Browsing by Author "Mihalache, Octavian Augustin"
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- Data on European kitchen layouts belonging to vulnerable consumers (elderly people and young families with children or pregnant women) and risk-takers (young single men)Publication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Møretrø, Trond; Borda, Daniela; Dumitraşcu, Loredana; Neagu, Corina; Nguyen-The, Christophe; Maître, Isabelle; Didier, Pierrine; Teixeira, Paula; Junqueira, Luis Orlando Lopes; Truninger, Monica; Izsó, Tekla; Kasza, Gyula; Skuland, Silje Elisabeth; Langsrud, Solveig; Nicolau, Anca IoanaThe data presented here capture the structure of kitchen layouts belonging to consumers vulnerable to foodborne diseases and food risk-takers. Data were collected in the frame of the SafeConsume project by multidisciplinary research teams that visited consumers during preparing a meal and had the possibility to examine their cooking routines. Distances between sink and stove, sink and refrigerator, stove and refrigerator, sink and working place (countertop or table), stove and working place were analyzed to correlate food safety practices applied during cooking with kitchen arrangements. The results arising from analyzing the ergonomics of kitchens versus potential cross-contamination events are presented in Mihalache et al., [1]. These data contribute to a better understanding of real kitchen layouts and can be used as a starting point for future research regarding food safety-oriented arrangements instead of ergonomics-focused designs, for food safety risk assessments, as study cases for explaining specific measures that can be established to improve food handling and hygiene practices in homes and for sociological research pointing consumers’ behavior during cooking.
- Efficacy of removing bacteria and organic dirt from hands: a study based on bioluminescence measurements for evaluation of hand hygiene when cookingPublication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Borda, Daniela; Neagu, Corina; Teixeira, Paula; Langsrud, Solveig; Nicolau, Anca IoanaThe objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dirt removal (bacteria and organic matter) of several hand-cleaning procedures. The results from the hand hygiene experiment indicated that washing hands with warm water and soap for 20 s is the most effective method investigated when hands are either dirty or greasy. Even if not proper washing, rinsing under running water for 5 s is a cleaning procedure that may significantly reduce the probability of cross-contamination, as it removes 90% of the hands' dirt. Although less effective than water and soap, the usage of antibacterial wipes was significantly more effective than wet wipes, indicating that they are a better choice when water and soap are not available. The results of this study enable us to inform consumers about the effectiveness of hand-cleaning procedures applied in their homes when cooking. Moreover, it can make consumers understand why, during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities recommended washing hands as a preventive measure of infection and using an anti-bacterial hand gel or wiping hands with an antimicrobial wipe if water and soap are not available.
- Hand hygiene practices during meal preparation-a ranking among ten European countriesPublication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Teixeira, Paula; Langsrud, Solveig; Nicolau, Anca IoanaBACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to map consumers' food hygiene practices from 10 European countries and evaluate which demographic groups are more likely to be exposed to foodborne pathogens and establish a ranking of adherence to food hygiene practices in 10 European countries. METHODS: The research design consisted of a cross-national quantitative consumer survey regarding food safety and hygiene practices during meal preparation (SafeConsume project) and was conducted in ten European countries (France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain and UK). The survey questions were based on recommended hand hygiene practices and on observed practices from a field study performed in 90 European households from six of the countries covered by the survey (France, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and UK). SPSS Statistics 26 (IBM Software Group, Chicago, IL) was used for the descriptive and regression analyses of the data. Regression analyses were used to check the relation between demographic characteristics, country of origin and self-reported hand hygiene practices. RESULTS: According to the regression models, families with elderly members aged over 65 showed a higher tendency to follow proper hand washing practices compared to families without elderly members. Meanwhile, families with children under the age of 6 reported being up to twice as likely to wash their hands at critical moments compared to families without children. Overall, taking into consideration the likelihood of washing hands after touching raw chicken and the percentages scores for proper hand cleaning methods and key moments for hand washing, the rank of the countries regarding proper hand hygiene practices was the following: Denmark, Greece, Norway, Romania, Hungary, Germany, UK, Portugal, France, and Spain. CONCLUSIONS: Information and education should point both at the key moments as suggested by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) and safe practices. Public health burden generated by improper hand washing may be significantly reduced if education is targeted on consumers' behaviour and practices.
- Kitchen layouts and consumers’ food hygiene practices: ergonomics versus safetyPublication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Møretrø, Trond; Borda, Daniela; Dumitraşcu, Loredana; Neagu, Corina; Nguyen-The, Christophe; Maître, Isabelle; Didier, Pierrine; Teixeira, Paula; Junqueira, Luis Orlando Lopes; Truninger, Monica; Izsó, Tekla; Kasza, Gyula; Skuland, Silje Elisabeth; Langsrud, Solveig; Nicolau, Anca IoanaOur paper emphasizes the importance of the kitchen layout in facilitating consumers' food hygiene practices. A significant correlation was found between the sink placement (inside or outside the kitchen) and hygienic practices during food handling based on a survey performed on consumers from ten European countries, indicating that those who had the sink in the kitchen were more likely to perform proper hygiene practices than those who have not. The self-reported practices were supported by observed practices in 64 households from five European countries. The observational study combined with the examination of kitchen layouts revealed that the kitchen work triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, cooking stove and refrigerator, which is recommended for ergonomic reasons by architects and designers, did not necessarily support food hygiene practices in kitchens. Cross-contamination events were associated with the sink – countertop distances longer than 1 m. Based on this, a new kitchen triangle with its apexes represented by the kitchen sink, working place (usually countertop) and cooking stove, with the distance between the sink and the working place less than 1 m is proposed to be used as norm in kitchen designs for combining ergonomics with safety. This triangle is proposedly named the food safety triangle and is aimed to mitigate the risks of foodborne illnesses by creating an arrangement that facilitates hygiene practices. This study is the first to highlight the importance of implementing the concept of food safety in the kitchen design based on significant correlations between kitchen equipment placement and consumers’ food safety practices.
- Pasteurised eggs - a food safety solution against Salmonella backed by sensorial analysis of dishes traditionally containing raw or undercooked eggsPublication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Monteiro, Maria João; Dumitrascu, Loredana; Neagu, Corina; Ferreira, Vânia; Guimarães, Marta; Borda, Daniela; Teixeira, Paula; Nicolau, Anca IoanaThis study evaluates the potential of pasteurised eggs to be used as a replacement for raw eggs in recipes where eggs remain uncooked or undercooked. Sensory tests were performed by 178 untrained panellists (143 from Portugal and 35 from Romania) using a 9-point hedonic scale. The tested recipes were tiramisu, chocolate mousse, eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and condensed milk mousse (Baba de camelo). While in Portugal the colour and texture of the chocolate mousse prepared with pasteurised and unpasteurised eggs differed significantly, no significant differences in regards to the organoleptic attributes were recorded in Romania. Nonetheless, the results revealed comparable distribution scores regarding the overall acceptability for all the recipes indicating an agreement among panellists for both raw and pasteurised eggs dishes in both countries. The regression analysis showed that the main drivers of consumers’ acceptance of dishes made with pasteurised eggs are flavour and texture. This research demonstrates that five dishes prepared with liquid pasteurised eggs are accepted by consumers as they cannot clearly be distinguished from their counterparts prepared with raw eggs. As Salmonella-contaminated eggs are the most frequent cause of salmonellosis, pasteurised eggs can be used as a safer ingredient to substitute shell eggs in raw egg-based dishes without significant reduction of the sensory quality of the dish. Since liquid pasteurised eggs are already widely used, especially by industry and restaurants, we provide reasons supporting pasteurisation of eggs in shell as a more convenient solution for consumers. Pasteurised eggs, either liquid or in shell, constitute a way to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases by diminishing the number of cases of salmonellosis associated with cooking at home. Researchers and food safety authorities can use our results as a starting point for future studies or intervention strategies.
- Raw-egg based-foods consumption and food handling practices: a recipe for foodborne diseases among Romanian and Portuguese consumersPublication . Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Teixeira, Paula; Nicolau, Anca IoanaSalmonellosis is the second most common zoonosis in humans after campylobacteriosis. Eggs and egg products are the foods most commonly associated with Salmonella outbreaks. Also, inadequate hygiene practices performed by consumers at home contribute to the prevalence of foodborne diseases. The elderly, children, and pregnant women are the most vulnerable individuals. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyse Romanian and Portuguese consumers' self-reported consumption of raw-egg based-foods, food and hand hygiene practices, and to check if vulnerable consumer groups mediate the relationship between consumption of raw-egg based-foods and hygiene practices since they have weak immune systems. Significant correlations were found between the number of foodborne events and the number of Romanian and Portuguese consumers who did not report proper raw-egg handling and hand hygiene practices. An ordinary regression model indicated an increased consumption frequency of raw-egg based-foods reported by Romanian and Portuguese men, consumers aged <55 years, and from the category of vulnerable consumers, families with pregnant women, and families with children thus exposing themselves to a higher risk of foodborne diseases when compared with Romanian and Portuguese women and consumers aged >55 years. Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that there is a negative link between consumption frequency of raw-egg based-foods and food and hand hygiene practices for both Romanian and Portuguese consumers. Vulnerable consumers mediate the relationship between consumption frequency and hygiene practices, suggesting that Romanian families with elderly members and families with children dampened the negative relationship between consumption of raw-egg based-foods and self-reported hygiene practices, the contrary being observed Portuguese families with children and families from both countries with pregnant women. Recommendations for multi-faceted approaches regarding educational campaigns are made in order to improve consumers’ knowledge and food handling practices.
- Using tactile cold perceptions as an indicator of food safety-a hazardous choicePublication . Borda, Daniela; Mihalache, Octavian Augustin; Nicolau, Anca Ioana; Teixeira, Paula; Langsrud, Solveig; Dumitrascu, LoredanaThe safety of many foods is dependent on ensuring the cold chain until the time of consumption. A weak link is the consumer part of the chain as the temperatures of domestic refrigerators are often too high and the users have limited possibilities to monitor and adjust the temperatures. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether common consumer practices for monitoring that food is kept cold are valid. Consumers demonstrated limited ability to assess food and surface temperature by tactile sense with lower precision at 8 °C compared to 4 °C. Almost 20% of the consumers were able to detect the exact food and surface temperature kept at 4 °C, while at 8 °C only 13% detected the exact temperature. A web-based survey mapping consumer practices showed that more than 40% of consumers never checked the temperature in their refrigerators, 38% rely on food coldness to evaluate if the refrigerator is running at adequate temperature and 65% lack knowledge on how to correctly asses temperature in the fridge. Most of the comments emphasized the situations where consumers could be at risk due to misevaluation of refrigerated food and surfaces real temperature indicating the necessity for better monitorization of cold food chain at domestic level.