Caterina Barone

Salvatore Parisi

Michele Barone

Izabela Steinka

Marcella Barbera

This Brief explores the chemistry and production technology of a cheese precursor: the cow’s milk curd. It explains how different coagulation and treatment methods can be used to obtain various types of cheeses. Parameters such as the type of used milk, the coagulation method, pH value, color, and microbial fermentation have a profound impact on the resulting curd properties, and hence on the cheese. The authors discuss some of the most important parameters, and how their modification can lead to a variety of cheese and dairy products. This Brief also addresses the question, if cheese makers can standardize their production procedures, and what role chemistry may play in that. Another important point addressed here are the sources of failures in the curd production, e.g. in packaging systems. Readers will find selected examples of helpful analytical techniques for studying and evaluating curd quality, and for monitoring the chemical evolution of selected chemical substances or protein aggregation.

Chemical Profiles of Industrial Cow’s Milk Curds

Ramesh Kumar Sharma

This Brief provides a general description of the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). It describes the RASFF approach on the legal level and with reference to notification procedures, including also new tools, which were launched in 2014: iRASFF and the RASFF Consumer Portal. In an introduction, the present status of the RASFF, which had originally been introduced in 1979, is briefly reviewed. It is described as the main basis of modern food policy in Europe, enabling member countries to take rapid corrective actions on the one hand, and to perform statistically reliable analyses of food-related hazards on the other hand. One chapter contains a statistical evaluation of RASFF notifications in general, and specifically with regard to chemical contaminants, including also allergens. In another chapter, reasons for rejections of food and feed at the European borders are analyzed in selected case studies. The Brief provides an easy description for the chemical dangers and contaminants it is referring to, outlining the names, properties, uses and importance in the food and feed industry, toxicological effects, and contamination sources. The last chapter offers an outlook on the future of the RASFF and possible expectations.

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

Chemistry and Food Safety in the EU

Amélia Martins Delgado

Maria Daniel Vaz Almeida

Have you ever wondered what makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy? Do you enjoy olives, tomatoes, Chouriço and Mozzarella, basil, rosemary and oregano, grapes, figs, and dates; and would you like to learn more about the substances they contain? Then this book is for you! The Mediterranean diet, designated as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, has a reputation of being particularly beneficial to your health and for reducing the risk of diseases like cardiovascular disorders. Read this book to find out which chemical compounds contribute to these health benefits. Typical ingredients of the Mediterranean diet include olive oils, fresh and dried vegetables and fruits, cereals, moderate amounts of fish, dairy and meat, and various condiments and spices, typically accompanied by wine and infusions. The book will introduce you to the most typical ingredients, providing information about their use in Mediterranean cuisine and explaining more about the healthy substances they contain – from their chemistry to their occurrence in the foods and the resulting intake. Summarizing important facts and data from available scientific literature, this book even gives recommendations for guidelines to a healthy diet – guidelines that are becoming more and more important. In recent years, it has been observed that nutritional habits in the geographical area have started to deviate further and further away from the typical Mediterranean nutritional pattern, representing an alarming trend that this book also critically addresses, since the WHO has reported increases in obesity and malnutrition in the Mediterranean area. Illustrations of important chemical compound structures, as well as appetizing photos of select ingredients for Mediterranean dishes, accompany the text.

Chemistry of the Mediterranean Diet

Marina Micali

This Brief presents a chemical perspective on frozen vegetables, also known as “ready-to-use” foods. It elucidates the chemical properties and modifications of vegetables from harvest and treatment to the end of their long shelf-life. Particular attention is given to the microbiological colonization of vegetables during the freezing treatments and to the chemical and physical modifications associated. The authors explore the undesired effects of this colonization through the lens of the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococci found in hermetically-package frozen vegetables. With this informative and instructive Brief, readers will understand the importance of the frozen storage technologies.

The Chemistry of Frozen Vegetables

Aleardo Zaccheo

Eleonora Palmaccio

Morgan Venable

Isabella Locarnini-Sciaroni

The book demonstrates that food safety is a multidisciplinary scientific discipline that is specifically designed to prevent foodborne illness to consumers. It is generally assumed to be an axiom by both nonprofessionals and professionals alike, that the most developed countries, through their intricate and complex standards, formal trainings and inspections, are always capable of providing much safer food items and beverages to consumers as opposed to the lesser developed countries and regions of the world. Clearly, the available data regarding the morbidity and the mortality in different areas of the world confirms that in developing countries, the prevalence and the incidence of presumptive foodborne illness is much greater. However, other factors need to be taken into consideration in this overall picture: First of all, one of the key issues in developing countries appears to be the availability of safe drinking water, a key element in any food safety strategy. Second, the availability of healthcare facilities, care providers, and medicines in different parts of the world makes the consequences of foodborne illness much more important and life threatening in lesser developed countries than in most developed countries. It would be therefore ethnocentric and rather simplistic to state that the margin of improvement in food safety is only directly proportional to the level of development of the society or to the level of complexity of any given national or international standard. Besides standards and regulations, humans as a whole have evolved and adapted different strategies to provide and to ensure food and water safety according to their cultural and historical backgrounds. Our goal is to discuss and to compare these strategies in a cross-cultural and technical approach, according to the realities of different socio-economic, ethnical and social heritages.

Food Hygiene and Applied Food Microbiology in an Anthropological Cross Cultural Perspective

Moawiya A. Haddad

Mohammed I. Yamani

Da'san M.M. Jaradat

Maher Obeidat

Saeid M. Abu-Romman

This book outlines the evolution of food traceability matters in the current traditional foods market and particularly with regard to selected historical foods based in Jordan. At present, traceability is just one of the many requirements the food industry is forced to meet. The topic can be approached from various angles: regulation, technological perspectives, food business operators, packaging manufacturers, software producers, and consumer views. In addition, traceable food products provide an interesting legacy for many geographical and ethnic cultures. Consequently, the examination of certain recipes or food products linked with history and traditions can make a unique and valuable contribution to future developments in this area. In this regard, Jordanian foods offer a prime example. This book examines three traditional products from different viewpoints, paying special attention to their chemical composition, the identification of raw materials, preparation procedures, and traceability. The book begins with a more general discussion on food traceability without detailed regional implications, while the second chapter discusses the product hummus in its many versions. In turn, the third and fourth chapters focus on two fermented dairy products, labaneh and jameed, and their connections with the Mediterranean diet. The book offers a valuable reference guide to many traditional/historical products in the Middle East, with a particular focus on traceability matters and solutions.

Current Perspectives

Food Traceability in Jordan

Salvatore Parisi

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