1. |
- Ngo, Hai Hoang Tuan, et al.
(author)
-
Effect of light-touch intervention and associated factors to microbial contamination at small-scale pig slaughterhouses and traditional pork shops in Vietnam
- 2023
-
In: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 406
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Traditional pork value chains dominate the production and distribution of pork in Vietnam; however, the high level of microbiological contamination in pork may increase the risk of food-borne disease for consumers. There is limited evidence about how to feasibly and scalably reduce microbial contamination in pork sold in traditional markets. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of light-touch interventions for changing worker behaviour in small-scale slaughterhouses and vendors at traditional pork shops, as well as to identify risk factors for pork contamination. The intervention packages consisted of providing hygiene tools and delivering a food safety training which had been designed in a participatory way and covered 10 small-scale slaughterhouses and 29 pork shops. Pig carcasses, retailed pork, contact surfaces, and hands were sampled to measure the total bacterial count (TBC) and Salmonella contamination before, three and six weeks after the intervention, and trainee practices were observed at the same time. Linear and generalized linear mixed effects models were constructed to identify risk factors for TBC and Salmonella contamination at the slaughterhouses and pork shops. The interventions at slaughterhouses and pork shops both showed a slight reduction of TBC contamination in pig carcasses and Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork, while the TBC in retailed pork decreased only marginally. For slaughterhouses, the regression model indicated that smoking or eating during slaughtering (indicating poor hygienic practices) was associated with TBC increasing, while cleaning floors and wearing boots reduced TBC contamination. For pork shops, using rough materials (cardboard or wood) to display pork was the only factor increasing TBC contamination in pork, whereas cleaning knives was associated with lower TBC. Besides, the presence of supporters and wearing aprons reduced the probability of Salmonella contamination in pork. The findings highlight the effectiveness of light-touch interventions in reducing microbial contamination in pig carcasses at small-scale slaughterhouses and pork at traditional shops over the study period.
|
|
2. |
- Ngo, Hai Hoang Tuan, et al.
(author)
-
Impact of perception and assessment of consumers on willingness to pay for upgraded fresh pork : An experimental study in Vietnam
- 2023
-
In: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2571-581X. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Traditional pork shops play an essential role in delivering pork, the most popular food in Vietnam, to consumers. Studies have shown the need for investment in training and equipment to improve the safety of pork sold at traditional shops. However, it remains unclear how consumers perceived improvement to the hygiene in pork shops and if they are ready to pay premium prices for safer products. This study used an experimental approach to determine consumers’ perception and assessment of improved pork shops and their willingness to pay (WTP) for pork products. A total of 152 respondents in two provinces in Vietnam joined in a Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) mechanism experiment to collect data on WTP for pork from typical and upgraded pork shops. A questionnaire was used to record consumers’ perceptions and assessments of the pork shops and products. Overall, consumers were willing to pay 20% more for upgraded fresh pork than for what is currently available on the market. Consumers trusted in the effectiveness of the upgraded intervention and the quality of pork at the pork shop, which increased their WTP for the upgraded pork. Concerns about contaminated pork had a negative impact on the WTP for typical pork, while the high frequency of pork consumption and the existence of elderly family members led to higher WTP for both products. The findings indicate the potential economic benefit of upgrading pork shops, which would be an important driver to motivate sellers to improve food safety.
|
|
3. |
- Ngo, Hai Hoang Tuan, et al.
(author)
-
Microbial contamination and associated risk factors in retailed pork from key value chains in Northern Vietnam
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 346
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pork and pork products are important staple food in the diet of Vietnamese consumers. The safety of pork, including biological contamination, is a concern to several public authorities and value chain actors. This crosssectional study aimed to identify Salmonella and total bacterial count (TBC) contamination of cut pork sold in different outlets, and determine the potential factors leading to contamination. A total of 671 pork samples were collected from different retail channels in three provinces in Northern Vietnam. Hygiene conditions and practices at pork vending premises were also observed and recorded. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Overall, Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork was 58.1%. Salmonella contamination in pork from traditional retail, modern retail and food services were 60.5%, 50.9% and 80.5%, respectively. Eighty percent and 68% of fresh pork in canteen and street food was contaminated with Salmonella. Only a small proportion of a subset of the pork samples (6.2%) tested met the Vietnamese standard requirement for TBC contamination. Average concentration of TBC in fresh pork in traditional retail, modern retail and food services were 6.51 (SD: 0.64), 6.38 (0.65), and 6.96 (0.85) LogCFU/g, respectively. Transport time, use of the same tools for pork and other types of meat, storage temperature, and environment hygiene are important factors that might affect microbial contamination. The findings underline the high level of microbial contamination, which requires practical interventions to improve food safety hygiene practices and behavior of pork retailers.
|
|
4. |
- Ngo, Hoang Tuan Hai, et al.
(author)
-
Assessment of a light-touch intervention to reduce microbial contamination at small-scale pig slaughterhouses and traditional pork shops in Vietnam
- 2023
-
In: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 406
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Traditional pork value chains dominate the production and distribution of pork in Vietnam; however, there high microbiological contamination of pork may lead to health risks. There is limited evidence about how to sustainably and scalably reduce microbial contamination in pork sold in traditional markets. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of light-touch interventions for changing worker behaviour in small-scale slaughterhouses and retailers at traditional pork shops, as well as to identify risk factors for pork contamination. The intervention packages consisted of providing hygiene tools and delivering a food safety training which had been designed in a participatory way and covered 10 small-scale slaughterhouses and 29 pork shops. Pig carcasses, retailed pork, contact surfaces, and hands were sampled to measure the total bacterial count (TBC) and Salmonella contamination and trainee practices were observed before, three and six weeks after the intervention. Linear and generalized linear mixed effects models were constructed to identify risk factors for TBC and Salmonella contamination at the slaughterhouses and pork shops. Intervention results showed a slight reduction of TBC contamination in pig carcasses from 4.46 to 4.23 log10 CFU/cm2 (p = 0.09) and Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork (reduction from 52% to 24% detection, p = 0.08), while the TBC in retailed pork decreased only marginally (5.47 vs. 5.36 log10 CFU/g, p = 0.23). For slaughterhouses, the regression model indicated that smoking or eating during slaughtering was a risk factor, associated with TBC increasing by 0.60 log10 CFU/g (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12 to 0.96, p =0.02), while cleaning floors and wearing boots reduced TBC contamination with 0.53 log10 CFU/g (CI: –0.83 to 0.01, p = 0.03) and 1.04 log10 CFU/g (CI: –1.50 to –0.26, p = 0.03), respectively. For pork shops, using rough materials (cardboard or wood) to display pork was the only factor increasing TBC contamination in pork with 0.57 log10 CFU/g (CI: 0.22 to 0.91, p < 0.001), whereas wearing aprons was associated with lower TBC, with 0.45 log10 CFU/g (CI: –0.79 to –0.12, p = 0.02), and Salmonella contamination in pork (odds ratio (OR) = 0.13, CI: 0.02 to 0.72, p = 0.03). The findings highlight the effectiveness of light-touch interventions in reducing microbial contamination in pig carcasses and pork over the study period.
|
|
5. |
- Duy, Nguyen Van, et al.
(author)
-
Enhancement of NH3 gas sensing with Ag-Pt co-catalyst on SnO2 nanofilm towards medical diagnosis
- 2023
-
In: Thin Solid Films. - : Elsevier. - 0040-6090 .- 1879-2731. ; 767
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Exhaled breath analysis is a noninvasive diagnostic method for fatal disease monitoring and screening, which is recently gained extensive interest of researchers worldwide emphasizing on the development of effective chemiresistive gas sensor for practical application. Here, the Ag-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles were used to deco-rate nanofilms of SnO2 making different gas sensors with high performance. We found that the bimetal alloy improved the sensor performance significantly with super sensitivity as compared with the separate Ag and Pt catalyst. The right ratio of the bimetal made the sensor very sensitive to NH3, so that it was able to quickly (12 s) detect 1 parts-per-million of NH3 with a response of 4.31 at a temperature of 250 degrees C. The sensor limit of detection for NH3 was less than 10 parts-per-billion. The response of the sensor was negligibly affected by humidity and interfering gases. The results showed that the tiny, robust, and inexpensive sensor developed in this work can be used in breath analysis for early diagnosis via NH3 monitoring.
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
- Gnann, Christian, et al.
(author)
-
Widespread enzyme expression variations underlie diverse metabolic capacities within cell types
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Metabolic enzymes perform life-sustaining functions in various compartments of the cell. Recent studies have shown some enzymes to exhibit varied expression or localization between genetically identical cells and that this heterogeneity impacts drug resistance, metastasis, differentiation, and immune cell activation. However, no systematic analysis of metabolic cellular heterogeneity has been performed. Here, we leverage imaging-based single-cell spatial proteomic data to reveal the extent of non-genetic partitioning of the metabolic proteome. Over half of all enzymes localize to multiple cellular compartments, hinting at moonlighting potential. In addition, nearly two fifths of metabolic enzymes exhibit cell-to-cell variable expression. We demonstrate that individual cells reproduce these highly heterogeneous cell populations using clonal expansion, establishing that cells recapitulate myriad metabolic phenotypes over just a few cell divisions. To identify multifunctional moonlighting enzymes, we mine protein-protein interaction datasets to find interacting proteins with distinct functional roles, and using a timeresolved transcriptomic dataset, we find that metabolic heterogeneity arises largely independently of cell cycle progression and is established mostly post-transcriptionally or posttranslationally. Taken together, our data suggest that the heterogeneity of metabolic enzymes establish diverse cellular phenotypes, which are reflected in tissues, and which may ultimately allow targeted studies of their roles in health and disease.
|
|
8. |
- Halvorsen, Cecilia Pegelow, et al.
(author)
-
A rapid smartphone-based lactate dehydrogenase test for neonatal diagnostics at the point of care
- 2019
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a growing recognition of the importance of point-of-care tests (POCTs) for detecting critical neonatal illnesses to reduce the mortality rate in newborns, especially in low-income countries, which account for 98 percent of reported neonatal deaths. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a marker of cellular damage as a result of hypoxia-ischemia in affected organs. Here, we describe and test a POC LDH test direct from whole blood to provide early indication of serious illness in the neonate. The sample-inresult- out POC platform is specifically designed to meet the needs at resource-limited settings. Plasma is separated from whole blood on filter paper with dried-down reagents for colorimetric reaction, combined with software for analysis using a smartphone. The method was clinically tested in newborns in two different settings. In a clinical cohort of newborns of Stockholm (n = 62) and Hanoi (n = 26), the value of R using Pearson's correlation test was 0.91 (p < 0.01) and the R-2 = 0.83 between the two methods. The mean LDH (+/- SD) for the reference method vs. the POC-LDH was 551 (+/- 280) U/L and 552 (+/- 249) U/L respectively, indicating the clinical value of LDH values measured in minutes with the POC was comparable with standardized laboratory analyses.
|
|
9. |
- HM, Coleman, et al.
(author)
-
Chemicals of concern in Australian beef cattle feedlot wastes – occurrence of ectoparasiticides and steroid hormones.
- 2012
-
In: 3rd International Conference on Industrial and Hazardous Waste Management.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Commercial feedlots for beef cattle finishing are potential sources of a range of trace chemical contaminants which have human health and environmental significance. The Meat and Livestock Association of Australia aim to ensure adequate protection of human and environmental health from exposure to these chemicals and have been working with the University of New South Wales to identify best practices for the management of contaminants in feedlot wastes. This involved studying the fate and analysis of key contaminants of concern in manure and composted waste on feedlot operations.Chemical contaminants of concern identified include steroidal hormones - oestrogens (17β-oestradiol, 17α-oestradiol, oestrone) and androgens (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, testosterone propionate, 17β-trenbolone, 17α-trenbolone) which are administered to beef cattle as hormone growth promoters. These compounds are of concern due to their endocrine disrupting properties. Ectoparasiticides are also commonly used on Australian feedlots as anti-parasitic agents to control ticks, flies and lice. These include the synthetic pyrethroids (deltamethrin, cypermethrin, flumethrin) and macrocyclic lactones (ivermectin, doramectin, abamectin, eprinomectin). Good management of ectoparasiticides is important for the prevention of potential ecotoxicological implications, particularly towards dung beetles. Very few of these chemical contaminants have been thoroughly investigated in terms of concentrations, effects and attenuation in feedlot wastes.This project involved the development and optimisation of analytical methods to determine the fate and levels of these compounds in cattle manure and composted waste. These methods were applied to analyse feedlot samples taken after various stages of processing from Australian beef cattle feedlots. Synthetic pyrethroids were not detected in any of the samples while macrocyclic lactones and steroidal hormones were detected in some samples. These results will be discussed with respect to sample type, chemical usage, seasonal variation, waste management practice and ecotoxicological significance. The outcomes of this research aided in the development of best practice guidelines for the safe management of feedlot wastes in Australia.
|
|
10. |
- Jain, Yashvardhan, et al.
(author)
-
Segmenting functional tissue units across human organs using community-driven development of generalizable machine learning algorithms
- 2023
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of a reference atlas of the healthy human body requires automated image segmentation of major anatomical structures across multiple organs based on spatial bioimages generated from various sources with differences in sample preparation. We present the setup and results of the Hacking the Human Body machine learning algorithm development competition hosted by the Human Biomolecular Atlas (HuBMAP) and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) teams on the Kaggle platform. We create a dataset containing 880 histology images with 12,901 segmented structures, engaging 1175 teams from 78 countries in community-driven, open-science development of machine learning models. Tissue variations in the dataset pose a major challenge to the teams which they overcome by using color normalization techniques and combining vision transformers with convolutional models. The best model will be productized in the HuBMAP portal to process tissue image datasets at scale in support of Human Reference Atlas construction.
|
|