Assessment of the acrylamide intake of the Belgian population and the effect of mitigation strategies.

The acrylamide (AA) intake of the Belgian consumer was calculated based on AA monitoring data of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and consumption data of the Belgian food consumption survey coordinated by the Scientific Institute for Public Health (3214 participants of 15 years or older). The average AA exposure, calculated probabilistically, was 0.4 microg kg(-1) body weight (bw) day(-1) (P97.5 = 1.6 microg kg(-1) bw day(-1)), the main contributors to the average intake being chips (23%), coffee (19%), biscuits (13%), and bread (12%). Additionally, the impact of a number of AA mitigation scenarios was evaluated (German minimization concept, scenarios for mitigation from the literature, signal values), which is an important issue for public health as well as for policy-makers. Specific actions in cooperation with the food industry to reduce the AA content of foods seems to be a more efficient strategy than mere implementation of signal values. Considering that an important share of the AA intake is due to prepared meals, the catering industry as well as consumers need to be better informed on the various possibilities for keeping the AA content of meals as low as possible.

Protective influence of several packaging materials on light oxidation of milk.

Light-induced degradation reactions in milk create a serious problem for the dairy industry because of the development of off-flavors, the decrease in nutritional quality, and the severity and speed by which these phenomena develop. Packaging materials are essential to avoid this particular deterioration of milk. Therefore, efforts are being made to design protective polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages. In the present study, a number of PET bottles were compared for their ability to avoid photo-oxidation in UHT semi-skimmed milk. The milk was packed in 3 types of PET bottles: one transparent bottle provided with an active oxygen-binding inner layer, one bottle with perfect light barrier, and one transparent bottle provided with a UV-absorbing additive. During 2 storage experiments, running parallel to each other for 2 mo, chemical milk quality parameters such as fat oxidation, vitamin and protein degradation, oxygen consumption, and color change were monitored. A trained taste panel compared the sensory quality of the illuminated milk stored in these bottles, with milk perfectly protected against light and oxygen. In the first study, milk was continuously illuminated at room temperature. A comparison was made for milk under storage conditions that simulated those expected during display in retail and supermarkets. The results of the 2 shelf-life studies showed that an adequate light barrier was apparently sufficient to avoid the light-induced oxidation of milk during extended storage. Oxygen barriers, on the other hand, did not provide a significant protection, nor did bottles with UV filter. If wavelengths detrimental to riboflavin were not completely excluded by the packaging material, incoming light could still give rise to photo degradation of milk. Accordingly, riboflavin and vitamin A were gradually degraded, milk fat was photo-oxidized, oxygen dissolved in the milk was consumed, and the sensorial quality decreased significantly.

A nasal septum perforation caused by a Varicella zoster infection in an AIDS patient.

A nasal septum perforation caused by a Varicella Zoster Infection in an AIDS patient. A patient with an acquired immune deficiency syndrome is described who developed a nasal septum perforation. This perforation was probably caused by frequently scratching chronic zoster lesions inside the nose.