Breakthroughs Today

How could coincidence have something to do with presliced peppers? In life as well as in health, anything goes.  Our practices in food preparation may have been proven very risky somewhere else. CALL IT coincidence. When the family had supper in a food court somewhere in Talisay City, we opted for the more oily middle-eastern inspired rice treat (the first time I tasted one) instead of the familiar steamed rice. Topping that with a sunny fried egg makes the taste and texture superb. While the attendant prepared the food, I noticed his use of presliced raw spices—onion, tomato and all—and kept in the refrigerator, until fully used up, I supposed. Coincidentally, I earlier had a research report on a Salmonella infection outbreak in Texas, which involved the use of precubed spices, particularly raw jalapeño peppers. The good thing was I haven’t read the study beyond the abstract when I put the first spoon of the tasty dish into my mouth. I can imagine my reservatio

Listeria bacteria infect Cantaloupes causing the deadliest food-borne ever in the United States, involving 18 states so far reported. Colorado and Mexico took the hardest hit. Already 13 people died since the outbreak started in September. The melons involved in the current outbreak, "Rocky Ford" brand cantaloupes sold by Jensen Farms, were recalled on Sept. 14. [ READ REPORT ] 

ZOSIMO T. LITERATUS, RMT Two outbreaks of petfood-associated renal failure occurred in 2004 (involving around 6,000 dogs and a smaller number of cats) and 2007 (involving a large number of dogs and cats in North America). In 2004, the outbreak was linked to the ingestion of specific commercial dog foods, and occurred in dogs from Asia. Health authorities attributed it to poisonous compounds (particularly ochratoxin, citrinin, or both) that contaminated raw materials in a manufacturing plant in Thailand. In 2007, on the heel of another renal failure outbreak associated with pet foods, North American health authorities identified the toxic compounds as melamine and cyanuric acid; both are present in wheat gluten, rice protein, and corn gluten imported from China and used as a pet food ingredient. Able to elevate falsely the measure of protein content in pet foods because of its high nitrogen content, melamine was presumed to have been intentionally added by suppliers in China. Two studie