Tools on chemical and microbiological hazards
Combase, a collaboration between the University of Tasmania and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), is the world’s largest and freely-accessible database that describes how pathogens and spoilage organisms respond to diverse food environments. Its main features are the ComBase database and ComBase models.
Twenty-nine additional models have been added in November 2018 bringing the total to sixty two. The new models include E coli models for lettuce and a Listeria monocytogenes model for Blue cheese. Over 60,000 records have been deposited into ComBase, describing how food environments, such as temperature, pH, and water activity, as well as other factors...
This database provides the most recent specifications for flavourings evaluated by JECFA permits searches for specific flavourings using six different criteria (flavouring name or synonym, alphabetical browsing, JECFA number, CAS number, FEMA number and structural group).
This database provides the most recent specifications for food additives evaluated by JECFA and permits searches for specific additives using five criteria (additive name, browsing an alphabetical, INS number, CAS number, functional use).
This database contains the most recent information on veterinary drugs and their residues in foods evaluated by JECFA and allows searches using four criteria (Keyword, Functional Class, Acceptable daily intake (ADI) status, Maximum residue level (MRL) status).
The FSSP software has been developed to facilitate the practical use of mathematical models to predict growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food. A major objective has been to develop a user-friendly software to predict the effect of constant or fluctuating temperature storage conditions on product shelf-life. FSSP is a significantly expanded version of the Seafood Spoilage and Safety Predictor software which was first released in January 1999. This Windows-based software is available for free from the Danish National Food Institute.
Scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP), often called “histamine poisoning”, is caused by ingestion of certain species of marine fish that contain high levels of histamine and possibly other biogenic amines. The fish species involved contain high levels of free histidine in their tissue and include tuna and other pelagic species like mackerel, sardines, and anchovy. When these fish are subjected to temperature abuse (Generally higher than 25 °C for more than 6 hours or for longer at lower temperature) during and/or after harvest, bacterial decarboxylation of histidine leads to histamine formation.
FAO and WHO have developed a tool to support decision-making...
Microbiological criteria are risk management metrics which are used to indicate the acceptability of a food, or the performance of either a process or a food safety control system following the outcome of sampling and testing for microorganisms at a specified point of the food chain. The components of a microbiological criterion include the microbiological limit that is to be implemented, the testing method to be employed, the sampling plan (i.e., size and number of samples to be examined), and the actions to be taken when the microbiological limit is exceeded.
A microbiological criterion can be used either as a tool...
Mycotoxins are toxic and/or carcinogenic metabolites produced by several fungi such as Fusarium and Aspergillus spp. Under certain environmental conditions, moulds that produce mycotoxins can grow on grains, nuts, and many other agricultural crops. The subsequent impacts of mycotoxin contamination of agricultural commodities on human and animal health as well as on national and international trade are increasingly concerning both developing and developed countries.
Designing effective sampling plans for mycotoxin detection in food commodities is a complex task. This Mycotoxin Sampling Tool provides support in analyzing performance of sampling plans, and determining the most appropriate mycotoxin sampling plan to minimize risk...
Cronobacter sakazakii (previously Enterobacter sakazakii) is a gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. On occasion, it has been associated with sporadic cases or small outbreaks of sepsis, meningitis, cerebritis and necrotizing enterocolitis. The risk assessment addresses powdered infant formula (PIF) that is intrinsically contaminated with C. sakazakii. This risk assessment considers the preparation, storage and feeding of PIF to infants. The model:
Describes the effect that each of the preparation and storage stages has upon the intrinsic microbiological quality of the PIF in terms of C. sakazakii.
Assesses the impact of different-end product sampling regimes on risk reduction and...
This risk management simulation tool is based on the Codex Guidelines (CAC/GL 78-2011) for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat . This process flows model can describe the complete production-to-consumption flow path described in the guidelines. Users may investigate one or both pathogens and determine which steps to include in the process flow. The tool is designed to compute the residual risk between a baseline process flow and a process flow applying selected interventions as outlined in the guidelines. The residual risk measure may be used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the applied interventions.
Risk Ranger is a simple and accessible food safety risk calculation tool intended to help determine relative risks from various product/pathogen/processing combinations and is presented in Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet software.
In addition to ranking risks, Risk Ranger helps to focus the attention of the users on the interplay of factors that contribute to foodborne disease. The model can be used to explore the effect of different risk-reduction strategies, or the extent of change required to bring about a desired reduction in risk.
The model can be used by risk managers and others without extensive experience in risk modelling. It is a useful...
This is a statistical tool for experts who prepare working papers for the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). It may be used in cases where a statistical approach appears to be the method of first choice when elaborating MRLs.
Tool: www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/agns/zip/tool_1.1551.zip
Examples: www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/agns/zip/examples.zip
Documentation: www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/agns/zip/handbook.zip