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South Brazil produces colonial cheese based on Italian immigration recipes. This study characterized colonial cheese produced in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The sampling method was by conglomerate. A total of 293 rural producers were interviewed; they also provided cheeses for physicochemical and microbiologicanalyses. For the characterization of colonial cheese, parameters related to milk, processes, social aspects, physical aspects and ingredients were selected and cluster analysis was performed. Results showed that the colonial cheese is made with whole milk, rennet and salt, with a round shape, weighing an average of 1.22 kg, with an average maturation of 9.4 days, high moisture, fat, using raw or pasteurized milk. The recipe is familiar, passed down through generations and the sale is made directly to the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food consumption can incorporate meanings of place whereby the culture of place becomes a feature of the experience. Despite the apparent importance of place to how tourists experience food, there is little understanding of how food experience producers integrate place into that experience. This research focuses on artisanal food and the artisanal food consumption experience to study how the relationship between food and the meaning of place is incorporated into an augmented food experience based on the input of food experience producers (including food artisans, restaurateurs, speciality food retailers, tour guides). To understand how these key stakeholders add value to the experience through place discourse, the study focuses on Tasmania in Australia as a context and uses multiple qualitative methods including in-depth interviews and extensive observation over a two-year period. The research reveals that food experience producers integrate layers of place meaning (artisanal food and place stories; the artisan; terroir; community values of place) into the food experience, and that related discourse is substantial and unique to the environment and complimentary to both the food and place. The study contributes to the understanding of how food experience producers contribute to food consumption experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli VTEC was investigated in two batches of artisanal Italian salami tested in winter and summer. Moreover, enumerations of total bacterial count, lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae were performed as well as monitoring of water activity and pH. Samples were taken from raw materials, production process environment, semi-finished product and finished products. The results revealed an overall increase of total bacterial count and lactic acid bacteria during the ripening period, along with a decrease of Enterobacteriaceae, pH and water activity. No significant difference was observed between the two batches. The enterobacterial load appeared to decrease during the maturation period mainly due to a decrease in pH and water activity below the limits that allow the growth of these bacteria. E. coli VTEC, Salmonella spp. or L. monocytogenes were not detected in both winter and summer batches. However, Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected in both summer and winter products. Except for one isolate, no biological hazards were detected in the finished salami, proving the efficacy of the ripening period in controlling the occurrence of microbiological hazard in ripened salami. Further studies are required to assess the virulence potential of the Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the resistome and virulome diversity of 43 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica and S. aureus collected from artisanal fermented meat and dairy products and their production environments in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Morocco. After DNA extraction, genomes were sequenced, and de novo assembled. Genetic relationships among genomes were investigated by SNP calling and in silico 7- loci MLST. Genomes of the same species belonged to different ST-types demonstrating the circulation of different clones in in the same artisanal production plant. One specific clone included genomes of S. Paratyphi B belonging to ST43 and repeatedly isolated for more than a year in an artisanal sausage production plant. No genomes but three (belonging to Salmonella enterica), were predicted as multiresistant to different antimicrobials classes. Regarding virulence, genomes of L. monocytogenes belonging to ST1, ST3 and ST489, as well as genomes of S.enterica enterica (ST43, ST33, ST314, ST3667, ST1818, ST198) and ST121 S. aureus were predicted as virulent and hypervirulent. The occurrence of virulent and hypervirulent L. monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica and S. aureus strains in artisanal fermented meat and dairy productions as well as in their finished products suggests the need for a specific focus on prevention and control measures able to reduce the risk of these biological hazards in artisanal food productions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal fermented products (foods and beverages) are produced in an artisanal way in many countries around the world. The main purpose of fermentation is to preserve the food, improve its safety, increase the nutritional and healthpromoting value and add specific flavours. In South America, there is a great variety of fermented food produced in an artisanal way. Different raw materials are used such as potatoes, sweet potato, cassava, maize, rice, milk (cow, ewe, goat) and meat (beef, goat, lamb, llama and guanaco). Some of these fermented foods are typical of the region and are part of the culture of native communities, e.g. tocosh, masa agria, puba flour, charqui, chicha, champu and cauim among others (indigenous foods). However, other fermented foods produced in South America introduced by mainly European immigration, such as cheeses and dry sausages, and they are also produced in many different parts of the world. In this work, the microbial composition of the different artisanal fermented products produced in South America is reviewed, taking into consideration the associated raw materials, fermentation conditions and methodologies used for their production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal fermented products (foods and beverages) are produced in an artisanal way in many countries around the world. The main purpose of fermentation is to preserve the food, improve its safety, increase the nutritional and health-promoting value and add specific flavours. In South America, there is a great variety of fermented food produced in an artisanal way. Different raw materials are used such as potatoes, sweet potato, cassava, maize, rice, milk (cow, ewe, goat) and meat (beef, goat, lamb, llama and guanaco). Some of these fermented foods are typical of the region and are part of the culture of native communities, e.g. tocosh, masa agria, puba flour, charqui, chicha, champu and cauim among others (indigenous foods). However, other fermented foods produced in South America introduced by mainly European immigration, such as cheeses and dry sausages, and they are also produced in many different parts of the world. In this work, the microbial composition of the different artisanal fermented products produced in South America is reviewed, taking into consideration the associated raw materials, fermentation conditions and methodologies used for their production.

Like the ham and barbecue heralded as foundational southern foodways, sausage is linked to the temperate climate, mast-filled deciduous forests, and peanut fields that helped pigs flourish in the Upland South. Modes of making and serving it respond to resource constraints, aesthetic preferences, and local landscapes, cultivating shared tastes alongside networks of pleasure and obligation. While sausage produced in artisanal workshops has garnered broad acclaim, attention to meats processed in factory and domestic settings—from Vienna sausages to livermush to fresh-ground patties bottled at home—often concentrates on ways that these foods are altered or served, rather than on the skill and ingenious adaptation of their makers. Working harder to understand exactly how this sausage is made compels us to consider the intersections of tacit knowledge, physical dexterity, social savvy, and sensory power, as well as how the appellation craft can bolster hierarchies framed in terms of gender, class, and race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ethnologie Française is the property of Presses Universitaires de France 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.)

Copyright of Textual is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo 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.)

Probiotic bacteria are recognized for their health-promoting properties, including maintenance of gut epithelial integrity and host immune system homeostasis. Taking into account the beneficial health-promoting effects of GABA, the presence of the gadB gene, encoding glutamate decarboxylase that converts L-glutamate to GABA, was analyzed in Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) natural isolates from Zlatar cheese. The results revealed that 52% of tested Lactobacillus spp. and 8% of Lactococcus spp. isolates harbor the gadB gene. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of GABA production performed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the highest GABA production by Lactobacillus brevis BGZLS10-17. Since high GABA-producing LAB natural isolates are the most valuable source of naturally produced GABA, the probiotic properties of BGZLS10-17 were characterized. This study demonstrated high adhesion of BGZLS10-17 strain to Caco-2 cells and the ability to decrease the adhesion of Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and Salmonella enterica C29039. Treatment of differentiated Caco-2 cells monolayer with BGZLS10-17 supernatant containing GABA alleviated inflammation (production of IL-8) caused by IL-1β and significantly stimulated the expression of tight junction proteins (zonulin, occludin, and claudin 4), as well as the expression of TGF-β cytokine leading to the conclusion that immunosuppression and strengthening the tight junctions can have significant role in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Taken together the results obtained in this study support the idea that using of GABA producing BGZLS10-17 probiotic strain could be a good strategy to modulate immunological response in various inflammatory diseases, and at the same time, it could be a good candidate for adjunct starter culture for production of GABA-enriched dairy foods and beverages offering new perspectives in designing the novel functional foods.

The research objective in this study was to discover motivations of artisanal food producers in Australia and Thailand. This was mainly to inform farmers' market managers of the motivations of artisanal food producers, their clients, to better provide retail space to food producers. However, the same principle also applies to many other service providers, for instance banks, insurance companies and other financial services in developing products for this very specific group of small-scale business enterprises. Governmental advice and support services for these businesses will also benefit. Finally, out of a Royal Commission Report, chain supermarkets in Australia must source more from small-scale suppliers, yet they appear uninformed about who they are dealing with, their motivations and limitations, for instance not being able to supply large volumes. There has been virtually no research on artisanal food producers. Retailers have no research to inform them. Here was another gap to fill. Methodology for this study was interview-based qualitative, with data analysed through thematic content analysis. The paper's originality lies in two ways, meaning that it fills research gaps but also because its results are perhaps surprising. Artisanal food makers are primarily self-concerned, not community-concerned as the previous study would indicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotic bacteria are recognized for their health-promoting properties, including maintenance of gut epithelial integrity and host immune system homeostasis. Taking into account the beneficial health-promoting effects of GABA, the presence of the gadB gene, encoding glutamate decarboxylase that converts L-glutamate to GABA, was analyzed in Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) natural isolates from Zlatar cheese. The results revealed that 52% of tested Lactobacillus spp. and 8% of Lactococcus spp. isolates harbor the gadB gene. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of GABA production performed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the highest GABA production by Lactobacillus brevis BGZLS10-17. Since high GABA-producing LAB natural isolates are the most valuable source of naturally produced GABA, the probiotic properties of BGZLS10-17 were characterized. This study demonstrated high adhesion of BGZLS10-17 strain to Caco-2 cells and the ability to decrease the adhesion of Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and Salmonella enterica C29039. Treatment of differentiated Caco-2 cells monolayer with BGZLS10-17 supernatant containing GABA alleviated inflammation (production of IL-8) caused by IL-1β and significantly stimulated the expression of tight junction proteins (zonulin, occludin, and claudin 4), as well as the expression of TGF-β cytokine leading to the conclusion that immunosuppression and strengthening the tight junctions can have significant role in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Taken together the results obtained in this study support the idea that using of GABA producing BGZLS10-17 probiotic strain could be a good strategy to modulate immunological response in various inflammatory diseases, and at the same time, it could be a good candidate for adjunct starter culture for production of GABA-enriched dairy foods and beverages offering new perspectives in designing the novel functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Organizações Rurais & Agroindustriais is the property of Organizacoes Rurais & Agroindustriais 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.)

Cassava is one of most important foods in tropical countries, and in Brazil, it is largely processed as cassava flour, which constitutes a staple food. Although cassava flour presents unique sensory characteristics, the majority is produced in artisanal units, which do not adhere to food safety guidelines. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary profiles of the cassava flour houses of Copioba Valley, Bahia, Brazil. This was a quantitative, exploratory study involving 72 flour houses in the abovementioned region. To evaluate the flour houses, the checklist proposed by the National Service of Industrial Learning was used. This list comprises five dimensions: building conditions; equipment and utensils; workers in the production area, food handling, and sales; raw material and products displayed for sale; and production flow, food handling, sale and quality control. The results showed that none of units met more than 60% of the requirements, which is below the recommended cutoff and indicates poor hygienicsanitary conditions. Equipment and utensils made up the group with the lowest performance (4.54%), whereas the highest performance was observed in raw material and products displayed for sale (45.42%). All blocks were evaluated, and in all flour houses investigated, the results presented a major public health concern due to the abovementioned poor conditions. The study highlighted the problems of food safety in a traditional supply chain in the region. However, simple changes are possible, and these changes would not only have positive effects on the hygienic-sanitary profiles of flour houses but would also have an important social impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hummus – an Arab dish adopted by Jews in Israel and made into a ‘national dish’ and a culinary cult – was first industrialized in Israel in 1958. In this article we look at the impact of the food industry on shaping both consumption patterns and the signification of the dish. Contrary to accounts that contrast mass production to authenticity and tradition, fast to slow food, globalized trade to local production, we regard the industrial and the artisanal as interdependent and mutually constitutive realms of production and consumption. We argue, first, that the Israeli food industry has played a crucial role in turning hummus into a national symbol and a culinary cult. Second, we argue that the growing popularity of industrial hummus not only did not replace the consumption of artisanal hummus, but the other way around. Third, we argue that the industry is simultaneously an agent of globalization and of localization of hummus: it expands the spread of hummus globally and at the same time it sometimes tries to fix to it a local (‘national’) identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Future food supply will become increasingly dependent on edible material extracted from insects. The growing popularity of artisanal food products enhanced by insect proteins creates particular needs for establishing effective methods for quality control. This study focuses on developing rapid and efficient on-site quantitative analysis of protein content in handcrafted insect bars by miniaturized near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers. Benchtop (Büchi NIRFlex N-500) and three miniaturized (MicroNIR 1700 ES, Tellspec Enterprise Sensor and SCiO Sensor) in hyphenation to partial least squares regression (PLSR) and Gaussian process regression (GPR) calibration methods and data fusion concept were evaluated via test-set validation in performance of protein content analysis. These NIR spectrometers markedly differ by technical principles, operational characteristics and cost-effectiveness. In the non-destructive analysis of intact bars, the root mean square error of cross prediction (RMSEP) values were 0.611% (benchtop) and 0.545–0.659% (miniaturized) with PLSR, and 0.506% (benchtop) and 0.482–0.580% (miniaturized) with GPR calibration, while the analyzed total protein content was 19.3–23.0%. For milled samples, with PLSR the RMSEP values improved to 0.210% for benchtop spectrometer but remained in the inferior range of 0.525–0.571% for the miniaturized ones. GPR calibration improved the predictive performance of the miniaturized spectrometers, with RMSEP values of 0.230% (MicroNIR 1700 ES), 0.326% (Tellspec) and 0.338% (SCiO). Furthermore, Tellspec and SCiO sensors are consumer-oriented devices, and their combined use for enhanced performance remains a viable economical choice. With GPR calibration and test-set validation performed for fused (Tellspec + SCiO) data, the RMSEP values were improved to 0.517% (in the analysis of intact samples) and 0.295% (for milled samples). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt consumption in many countries of the world exceeds the level recommended by WHO (5 g/day), which is associated with negative effects on health. Public health strategies to achieve the WHO's objectives include salt content monitoring, improved nutritional labelling and product reformulation. This study aimed to determine the sodium content in street food (SF), fast foods (FF) and artisanal foods (AF) of the Northwest of Argentina, which is not regulated. Moisture, ash and sodium were determined according to the Official Methods of Analysis (AOAC) in 189 samples from each of the three categories. The average and range values were: SF 520 (R: 74-932); FF 599 (R: 371-1093) and AF 575 (R: 152-1373) mg Na/100 g. Thus, general sodium content is high, which means that the consumption of a serving from most of the studied foods leads to an individual exceeding the recommended daily intake values. This study contributes to the knowledge of sodium content in evaluated foods and its contribution to the population intake. This reinforces the importance of implementing new public policies and regulations, advising consumers to check food nutritional labels andselect foods lower in salt content, raising food manufacturers' awarenessabout the importance of reducing sodium content in foods they produce and in public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]