Demographic trends in Switzerland show that, owing to an increased life expectancy, the over-65 population group will continue to grow in the 21st century. A balanced, healthy diet is of vital importance for health and well-being in old age, in order to reduce the risk of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular ailments. A survey of 632 individuals aged between 50 and 81 years was conducted to determine both the eating habits and behaviours and the nutritional knowledge of this demographic, as well as the frequency with which they consumed various foods, particularly those of animal origin. More on this topic can be found at the link below:
Dairy products: requirements concerning
added fruit
The addition of fruit to dairy products can lead to food-safety risks. As part of a Bachelor’s thesis, an assessment was created for the evaluation and management of potential risks in order to reduce the likelihood of contamination to a minimum. The findings of the thesis are very important for smaller and medium-sized milk-processing establishments in particular, and are to be published as part of the InterLab sampling guidelines.
Saegerman C., Humblet M.-F., Leandri M., Gonzalez G., Heyman P., Sprong H., L’Hostis M., Moutailler S., Bonnet S. I., Haddad N., Boulanger N., Leib S. L., Hoch T., Thiry E., Bournez L., Kerlik J., Velay A., Jore S., Jourdain E., Gilot-Fromont E., Brugger K., Geller J., Studahl M., Knap N., Avšič-Županc T., Růžek D., Zomer T. P., Bødker R., Berger T., Martin-Latil S., De Regge N., Raffetin A., Lacour S. A., Klein M., Lernout T., Quillery E., Hubálek Z., Ruiz-Fons F., Estrada-Peña A., Fravalo P., Kooh P., Etore F., Gossner C. M., Purse B.
First expert elicitation of knowledge on possible drivers of observed increasing human cases of tick-borne encephalitis in Europe.
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease endemic in Eurasia. The virus is mainly transmitted to humans via ticks and occasionally via the consumption of unpasteurized milk products. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported an increase in TBE incidence over the past years in Europe as well as the emergence of the disease in new areas. To better understand this phenomenon, we investigated the drivers of TBE emergence and increase in incidence in humans through an expert knowledge elicitation. We listed 59 possible drivers grouped in eight domains and elicited forty European experts to: (i) allocate a score per driver, (ii) weight this score within each domain, and (iii) weight the different domains and attribute an uncertainty level per domain. An overall weighted score per driver was calculated, and drivers with comparable scores were grouped into three terminal nodes using a regression tree analysis. The drivers with the highest scores were: (i) changes in human behavior/activities; (ii) changes in eating habits or consumer demand; (iii) changes in the landscape; (iv) influence of humidity on the survival and transmission of the pathogen; (v) difficulty to control reservoir(s) and/or vector(s); (vi) influence of temperature on virus survival and transmission; (vii) number of wildlife compartments/groups acting as reservoirs or amplifying hosts; (viii) increase of autochthonous wild mammals; and (ix) number of tick species vectors and their distribution. Our results support researchers in prioritizing studies targeting the most relevant drivers of emergence and increasing TBE incidence.
Leafy-green vegetables are a significant source of the carotenoids lutein and beta-carotene, both of which are important for sight. The findings of a recently concluded intervention study point towards lower baseline serum levels and poorer absorption of these carotenoids in short-bowel patients than in healthy individuals. Potential long-term effects on vision owing to malabsorption of these food constituents have yet to be elucidated.
The number of infectious diseases caused by the consumption of vegetables contaminated with human-pathogenic bacteria is on the rise worldwide. The location and potential absorption of such bacteria in vegetable plants as well as the role of input sources such as irrigation water are currently only partially clarified. In a current research project, Agroscope is investigating the colonisation of salad plants with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in cooperation with the University of Hohenheim, Germany.