the Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT) of food and agricultural commodities to guarantee food safety and human health, the development of tiny and portable microfluidic detection devices is of extreme significance. Fluorescent microfluidics has witnessed the rapid development of accurate and reliable food safety analysis owing to its superiority, involving fast, and highefficiency reaction efficiency, small, portable, operational, and economical. However, the development of fluorescent microfluidics has rarely been presented in a complete and indepth manner, from materials to application. In order to address the aforementioned issues, we thoroughly summarize the basic materials of the fluorescent microfluidic chip in this review as well as the most recent advancements in their application in food safety control. This includes the materials used in the production of microfluidic chips, their fluorescence sensing mechanism, and their use for food contaminants. The challenges and potential uses of fluorescent microfluidic chips are aimed at promoting food safety and more quickly achieving the detection of food concerns. The detection sensitivity of several pollutants in food substrate was improved by the combination of the microfluidic chip and the fluorescence sensing technique. Fluorescence-based microfluidic chips have great potential in biological cells, medical and food detection and so on. In particular, complex food and agricultural samples are highly specific, so they can be applied to continuously monitor a variety of food analytes to ensure sustainable food safety.

Agricultural Commodities

Food safety is a credence good that is hard for consumers to assess even after consumption. Government has used minimum quality standards (MQSs) to prevent producers from selling products below a predetermined quality threshold, thereby improving the overall quality in the market. This study is the first to empirically examine the impact of MQSs on food safety in China. We constructed the number of mutton criminal cases (per billion people) as a proxy for food safety in a province, based on the data obtained from China Judgments Online, we evaluated the effect for the period of 2013 through 2019. Using the generalized difference-in-difference econometric method, we found that a higher minimum quality standard led to an increase in mutton criminal cases related to the production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy products. Such results highlight a potential unintended consequence of a higher MQS and call for a higher penalty cost to mitigate the unintended consequence. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of coconut water vendors are crucial to ensuring food safety, as inadequate food safety KAP may result in outbreaks of foodborne diseases. In addition, the public market, where these vendors are situated, is one of the most common places with inadequate sanitation, which may have an impact on the quality of the products sold. Considering these factors, the food safety KAP of coconut water vendors in Manila, Philippines was determined, as well as the physicochemical and microbiological qualities of coconut water samples. The study revealed ‘fairly good’ knowledge, attitude, and practices for coconut water vendors. There was no correlation between the food safety KAP scores; however, marital status showed a significant correlation with knowledge. Physicochemical properties revealed that the samples were suitable for microbial growth and that 5 of 8 samples were not in compliance with the Philippine standards for coconut water. Further, microbiological analysis showed that all coconut water samples did not meet the standard limits for TPC, YMC, and coliform counts. Staphylococcus spp. counts were also detected. Coliform counts showed a significant correlation with attitudes of coconut water vendors. Based from the result, coconut water vendors need proper guidance on food safety not only to improve its food safety KAP but to ensure product safety. Local government agencies need to strengthen its campaign, enforcement, and surveillance to ensure compliance by coconut water vendors. Food safety has garnered global concern.

Food Safety

The food production chain, “from harvest to table”, provides multiple opportunities for contact with hazardous substances. Thus, detection, removal, and control of risks from the food production chain are necessary. Single-Atom Materials (SAMs), in which the atomically dispersed and catalytically active metal atoms are stabilized by surrounding atoms, possess the maximum usage efficiency of active metal sites. Benefiting from their unique structures and catalytical properties distinct from the traditional nanomaterials, SAMs have emerged as the frontier of research field in food safety. In this review, we briefly summarize recent advances in the synthesis, characterization and properties of SAMs. Following that, the applications of SAMs in food safety are highlighted, such as food detection, food preservation, food packaging and food cleaning. Specifically, the advantage of SAMs in food safety and their structure-performance are highlighted. Finally, we present current challenges and provide possible approaches for the future development of SAMs towards food safety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the street food vendors’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding food safety as well as the associated factors that may affect those practices in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia. A community-based, crosssectional study was conducted from February 2020 to August 2020 using a quantitative data collection method on a total of 185 street food vendors. The data was collected through face-toface interviews via administered pre-tested structured questionnaire and an observational checklist. To determine the predictor variables linked to a high level of food safety practice, a multivariable logistic regression analysis with odds ratios and confidence intervals was utilized. The extension of the food industrial chain increases the overall food safety risk, and such changes in risk level are related to the behavior of enterprises along the chain. The selection of behavior strategies by enterprises is not only affected by the behaviors of upstream and downstream enterprises, but is also related to external supervision by the government and society. Based on a social cogovernance framework, this paper establishes a tripartite evolutionary game model that includes suppliers of raw materials, producers, and sellers. In light of the number of risk links in the food supply chain, all equilibrium points are classified into four risk situations, namely zero-link risk, single-link risk, double-link risk, or tri-link risk, to determine the conditions for their stability and verified using Matlab numerical simulation. The results show that the co-governance among the market, government, and society (consumers) is operating at a high-level state under the situation of zero-link risks in the food supply chain. It functions at a mid-level state under the situation of single-link risks and at a low-level state under the situations of double-link and tri-link risks. The risk level is only related to the level of social co-governance. The initial intention of any of the behavior subjects was not found to be a determining factor in terms of risk degree. Therefore, in order to prevent risks from occurring in all supply chain links concurrently, it is necessary to optimize the composition structure of the multi-supervision force of the government, market, society, and other stakeholders to achieve a multiplier effect in food safety risk control. This may provide insights for developing countries exploring the social co-governance of food safety risks.