Survey of Domestic Refrigerator Storage Temperatures in Poland for Use as a QMRA Tool for Exposure Assessment

Abstract

In the framework of Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment, the estimation of the ingested dose of a hazard by the consumer is of paramount importance. This may be calculated by means of predictive modeling of growth/inactivation of the pathogen studied. For products that spend the majority of their shelf life in the domestic refrigerator, storage temperature will significantly impact the microbial population dynamics. To describe the variability of domestic storage temperatures in Poland, a survey including 77 participants, was carried out in Lodz, Poland. Participants were provided with temperature data loggers, which measured their refrigerator temperature for 24 h in 5-min intervals. The temperature-time profiles were used to calculate the mean working temperature, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values, and the data were statistically analyzed to find the best fitting probability distribution using R programming language. Out of the tested refrigerators, 49.35% had a mean working temperature of over 5 °C and 3.9% exceeded 10 °C. Distribution fitting scenarios were tested for goodness of fit, and the final selected distribution was a truncated normal distribution. This study can prove useful in Monte Carlo simulation analysis for stochastic quantitative food risk assessment in Poland.

Heritage food on my plate!? : Exploring authenticity and safety risks in foodservice establishments

“…The most obvious safety risks are related to storage, complying with sickness rules, and personal hygiene (Chapters 4 & 5). We found that in these FSEs, raw ingredients are not always immediately stored upon arrival and are sometimes exposed to unfavourable conditions, which can increase the likelihood of temperature abuse and contamination, and raise the risk of foodborne illnesses (Stefanou et al, 2023). On the other hand, in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Malaysia certain families opt to directly use the ingredients as it is common to procure fresh ingredients and promptly prepare and cook them to retain the genuine flavours (Abuqurayn, 2019).…”