Keeping oysters, clams and mussels safe to eat
2011-04-20
(Press-News.org) Eating raw or undercooked mollusks may pose a safety hazard if they are harvested from waters polluted with pathogenic microbes, so U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are studying ways to enhance the food safety of these popular shellfish.
For example, USDA molecular biologist David H. Kingsley at Delaware State University in Dover is exploring new techniques that will decontaminate mollusks while protecting the seafood's flavor, texture, and color.
Kingsley, with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), is investigating the use of a specialized commercial procedure known as high pressure processing, or HPP, to inactivate viruses. HPP is already used commercially to pasteurize some juices and meats, and by some shellfish processors to deactivate Vibrio bacteria. But Kingsley and colleagues are the first to show that HPP also can inactivate some foodborne viruses.
HPP equipment compresses water to create intense pressures as high as 90,000 pounds per square inch. Normal atmospheric pressure is about 15 pounds per square inch at sea level.
In tests targeting hepatitis A virus, the cause of a contagious liver disease, the team showed that an HPP treatment of 60,000 pounds per square inch of pressure for five minutes inactivated 99.9 percent of the virus in oysters that had been exposed to the pathogen in laboratory tanks.
The hepatitis A studies led to a collaboration with researchers in Italy, where raw or lightly cooked Mediterranean mussels, popular in European markets, are sometimes a vector for the virus. The ARS scientists and colleagues from Italy's University of Bari found that the 5-minute, HPP treatment inactivated 99.9 percent of the virus in North American blue mussels and in Mediterranean mussels.
HPP is not perfect. For instance, the pressure needed to inactivate hepatitis A virus may alter the taste and texture somewhat. Additional research may reveal ways to mitigate these changes.
Kingsley and his co-investigators have published these and other findings in Food and Environmental Virology, Virus Research and other scientific journals. The Dover team is part of the ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa.
INFORMATION:
ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. The Dover studies support the USDA priority of enhancing food safety.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-04-20
A prenuptial agreement is a legal contract that can be used to limit the transfer of assets or income to a former spouse, should a couple divorce.
The agreement is made before the marriage and is interpreted by the courts using the rules of contract law. The California legislature has created detailed requirements for the creation of a prenuptial agreement.
When is a prenuptial agreement invalid in California? The basic requirements of a prenuptial agreement are established in the California Family Code.
Full Disclosure
To be valid, a prenuptial agreement must ...
2011-04-20
BINGHAMTON, NY – Many of the newest weapons in the war on cancer come in the form of personalized therapies that can target specific changes in an individual's tumor. By disrupting molecular processes in tumor cells, these drugs can keep the tumor from growing and spreading. At the forefront of this work are Binghamton University researchers, Susan Bane, and Susannah Gal, who are deploying a new tool in their study of an enzyme called tubulin tyrosine ligase, or TTL.
In developing these targeted therapies, scientists need to understand exactly what kind of activities ...
2011-04-20
Underage drinking is not an uncommon occurrence in our society. High school and college students all too frequently have parties where excessive amounts of alcohol are being consumed by minors. This may not be terribly surprising, but it should be alarming.
Dangerous consequences can occur when minors drink alcohol or take drugs, including alcohol poisoning and other serious injuries that may result due to overconsumption. Additionally, drunk driving accidents and death may even be possible. Many adults may not realize that they can be held liable under Illinois's social ...
2011-04-20
If a patient dies because of medical malpractice, a person loses her mobility because of a reckless driver in a motor vehicle accident, or severe injury is suffered because of a defective product or device, one thing is certain: A jury can tally the medical bills and lost earnings, but it's impossible to tally the losses that matter even more -- noneconomic damages like pain and suffering.
For that reason, we leave the question of noneconomic damages to juries. Only jurors, after they have heard stories of loss, are in the best position to determine what those losses ...
2011-04-20
BOSTON – The long-standing prohibition against testosterone therapy in men with untreated or low-risk prostate cancer merits reevaluation, according to a new study published in The Journal of Urology.
"For many decades it had been believed that a history of prostate cancer, even if treated and cured, was an absolute contraindication to testosterone therapy, due to the belief that testosterone activated prostate cancer growth, and could potentially cause dormant cancer cells to grow rapidly," says Abraham Morgentaler, MD of Men's Health Boston. "Generations of medical ...
2011-04-20
Breast implants appear to be associated with a rare form of lymphoma, but there is not yet evidence to show that the cancer is caused by implants or to suggest an underlying mechanism for how the disease might develop, according to a study by researchers from the RAND Corporation.
The study, published online by the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, also finds that the disease takes a slow course and can be controlled by surgical removal of the implant and surrounding capsule.
The conclusions are based on an exhaustive review of the medical literature regarding ...
2011-04-20
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A repeat of a corporate tax holiday that found little success in stimulating the economy in 2005 is still a long-shot to jump-start a stagnant U.S. economy, says a University of Illinois expert in corporate and international taxation.
Dhammika Dharmapala, a professor of law at Illinois, says that while the idea of a tax holiday has found favor among some politicians and presidential hopefuls looking to jolt the country out of the financial doldrums, it would have little positive effect on economic growth.
"Ostensibly, the aim is to increase domestic ...
2011-04-20
When a couple decides that it is time to end their marriage they face many challenges, not the least of which is dividing the marital property. While there are exceptions, marital property is generally defined as property that is acquired after the date of marriage and before a spouse files for divorce. This can include a house, vehicles, bank accounts, debts, retirement funds and business interest.
The division of marital property at times can be fairly straight forward and at other times very complex -- dividing a closely-held or family business is one of the most ...
2011-04-20
Independent contractors are widely utilized in the construction business to help reduce costs and bring in valuable outside expertise. For employers, using independent contractors means employment tax savings and the avoidance of certain labor laws. But, problems arise when employers start calling regular employees "independent contractors."
Misclassified workers miss out on a number of benefits, including workers' compensation rights, unemployment insurance, and the ability to collectively bargain. In the construction industry, misclassification of employees ...
2011-04-20
The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused social disruption and psychological stress among Gulf residents that is similar to the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez spill and the impacts are likely to persist for years, a new study finds.
"Just ask the residents of Cordova today whether they are over the Exxon Valdez," said study co-author Liesel Ritchie, assistant director for research of the University of Colorado Boulder's Natural Hazards Center. The Alaska community was considered "ground zero" for the 1989 oil spill.
The research was a collaborative effort among Ritchie, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Keeping oysters, clams and mussels safe to eat
