Analysis of data from the rapid alert system for food and feed for the country-of-origin Slovakia for 2002-2020.

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) plays a pivotal role in regulating food safety in the European Union by enabling the competent authorities in each Member State to issue warnings for removing unsafe or illegal items from the market. This article undertakes a comprehensive analysis of RASFF data on Slovak food from 2002 to 2020, to investigate the trends in notifications, actions executed, hazard categories, and product categories within the food industry. Our scrutiny of the RASFF data revealed fluctuations in the counts of alerts and information notifications across years, indicating periods of heightened hazard detection and enhanced transparency within the system. Various measures, including destruction, recall, notification, and prohibition, were employed to address these hazards and ensure the safety and compliance of food products. The hazard categories exhibited sporadic patterns, underscoring the necessity for ongoing surveillance and regulatory interventions. Specific product categories, such as dietetic foods, food supplements, and fortified foods, registered higher incidences of hazards in specific years, implying the need for intensified safety precautions. These findings highlight the importance of sustained efforts in maintaining food safety and managing risks within the industry.

The Effect of Heat Treatment on Cow's Milk Protein Profiles.

Milk is a food of high nutritional value processed by heat treatment. Heat treatment of milk is a technological process designed to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and extend the shelf life of products. The heating process directly affects the molecular structure of whey proteins by the process of denaturation. It leads to the formation of a whey protein−casein polymer complex. Based on these facts, milk heat-treatment conditions should be controlled during milk processing. This work focuses on describing the whey protein denaturation process and formation of the complex of whey protein with casein. The effect of heat treatment on individual milk protein fractions alpha-casein (α-cas), beta-casein (ß-cas), kappa-casein (κ-cas), beta-lactoglobulin (ß-lg) and alpha-lactalbumin (α-la) was studied by SDS-PAGE. Formation of the whey protein−casein polymer complex increased significantly (p < 0.05) on increasing the temperature and duration of the heat treatment.

Measuring and comparing the water activity and salt content in Parenica cheeses made by traditional and industrial technology.

BACKGROUND: Slovenská Parenica is one of the most traditional and ever-popular sheep´s milk cheese specialities. This cheese has been registered as a geographical indication (PGI) in the EU. Parenica cheese is produced also from cow´s milk, but without the trade name "Slovenská/Slovak". OBJECTIVE: The aim of our research was was statistical reporting and results visualization of water activity analysis and salt content in cow´s milk Parenica cheeses from 8 small and medium-sized Slovak dairy producers. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 320 samples of smoked and non-smoked Parenica cheeses made from cow´s milk using traditional and industrial technology were examined during the 10-month period. Each cheese was analysed immediately after sampling (A) and subsequently after 7 days of storing at 4°C (B). The salt content was measured on the Chloride analyser M 926 and the water activity on the Fast-Lab meter. Due to the hierarchical design of the experiment, the linear mixed models via the R statistical environment to compare the differences in the water activity and salt content were used. RESULTS: Statistical reporting and visualization of water activity measurements showed significant differences between samples A and B ( p = 0.0129) and between kinds of Parenica cheese ( p = 0.0196). The value of water activity ranged from 0.908 to 0.975 (A) with the increasing trend after storing in both kinds of Parenica cheese. The impact of dairy producer type was not significant. The higher content of NaCl was found in fresh Parenica cheese from small farms (nonsmoked: 2.51 ±1.12 g/100 g, smoked: 1.97 ±0.89 g/100 g). The average salt content in cheeses from industrial dairies was 1.65 ±0.34 g/100 g (non-smoked) and 1.96 ±0.43 g/100 g (smoked). Results showed lower variability of salt content in cheeses from industrial dairies. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that especially the small producers can have probably problem in noncompliance with the technological processes, non-implementation of standardized procedures and underestimation of hygiene regulations.

Content of Mineral Elements in the Traditional Ostiepok Cheese.

Ostiepok is traditional half-fat semi-hard cheese manufactured in Slovak Republic. In this research, we have analyzed the content of macro-elements (calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium) and micro-elements (chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc) in Ostiepok cheese samples collected from various parts of Slovak Republic. The analysis of Ostiepok cheese samples (n = 19) was carried out by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The macro-element concentrations in the investigated samples varied quite significantly with the highest values recorded for sodium with its average concentration of 8083 mg kg-1. The second highest macro-element concentration was observed for calcium with the average concentration of 6850 mg kg-1. Average concentration of zinc was 23.2 mg kg-1; iron, 14.1 mg kg-1; and copper, 10.0 mg kg-1. The concentration of macro- and micro-elements varied from sample to sample, but we can conclude that the traditional Ostiepok cheese is a suitable source of some minerals important for human health. Based on the RDA, the exposure amounts of analyzed samples are low, and no element can be referred to as significant since none reaches 15% of the nutrient reference values, according to EC Regulation 1169/2011.

Comparison of fatty acid profile in the chicken meat after feeding with narasin, nicarbazin and salinomycin sodium and phyto-additive substances.

The purpose of this study was an experimental investigation and a statistical evaluation of the influence of various additives in feed mixtures of broiler chickens on fatty acids content and their ratio in breast and thigh muscles. First feed additive consisted of narasin, nicarbasin and salinomycin sodium, and other five additives were of phytogenic origin. In vivo experiment was realized on the poultry experimental station with deep litter breeding system. A total of 300 one-day-old hybrid chickens Cobb 500 divided into six groups were used for the experiment. The experimental period was divided into four phases, i.e. Starter, Grower 1, Grower 2 and Final, according to the application of commercial feed mixture of soy cereal type. Additive substances used in feed mixtures were different for each group. Basic feed mixtures were equal for all groups. Fatty acid profile of breast and thigh muscles was measured by the method of FT IR Nicolet 6700. Investigated additive substances in the feed mixtures did not have statistically significant effect on fatty acid content and omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio in breast and thigh muscles. Strong statistically significant relation between omega-6 PUFAs and total PUFAs were proved by experiment. A relation between omega-3 PUFAs and total PUFAs was found only in the group with Biocitro additive.

Somatic dysfunction and use of osteopathic manual treatment techniques during ambulatory medical care visits: a CONCORD-PBRN study.

CONTEXT: Osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) of somatic dysfunction is a unique approach to medical care that may be studied within a practice-based research network. OBJECTIVE: To measure patient characteristics and osteopathic physician practice patterns within the Consortium for Collaborative Osteopathic Research Development-Practice-Based Research Network (CONCORD-PBRN). DESIGN: Cross-sectional card study. SETTING: Eleven member clinics within the CONCORD-PBRN coordinated by The Osteopathic Research Center. PATIENTS: A total of 668 patients seen between January and March 2013. MAIN STUDY MEASURES: Patient age and sex; primary diagnoses; somatic dysfunction as manifested by tenderness, asymmetry, restricted motion, or tissue texture changes; and use of 14 OMT techniques. Results were stratified by anatomical region and adjusted for clustering within member clinics. Clustering was measured by the intracluster correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Patient ages ranged from 7 days to 87 years (adjusted mean age, 49.2 years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 43.3-55.1 years). There were 450 females (67.4%) and 508 patient visits (76.0%) involved a primary diagnosis of disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Structural examination was performed during 657 patient visits (98.4%), and 649 visits (97.2%) involved OMT. Restricted motion and tenderness were the most and least common palpatory findings, respectively. Cranial (1070 [14.5%]), myofascial release (1009 [13.7%]), muscle energy (1001 [13.6%]), and counterstrain (980 [13.3%]) techniques were most commonly used, accounting for more than one-half of the OMT provided. Pediatric patients were more likely than adults to receive OMT within the head (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 9.53; 95% CI, 1.28-71.14). Geriatric patients were more likely than adults to receive a structural examination (adjusted OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.09-3.07) and OMT (adjusted OR, 1.62; 1.02-2.59) within the lower extremity. Females were more likely than males to receive a structural examination (adjusted OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.44-4.16) and OMT (adjusted OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.26-3.52) within the sacrum and OMT within the pelvis (adjusted OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.12-2.88). Intracluster correlation coefficients for the 4 most commonly used OMT techniques ranged from 0.34 to 0.72. CONCLUSION: This study provides proof of concept of the feasibility of studying osteopathic medical practice on a national level by developing and growing the CONCORD-PBRN.