• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2005

This survey was conducted to assess the consumer perceptions of food-related hazard in 500 housewives from all over Korea. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling method. The survey was performed using structured questionnaire through telephone interview by skilled interviewers. The results showed that 34.6% of the respondents felt secure and were not concerned about food safety, and 65.4% were concerned about food safety. Logistic regression analysis showed that the increasing concern on food brands, food additives (such as food preservatives and artificial color), and imported foodstuffs indicated the current increasing concern on food safety. Other related factors indicating the increasing concern on food safety were education level and care for children's health. The respondents who cared about food safety expressed a high degree of concern on processed foodstuffs such as commercial boxed lunch (93.3%), imported foods (92.7%), fastfoods (89.9%), processed meat products (88.7%), dining out (85.6%), cannery and frozen foods (83.5%), and instant foods (82.0%). The lowest degree of concern was on rice. All the respondents perceived that residues of chemical substances such as pesticides and food additives, and endocrine disrupters were the most potential food risk factors, followed by food-borne pathogens, and GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). However, these results were not consistent with scientific judgment. Therefore, more education and information were needed for consumers' awareness of facts and myths about food safety. In addition, the results showed that consumers put lower trust in food products information such as food labels, cultivation methods (organic or not), quality labels, and the place of origin. Nevertheless, the respondents expressed their desire to overcome alienation, and recognized the importance of knowing of the origin or the producers of food. They identified that people who need to take extreme precautions on food contamination were the producers, government officials, food companies, consumers, the consumer's association, and marketers, arranged in the order of highest to lowest. They also believed that the production stage of agriculture was the most important step for improving the level of food safety Therefore, the results indicated that there is a need to introduce safety systems in the production of agricultural products, as follows: Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), and Traceability System (75).

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.63-75
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• 2007

A survey on sanitary management at 98 food service institutions located in Jeollabuk-Do were conducted. Food service institutions included 13 hospitals, 38 schools, 40 enterprises, and 7 others. The sterilization in boiling water was used for disinfection of tableware, spoon and chopsticks, and dish towel. Cooking kit, refrigerator, chopping board, and knife were sterilized with disinfectant. Frequency of sanitary training program on employees was 56.1% for 1 time/month, 12.2% for 2-3 times/month, and 11.3% for 1 time/week. Preparing ratio of defrosting, warehouse and rest room, and washing and sterilization diary were 73.8, 60.5, and 54.5%, respectively. However, checking ratio of environments (9.5%), personal sanitation (10.8%), and sanitary training program diary(8.4%) were low. Major obstacle factors on the introduction of Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system into food service institutions were lack of equipment and facilities (54.1%) and lack of understanding and data on HACCP system (17.3%). Therefore, in order to reduce the outbreak of food-borne diseases increasing frequency, we estimated that the introduction of sanitary management system and the conversion of dietician' perception on sanitary managements in food service institutions were needed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.334-338
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• 2009

To determine the contamination status of Sushi fish and rice, seventy-nine samples of Sushi were collected from wholesale markets and Japanese restaurants within the Seoul area and subsequently analyzed for food-borne pathogens. Total aerobic counts ranged from 4 to 6 log CFU/g for the sliced raw fish, and from 3 to 5 log CFU/g for the boiled rice. Higher levels of contamination were detected in bream and shrimp Sushi versus other types. Coliform counts of 3-4 log CFU/g were detected in the sliced raw fish, whereas levels in the boiled rice were one log CFU/g lower compared to the raw fish. The raw Sushi fish had higher amounts of contamination than the boiled rice, however, E.coli was not detected. The prevalence rates of pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, in the raw fish were 17% and 10%, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence rates in the boiled rice were 11% and 8% for S. aureus and B.cereus, respectively. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were also detected; however, other pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfrigens, and Yersinia enterocolitica were not detected. Among the high contaminating pathogens, B.cereus was found in 13% of samples from the wholesale markets, while S.aureus was found in 30% of samples from the Japanese restaurants. Therefore, these data suggest that the primary microbial hazard factors for Sushi are S. aureus and B. cereus, in addition to V. parahaemolyticus, and further risk assessments should focus on those pathogens.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to analyze hazards for the growing stage of 6 tomato farms (A, B, C; soli farms, D, E, F; Nutriculture farms) located in Gyeongsangnam-do to establish the good agricultural practices (GAP). A total of 144 samples for analyzing hazards collected from cultivation environments (irrigation water, soil, nutrient solution, and air) and personal hygiene (hands, gloves, and cloths) were assessed for biological (sanitary indications and major food borne pathogens) and chemical hazards (heavy metals). Total bacteria, coliform, and fungi were detected at levels of 0.2-7.2, 0.0-6.1, and 0.0-5.4 log CFU/g, mL, hand or 100 $cm^2$, respectively. Escherichia coli were only detected in the soil sample from B farm. In case of pathogens, Bacillus cereus was detected at levels of 0.0-4.4 log CFU/(g, mL, hand or 100 $cm^2$), whereas Staphylococuus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157, and Salmonella spp. were not detected in all samples. Heavy metals as a chemical hazard were detected in soil and irrigation water, but levels of them were lower than the permit limit. In conclusion, chemical hazard levels complied with GAP criteria, but biological hazards at the growing stage of tomato farms were confirmed. Therefore a proper management to prevent microbial contamination is needed.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2013

This study has been performed for 150 days from February 1 - June 31, 2012 aiming at analyzing biologically hazardous factors in order to develop HACCP system for the vinegared pickle radishes. A process chart was prepared as shown on Fig. 1 by referring to manufacturing process of manufacturer of general vinegared pickle radishes regarding process of raw agricultural products of vinegared pickle radishes, used water, warehousing of additives and packing material, storage, careful selection, washing, peeling off, cutting, sorting out, stuffing (filling), internal packing, metal detection, external packing, storage and consignment (delivery). As a result of measuring Coliform group, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Listeria Monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, Clostridium perfringens, Yeast and Mold before and after washing raw radishes, Bacillus cereus was $5.00{\times}10$ CFU/g before washing but it was not detected after washing and Yeast and Mold was $3.80{\times}10^2$ CFU/g before washing but it was reduced to 10 CFU/g after washing and other pathogenic bacteria was not detected. As a result of testing microorganism variation depending on pH (2-5) of seasoning fluid (condiment), pH 3-4 was determined as pH of seasoning fluid as all the bacteria was not detected in pH3-4. As a result of testing air-borne bacteria (number of general bacteria, colon bacillus, fungus) depending on each workplace, number of microorganism of internal packing room, seasoning fluid processing room, washing room and storage room was detected to be 10 CFU/Plate, 2 CFU/Plate, 60 CFU/Plate and 20 CFU/Plate, respectively. As a result of testing palm condition of workers, as number of general bacteria and colon bacillus was represented to be high as 346 $CFU/Cm^2$ and 23 $CFU/Cm^2$, respectively, an education and training for individual sanitation control was considered to be required. As a result of inspecting surface pollution level of manufacturing facility and devices, colon bacillus was not detected in all the specimen but general bacteria was most dominantly detected in PP Packing machine and Siuping machine (PE Bulk) as $4.2{\times}10^3CFU/Cm^2$, $2.6{\times}10^3CFU/Cm^2$, respectively. As a result of analyzing above hazardous factors, processing process of seasoning fluid where pathogenic bacteria may be prevented, reduced or removed is required to be controlled by CCP-B (Biological) and threshold level (critical control point) was set at pH 3-4. Therefore, it is considered that thorough HACCP control plan including control criteria (point) of seasoning fluid processing process, countermeasures in case of its deviation, its verification method, education/training and record control would be required.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.202-206
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• 2014

In this study, the bacteriological survey was examined on ice creams at manufacturing factories in Korea during the summer season of 2011. The nineteen selected among 166 samples by preliminary test were collected from 11 different manufacturing factories in four major manufacturers in May 2011. Samples from ice milk, ice creams, sherbets, and non milk fat ice creams were tested for the total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, and five food borne pathogens, respectively. The results showed that the coliforms including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected on all the ice creams. The total aerobic bacteria of the packed samples examined ranged between $2.5{\times}10^3$ and $5.5{\times}10^5cfu/g$. One ice cream, two sherbets, and four ice milk samples exceeded the acceptable limits of total aerobic bacteria according to the Korean standards for ice cream ($1.0{\times}10^5cfu/g$) and others ($5.0{\times}10^4cfu/g$). The levels of these microorganisms from ice creams were higher in three original equipment manufacturers than seven self-manufacturers. Three of ten ice creams (30.0%), three of six ice milks (50.0%), and one of two sherbets (50%) exceeded the acceptable limits of total aerobic bacteria, respectively. The personnel hygiene procedures with chocolate and vanilla chip addition from the manufacturing process were the main sources of the microbial contamination of stick-bar type ice creams when being produced in a factory. Improvement of the hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) system should be introduced into the ice cream factory to improve the microbial quality of the ice cream products in Korea.