RASFF Notifications
EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
Weeks 48-50, 2009

ALERT NOTIFICATIONS

Country of Origin	Reason for Notifying	Total Notifications
Greece	Aflatoxins in dried figs	1
Turkey	Aflatoxins in pistachios	1

Alert Notifications are released when a food or feed presenting a serious risk is on the market and when immediate action is required.

INFORMATION NOTIFICATIONS

Country of Origin	Reason for Notifying	Total Notifications
Azerbaijan, via Ukraine and Poland	Rodent (live mice) in hazelnut kernels	1
South Africa	Unauthorized use of color E 122 -azorubine- in pecans	2
Turkey	Aflatoxins in dried figs	1
	Aflatoxins in pistachios	1

Information Notifications concern a food or feed for which a risk has been identified, but for which the other member states do not have to take immediate action, because the product has not yet reached their market.

BORDER REJECTIONS

Country of Origin	Reason for Notifying	Total Notifications
Argentina	Aflatoxins in peanuts	4
Australia	Aflatoxins in almonds	1
Bolivia	Aflatoxins in Brazil nuts	1
Brazil	Aflatoxins in peanuts	1
Iran	Aflatoxins in pistachios	2
South Africa	Aflatoxins in peanuts	2
Syria	Aflatoxins in pistachios	1
Turkey	Aflatoxins in dried figs	4
	Aflatoxins in hazelnuts	1
	Aflatoxins in hazelnut paste	1
	Aflatoxins in pistachios	1
	Salmonella (presence /25g) in unshelled pine seed	1
USA	Aflatoxins in almonds	3
	Aflatoxins in peanuts	4
	Almonds infested with insects	2
	Ochratoxin A in pistachios	1

Border Rejections concern food and feed consignments that have been tested and rejected at the external borders of the EU and the European Economic Area when a health risk was found. The notifications are transmitted to all EEA border posts in order to reinforce controls and to ensure that the rejected product does not re-enter the Community through another border post.

http://ec.europa.eu

Study Suggests that a Daily Dose of Pistachio Could Help Prevent Lung and Other Cancers

A daily dose of pistachios may help reduce the risk of lung and other cancers, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held on December 6-9, 2009, in Houston, TX, USA.

Researchers at Texas Woman’s University investigated the effect of incorporating pistachios every day to the diet on the intake and serum levels of gamma-tocopherol, which is a form of vitamin E, known to reduce the risk of lung cancer. Epidemiologic studies suggest that gamma-tocopherol may be important in prevention of cancer.

In the study, 36 healthy participants were randomly assigned to either add 68 grams (about 2 ounces) of pistachios per day to their diet or continue with their regular diet. After four weeks of intervention, with a two-week baseline period, the researchers found a significant increase in energy-adjusted dietary intake of gamma-tocopherol, in those who followed the pistachio-diet. This group showed a significant increase in cholesterol-adjusted serum gamma-tocopherol compared to the regular-diet group.

Peanuts, pecans, walnuts, soybeans, and corn oils are also rich sources of gamma-tocopherol.

Daily Consumption of Walnuts May Improve Diabetic Cardiac Risk

According to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care, daily consumption of walnuts may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers from the Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, supplemented the diet of 24 participants with type 2 diabetes (average age 58) with 56 grams of walnuts per day. The walnut-enriched diet resulted in significant improvement in endothelial function (the lining of blood vessels), increased fasting serum glucose, and lowered cholesterol.

The study concluded that daily consumption of walnuts improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in type 2 diabetics, suggesting a potential reduction in overall cardiac risk.

Amino Acid Found in Nuts May Extend Human Life

Scientific research suggests that methionine, which can be found in fish, nuts, meat and wheat, could play a key role in people enjoying longer and healthier lives, according to a study published in the scientific magazine Nature. A team of researchers, led by Prof. Matthew Piper, Institute of Healthy Aging of the University College of London, found that the manipulation of methionine levels in the diet could extend life, without reduction in fertility.

Methionine is one of the main elements of protein consolidation involved in the formation of cells and tissue, and studies carried out with fruit flies and chimpanzees have proved that reduction of food intake improves life expectancy. Researchers have noted that this relation is likely applicable to humans. It is presumed to be the consequence of a development process that prevents the waste of essential nutrients in reproductive tasks during times of famine.

This new study found out that using methionine as part of a low-calorie diet based on yeast, sugar, and water increases fertility without reducing longevity, while reducing its levels in a hypercaloric diet prolongs life expectancy.

In the past, researchers tended to think that the amount of protein was the key of a healthy life, but this study indicates that getting the protein balance right in the diet is what can affect health in later life.

Roasting Ramps Up the Antioxidant Capacities of Peanuts

According to a new study conducted by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), increasing roast color linearly enhances the antioxidant properties of blanched peanuts, peanut flour, and peanut skins.

ARS scientists studied changes in antioxidant levels of roasted peanuts and skins across a wide range of roast treatments. Water and oil-soluble antioxidant levels were determined for the roasted peanut samples. At 166 ºC from 0 to 77 minutes, hydrophilic oxygen radical antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content increased linearly. Researchers also found that oil from darker roasted peanut had better vitamin E retention than those raw or less roasted. This could be due to a higher concentration of oil-soluble Maillard reaction products.

www.ars.usda.gov