Foreign hazardous substances are likely to enter the country through imported foods as food trade between countries increases. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement allows countries to take preventive measures to protect the health of the people based on the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP). Thus, the country may establish its own food safety objective within the scope of the ALOP and implement more efficient food safety management system to achieve food safety goal. Therefore, more stringent control measures such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) like systems should be applied to set and meet performance objectives at each stage of the food chain.

Food hazards caused by Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point(HACCP) products are closely related to the failure of prerequisite program. ISO 22000 introduced the Operational Prerequisite Program (OPRP) to enhance management of the prerequisite program. This program has started to strengthen discriminatory management of hazards identified as high in risk analysis but not selected as Critical Control Points. In addition, the US-FDA has begun to apply Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) obligations to all foods manufacturing and distribution including imported foods. The basic concept of the FSMA is Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Control (HARPC), which is similar to the OPRP. It is necessary to strengthen the management of the prerequisite program by using the OPRP or HARPC concept, which will improve the effectiveness of HACCP operation.

Reanalysis using the US Food and Drug Administration Hazard Analysis method was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the current Critical Control Point (CCP) configuration for non-thermal processes such as meat packaging plants and butcher shops. During non-heat treatment processing without the process of removing or reducing contaminated microorganisms, it is necessary to set and control the incoming material inspection step with the CCP since this step is essential to prevent the inflow of contaminants through incoming materials. The temperature control of the final product storage refrigerated room can be managed by the prerequisite program. However, the CCP setting of the refrigerated room prior to shipment of the meat packaging plant in which the cold chain system should be maintained in the following distribution stage is recognized. It is not an effective method to install a metal detector and manage it with CCP for metal hazard control. Improving hygienic cleaning guidelines and enhancing hygiene training are proactive and effective measures against metal particle contamination.

A simplified prerequisite program is a basic element for an effective HACCP system operating in small meat packaging plants. We analyzed current configuration of the prerequisite evaluation checklists and classified according to two categories of general hygiene management and prerequisite requirements. The general hygiene management items overlapping with non-HACCP plant evaluation items were excluded except for the high rate of non-compliances. Non-compliance rates were calculated to determine the weak points of the current prerequisite program operation, and the potential risk elements were included in the simplified prerequisite requirements. The data used for the analysis of non-compliance rates were from the HACCP accreditation evaluation inspection reports by the Korea Livestock Products HACCP Accreditation Service. Of the existing 54 evaluation items, we selected 37 core items as simplified prerequisite requirements for meat packaging plants. In addition, we recommended simple modification of the evaluation items, with one item for evaluation of one check point.

Shiga toxins (Stxs), some of the most important virulence factors in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7, are known to be induced and released by various environmental cues, such as DNA damage responses and stress-inducing chemicals. In order to investigate the possible effects of growth media on Stxs expression, we analyzed the growth kinetics and expression of Stxs (Stx1 and 2) in cells grown in Luria-Bertani (LB) and E. coli (EC) media, which are widely used for EHEC O157:H7. Through direct plating and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), it was revealed that, when EHEC O157:H7 was grown in EC medium, the total bacterial count was reduced significantly and the stx1 transcription was greatly increased during the stationary growth phase than that in LB. Here we report that bile salts and lactose, which are the two only components in EC medium that are absent in LB, function as negative and positive regulatory signals, respectively, for the transcription of both stx1 and stx2. Indeed, stx transcription was significantly increased (~5.7 and ~21.8 fold for stx1 and stx2, respectively; p < 0.05) in an EC medium lacking bile salts when compared to the normal EC. In contrast, EHEC O157:H7 grown in an EC medium lacking lactose did significantly decrease these transcriptions (~93.5 and ~4.3 fold for stx1 and stx2, respectively; p < 0.05). Consistently, stx transcription was drastically increased in an LB medium supplemented with lactose, implying that lactose might be an environmental trigger for the expression of Stxs.

Egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is the antibody in egg yolk and can be produced in egg yolk by immunizing hens with antigens. IgY is functionally equivalent to mammalian IgG. It is found in the serum of the chicken and is passed from the mother chicken to the embryo via the egg yolk, a process that results in a high concentration of IgY in the egg yolk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of specific IgY against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K99, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Choleraesuis that cause porcine bacterial diseases. To prepare specific IgY, Hy-Line Brown chickens were vaccinated with killed vaccine complex including E. coli K99, S. Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis. The chicken egg yolk antibodies were purified from egg yolk by ammonium sulfate precipitation and the quality of the final preparation was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis (SDS-PAGE). Titres of specific IgY in final preparations were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibody titers peaked at 3 weeks regardless the bacterial types and the similar patterns of immune response were observed for respective pathogens. In growth inhibitor test, specific IgY showed inhibitory effect on bacterial growth. After 0, 3, 6 and 12 hour of incubation with specific IgY (100 ㎍/㎖, 250 ㎍/㎖, 500 ㎍/㎖), there was a significant decrease in the growth (A 600nm ) of E. coli K99, S. Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis compared to nonspecific IgY and controls. In BALB/c mice, the effect of specific IgY (100 ㎎/㎏, 250 ㎎/㎏) on bacterial challenges was investigated by intramuscular injection and oral administration of bacteria. Mice treated with specific IgY showed high survival rate though there was no significant differences on blood biochemichal examinations between treated and untreated groups. These results indicate the potential of specific IgY for the treatment of porcine bacterial diseases caused by E. coli K99, S. Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis.

This study was performed to investigate latent problems of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) prerequisite program operation at Korean slaughterhouses. We analyzed the slaughterhouses HACCP operation assessment reports implemented by Consumers Union of Korea during 2007 through 2008, and also reviewed the livestock products HACCP instruction manual published by Korea National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service. Non-compliance rates were 14.2% of facility management and 10.9% of sanitary management at mammal slaughterhouses, and 7.4% of facility management and 6.7% of sanitary management at poultry slaughterhouses. A big obstacle to better HACCP operation was a repeated non-compliances identified at the same slaughterhouse. Twenty-six inspection items of the facility management, which were same items used for the business permission standard, is required to be amended to a safety control purpose. Sanitary management items also should be complemented to more precise contents for practical and objective evaluation.

HACCP 의 안정적인 운영을 위해서는 전문인력 양성이 우선되어야 한다. 업체는 작업장에 적합한 HACCP 프로그램을 작성하고 운영하는 인력을 확보해야 하며, 평가기관은 전문성을 갖춘 평가관을 양성하여 지정평가 및 사후관리 평가업무를 효율적으로 수행할 수 있어야 한다. 이러한 전문 인력은 체계적으로 준비된 교육 훈련과정을 통하여 배출될 수 있다. HACCP 교육 훈련은 강의식 교육이 아닌 실습위주 및 현장체험의 훈련으로 진행되어야 그 실효성을 기대할 수 있다. 현행 교육 훈련의 미흡한 부분을 보완하기 위해서는 (1) 교과 과정, 교육내용, 교육교재의 전문화와 표준화, (2) 전임강사 확보 및 전문성 제고, (3) 실습 및 토론식 교육 훈련, (4) 단계별 교육 훈련프로그램 개설, (5) 교육 훈련 기관의 지역별 균등 배치 등이 개선되어야 한다 .

Korean veterinary medicine is a member of a major health profession with its own system of education, licensing, organization, and ethics, and a pioneering profession in his or her scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit society through the promotion of animal health, the relief of suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health, biomedical work for medicine including comparative medicine, and the advancement of medical knowledge. This manuscript is to emphasize the role of the Korean public health veterinarians preparing the twenty-first century in public health service for humans.

HACCP is applicable when there are control measures which can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the occurrence of a food safety hazard to a consumer, but much of the life cycle of a food does not lend itself to strict application of HACCP principles. FSIS HACCP is mandatorily applied to meat and poultry slaughter and processing establishments to reduce harmful bacteria on their products. FSIS manages the HACCP plants under continuous inspection of the FSIS inspectors: Inspector in Charge (IIC), Public Health Veterinarian (PHV), on line/off line Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSI). More than 7,600 inspection personnel inspect nearly 6,500 meat, poultry, and egg processing plants, and verify that regulations regarding food safety and other consumer protection concerns are met. But only half of violations observed are recorded on the non-compliance report due to inspector shortages. The change from traditional sanitation system to HACCP system has been difficult because of several factors: Lack of technical expertise in processing facilities makes a scientific hazard analysis difficult, preventive measures and validation efforts are not supported by data, plant management and inspectors concentrate on what they know, plants are still very dependent on the regulatory agency for guidance, focus is on regulatory procedures more than determining food safety issues, and also plants are less efficient at producing and maintaining records that are not specifically tied to production lots. However HACCP is an effective tool in food safety continuum.

본 연구는 검역원의 선행요건 항목을 식약청 및 미국 FSIS의 선행요건과 비교 검토함으로써, 보완되어야 할 검역원 선행요건의 내용과 범위를 제시하고자 하였다. 검역원과 식약청 모두 HACCP 고시에서 선행요건 평가항목을 제시하고 있으나 서로 상이한 부분이 많이 발견되므로 관리항목 범위와 내용을 조정할 필요성이 지적되었다. 또한 HACCP 적용업소가 지속적으로 확대되면 업종별 작업환경조건이 다양해지므로 HACCP 고시에서는 선행요건 관리항목의 기본 틀만 제시하고 세부지침 및 일치 불일치 조건은 별도로 명시하여 관리하는 것이 선행요건의 현장적용 활용성을 높이고 평가업무의 표준화를 이루는데 필수적인 것으로 파악되었다.

Three pork fabrication processing were examined for isolation and serotyping of Listeria monocytogenes. Three hundred thirty samples were collected from gloves, knife sharpeners, knives, cutting boards, conveyer belts, skinning machines, working room air, pig carcasses, and cut meat. Among the 234 samples taken from processing environment, the isolation rates of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. were 17.5%, 34.2% respectively. Isolation rates of Listeria monocytogenes from different specimens during processing were 20.8% in gloves, 21.3% in knife sharpeners, 14.6% in knives, 20.8% in cutting boards, 28.6% in conveyer belts, 16.7% in skinnig machines. Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. were not detected in working room air. Isolation rate of Listeria monocytogenes 14.6% in pork was increased compared to that of 8.5% in pig carcasses (p$lt;0.05). The serovars of 41 isolates from processing environment were 4b 36.6%, 1/2a 24.4%, 4ab 17.0%, 4a 4.9%, 1/2c 2.4%, and 4c 2.4%. The serovars of 4b, 1/2a, 4ab were detected from carcassess and cut meats.

Surface swab samples from beef (188), pork (240) and chicken (95) carcasses were collected from slaughterhouse in Kangwon and Kyunggi areas from March through July 1996. The samples were examined on the level of E. coli biotype I relevant to fecal contamination due to unsanitary processing control and the existence of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC). E. coli biotype I were confirmed from 38.8% of beef, 40.0% of pork, and 69.5% of chicken carcasses. Little variation was noted among three sampling points; rump, flank and neck of beef, ham, belly and jowls of pork. E. coli O157:H7 was only confirmed from 2 of 188 beef carcasses. E. coli O157 were isolated from 6.4% of beef, 2.5% of pork, and 1.1% of chicken carcasses among E. coli biotype I. All the isolated E. coli O157 showed positive for vero cell cytotoxicity test. Isolation rate of E. coli O157 in summer was higher than in spring. In case of pork and chicken carcasses, E. coli O157 was isolated in summer only.