Barbara,

Thanks very much...so interesting.  Have you thought of putting a talk
together for a NSH Convention?

Don Hammer, Retired Guy
----- Original Message -----
From: Barbara Stancel <bstancel@hotmail.com>
To: <asmith@mail.barry.edu>
Cc: <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2000 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: food histology


> I'm not quite sure how the Histonet conversation developed from nutrients,
> food particles and fish larvae to food histology but for those interested:
> Yes, Tora, Lauren, Don, Jeffrey, Simon, and Allen
> ---there is food histology!!
>
> We are the U.S. Department of Food Safety Inspection Service, Eastern
> Laboratory in Athens, Ga  (USDA, FSIS, El).  We look at meat products for
> human consumption.  Our samples come from meat slaughter houses including:
> beef, pork, chicken, horses, turkey, duck, buffalo, rabbit, emu, ostrich,
> rhea, elk, deer, etc.  But we also look at a variety of further processed
> products, such as: sausage, hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken patties, pot
pies,
> TV dinners, egg rolls, Oriental food products, canned meat products, hams,
> bacon, cured meats, baby food...and on and on. We also may examine
products
> to be sure they are in labeling compliance for additives such as soya,
> yeast, vegetable products and spices.  We get consumer complaints, like
> strange things showing up in fast food, grocery store products, and canned
> meats.
>
> We gross, process, section, stain and coverslip like any other histo lab.
> We do alot of special stains: grams, PAS, GMS, AF, and about 35 or so
other
> specials including an Ayoub Shkar looking for the keratin layer from a
> chicken gizzard (which may have been added to a product but not labeled.)
We
> also do immunohistochemistry on routine diseases, tumor identification and
> some things you never would have thought about...like phytohemagglutinin
in
> undercooked pinto beans from burritos, or E. coli, salmonella, and species
> identification in ground meat.
>
> Pathology is not alone.  Since this is a multidicipline lab, we also have
> chemistry and microbiology sections (which are actually much larger and
have
> more people than pathology).  The chemistry sections analyze for
> nitrosamines, ivermectin, sulfa drugs, antibiotics arsenic, preservatives
> like nitrates, sulfites and ascorbate.  Food chemistry analyzes for
> proteins, moisture, fat, salts, and additives like soya, cereal and
non-fat
> dry milk.  Nutritional analysis does confirmation of labeling.
Microbiology
> tests for salmonella, listeria, E. coli 0157:H7, campylobacter,
antibiotics,
> species ID on raw and cooked products.  They also do salmonella testing on
> egg products. Micro is very active in testing under the HACCP program. All
> sections are concerned with testing and analyzing for public economic
graud,
> adulteration, and food safety issues.
>
> If you have a consumer complaint issue, please don't submit it directly to
> the lab.  All of our samples originate from federal inspectors and
sometimes
> state inspection systems.  We will be glad to handle any questions you
have
> about the work we do, but samples should be submitted through a local meat
&
> poultry inspector or compliance officer. To find one in your area, call
> 1-800-535-4555. If you have a non-meat or produce complaint, call the FDA
> office in your state.
>
> Bon Appetite!
>
>
> Barbara Stancel, HTL (ASCP)
> Pathology Section
> USDA, FSIS, EL
> RRC, 950 College Station Road
> Athens, Ga  30604
> 706-546-3556
>
> >From: "Smith, Allen" <asmith@mail.barry.edu>
> >To: 'Simon Smith' <ssmith@skeletech.com>
> >CC: "'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'" <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
> >Subject: food histology
> >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 09:32:56 -0400
> >
> >Robert Carroll at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in King-of-Prussia, PA,
> >used
> >to do histological studies, mostly EM, on foods before and after
> >processing.
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Simon Smith [mailto:ssmith@skeletech.com]
> >Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 3:27 PM
> >To: Histonet (E-mail)
> >Subject: RE: nutrients
> >
> >
> >My wife, (a lapsed food science graduate) has no recollection of seeing
any
> >histology performed on food.  In terms of processing a substance such as
> >cake or bread I'm not sure how you could preserve a structure which is
> >essentially made from a series of gas bubbles surrounded by a
> >starch/protein/fat matrix without causing the structure to collapse,
using
> >the usual histological methods. I'm thinking about what happens to a
> >yorkshire pudding when you pour gravy onto it.  (That's done it, I am now
> >officially hungry). I have seen photos of the structure of foams (they
may
> >well have been the heads from different beers!) which had been frozen
then
> >freeze-fractured and examined via the SEM. (Dammit now I'm really
thirsty!)
> >I would guess they were sputter coated with something. The structure of
the
> >foam would be important to a food scientist as it would impact on the
> >density and mouth feel of a food.  Maybe you could fume your piece of
bread
> >or cake with a cyanoacrylate to reinforce it, or vapor fix with
> >formaldehyde
> >before freeze drying/freeze substituting it.
> >
> >Bob Francis (from the Royal London Hospital, UK) showed a slide once in a
> >lecture of an H&E on a piece of smoked english bacon (not the thin sliced
> >pig fat excuse for bacon found in the US).  The salting and smoking did a
> >pretty good job of preserving the structure of the muscle, though I
> >wouldn't
> >like you to do it to a piece of me.  (Now I want a bacon sandwich!)
> >
> >All of the information on the nutritional composition of foods stems from
> >chemical/biochemical analysis.  The reason we know the vitamin C content
of
> >potatoes comes from just under the skin is because someone analysed the
> >peeled potato, then analysed the peelings.  (That's It! look out
McDonalds,
> >here I come)
> >
> >Simon
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Jeffrey S Crews [mailto:cruzetti@juno.com]
> >Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2000 4:31 PM
> >To: donh7@earthlink.net
> >Cc: lball2@uswest.net; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> >Subject: Re: nutrients
> >
> >
> >Well, we did do an H&E on a "spicy smoked meat snack" in my lab after
> >hearing that it was a good bacteria control. Thank God I don't eat those.
> >Feh.   jc
> >
> >On Wed, 05 Apr 2000 18:02:22 -0700 Don Hammer <donh7@earthlink.net>
> >writes:
> > >Histonetters:
> > >
> > >This sounds like it might develop into a very interesting thread.  I
> > >had
> > >never thought of Histology procedures being done on food.  This recent
> > >post
> > >leads me to wonder how cake might be processed.
> > >
> > >I hope there are people on here that work on nutrients and food.  The
> > >entry
> > >route into this field would be interesting reading as well.  My
> > >expertise
> > >ends at cooking, enjoying, and I might add, to the chagrin of some,
> > >being
> > >retired, having more time to do so.  *happy grin*  (If you find
> > >yourself in
> > >Seattle visiting, give me a call, I'll cook dinner......you bring the
> > >wine)
> > >
> > >Don Hammer, Retired Guy (but really still interested in learning)
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: Bro. Lauren Ball <lball2@uswest.net>
> > >To: <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
> > >Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 8:19 AM
> > >Subject: Re: nutrients
> > >
> > >
> > >> I remember a special stain that differentiated between carbohydrate
> > >and
> > >> protein in cake.  It's been to many years to remember the exact
> > >source,
> > >but
> > >> I suspect that common methods could be modified to work.
> > >> Lauren
> > >> ----- Original Message -----
> > >> From: Tora Bardal <Tora.Bardal@chembio.ntnu.no>
> > >> To: <histonet@Pathology.swmed.edu>
> > >> Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 1:55 AM
> > >> Subject: nutrients
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> > Hello,
> > >> >
> > >> > Is there anyone out there working with histology of nutrients and
> > >food
> > >> > particles?
> > >> > Usually I`m working with fish larvae, but we might get a project
> > >involving
> > >> > nutrients, and I am at the moment just curious if Histonet could
> > >be a
> > >> > source of information on this topic.
> > >> > ______________________________
> > >> >     .////.   .//
> > >> >   o:::::::::///
> > >> >  >::::::::::\\\
> > >> >     '\\\\\'   \\
> > >> >
> > >> > Tora Bardal tlf: + (47)73 59 09 38
> > >> > Department of Zoology, fax: + (47)73 59 63 11
> > >> > Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
> > >> > Brattoera Research Center
> > >> > N-7491 Trondheim Tora.Bardal@chembio.ntnu.no
> > >> > Norway
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> >
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