Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Salmonella: These organisms inhabit the intestinal tract of man, animals, birds, reptiles and insects (including cockroaches) and therefore any contamination by faecal matter is likely to spread the infection. The contamination may be direct by animals or insects or unwashed hands or from crossed contamination from raw meat, poultry carcases, duck eggs, dirty hen eggs or polluted water or indirectly via flies, dust, fruit, or vegetables. The contamination is likely to spread illness if the type of food involved spreading illness if the type of food involved is a good media for bacteria growth and is held for several hours at a dangerous temperature i.e. 5 600C.
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Staphylococci: Staphylococcus is common in mucous membrane of nose, throat of even healthy people, also on human skin, ears and hair. They are present in very large numbers in boils, pimple, abscesses and suppurating wounds. It is also found in raw milk (mainly from mastitis cows) and dust. Consequently coughing, sneezing, hand to nose or hand to mouth contact, suppurating wounds, etc. are all liable for food contamination and incubation at wrong temperature are liable to cause products of toxin.
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Cl. welchii: It is found on dust, soil, clothing, raw meat and faeces. And direct or indirect contamination of a suitable food following by incubation is liable to result into an illness. Cl. botalinum: This anaerobic organisms has been isolated from dust, faeces, soil, mud from the sea bottom, mud from fish ponds and such contamination in law acid food and packed in such a manner as to exclude oxygen is liable to permit the production of highly poisonous poisons.
Other organisms
Several other organisms may product food poisoning e.g. vibrio parahaemolyticus resulting from shell fish. Certain streptococcus from raw milk, protons from dust (in rice) all come from similar sources to the major food poisoning agents and similar principals therefore apply i.e. Avoid faecal exposure Wash hands before handling food. Avoid insect and rodent infestations Protect from animal contamination Reduce dust to a minimum Thoroughly cock all meat
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Do not hold any food at dangerous temperatures. Give special attention to special foods. Use drinking water quality only. Pasteurise milk supplies. Provide hygienic abattoirs. Avoid cross contamination with raw meat. Medical examination of food handlers. Avoid cross contamination with washed and cooked vegetables Wear clean overalls
Chemical poisoning
Chemical food poisoning is rare but when it occurs the consequences can very serious Symptoms: Acute on set of less than one hour; Vomiting, diarrhoea and Burning sensations in the chest, neck and abdomen Chronic poisoning; chemical builds up in the body over a period of time causing problems e.g. cancer and damage to nervous system
Contamination by fungicides, rodentalcides and insecticides Excessive quantities of pesticide sprayed onto fruit and vegetables as they grow Misuse of antibiotics during the rearing of animals Environmental contamination of soil or water Misuse of cleaning chemicals at food premises Incorrect storage of cleaning materials, weed killer or pesticides Fraud e.g. olive oil sold in Spain was contaminated by a toxic and Austrian wine was contaminated by antifreeze type chemical
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Antimony; typically from the enamel coating of cooking pots Cadmium; typically cookers, refrigerator shelves and some types of earthenware pots and dishes Copper; usually from cooking utensils and some instances where copper pipes have contaminated cold drinks or milk dispensed by machines Lead; from some types of earthenware, lead crystal or ceramics
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Tin and iron; usually from cans Zinc; typically from galvanised equipment Accidental use of poisons as food e.g. cockroach poisons used as baking powder
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Misuse of poisonous substance e.g. spraying food stuffs with poison during storing, spraying crops immediately before harvesting, spillage of poison near food, accidental misuse of poison and the use of unsuitable containers for the storage or distillation of food are all common courses of chemical poisoning Berries, roots and green on potatoes due to sun (solanine)
Poisonous fish
Scombrotoxic fish poisoning Paralytic shellfish poisoning and Diarrhetic poisoning
3. Diarrhetic poisoning
This may occur in a similar manner. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting which last only a few days
Certain natural poison such as belladonna is well known. But with other foods it is often difficult to separate traditional beliefs and scientific facts. One can only accept advice on local bases of what is safe to be eaten until science confirms the safety of those in doubt. Mushrooms cover family members and every year many cases are reported causing cases of eatable variety. Certain normal foods may become infected with poisonous infection such as ergot rye, busarium on maize and similar infections on groundnuts. The aflatoxins produced are believed to be pathogenic and extreme cases have been known to cause deaths in dogs and ducks
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Allergic reaction
Individuals may develop allergic reaction to certain foods particularly in shellfish but also eggs, milk, gluten (flour made from grain), food colorants and nuts. Only a few individuals are affected by food allergies and shellfish are the food most commonly involved Symptoms; vomiting, diarrhoea, migraine, difficulty in breathing, collapse and unconsciousness
Temperature: Generally bacteria will thrive at the same temperature as that for the human body and at 370C in a suitable medium will double in number every 15-20 minutes. Most organisms can survive much lower temperatures but only a few can develop below 50C (psycrophilic organisms). Some species can survive and develop at higher temperatures than 600C (thermophilic). Thus, most dangerous temperature is 370c. Dangerous temperatures ranges is 50C to 600C and remember (outside dangerous temperatures range (DTR) does not sterilize) it is only inactivated and surviving organisms will multiply when within D.T.R.
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Time: The importance of time is interrelated with degree of initial contamination and temperature. Bacteria will double in number every 15 minutes at optimum temperature i.e. 370C on either side of this temperature bacteria growth will decrease to a perimeter of 50C at a lower end and 600C at a higher end. Below 50C food poisoning organisms are not a problem although putrefactive organisms may still develop slowly. The time when foods stands in dangerous areas must therefore be reduced to an absolute minimum and where foods are to be stored for a long period, the temperature must be outside the dangerous range i.e. below 50C and above 600C.
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pH: The safety of food is related to their pH value in that foods on the acid side of pH 4.5 are relatively safe in that most food poisoning organisms will not multiply and they can be effectively heat processed by boiling where as foods on an alkaline side (less acid) require temperatures in the region of 1150C. Acid foods are generally fruits including berries e.g. tomatoes, appeals, roseberries, strawberries etc. The above is most important with canned foods.
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Clostridum welchii: as per botulism Salmonella typhi: 600C for 30 minutes Shegella: 600C for 30 minutes Entamoeba histolytic cysts: killed by 680C Taenia saginata: killed by 710C for 5 minutes Necator amerianus: killed by 450C for 50 minutes Trachinella spirolis: killed by 620C Brucella abortus: killed by 610C 3 minutes at Tuberculosis: killed by 62.50C for 30 minutes or for a few seconds at 670C Diphtheria: as for TB
5. Documentary sample
These are collected by copying the documents covering the sale of an item without collecting an actual physical sample of the item. This situation arises when examination of photographs or a copy of the label of the item on the literature or claims made for it, is sufficient to show a violation of the Act or Registration