No abstract

Mercury (Hg) seriously affects some sensitive subgroups of population and the detection of Hg content in fish and fishery products is one of the most important activities aimed at controlling their safety. In fact, Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 set maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs and Regulation (EC) No 333/2007 laid down the methods of sampling and analysis for their control in foodstuffs. As Hg content highly varies among different fish species depending on a variety of factors and even among members of the same population, sampling methods play a crucial role in the accuracy, precision and statistical significance of Hg determination. By the use of an analysis method independent probabilistic model, based on the axioms of Kolmogorov’s probability theory, this paper aims to assess the relationship between sampling methods set by Regulation (EC) No 333/2007 and the probability to detect compliant or non-compliant outcomes of Hg in fish.

In the European Union, the classification of shellfish harvesting areas depends on levels of Escherichia coli checked in shellfish flesh and determines whether post-harvest treatment required before shellfish can be sold for human consumption. Nevertheless, intermittent sources of contamination, such as rainfall and runoff from agricultural and urban lands, may give rise to seasonal variations of E. coli concentration, hence an annual classification could not be correct. In this study, we investigated the microbial trend in clams (Chamelea gallina) harvested from the district of San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. The Algaeadria database, a monitoring network for the whole Adriatic area, provided results from 2005 to 2012. E. coli values compliant and non-compliant with food safety criteria were evaluated by graphical data analysis tools and one-tailed Fisher’s exact test. The results showed a clear general seasonal trend and, in one of the considered areas, the non-compliant values from July to February were significantly lower than those from March to June (P<0.05). These findings may scientifically support a seasonal classification.

Official controls of fishery products include visual inspection to detect visible parasites. This work is intended to be a report of the parasitic controls in anchovies (Engraulis enchrasicolus) sampled in the fish market in San Benedetto del Tronto (AP, Marche), caught in the middle Adriatic Sea from July 2005 to October 2006. Out of 5696 observed anchovies, 326 (5.72%)were infested with anisakidae larvae: 273 (4.79%) with Anisakis larvae, 70 (1.23%) with Hysterothylacium larvae and 17 (0.3 %) with both genera. Fishes over130 mm long showed to be more infested and a positive trend of infestation depending on fish size was statistically detected. Parasites showed a seasonal distribution, with higher prevalence in May and October. These findings do not totally agree with previous results of other authors

The RASFF provides a useful database on food and hazard types and countries of origin. We focused on all of the weekly overviews during the year 2008 containing tables with data of seafood alert and information notifications and border rejections. Data have been parsed into an Excel spreadsheet file and stored into the following column headings: seafood, food preservation, reason for notifying or rejection, country of origin, reference number. Relationships between product and hazard categories, way of storing, country of origin have been assessed. The results have been shown by means of graphs. The aim of this paper is making a database with specific informations on seafood and correlated hazards and country of origin available for both studying historical trends and predicting future risks