Spain | Food Safety Africa Magazine

Research finds non-contact surfaces major route of L. monocytogenes contamination

Apr 24, 2023Apr 24, 2023

SPAIN- Recent research project funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) has dispelled an earlier hypothesis that thought raw material was the main vehicle for introducing the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to processing facilities. This is after the research titled “Identification of Quantitative and Qualitative Patterns of Environmental Contamination by Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in Fresh Produce Processing Facilities and Evaluation of Practical Control Measures…

Naturpod debuts potassium permanganate laced sachets to keep fresh produce fresh

Nov 14, 2022Jan 16, 2023

SPAIN – Spanish company Naturpod has come up with an innovative solution that keeps fruits and vegetables fresher for longer thus preventing food waste. Naturpod is a sachet containing potassium permanganate meant to absorb ethylene, a natural gas produced by fruit and vegetables that accelerates the ripening process. Fruit and vegetables stay fresh and in prime shape for a longer…

Researchers in Spain discover Giardia, Cryptosporidium parasites in Spanish vegetables

Oct 25, 2022Oct 25, 2022

SPAIN – Researchers have examined green leafy vegetables sold in Valencia, Spain, for the presence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium oocysts and discovered a significant degree of contamination. A total of 129 vegetable samples, including romaine, oak leaf, iceberg, and kale cabbage, were gathered for the study, 64 of which came from conventional Spanish farms and 65 from organic ones.…

Researchers tap into Near Infrared Spectroscopy for quality assessment of fresh produce

Oct 12, 2022Oct 13, 2022

SPAIN – Previously well-known for composition analysis and food fraud detection, researchers in Spain are spinning Near Infrared Spectroscopy’s (NIRS) use for quality assessment of fresh produce, specifically spinach. Traditional methods for determining fresh fruit and vegetable quality characteristics are time-consuming, expensive, and damaging. They often call for laboratory analysis and a number of tests, which means that harvests may…

Researchers come up with fingerprinting technique to detect geographical origin of virgin olive oil

May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

SPAIN – A team of researchers from the Torribera Food and Nutrition Campus and the University of Barcelona, have come up with a new authentication tool to check the geographical origin of virgin olive oil as a control on the quality, tradition and product linked to the territory. Olive oil is one of the most prestigious agri-foods in Spain and…

Universitat Politècnica de València researchers develop new test for detecting gluten in food

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022

SPAIN – A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), belonging to the Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM) Institute, has developed a new test for the food industry that uses a cell phone to detect gluten in food in a simple, fast and inexpensive manner. Close to one percent of the global population suffers from celiac disease, a…

Spanish authorities unearth saffron fraud

Apr 28, 2022Apr 28, 2022

SPAIN – The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) together with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and Europol have uncovered a saffron fraud operation in Spain that used ingredients from China. The Guardia Civil, the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain, found a group was selling modified gardenia extract from China as saffron across Spain. The harvest price…

Spanish researchers uncover bacterial contamination in organic leafy greens

Apr 26, 2022Apr 26, 2022

SPAIN – A study by Spanish researchers has uncovered that amoebas that live on organic leafy vegetables can shelter human pathogens like Pseudomonas, Salmonella, and Helicobacter. Single-celled organisms such as free-living amoebae (FLA) feed on bacteria and can act as hosts to pathogenic bacteria which resist FLA digestion. “Food and food-related environments create an ideal meeting place for free-living amoebae…

Oenological analyst Dolmar Laboratory ties up with Tentamus Group

Apr 8, 2022Aug 29, 2022

SPAIN – Dolmar Laboratory, a laboratory specialized in analytical services linked to the wine and beverage sector, has tied up with Tentamus Group, an international group of laboratories. Dolmar currently has the widest scope of accreditation in the field of oenological analysis in Spain. It offers a wide range of accredited analytical services and technical advice to more than 2,000…

Estación Enológica de Haro launches new wine analysis services to boost wine authenticity

Apr 8, 2022Apr 8, 2022

SPAIN – Estación Enológica de Haro (EEH), a public and governmental laboratory situated in the major wine growing region La Rioja, Spain, has launched its new wine analysis service for public and private organizations in the oenological sector. The first of its kind to be provided by a laboratory in Spain, the service leverages Bruker’s nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy…

1 2 »