Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.1
2.8
Journals
Processes
Special Issues
Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques
share announcement

Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Process Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2024) | Viewed by 28537

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jer-An Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Food Safety, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Interests: glycation chemistry; biological activity of natural resources; food fingerprints
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality control techniques are fundamental to ensuring food safety. The development of quick, precise, and advanced techniques is important for food safety management due to the many safety issues that have occurred in recent years along the global food supply chain. Many analysis methods have been used to determine food quality and safety, including physical property analysis, chromatography, spectroscopy, spectrometry, molecular biology techniques, element analysis, isotope analysis, and microbiological analysis. Some methods are quick, and some are more accurate. Therefore, developing a more comprehensive approach which combines the two aspects or advancing existing methods to control food quality and ensure food safety more effectively and precisely is an important research topic. When it comes to food quality and safety, more effective and critical management is also needed in food production and manufacturing.

This Special Issue on “Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques” aims to curate novel advances in the development and application of analysis methods and managing approaches for food quality and safety. Topics include but are not limited to:

  • Development of new analysis methods to determine food quality and safety;
  • Development of new managing approaches to ensure food quality and safety;
  • Advancing the existing analysis methods or managing approaches to achieve food quality and safety;
  • Comprehensive and critical reviews of food quality and safety management.

Dr. Jer-An Lin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food quality
  • food safety
  • food fraud
  • food defense
  • food protection
  • food fingerprint
  • food analytical techniques

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 179 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue: Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques
by Jer-An Lin
Processes 2024, 12(11), 2553; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12112553 - 15 Nov 2024
Viewed by 385
Abstract
The use of quality control methods is essential to guaranteeing food safety [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

12 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Fungal Isolation, Detection, and Quantification of Aflatoxins in Nuts Sold in the Lebanese Market
by Heba Hellany, Jean Claude Assaf, Joseph Matta and Mahmoud I. Khalil
Processes 2024, 12(5), 1018; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12051018 - 17 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
This study examines the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in 160 nut samples, both shelled and unshelled (including pistachios, peanuts, and walnuts), from the Lebanese market, focusing on their fungal contamination and specific toxigenic strains. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), known for its potent carcinogenic and [...] Read more.
This study examines the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in 160 nut samples, both shelled and unshelled (including pistachios, peanuts, and walnuts), from the Lebanese market, focusing on their fungal contamination and specific toxigenic strains. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), known for its potent carcinogenic and immunosuppressive properties, was detected in various samples. Moisture content analysis showed that unshelled nuts often exceeded maximum moisture limits more frequently than shelled nuts, with levels ranging from 1.9 to 9.5%. The predominant fungal genus identified through cultivation on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates was Aspergillus. In total, 55% of samples were contaminated with A. flavus and 45% with A. niger. All toxigenic strains isolated were identified as Aspergillus flavus. The aflatoxins, particularly AFB1, were quantified using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealing contamination in 43.8% of the samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 25 µg/kg. Some samples notably exceeded the established maximum tolerable limits (MTLs) for AFB1, set between 2 and 8 µg/kg. Shelled pistachios showed the highest contamination rate at 52% and were the most frequent to surpass the MTL of 8 µg/kg for pistachios, whereas walnuts displayed the lowest contamination levels, with only 15.4% exceeding the MTL for aflatoxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
14 pages, 528 KiB  
Article
Changes in Carcass Composition, Meat Quality Traits, and Stress Levels in Culled Sows Exposed to Different On-Farm Rest Periods
by Kristina Gvozdanović, Ivona Djurkin Kušec, Mislav Đidara, Senka Blažetić, Miodrag Komlenić, Krešimir Kuterovac, Žarko Radišić and Goran Kušec
Processes 2023, 11(7), 1961; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11071961 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1431
Abstract
The study investigated the effect of on-farm rest period (RP) on carcass composition, meat quality, and stress indicators of culled sows. The study was conducted on 84 Large White × Landrace culled sows, which were divided into seven groups (n = 12) with [...] Read more.
The study investigated the effect of on-farm rest period (RP) on carcass composition, meat quality, and stress indicators of culled sows. The study was conducted on 84 Large White × Landrace culled sows, which were divided into seven groups (n = 12) with respect to the duration of the on-farm rest period: no rest period (N-RP) group and 1 to 6 weeks of on-farm rest period (1–6 RP). After completion of the on-farm RP, each group of culled sows was slaughtered and the carcass and meat quality traits were determined. Sows from 6-RP had a significantly higher dressing percentage and backfat thickness and, together with sows from 5-RP, a higher shoulder weight. The highest shoulder percentage was found in the 3-RP and 4-RP groups, while 1-RP had the highest percentage for the belly–rib part. At the same time, RP influenced the final pH values (pH24 SM and pH24 LL) measured in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LT) and in the musculus semimembranosus (SM), as well as drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, and tenderness. As far as the stress indicators are concerned, statistical differences between groups were only found in the cortisol level, which was lowest in 6-RP. The results show that RP has a positive effect on meat quality traits and carcass composition. In addition, prolonged RP has a positive effect on the levels of stress indicators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3201 KiB  
Article
Nondestructive Technique for Identifying Adulteration and Additives in Lemon Juice Based on Analyzing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
by Nasim Mohammadian, Aman Mohammad Ziaiifar, Esmaeil Mirzaee-Ghaleh, Mahdi Kashaninejad and Hamed Karami
Processes 2023, 11(5), 1531; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11051531 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2258
Abstract
In light of the frequent occurrence of counterfeit food sold in global commercial markets, it is necessary to verify the authenticity of tasty natural-plant-based products by checking their labels, as well as their pricing and quality control. Lemon juice has repeatedly been the [...] Read more.
In light of the frequent occurrence of counterfeit food sold in global commercial markets, it is necessary to verify the authenticity of tasty natural-plant-based products by checking their labels, as well as their pricing and quality control. Lemon juice has repeatedly been the victim of fraud attempts by manufacturers to lower the price of products. Electronic noses are used in many fields, including the beverage industry, for classification and quality control. This involves the detection and differentiation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from food. This study evaluated pure lemon juice and 11 counterfeit samples (water, lemon pulp, and wheat straw) using an electronic nose equipped with 8 metal oxide sensors to detect fraud. Chemometric methods such as principal component analysis (PCA), linear and quadratic analysis (LDA), support vector machines (SVMs), and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used to analyze the response patterns of the sensors. The outputs of eight sensors were considered as the input of the model and the number of lemon juice groups, and its adulterations were also considered as the output of the model. Of the total data, 60% (for training), 20% (for validation), and 20% (for testing) were used. According to the results, all models had an accuracy of more than 95%, and the Nu-SVM linear function method had the highest accuracy among all models. Hence, it can be concluded that the electronic nose based on metal oxide semiconductor sensors combined with chemometric methods can be an effective tool with high efficiency for rapid and nondestructive classification of pure lemon juice and its counterfeits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4370 KiB  
Article
Design of an Artificial Intelligence of Things Based Indoor Planting Model for Mentha Spicata
by Hao-Hsiang Ku, Cheng-Hsuan Liu and Wen-Cheng Wang
Processes 2022, 10(1), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10010116 - 7 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2955
Abstract
In recent years, many large-scale plantings have become refined small-scale or home plantings. The rapid progress of agriculture technologies and information techniques enables people to control the growth of agricultural products well. Hence, this study proposes an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) based [...] Read more.
In recent years, many large-scale plantings have become refined small-scale or home plantings. The rapid progress of agriculture technologies and information techniques enables people to control the growth of agricultural products well. Hence, this study proposes an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) based Plant Pot Design for planting edible mint in an office setting, which is called APPD. APPD is composed of intelligent gardens and a cloud-based service platform. An intelligent garden is deployed an Arduino with multiple sensors to monitor and control plant pots of the edible mint, Mentha spicata. The cloud-based service platform provides a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) inference engine with a database for adjustment influence factors. This study discusses eight growing statuses of Mentha spicata with different illumination, photometric exposure, and moisture content, designed for an office environment. Evaluation results indicate that Mentha spicata with 16 h red–blue lighting and 50% moisture content makes a maximum 5% mint extract of the total weight of the mint leaves. Finally, APPD can be a reference model for researchers and engineers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5816 KiB  
Article
Design of an IOTA Tangle-Based Intelligent Food Safety Service Platform for Bubble Tea
by Hao-Hsiang Ku, Ching-Ho Chi and Min-Pei Ling
Processes 2021, 9(11), 1937; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9111937 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3044
Abstract
Many food safety incidents have occurred in the world in the past 20 years, causing major threats and harm to human life and health. Each country or region has established different food safety management systems (FSMSs) in response, to increase food safety and [...] Read more.
Many food safety incidents have occurred in the world in the past 20 years, causing major threats and harm to human life and health. Each country or region has established different food safety management systems (FSMSs) in response, to increase food safety and to reduce food safety risks. Hence, it is important to develop an FSMS service platform with convenience, consistency, effectiveness, scalability, and lightweight computing. The aim of this study is to design and propose an IOTA Tangle-based intelligent food safety service platform for bubble tea—called IF4BT—which modularizes and integrates hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles to increase data transparency. The deep learning inference engine is based on long short-term memory and Siamese networks to check and extract significant rare data of high-risk factors, exception factors, and noises, depending on daily check and audit. IF4BT can ensure the correctness of the information of food manufacturers, so as to increase food safety and to reduce food safety issues such as allergen cross-contamination, food expiration, food defense, and food fraud. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 4853 KiB  
Article
Effects of Geniposide and Geniposidic Acid on Fluoxetine-Induced Muscle Atrophy in C2C12 Cells
by Shang-Ming Huang, Shuan-Ying Lin, Ming-Kai Chen, Chiung-Chi Peng and Chiu-Lan Hsieh
Processes 2021, 9(9), 1649; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091649 - 13 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2677
Abstract
Fluoxetine, an antidepressant known as a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), can cause side effects such as muscle atrophy with long-term use, but the mechanism is not fully understood. Geniposide (GPS) and geniposidic acid (GPSA), the main components of Gardenia jasminoides fruit, have [...] Read more.
Fluoxetine, an antidepressant known as a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), can cause side effects such as muscle atrophy with long-term use, but the mechanism is not fully understood. Geniposide (GPS) and geniposidic acid (GPSA), the main components of Gardenia jasminoides fruit, have been shown to have biological activity in disease prevention, but their role in preventing FXT-related side effects such as muscle atrophy remains unclear. The process of muscle atrophy is a complex physiological mechanism involving the balance of protein synthesis and catabolism. In this study, we hypothesized that FXT may suppress hypertrophy signaling and activate the atrophy mechanisms, resulting in proteolysis and reduced protein synthesis, while geniposide (GPS) and geniposide acid (GPSA) may be beneficial in improving muscle weakness caused by FXT. The C2C12 cell model was used to examine the expression of hypertrophy signaling (PI3K, Akt, and mTOR) and protein break signals (FOXO, MuRF-1, and MyHC). Our data indicated that FXT inhibited MyHC and promoted MuRF-1 protein expression by downregulating the signaling pathways of p-ERK1/2, p-Akt, p-mTOR, and p-FOXO, resulting in a decrease in differentiation and myotube formation in C2C12 muscle cells, which further resulted in muscle atrophy. However, GPS and GPSA can positively regulate the atrophy mechanism induced by FXT in muscle cells, thereby ameliorating the imbalance in muscle synthesis. In conclusion, GPS and GPSA have the potential to attenuate the muscle loss caused by long-term FXT administration, diseases, or the aging process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3687 KiB  
Article
Determining the Effect of Pre-Treatment in Rice Noodle Quality Subjected to Dehydration through Hierarchical Scoring
by Muhammad Heikal Ismail, Hii Ching Lik, Winny Routray and Meng Wai Woo
Processes 2021, 9(8), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9081309 - 29 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3387
Abstract
Fresh rice noodle was usually coated in a large amount of oil to avoid stickiness and extend the shelf life. Pre-treatment has been applied to reduce the quantity of oil in rice noodle. In this research, the pre-treatment and temperature effect on the [...] Read more.
Fresh rice noodle was usually coated in a large amount of oil to avoid stickiness and extend the shelf life. Pre-treatment has been applied to reduce the quantity of oil in rice noodle. In this research, the pre-treatment and temperature effect on the rice noodle quality subjected to hot air drying, heat pump drying, and freeze drying was investigated. Texture, color, oil content, and starch gelatinization of the dried noodle was further evaluated. Results revealed that there were significant differences (p < 0.05%) in texture, color, oil content, and starch gelatinization in rice noodle subjected to pre-treatment. Furthermore, the texture, color, oil content, and starch gelatinization demonstrated a significant difference (p < 0.05%) in freeze drying rather than hot air drying and heat pump drying. The findings indicate that the qualitative features of the dehydrated noodle are synergistic to pretreatment and drying temperature. Despite superior quality shown by freeze drying, the hierarchical scoring has proven that rice noodle undergoing hot air drying at 30 °C to produce comparable quality attributes. The hierarchical scoring can be a useful tool in quality determination for the food industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2683 KiB  
Article
Making Concentrated Pterostilbene Highly Bioavailable in Pressure Processed Phospholipid Nanoemulsion
by Fu-Min Sun, Yu-Jou Chou, Qingrong Huang, Jing-Yu Hu and Yuwen Ting
Processes 2021, 9(2), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9020294 - 3 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3383
Abstract
Pterostilbene, a dimethylether analog of resveratrol, has been found to have potent biological activity. However, the bioavailability of pterostilbene in the biological system is limited due to its poor solubility in an aqueous environment. A nanoemulsion system was designed for this purpose. Lecithin-based [...] Read more.
Pterostilbene, a dimethylether analog of resveratrol, has been found to have potent biological activity. However, the bioavailability of pterostilbene in the biological system is limited due to its poor solubility in an aqueous environment. A nanoemulsion system was designed for this purpose. Lecithin-based nanoemulsion was formed after 3 cycles through a high-pressure homogenizer at 500 psi. The rheological properties and particle size were measured using dynamic light scattering and a viscometer. The storage stabilities of the prepared formulation were determined based on its ability to maintain its particle size and loading concentration. According to the experimental results, the lecithin-based nanoemulsion system contained approximately 9.5% of pterostilbene. Over the 28-day stability test, the particle size, zeta potential, and encapsulation of pterostilbene in the nanoemulsion did not change significantly, indicating good storage stability. The positive effect of the prepared nanoemulsion system on bioavailability was studied and confirmed using in vitro lipolysis and a caco-2 monolayer model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

22 pages, 1073 KiB  
Review
Inline Inspection of Packaged Food Using Microwave/Terahertz Sensing—An Overview with Focus on Confectionery Products
by Mohieddine Jelali and Konstantinos Papadopoulos
Processes 2024, 12(4), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12040712 - 30 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1531
Abstract
Electromagnetic systems, in particular microwave/terahertz sensing technologies, are the newest among nondestructive sensing technologies. Currently, increased attention is pointed towards their use in various applications. Among these, food inspection stands out as a primary area due to its potential risk to human safety. [...] Read more.
Electromagnetic systems, in particular microwave/terahertz sensing technologies, are the newest among nondestructive sensing technologies. Currently, increased attention is pointed towards their use in various applications. Among these, food inspection stands out as a primary area due to its potential risk to human safety. As a result, substantial efforts are currently focused on utilizing microwave/terahertz imaging as a tool to enhance the efficacy of food quality assessments. This paper deals with the exploitation of microwave/terahertz imaging technology for food quality control and assessment. In particular, the work aims at reviewing the latest developments regarding the detection of internal quality parameters, such as foreign bodies, i.e., plastic, glass, and wood substances/fragments, as well as checking the completeness of the packaged food under consideration. Emphasis is placed on the (inline) inspection of wrapped/packaged food, such as chocolates, cookies, pastries, cakes, and similar confectionery products, moving along production conveyor belts. Moreover, the paper gives a recent overview of system prototypes and industrial products and highlights emerging research topics and future application directions in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 6932 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Nanomaterial-Based Sensing for Food Safety Analysis
by Xiujuan Qiao, Jingyi He, Ruixi Yang, Yanhui Li, Gengjia Chen, Sanxiong Xiao, Bo Huang, Yahong Yuan, Qinglin Sheng and Tianli Yue
Processes 2022, 10(12), 2576; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10122576 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2948
Abstract
The increasing public attention on unceasing food safety incidents prompts the requirements of analytical techniques with high sensitivity, reliability, and reproducibility to timely prevent food safety incidents occurring. Food analysis is critically important for the health of both animals and human beings. Due [...] Read more.
The increasing public attention on unceasing food safety incidents prompts the requirements of analytical techniques with high sensitivity, reliability, and reproducibility to timely prevent food safety incidents occurring. Food analysis is critically important for the health of both animals and human beings. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties, nanomaterials provide more opportunities for food quality and safety control. To date, nanomaterials have been widely used in the construction of sensors and biosensors to achieve more accurate, fast, and selective food safety detection. Here, various nanomaterial-based sensors for food analysis are outlined, including optical and electrochemical sensors. The discussion mainly involves the basic sensing principles, current strategies, and novel designs. Additionally, given the trend towards portable devices, various smartphone sensor-based point-of-care (POC) devices for home care testing are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Safety Management and Quality Control Techniques)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-11
Back to TopTop