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Lignocellulosic waste materials are among the most abundant raw materials on Earth, and they have been widely studied as natural additives in materials, especially for polymer composites, with interesting results when it comes to improving physiochemical properties. The main components of these materials are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, as well as small amounts of other polysaccharides, proteins, and other extractives. Several kinds of lignocellulosic materials, mainly fibers, have been evaluated in polymer matrices, and recently, the use of particles has increased due to their high surface area. Garlic is a spice seed that generates a waste husk that does not have applications, and there are no reports of industrial use of this kind of lignocellulosic material. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a polymer processing technique that allows for obtaining complex shapes that are hard to obtain with ordinary techniques. The use of composites based on synthetic polymers and lignocellulosic materials is a growing field of research. In the present work, the elaboration and evaluation of 3D-printed polypropylene–garlic husk particle (PP-GHP) composites are reported. First, the process of obtaining a filament by means of a single extrusion was carried out, using different GHP contents in the composites. Once the filament was obtained, it was taken to a 3D printer to obtain probes that were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed with the aim of evaluating the thermal behavior of the 3D-printed PP-GHP composites. According to the obtained results, the crystallization process and thermal stability of the PP-GHP composites were modified with the presence of GHP compared with pristine PP. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the addition of GHP decreased the storage modulus of the printed composites and that the Tan δ peak width increased, which was associated with an increase in toughness and a more complex structure of the 3D-printed composites. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the addition of GHP favored the presence of the β-phase of PP in the printed composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to experimentally evaluate the specific impact of a collaborative heat sink composed of gravity heat pipes (GHP) and pulsating heat pipes (PHP) on the thermal efficiency of LED light sources. The heat sink developed in this experiment is designed to improve the thermal management system, ensuring that LED operate within a safe temperature range, which is crucial as the performance of LED is directly affected by their junction temperature. An HPPHP collaborative heat sink was employed in the experiment, where PHP served as heat dissipating fins to enhance its thermal performance, while HP handles the majority of the heat transfer tasks. The results showed that under forced convection conditions, the HP-PHP collaborative heat sink can increase the maximum thermal power capacity of LED to 192 W. The HP-PHP collaborative heat sink can reduce the substrate’s temperature to below 70.5 °C in passive mode when the LED input power does not exceed 96 W. Additional experimental results show that the minimum thermal resistance of the collaborative heat sink is 0.19 K/W under natural- convection conditions, under forced convection conditions, this value drops to 0.15 K/W, which still lower than the non-collaborative heat sink. These results demonstrate that the contact thermal resistance between HP and PHP significantly enhances the thermal performance of the collaborative heat sink. Therefore, this collaborative type of heat sink is an effective method for cooling high power LED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic waste materials are among the most abundant raw materials on Earth, and they have been widely studied as natural additives in materials, especially for polymer composites, with interesting results when it comes to improving physiochemical properties. The main components of these materials are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, as well as small amounts of other polysaccharides, proteins, and other extractives. Several kinds of lignocellulosic materials, mainly fibers, have been evaluated in polymer matrices, and recently, the use of particles has increased due to their high surface area. Garlic is a spice seed that generates a waste husk that does not have applications, and there are no reports of industrial use of this kind of lignocellulosic material. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a polymer processing technique that allows for obtaining complex shapes that are hard to obtain with ordinary techniques. The use of composites based on synthetic polymers and lignocellulosic materials is a growing field of research. In the present work, the elaboration and evaluation of 3D-printed polypropylene–garlic husk particle (PP-GHP) composites are reported. First, the process of obtaining a filament by means of a single extrusion was carried out, using different GHP contents in the composites. Once the filament was obtained, it was taken to a 3D printer to obtain probes that were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed with the aim of evaluating the thermal behavior of the 3D-printed PP-GHP composites. According to the obtained results, the crystallization process and thermal stability of the PP-GHP composites were modified with the presence of GHP compared with pristine PP. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the addition of GHP decreased the storage modulus of the printed composites and that the Tan δ peak width increased, which was associated with an increase in toughness and a more complex structure of the 3D-printed composites. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the addition of GHP favored the presence of the β-phase of PP in the printed composites.

Copyright of Zywnosc is the property of Polish Society of Food Technologists - Scientific Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The application of gas engine driven heat pump (GHP) system can improve the peak valley difference of power and gas system and promote the low-carbon utilization of energy system. The energy consumption of GHP system in different types of buildings and especially the coefficient of performance (COP) under partial load rate needs more analysis. In this paper, according to the local meteorological parameters in Shanghai, the COP operation curve of GHP and electric driven heat pump (EHP) units under partial load rate was analyzed. Combined with the load calculation, the annual energy consumption of GHP and EHP units in different types of buildings, and the influence of energy price on economy of GHP system were analyzed. For office buildings and catering buildings, the energy consumption and operating costs of GHP system were slightly lower than those of EHP system, while for hotel buildings, the annual operating costs of GHP were lower than those of EHP only when the winter gas price was 2.39 yuan/m3 and the summer gas price was 2.19 yuan/m3. Therefore, in order to promote the market competitiveness of gas air conditioning, it is necessary to further refine the gas price or charge standard.

Food safety is an essential and integral part of public health policies in developed countries. Canned foods play a significant role in modern human nutrition. Improving the safety of internal control in production is additional prevention of the potential risks of consuming contaminated food. The present study aims to perform a health assessment and medical analysis of the Internal Control System and a canning company's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Our study also aimed to find potential mechanisms to increase the safety in producing this type of ready-to-eat foods and possible new approaches in avoiding and managing risks. An audit algorithm was developed to analyze the existing food safety systems in the enterprise to achieve the study's goal. The algorithm was based on the Codex Alimentarius methodology, presented in the document "Food Quality and Safety Systems - A Training Manual on Food Hygiene and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System. A medical analysis of the Internal Control System was performed, based on the prerequisite programs, technical documentation, and the company's HACCP-plan. The analysis of the documentation and the critical remarks made can provide more reliable conditions for producing products safe for consumers' health. The proposed corrections in the Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and the HACCP plan, mainly through adequately naming authentic hazards of a biological nature, are the basis for more professional verification of the processes and ensuring food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the requirements regarding food safety, in addition to the HACCP system, food operators are required to adopt, implement and document Good Hygiene Practice (GMP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Standard Sanitary Operating Procedures (SSOP). Therefore, the purpose of our research was to determine the importance of implemented hygienic and manufacturing practices in the meat industry in the municipality of Prilep. Analysis of the sensory, physicochemical and microbiological parameters of water, as well as the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on the contact surface and in thin sausage (vacuum packed) was performed. The results of the water analysis show that it is safe and does not lead to additional contamination of sausages. In addition, the absence of Listeria monocytogenes is a result of well-established practices regarding the microbiological quality of sausages.

In this study, the effective thermal conductivity of glass wool was measured under different temperature and packing ratio conditions using a high-precision guarded hot plate (GHP) apparatus, which adopted a Peltier module. From the measurement results, it was confirmed that the effective thermal conductivity was linearly proportional to the cubic of absolute temperature. Varying the packing ratio, the influence amount of the radiative heat transfer on the effective thermal conductivity varied from 44 to 66% for different packing ratio. The influence of the radiative heat transfer on the effective thermal conductivity decreases with increasing of the packing ratio. From the variation of the effective thermal conductivity against cubic of the temperature, the Rosseland mean extinction coefficient were evaluated and the equivalent thermal conductivity by the radiation was estimated. The equivalent thermal conductivity by the radiation decreases as increasing of packing ratio of the glass wool and this result could be explained by the increment of the Rossleand mean extinction coefficient. From the comparison between the theoretical and experimental results of the equivalent thermal conductivity by radiation, a correction value that depends on the packing ratio is required. Furthermore, we compared the experimental values and the calculated values by Kunii's formula for the thermal conductivity of the glass wool with different packing ratio and it was confirmed that the quantitative evaluation of the equivalent thermal conductivity by the radiation is important for estimating the total effective thermal conductivity of the glass wool.

Rice is still a strategic commodity in Indonesia, because it is still a staple food for most of Indonesia's population. Fulfillment of production must also be accompanied by aspects of quality fulfillment. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of rice and to evaluate the application of Good Handling Practice (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in small and medium rice miling in Karawang Regency. The performance of rice quality was evaluated based on the requirements for the rice quality class from the Minister of Agriculture Regulation Number: 31/Permentan/PP.130/8/2017 which includes water content, head rice, broken grains and whiteness degrees. Based on the results of quality of rice, it was found that the water contents in the medium and premium quality were 64% and 27%, respectively. Based on the criteria for quality of head rice, it was obtained that all samples were not included premium quality and 22.2% in medium quality. For the criteria of broken grains, it was found 36% in medium quality and the other were below the quality standard. Meanwhile, based on the whiteness degree, most of the rice samples were included in the medium and premium rice qualities. The applications of GHP in rice milling were 42% for small rice milling and 50% for medium rice milling, whereas applications of GMP were 69% for small rice milling and 92% for medium rice milling. Lack of socialisation regarding the importance of quality and implementations of GHP and GMP, and cost of risk that must be added by implementing GMP and GHP were factors caused the low quality of rice in Karawang

In current study it was aimed to investigate hygiene indicators at control points of pilot-selected butcher shops (n=10) by using the conventional swabbing method and ATP Bioluminescence swabbing method. Air sampling device (Newtry™ Air sampler HAS-100B) was used for the hygiene control of the microbiological load of air in cold storage rooms. The number of yeast-mold was measured for determination microbiological load of air. For the measurement of the microbial load in food handlers' hands, staphylococci, coliform bacteria counts were investigated. In order to measure the microbiological load of the surfaces coliform bacteria and total mesophile aerobe bacteria (TMAB) counts were investigated. Surface samples were collected from 3 different points which were determined as control points. These were: 1. cutting surfaces, 2. knife, 3. mincing machine. All the surfaces were mentioned as cleaned before the sampling. A scoring system was developed and good hygiene practice (GHP) status was defined for each butcher shops depending on this scoring system. The calculated scores showed us that, most of the selected butcher shops had satisfied level of GHP. The most important contamination point was found to be the cutting boards and mincing machines even they were cleaned. Air microbiological load in cold storage rooms were below the limits and hands of staffs were mostly clean in terms of coliform and S. aureus. We can conclude that; the scoring system can be used as a tool of hygiene status monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal conductivity of porous insulation materials and vacuum insulation panel (VIP) composed of glass wool were measured under different temperature conditions using a high-precision guarded hot plate (GHP) apparatus developed by author’s research group. This GHP device used a Peltier module to measure the temperature difference between the main plate and the guard plate. The temperature fluctuation of the Peltier module is ± 20 μK, which is 500 times more accurate than the commonly used thermopile. The element of the thermal conductivity of the porous heat insulating material were classified. The expanded uncertainty calculated with the inclusion coefficient kcf = 2 was 0.25% or less for the porous insulation and 0.51% or less for the VIP composed of glass wool. It can be expected that the measurement of thermal conductivity is highly accurate. Moreover, it was confirmed that the measured value of effective thermal conductivity was linearly proportional to the cubic of temperature. It has been experimentally shown that the equivalent radiative thermal conductivity of the porous insulating material and VIP composed of glass wool occupy from 30% to 50% and 36.0% under normal temperature environment 20 °C respectively. Furthermore, the effective thermal conductivity of VIP and its punched one were compared. It was clarified that the thermal conductivity of the porous insulating material was suppressed by about 75% under the vacuum environment. Evaluating the thermal conductivity component of effective thermal conductivity in the porous insulation material, the variation of the solid thermal conductivity by the changing of the porosity was discussed qualitatively.

In order to meet the requirements regarding food safety, in addition to the HACCP system, food operators are required to adopt, implement and document Good Hygiene Practice (GMP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Standard Sanitary Operating Procedures (SSOP). Therefore, the purpose of our research was to determine the importance of implemented hygienic and manufacturing practices in the meat industry in the municipality of Prilep. Analysis of the sensory, physicochemical and microbiological parameters of water, as well as the presence of Listeria monocytogenes on the contact surface and in thin sausage (vacuum packed) was performed. The results of the water analysis show that it is safe and does not lead to additional contamination of sausages. In addition, the absence of Listeria monocytogenes is a result of well-established practices regarding the microbiological quality of sausages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semi-analytical model for simulating transient conductive-convective heat flow in a three-dimensional shallow geothermal system consisting of multiple borehole heat exchangers (BHE) embedded in a multilayer soil mass is introduced. The model is formulated in three steps, starting from an axial symmetric system and ending in a 3D multilayer, multiple BHE system. In step 1, the model is formulated as a single BHE embedded in an axial symmetric homogeneous soil layer, and the governing heat equations are solved analytically using the fast Fourier transform, the eigenfunction expansion and the modified Bessel function. In step 2, the model is extended to incorporate multiple layers using the spectral element method. And in step 3, the model is extended to incorporate multiple borehole heat exchangers using a superposition technique suitable for Dirichlet boundary conditions. The ensuing computational model solves detailed three-dimensional heat flow using minimal CPU time and capacity. The number of the required spectral elements is equal to the number of soil layers embedded in which any number of borehole heat exchangers with any layout configuration. A verification example illustrating the model accuracy and numerical examples illustrating its computational capabilities are given. Despite the apparent rigor of the proposed model, its high accuracy and computational efficiency make it suitable for engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of analyzing the potential benefits of a natural gas-fired absorption heat pump (GAHP) for a library building in Ontario in terms of energy savings, fuel cost savings, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Simulation model for the library building was created in eQUEST and calibrated using the energy consumption data from the 2012–2014. The results for energy savings were analyzed to include the effect of implementation of carbon pricing. It was concluded that because of implementation of carbon pricing, the replacement of conventional heating equipment with more efficient gas-fired heat pump would increase the monetary value of the savings achieved from reduced natural gas consumption, due to increased price of natural gas. Furthermore, due to the longer heating season in Canada and the relatively higher price of electricity compared to natural gas the gas-fired heat pump can potentially achieve positive energy cost savings when operated in both heating and cooling mode even after implementation of carbon pricing.

A comprehensive spectral element formulation for nonhomogeneous heat flow in a shallow geothermal system consisting of a borehole heat exchanger embedded in a multilayer soil mass is introduced. The spectral element method is utilized to solve the governing heat equations in the borehole heat exchanger and the soil mass simultaneously using the fast Fourier transform, the eigenfunction expansion, the Fourier Bessel series and the complex Fourier series, together with the finite element method. Only one spectral element is necessary to describe heat flow in a homogeneous domain. For a nonhomogeneous multilayer system, the number of spectral elements is equal to the number of layers. The proposed spectral element model combines the exactness of the analytical methods with an important extent of generality in describing the geometry and boundary conditions of the numerical methods. Verification examples illustrating the model accuracy, and numerical examples illustrating its capability to simulate multilayer systems are given. Despite the apparent rigor of the proposed model, it is robust, computationally efficient and easy to implement in computer codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslims follow the religion of Islam and the food they eat should be Halal, meaning lawful or permissible. Muslims are allowed to eat halal and wholesome food that has been provided for them. However, some of the main prohibitions are swine flesh, blood, carrion, animals not slaughtered according to Islamic laws and alcoholic drinks. At present Halal assurance is in a complicated state, with various Halal standards differing from each other without gaining mutual acceptance. The world is starting to understand the need for an influential globally accepted standard that would open doors to global markets and gain consumer confidence. This paper discusses issues mainly related to food safety in Halal assurance. The aim was to discover and describe the approach to food safety requirements in Halal food provision and how this is incorporated in the Halal assurance systems. The position of food safety regulation within Halal requirements or Halal standards’ requirements for food safety is still unclear. This review also considers whether current Halal standards include criteria in common with internationally accepted food hygiene standards and emphasizes the potential of using the HACCP system for Halal assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a semi-analytical model for the simulation of transient heat transfer with friction heat gain in a single U-tube geothermal borehole heat exchanger subjected to an arbitrary heat flux signal. The friction effect appears as a nonhomogeneous term in the governing equations, which constitutes a set of coupled partial differential equations describing heat flow in the three components of the borehole; pipe-in, pipe-out and grout. We utilize the spectral analysis for discretizing the time domain, and the eigenfunction expansion for discretizing the spatial domain to solve the governing initial and boundary value problem. The proposed model combines the exactness of the analytical methods with an important extent of generality in describing the geometry and boundary conditions of the numerical methods. The model is verified analytically against a simplified one-dimensional solution. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effect of friction on heat transfer in the borehole heat exchanger for different fluid velocities and viscosities. The analysis shows; for the geometry, materials fluid velocities and viscosities, typically utilized in shallow geothermal systems; the friction is not really significant. However, the main advantage of this work is on the solution technique that can be useful for many other applications, including fluid flow in narrow pipes, high fluid velocities, high fluid viscosities, and pipes made of composite materials and of complex geometry. Also, the method can be useful for solving other nonhomogeneous coupled partial differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented in this work are measurements of the thermal conductivity of insulation materials in the temperature range between -- 160°C and 700°C using the GHP (guarded hot plate) technique. The samples investigated are the reference materials IRMM-440 (IRMM = Institute of Reference Materials and Measurements [1]) and NIST SRM 1450D (NIST = National Institute of Standards & Technology [2]) certified in the limited temperature interval between about -- 10°C and 70°C, calcium silicate type SilCal 1100 [3] and expanded glass granulate [4]. All samples cover a range of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity values between 0.013W/(m-K) and 0.16W/(m-K). The experimentally observed accuracy of about ±1% at room temperature and ±5% at minimum and maximum temperatures, respectively, is in agreement with combined standard uncertainty values (coverage factor k = 1) for the type [5] GHP and measurement conditions applied. The results on SilCal 1100 and expanded glass granulate - both candidates for a standard material for insulating materials at high temperatures - are compared with previous results from recent interlaboratory comparisons [6,7]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric hyperplastic polyps (GHP) are the most common type of polyps occurring in the stomach. Although GHP are broadly interpreted as benign lesions, they may progress to dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify genomic mutations that characterize and may drive malignant transformation in GHP by using next-generation sequencing. Eight GHP (2 with dysplasia, 1 indefinite for dysplasia and 5 without dysplasia) were studied. Only large polyps (> 1 cm) with gastric differentiation were included in this study, while adenomatous polyps (intestinal-type) were excluded. Immunohistochemistry for MUC2, MUC5A, MUC6, CDX2, p53, and Ki67 was performed. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections and sequenced for the detection of somatic mutations. Multiplex sequencing was done with the TrueSeq Amplicon Cancer Panel in the MiSeq platform. Variant annotation and visualization were performed using NextGENe (SoftGenetics) software. No pathogenic mutations were detected in GHP without dysplasia. TP53 gene mutations were the most common alteration in dysplastic GHP (2 of 2 dysplastic cases). PIK3CA mutation was identified in a GHP with pyloric-type dysplasia, whereas foveolar-type dysplasia carried TP53 mutations. In conclusion, TP53 gene mutations are a common alteration in the early dysplastic stage during malignant transformation of GHP. GHP with dysplasia may show dual differentiation. In our study, pyloric-type dysplasia was associated with a PIK3CA alteration whereas foveolar dysplasia carried TP53 mutations. The identification of carcinoma-associated mutations in large GHP provides additional evidence of their neoplastic potential and emphasizes the need for their complete resection and follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows the way how the food safety systems are functioning in Polish networks of grocery stores. The study was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2012 in the south‐eastern Poland. There were chosen three organizations that meet certain conditions: medium size Polish grocery network without participation of foreign capital and up to 30 retail locations within the group. Studies based on a case study model. The research found that regular and unannounced inspections carried out to each store's, impact on increasing safety of food offered and the verification of GHP requirements on the headquarters level has a significant impact on the safety of food offered as well as on the knowledge and behavior of employees. In addition it was found that the verification and analysis of food safety management system is an effective tool for improving food safety. It was also shown that in most cases there is no formal crisis management system for the food protection in the surveyed companies and employees are only informed of what to do in case of an emergency.

Copyright of LogForum is the property of LogForum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: This paper analyzes the operating principle and the advantages of the parallel-type hybrid-power gas engine-driven heat pump system (PHGHP) and builds test systems to test the performance of the system in the heating conditions and cooling conditions. PHGHP used heat pump system's cooling capacity, heat capacity, fuel-consumed flow, fuel consumed-rate, thermal efficiency and reclaimed heat as the economic analysis parameters. In addition, this paper puts forward the concept of the equivalent fuel-consumed flow and the equivalent output power of engine. The test results show, the speed and torque of gas engine which used the baseline control strategy and combined with a gas engine optimization curve control strategy are always in the designated economic. Fuel-consumed flow changes in 280–340g(kWh)−1. With compressor speed increasing, the drive system thermal efficiency is maintained between 0.23 and 0.28. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents an assessment of catering equipment located in selected school canteens in Koszalin. It describes their work and technical condition, frequency of use and cleaning. It also presents meals distribution and serving system in school canteens and food quality evaluation based on the used food quality systems in the each canteen. The research shows types of equipment, functioning and food quality systems used in school canteens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the latest food safety initiatives for hospitality businesses in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE. It is the fifth paper in a themed issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes presenting international food safety management challenges and solutions. Design/methodology/approach – The Sharjah Food Safety Program is presented, with a detailed description of the phased, multi-layered management approach, with progress to date. Findings – Initial results indicate recognizable improvements in food safety awareness and performance in the businesses. Practical implications – The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders involved in the food industry. Originality/value – This paper presents an innovative strategy of integrating training, HACCP implementation and verification. It offers governments and other stakeholders a practical "template" that can accelerate HACCP implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Food safety practices and procedures, in the new Member States, are being scrutinized closely both by the public and the European Commission. HACCP is increasingly relied on to ensure food safety in both food producing and catering businesses. Public concern in Cyprus about safety and quality of food has been growing and food businesses have to review their safety procedures more rigorously. Our survey shows that the size of business is the best indicator of application of HACCP and that small businesses are lagging behind in ensuring safety of their products due to financial constraints. According to our survey implementation level of the HACCP system in food businesses in Cyprus is approximately 17%. Awareness of potential hazards in food production and food handling is very limited. The recognition of the full potential of the HACCP system for ensuring food safety requires assistance from the Cyprus Government and the EU Commission. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The legal framework in Greece which ensures that food operations provide safe foods to consumers is described. The level of hotels' compliance with food safety legislation is reported along with the reasons that affect conformity with regulatory requirements, particularly the implementation of HACCP. The safety of foods served in hotels was assessed using the microbial quality of hot and cold meals as indicator. Food was examined for the presence of Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus coagulase positive and Escherichia coli. The colonies of the last two microorganisms were also enumerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiological quality of three catering services was assessed. Food samples (108) and samples (12) from surfaces and personnel in contact with the foodstuff were collected and divided into four categories. Results indicate that the meals supplied could be considered of satisfactory microbiological quality. The catering services seemed to comply with the instructions given, as far as the hygienic conditions of their facilities and personnel were concerned, but at times a lack of awareness in food preparation was evident, leading to a variation in the microbiological quality. Close attention should be given to milk products, especially trimmed cheese and the cheese used as a filling in cheese-pies, salads and some cooked foodstuff like spaghetti and rice-containing goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survey was carried out in 16 provinces of Poland. Its objective was to collect information on the actual situation in the area of implementing Good Manufacture Practice (GMP), Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) in food production and processing plants. The survey demonstrated that 91% of the surveyed plants are familiar with GHP rules and 95% with HACCP. 34% of the plants have already implemented the system, 35% are in the process of implementing it, 28% are thinking of its adoption and 3% do not intend to implement the system as long as possible. The advancement of the surveyed plants in GMP, GHP and HACCP implementation can be regarded as satisfactory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Good hygienic practices (GHPs) and a hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system have been started to implement in a preliminary way to the Greek meat industry. Microbiological examination of 349 samples related to general hygiene control points and the critical control points of the system, as a part of an external audit in three meat plants was conducted. Samples of water, raw materials, additives and spices as well as samples of batters and final products were examined. The hygienic of the production personnel and the processing areas was also tested. In conclusion, the application of GHP and HACCP system could be considered adequate but more efforts is demanded toward the control of the microbiological quality of the incoming materials and processing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]