غلامرضا جاهدخانیکی

Compliance with the principles of food safety and hygiene is very important in the entire chain of production, storage, transportation and supply of food to ensure the safety and suitability of food to ensure the health of consumers. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for health and food safety in the fruit and vegetable fields of Tehran in 2022.

A descriptive-analytical study on 67 fruit and vegetable centers in Tehran city regarding the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for food safety and hygiene, such as the condition of buildings and facilities, employee training, employee health, food quality control, control of environmental pests, waste disposal and work environment hygiene were done. First, a questionnaire was prepared and its validity was confirmed by the opinion of five experts, as well as its reliability tool with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.87, then the questionnaire was completed and the necessary data was recorded. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.

The results showed that the favorable condition of buildings and facilities, employee education, employee health, food quality control, environmental pest control, waste disposal and workplace hygiene were 67.16%, 26.85%, 50.20%,67.91%, 43.65%, 58.39% and 63.11%, respectively. So the indicators of building and facilities, food quality control, food consumption and work environment with an average of more than a percentage are acceptable. However, the indicators of care education and combating environmental chastity have been evaluated as unfavorable

Knowing the status of indicators and prerequisite programs for food safety and hygiene in the fruit and vegetable fields of Tehran city can help to improve food safety and health. Also, the desirability of indicators of buildings and facilities, food quality control, waste disposal and workplace hygiene affect the supply and distribution of healthy food. It is also recommended to pay more attention to raising the level of education in the care and methods of environmental pest control in fruit and vegetable fields.

Considering the needs of the society food safety and hygiene graduates can be employed in positions related to their field of study and provide services to solve the food safety and hygiene ‎problems at the community level. The aim of this research was to explain the current situation and future prospects of the food safety and hygiene field in terms of occupational positions and the needs of the society.

A descriptive and applied study was conducted with the time series analysis method regarding the current situation and the future perspective of the ‎ food safety and hygiene field ‎in terms of occupational positions and the society's need. A valid and reliable questionnaire was developed and used for data collection. In order to predict the future of the field, the time series statistical analysis method (Autoregressive integrated moving average =ARIMA) was used. In addition, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified and analysed using the SWOT qualitative content analysis.

Analysis of the data obtained showed that the number of food safety and hygiene graduates has an increasing trend. The proportions of the graduates in relevant occupations, in non-relevant occupations and out of job were 48.00%, 24.75% and 27.25%, respectively. The data also revealed that this field of study had good strengths, so attempts should be made to increases them, reducing the weaknesses and threats, using the available and potential opportunities.

Based on the findings of this study the numbers of individuals accepted and graduated in the field of food safety and hygiene have an increasing trend, which are expected to continue in the next ten years. On the whole, the current moderate situation and the future perspective of the food safety and hygiene field in terms of the occupational positions and the society's need can be relatively favourable. In any case it is essential to make serious attempts continuously to maintain and promote this field of study.

Safe food and proper nutrition play a vital role in the health of populations. Food-borne diseases are a serious public health problem. Food handlers working in the kitchen play an important role in the transmission of foodborne diseases. Food-borne diseases, especially those caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, are preventable. Proper manpower training is a key factor in provision of safe food and prevention of malnutrition.

A descriptive, cross-sectional and applied study was conducted in 10 hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2017. The knowledge, attitude and practice of 136 food handlers working in the kitchens of the hospitals was assessed using questionnaires.

Analysis of the data showed that 8.08% of the participants had a good knowledge about food hygiene and safety (a score above 75%), while 16.7% of them achieved the full score as regards attitude. The hospitals’ performance was at a desirable level. The level of food hygiene and safety knowledge of the food handlers was significantly associated with their refresher trainings (p <0.05).

It can be concluded that the awareness of food handlers in most of the hospitals about food hygiene and safety is not sufficiently high. It is suggested to design and implement proper refresher training crash courses, as well as sensitize the personnel.

Food and feed spoilage moulds cause great economic losses worldwide. Wheat is important cereal in Iran and very sensitive to mould contamination aflatoxigenic moulds. Ozone recognized as a strong disinfection substance since before 1997. It decomposes rapidly to molecular oxygen without leaving a residue. In order to study the effect of ozonated water on growth of Aspergillus parasiticus, wheat samples inoculated with spore suspension (10, 102,104spore/gr wheat) of Aspergillus parasiticus and incubated at 25-30◦Cfor 10 days. Contaminated samples incubated at <20, 25, 40◦C for 24h, after tempering with ozonated water to concentrations of 0, 1, 2, 2.5 mg ozone/l. For evaluate of ozone effectiveness on reduction of Aspergillus parasiticus, weighing of mould mycelium method was used after drying.Then fungal mycelia were weighted to evaluate the effect of ozone on Aspergillus parasiticus growth. Results indicated that ozonated water can reduce Aspergillus parasiticus growth and this the reduction can be increased due to increasing of ozone concentration. Tempering with ozonated water had significant effect on A. parasiticus growth (p < 0.001). Therefore, the ozonated water usage in wheat tempering can be caused reduction of Aspergillus parasiticus growth.

Heavy metals are toxic and can enter the food and thus the health of people who consume these kinds of foods may be affected. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of heavy metals in fruits and to estimate the exposure level of heavy metals by fruit consumption.
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 60 samples (35 samples of apple fruit and 25 apricot fruit samples) were randomly collected from gardens around Zanjan and Mahneshan city in 2016. The concentration of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu were determined by atomic absorption spectrometer. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS software.
The average concentration of the elements in the samples was as follows: Pb (0.121 mg/kg wet weight), Cd (0.052 mg/kg wet weight), Zn (10.63 mg/kg dry weight), and Cu (4.99 mg/kg dry weight). The average lead concentration in apple and apricot was, respectively, 0.17 and 0.057 mg/kg wet weight, cadmium 0.08 and 0.003 mg/kg wet weight, zinc 9.15 and 12.7 mg/kg dry weight, Copper 4.4 and 5.583 mg/kg dry weight. Furthermore, it was found that 28.3% of the samples were contaminated with Pb, 13.3% with Cd and 3.3% with Zn. Cu contamination was not detected above permitted concentration. The concentrations of heavy metals in Zanjan were more than Mahneshan and the concentrations of Pb and Cd in the apple samples were higher than the apricot samples but the concentration of Zn and Cu in the apricot samples were higher than the apple samples.
Heavy metals pollution was found in samples belonging to the gardens around the factories and mines of lead and zinc. However, there is no risk of non-cancerous diseases with the use of these fruits in accordance with the national standard declared per capita.

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the compounds that is primarily produced by the oxidation of oil and fat and causes various diseases, including atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease .The aim of this study was to survey the peroxide value of edible oils used in sandwich and falafel shops in Tehran in 2016.
In this study, sampling from a number of fast food centers was done randomly. After the transfer of samples to the chemistry laboratory of environmental health engineering department, the peroxide number was determined based on the national standard procedure 4179. The data was analyzed by SPSS software for descriptive statistical parameters and t-test.
According to the National Iranian Standards, from total of 50 samples of the sandwiches taken, 20 samples (40 %) were consumable and 30 samples (60 %) were inedible. Also, from 40 samples of falafel taken, 14 samples (35 %) were consumable and 26 samples (65 %) were inedible. The maximum peroxide values of sandwiches and falafel were 29.79 and 31.22 meq/kg, respectively.
The findings show that Peroxide value in the sandwich and falafel shops were higher than the standard, and thus it seems that having an educational plan for staff regarding the correct methods of frying food is necessary.

Attitude, as the most important social psychology concept, has a special place in research; undoubtedly, in university life having a positive attitude is essential for success in any field of study. The aim of this study was to determine tha attitude of food safety and hygiene students toward their field of study and future career in the Iranian universities of medical sciences.
This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in 2016, including 77 food safety and hygiene students in the Iranian universities of medical sciences, selected by census. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing 24 questions and analyzed by SPSS-24 software, the statistical tests being descriptive statistical tests.
The attitude score (Mean ± SD) of the students toward their field of study was 35.0 ± 12.4, indicating that they had a positive attitude, while the score of their attitude toward future career was 23.05 ± 10.86, which was less than acceptable. Further analysis of the data showed a significant association between the students’ attitude toward their field of study and employment status (p = 0.036).
Based on the results of this study, the food safety and hygiene students have a positive attitude towards their field of study, while their attitude toward future career is lower than acceptable, which demonstrates lack of a desirable attitude. Strengthening of training programs and advice and support for the students can play an effective role in reinforcing their attitude.

Aluminum (Al) is a neurotoxic agent and this element is being associated with Alzheimer disease. The use of semi-rigid packaging has been increased in recent years. In these packages, the main layer is aluminum. The purpose of this study was to determine the Al concentration in foods packaged in semi-rigid packaging in during storage time.
Al concentration of the samples (Joje kabab, khorake morgh, khoresh gheymeh, n=36) was determined at different storage times (0, 60, 120, and 180 days after packaging). Aluminum was determined by ICP-OES after wet digestion method of the samples. A two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the results with respect to time and food factors.
The effect of storage time on Al concentration was significant p˂0.001. The samples that were stored longer had significantly higher aluminum concentrations. The highest concentration was determined in Joje kabab (3.27 ±0.93 ppm( and lowest Al content was determined in khoresh gheymeh (1.04 ± 0.16 ppm). The results showed that Al concentration of the foods packaged in semi-rigid packaging increased significantly during storage.
Considering the present state of knowledge and the suggested provisional tolerable daily intake of 1 mg/kg body weight per day of according to World Health Organization, Al leaching from semi-rigid packages may add low doses of Al into the diet.

Food handlers have an important role in food contamination. This study determined validity and reliability of the world health organization questionnaires about five essential principles of food safety in food handlers for assessment of their knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP).
For standardization, these steps were performed: 1) Getting permission of the world health organization 2) Translating the questionnaire twice in Persian and again in English 3) using expert ideas and determination of inter rated agreement (IRA), relevancy and clarity of each question and the tool as a whole 4) measuring Reliability with Cronbach’s alpha, and repeatability was measured with intra-cluster correlation through repeated test-piloting after 1 month.
Using a conservative approach, the IRA for the overall relevancy and clarity of the tools were 81%, 90% and 90%, and 95%, 95%, 97.5% respectively. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for KAP were 70%, 73%, 99% respectively and the intra-cluster correlation (ICC) that was obtained through comparing the overall score of the questionnaire in the pre-test and test phase were 0.69%, 0.75%, 0.99% respectively.
These new tools have good reliability and validity and they have very important, simple and clear principles of food safety so researchers, managers and food handlers can use them.

This study was performed due to increasing concern about intake of heavy metals by contaminated foods. Health effects due to dietary intake of heavy metals is well known. Metals can be entered into cheese at various stages of production. The aim of this study was to estimate weekly intake of heavy metals (i.e. lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, tin, zinc and nickel) through consumption of cheese in Iran to estimate proportion of metal intake through dietary pathway.
This descriptive study was performed on 54 cheese samples with high consumption which their producers were distributed across the country. Lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, tin, zinc and nickel in cheese samples were measured by ICP-OES and weekly intake of metals through consumption of cheese was estimated. Then the proportion was expressed as a percentage of provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWI).
The highest metal concentration (µg/g wet weight) was determined for Zinc (5.10) and the lowest for cadmium (0.005). The highest Estimated Weekly Intake (EWI) was determined for Zn (464.1µg) and the lowest (0.45 µg) for cadmium. All estimates of the metals intake (through consumption of cheese), excluding nickel (1.19 %) was less than 1% of the maximum tolerable weekly intake.
The results show that cheese has no significant contribution to intake of the investigated heavy metals in Iran. It should be considered that cheese is not the only source for metal intakes and maximum residue level (MRL) for Pb in present study is greater than Codex limit of 0.02 mg/kg. Studing sources for lead contaminant in cheese is recommended to better understand, manage and prevent from further pollution.

Background and Today, due to improvement and progress of human knowledge in food industry, plastic coatings such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that has unique characteristics are widely used for food and beverage packaging such as water and doogh. Phthalate esters are used in order to improve flexibility, efficiency and sustainability of materials. Chronic exposure with such materials play a role in incidence of many diseases and cancer in human. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and concentration of phthalates in different brands of doogh.
In this study, we synthesized multi-walled magnetic carbon nanotubes using iron oxide. Then, the synthesized magnetic nanotubes were used for absorption and extraction of phthalate esters from doogh matrix. After sample preparation, the concentration of each phthalate esters was measured by GC-MS.
Concentration of phthalate esters in all samples were found to be lower than the standard levels but DEHP had the highest concentration. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the concentration of phthalate esters in different brands and storage time of doogh.
According to these findings and low concentration of each phthalate ester compared with standard levels in different types of doogh, it has no health effect on consumers.

One of the most important principles in preventing people from getting the disease is a public health and food safety. Aim of this study is to assess knowledge and attitudes of health workers in health centers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences about health and food safety.
This cross-sectional study was among 168 workers in health centers is Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2014 year. A self-made questionnaire in three domains of personal information, knowledge and attitude were prepared and were distributed among people who by quota-stratified sampling were determined, with appropriate allocation and randomly. Compare the scores of different groups with SPSS16 software and analysis by Scheffe, ANOVA, chi-square test and independent t-test.
Over 80% of health workers have sufficient knowledge and more than 50% in health and food safety had a good attitude.
International awareness and sex, age and experience, was significant difference. (p0.05) But there was no significant relationship between knowledge and discipline. (p>0.05) The significant difference was between attitude and different disciplines. (p Health staff awareness about food safety is more important than other social groups because most health education through public health centers to spread, so the inclusion of health and food safety in order to promote awareness among health professionals was felt.

Due to such complications of absorbing lead and cadmium heavy metals as kidney and liver dysfunction, vascular and heart diseases, anemia, digestive complications, nervous and skeletal problems and due to importance of bread as one of the most important food diets in Iran, especially in Yazd, the amount of lead and cadmium was evaluated in a variety of breads in Yazd. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2013. Out of 69 bakeries, random probability proportionate sampling was applied in order to measure the heavy metals (lead and cadmium content) in samples by ash and atomic absorption equipped with grafiti furnac (ETAAS) with correction of background time. The study data were analyzed using SPSS (v.17) considering p-value of less than 0.05 as significant. The average amounts of lead and cadmium were 99.05 and 7.49 g/kg respectively. The amount of lead in Sangak bread was higher than that of other types of breads, whereas lead amounts of fantasy bread was reported less than those of other breads. Cadmium content demonstrated no significant differences among breads. Lead amount was higher in direct heat breads. Whereas, cadmium amount showed no significant differences between direct and indirect heat breads. It is worth mentioning that lead and cadmium content were reported lower than allowable levels in all samples. As the study results revealed and considering per capita consumption of bread in Iran (about 160 kg), it seems that weekly intake of lead and cadmium in Yazd is at an acceptable level, though possible risk of heavy metals(lead and cadmium) need to decrease in order to prevent the probable risks of lead and cadmium heavy metals.

Because of unsaturated fatty acid content, trout and fish products are highly perishable. For this reason, preservatives are used to prevent or delay spoiling during storage. The aim of this study was determination of antioxidant activities of pomegranate seeds extracts on lipid quality of trout fillet stored at 2-4°C. Prepared fish fillets were divided into two groups. One group was trout fillet without extract (control) and one in pomegranate seeds extracts that were stored in refrigerator for 6 days. Chemical tests such as Peroxide Value (PV), Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVB-N) and Free Fatty Acids (FFA) were used to determine perishability of trout fillet. The PV, TBA, TVB-N and FFA were significantly (P < 0.05) lowest in the samples treated with ethanolic extracts of pomegranate seeds as compared to control group. (PV = 2.62 meq o2/kg, TBA = 1.26 mg MDA/kg, TVB-N = 22.13 mg/100g and FFA = 1.2 percent Oleic acid). The result of this study demonstrated that pomegranate seeds extracts were efficiency to prevent lipid oxidation in trout fillet stored at refrigerator temperature.

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of vapor and nanosil on microbial contamination of traditional ice cream equipments. In this study, microbial load of equipments has been measured at first. Then, vapor and nanosil has been contacted with internal surfaces of the equipments for 5, 15 and 30 minutes. After each disinfection action, samples has been taken and cultured in controlled condition. The results have been entered into SPSS software and using two-way annova and Tukey statistical analysis. Finally, the effects of two disinfectants on microbial contamination removal have been compared. In this study, vapor resulted in the highest removal rate of total microbial load including: Coliforms and E.coli at lowest contact time (5 minutes). Also, the results showed that the removal rate of microbial load increase with the increase of contact time with nanosil (2 and 6%). Statistical analysis showed that there are significant differences between removal rate at 5 and 15 minutes (P≤0.01) and at 5 and 30 minutes (P≤0.006). There are no significant difference between 15 and 30 minutes (P≤0.21) with nanosil 2 and 6%. Both disinfectants have have excellent ability to remove total microbial load microbial load, moreover vapor needs lesser time for removal than nanosil (2 and 6%).

Phthalate esters are polymeric compounds usually used as a plasticizer. These materials can enter to the human body through various ways the main way could be food packaging. Chronic contact with these materials could result cancer, including breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men as well as other endocrine problems. The objective of this study was to assess the concentration of phthalate esters in carbonated beverages.
In this study, a magnetic nano-scale adsorbent, made from carbon nanotubes and Fe3O4. Deposition of Fe3O4 on the adsorbent could result in improvement of adsorption and desorption as well as extraction procedure. Then, by means of adsorbent and solvent extraction, phthalate esters were extracted from the beverage matrices and determined using GC-MS analysis.
amongst studied ingredients, BEP or DEHP, that have been found to be carcinogenic, had highest concentration in beverages, and also the brand of A and taste of C had the highest average concentration. Except one sample, the total amounts of these ingredients were below than international standards.
Based on the results, consumers can use these beverages without any concern regarding phthalate esters amounts. The results also demonstrated that this synthesized adsorbent has good performance for extraction of phthalates from studied matrices.

Regarding to investment of raw meat products such as Hamburger consumption in our country, quality control and safety of these products is very important issue. One the most probable adulteration in manufacturing of meat products is application of unpermitted edible tissues in formula instead of meat, which may have many public health consequences. The aim of present research was histological study of industrial hamburgers containing 30 and 60 percent meat for presence of unpermitted edible tissues and correlation of this factor to meat connective tissue chemical indices. 44 industrial Hamburger containing 30 and 60 percent meat produced in Tehran province were collected in summer of 1391.The samples were tested for detection of unpermitted edible tissues in formula via two laboratory histology (Hematoxylin-Eosin staining) and chemical analysis for determination of collagen and Hydroxyproline. Frequency of unpermitted edible tissues in Hamburgers containing 30 percent meat was 2.5 times more than 60 percent Hamburgers. The most popular unpermitted tissues were found in Hamburger samples were chicken skin and hyaline cartilage. There was not any significant difference between collagen and hydroxyproline content of 30 and 60 percent meat Hamburgers. Application of unpermitted edible tissues in Hamburger formula is a popular adulteration in Tehran province and may have serious health consequences for consumers. According to the results, routine chemical methods which use for quality control of Hamburger such as determination of collagen and hydroxyproline would not be able to reveal this kind of adulteration and application of histological methods is necessary for control of Hamburgers to detect unpermitted edible tissues in this product.

Phthalates are founded in medical devices such as filters and dialysis tubes. Scientific evidence shows health disadvantages due to exposure to phthalates. In this study, level of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in Iranian hemodialysis-related materials was measured. Ten samples of Iranian dialysis tubes (five samples made by Supa Company and five samples made by Helal Ahmar Medical Devices Company) were randomly selected. The level of DEHP for each sample was calculated and registered by Gas chromatography- Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results of five samples for each company were added together separately and mean of concentrations for DEHP (ml per ml) was reported. Means of DEHP concentration for Supa and Helal Ahmar were 1.36±0.11 and 0.97±0.11 mg/ml, respectively. The maximum and minimum of concentration for Supa were 1.47 and 1.21 mg/ml, respectively. As for Helal Ahmar samples, the minimum and maximum of concentration were 1.13 and 0.83 mg/ml, respectively. The use of alternative medical products without phthalate can reduce exposure of patients to phthalates.

Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from nectar of plants or from secrerations of living parts of plants or excretions of plants sucking insects on the living pans of plants. Physico-chemical properties of honeys in each region are related to kind of plant and flower. Therefore، knowing of component is very important. In this study thirty samples of honey were collected from stores that located in Tehran City. Honey samples were sent to the food chemistry laboratory. Then، some physico-chemical parameters such as humidity percent، specific gravity of twenty percent honey solution، solid matter، acidity، pH، ash، reducing sugars، and non reducing sugars، existence or none existence of hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF) and diastase enzyme، were determined The results were showed that humidity percent، specific weight of twenty percent solution، solid matter، acidity، pH، ash، reducing sugars، and non reducing sugars were 15. 7%، 1. 32، 84%،16. 80 meq/kg، 3. 84، 0. 42 %، 66. 54%، and 4. 38%، respectively. The 3. 3% of the samples were positive HMF and 76. 7% were negative diastase activity. It was concluded that the most parameters for quality control of honey samples are located in desirable range.

The Acid 4092 dye solution toxicity after UV/ZnO mediated nanophotocatalysis process using Daphnia magna bioassay was investigated. Daphnia magna has been evaluated as suitable indicator to test effluent toxicity in dyes wastewater. In this study, the parameters such as ZnO nanoparticles load, pH and contact time were analyzed. This study showed that toxicity increases during the UV/ZnO nano-photocatalysis process. Besides, toxicity increases with time. LC50-24 hr, LC50-72 hr, and LC50-96 hr values were 124.9, 111.6, and 91.55 mg/l, respectively.

Excessive usage of pesticides in agricultural products is considered as risk factors for human health and environmental pollution. This study was designed to determine the residues of Oxydimeton methyl in cucumbers and tomatoes in greenhouses of Chaharmahal va Bachtiari province (Iran). In this descriptive -analytical study 60 cucumbers and tomatoes were randomly selected to evaluate their residual toxin. Samples were washed and then cut to pieces and were extracted with ethyl acetate, n- Hexane. The solvent was evaporated and the toxin was measured by HPLC. Data were then analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranks and Friedman tests. In addition, the average residues values in samples of non-washed, washed and peeled cucumber, were 0.23±0.17, 0.15±0.6 and 0.08±0.5 (mg/kg), respectively (P<0.001). The average residues values in samples of non-washed and washed tomato were 1.61±0.8 and 0.67±0.04 (mg/kg), respectively (P<0.001). The results showed that 100 percent of cucumber and tomato samples had poison residues of Oxydimeton methyl which was higher than standard level. Oxydimeton methyl residues in the cucumber and tomato samples exceeded the recommended standard of FAO / Codex and WHO. Therefore, consumers are recommended to peel and wash the cucumber and tomato to reduce the amount of toxin residues.

Bottled water is a main beverage at many developed and developing countries. It can be polluted with chemical agents. One of these agents is nitrate which affects the safety of bottled and mineral water and cause healthy effects on consumer health. Today's consumption of bottled water get a grate develop, thus infer of the quality of this matter is compulsive for each consumer. A descriptive-analytical and cross- sectional study was done with the aim of determination of nitrate in bottled water available in market of Tehran City in 2007. In this study, 18 samples of six various manufacturers of product were examined. Results showed that the mean of nitrate is 9.02 mg/L and all samples have nitrate bellow 50 mg/L and they are at the standard level. Also, the results of the examinations have good correspondence with the concentration of nitrate on bottled water labels and according to statistic meaningful relation, was considered. The nitrate content of these bottled water available in market of Tehran city is located at the level of national and global standards and it can not be a serious problem for health of consumer.