1271. Food Safety: Science in Action

Tomorrow, June 7th, is World Food Safety Day. 

Having enough safe food is key to sustaining life and promoting health. Food safety plays a key role in ensuring food safety at every stage of the food chain, from production to harvesting, processing, storage, distribution, cooking, and consumption.

Food poisoning is usually caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals entering the body through contaminated food or water. An estimated 600 million cases of food poisoning occur annually, particularly affecting vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women and children, people affected by conflict, and migrants.

World Food Safety Day aims to raise awareness and encourage action on the prevention, detection, and management of foodborne risks. This year's theme is "Food safety: science in action."

JIRCAS has focused on fermented freshwater fish paste (Lao name: padaek), which is used as an all-purpose seasoning and preserved food in Laos, and has revealed that the risk of food poisoning due to histamine production can be reduced by adjusting the salt content to about 18% according to traditional manufacturing methods. In a study on fermented rice noodles (Thai name: khanomjeen), which are popular in Thailand as auspicious food, a simple technology was developed to suppress liquefaction by keeping the noodles acidic at about pH 4, and it was revealed that this contributes to reducing food waste and improving profitability. Because there are commonalities in the traditional fermented foods in Southeast Asian countries, the results are also being introduced in Vietnam, where similar fish sauce and fermented rice noodles are used.

(Reference information)
Results information for Padaek: https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/publication/research_results/2020_c04
Results information for Khanom Chin liquefaction prevention: https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/publication/research_results/2019_c01

Thailand extension workshop: https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/reports/2023/r20230920
Seminar in Vietnam: https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/reports/2024/r20241105

(Contributor: Junichiro Marui, Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division)