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Natural Casings and Food Safety - An Up-to-Date Analysis by Prof. Valerio Giaccone

Prof. Valerio Giaccone explores the use of natural casings in food production, emphasizing their safety and importance. Learn about hazards, risks, and microbial pathogens associated with foodborne illnesses.

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Natural Casings and Food Safety - An Up-to-Date Analysis by Prof. Valerio Giaccone

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  1. Natural casings and food safety: an up-to-date Valerio Giacconce School of Veterinary Medicine – University of Padua (Italy)

  2. Who I am My name is Valerio Giaccone Full professor of “Meat Hygiene and Food Inspection”

  3. Who I am My Collegues say I am … … the “Food detective”

  4. Who I am I would like to be called … … the “Food Doctor”

  5. As Doctor … … I should make everything to keep the food “safe” … … and keep away every possible “hazard”

  6. Arguments What we know on casings What we should better understand What we should discover

  7. What we know on natural casings?

  8. We know that … … natural casings are worldwide used as “skin” … … for various kind of sausages and other foods

  9. We know that … … the commercial trade of natural casings on the world … … plays a considerable economic role

  10. Houben (2005) “In 2002 the total EU foreign trade in natural casings … … was about 1.4 billion dollars”

  11. Koolmees (2004) He reports that the trade of natural casings … … is estimated in 2.5 billion dollars per year

  12. We know that … … the 60% of natural casings used for sausages … … comes from the small intestine of sheep

  13. Natural casings … … are drawn from the submucosa of animal gut … … by desliming and stripping off their mucous and muscular layers

  14. Natural casings … … are usually prepared by salting, curing and drying … … various part of animal gut

  15. Hazards for human health

  16. First HAZARD and RISK … … ARE NOT THE SAME THING

  17. An hazard … … is a physical, chemical or biological agent … … which can be dangerous for human health

  18. An hazard … … is always an hazard … … aside from the food

  19. For example Ice cream contains a lot of air (and of Oxygen) Clostridium botulinum grows only in strict anaerobiosis

  20. For example Clostridium botulinum is an hazard for ice cream ? YES, because it can cause botulism in humans

  21. Nevertheless … … the probability that C. botulinum grows in ice cream … … is very low, because the presence of too much oxygen

  22. The risk A risk is the mathematical probability … … that an hazard can occurr

  23. Microbial pathogens Kind of hazard Chemical residues

  24. Bacteria Toxigenic moulds Microbial hazards Viruses

  25. Natural contaminants Chemical hazards Xenobiotic contaminants

  26. Microbial pathogen Salmonella enterica Campylobacter Listeria monocytogenes Escherichia coli VTEC

  27. Chemical residues Heavy metals Antibiotics & chemoterapics Pesticides Mycotoxins (ochratoxin)

  28. Microbial pathogen In 2009 in European Union occurred more than … … 190.000 cases of human foodborne campylobacteriosis

  29. Microbial pathogen In 2009 in European Union occurred more than … … 108.000 cases of human foodborne salmonellosis

  30. Microbial pathogen In 2009 in European Union occurred … … 1.645 cases of foodborne human listeriosis

  31. Foodborne diseases 2009 The EU Summary Report “Trends and Sources of Zoonoses and Zoonotic Agents and Food-borne Outbreaks in 2009”

  32. What we know Natural casings are not a substantial source … … of foodborne pathogens for sausages

  33. As consequence Natural casings are microbiologically fully acceptable … … if they are adequately dry-salted

  34. What we know Very rarely natural casings harbor Salmonella, … … Listeria monocytogenes or other microbial pathogens

  35. Why ? Because their production process and … … because the antimicrobial action of salting and curing

  36. The pathogens They are normally harbored in gut of animals, so they … … could pass to natural casing in the first production steps

  37. But … … … by salting, curing and drying the gut for at least 30 days … … it is very rare that Salmonellae and other pathogens can survive

  38. Clostridia Sulphite-reducing Clostridium are sometimes detected in natural casings They produce high resistant “spores” which survive in salt

  39. Bacillus The same risk can occorr with spores of Bacillus cereus … … another cause of foodborne intoxication

  40. Nevertheless … … the risk for sausages … … comes from the alive clostridia, NOT from spores

  41. We know that … … the alive Clostridia CAN NOT grow in natural casings … … because their salt content

  42. An experience of challenge test

  43. Aim of the study Inspired by Bailocom, we have performed a challenge test … … to study the behaviour of Clostridia in natural casing

  44. The numbers We have analysed 120 samples of natural casings … … looking for the charge of sulphite-reducing Clostridium

  45. The numbers The 30 casing in which we found the most high charges of Clostridium … … were then used to produce raw seasoned sausages

  46. The tests 21 sausages at the begin of seasoning and other … … 21 sausages at the end of seasoning were analysed

  47. The results In all samples tested we have found charges of Clostridium … … always below 10 cfu/g of meat

  48. What does it means? Natural casing can contain low charges of Clostridium spores … … but the spores have no real significance for the sausage

  49. What we should better understand

  50. Viruses Certain viruses, pathogenic for breeding animals, may persist … … in adequately salted casings

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