Sameer al-Zenki - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Sameer al-Zenki
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, Sep 1, 2007
The prevalence of Salmonella isolated from a poultry farm and from the poultry processing plant e... more The prevalence of Salmonella isolated from a poultry farm and from the poultry processing plant environment were evaluated from August 2004 to July 2005 along with microbial antibiotic resistance. In total, 3242 samples were collected from the farm and processing plant. Samples collected from the farm included hatching eggs, paper liners, litter, feed, water, drinkers, air, bird rinse, and ceca. While samples collected from the processing plant included carcass rinse and ceca. Out of 2882 samples collected from the farm, the overall percentage prevalence of Salmonella was 5.4% with prevalence rates of 10%, 1.5%, 0.7%, 0.2%, 13.5%, and 12.6% for hatching eggs, litter, feed, drinkers, bird rinse and ceca, respectively. No Salmonella were detected in any of the paper liner, water, or air samples. Out of 360 samples collected from the processing plant, the overall percentage prevalence of Salmonella was 4.7% with prevalence rates of 6.1% and 3.3% for carcass rinse and ceca samples, respectively. Salmonella Enteritidis was the most prevalent serotype. All of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and 10 different resistance profiles were found among 173 isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis. Resistance to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, and tetracycline were the most common. The widespread occurrence of multiple resistant Salmonella Enteritidis is a cause for concern, and local regulatory enforcement agencies should ensure prudent use of antibiotics.
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, Jun 1, 2016
Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the envir... more Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the environment. Little is known on human exposure to perchlorate in Kuwait. In this study, 218 water samples, 618 commonly consumed foodstuffs and 532 urine samples collected from Kuwait were analysed to assess the exposure of the Kuwaiti population to perchlorate. For the estimation of daily intake of perchlorate, food consumption rates were obtained from the National Nutrition Survey in the State of Kuwait (NNSSK). The results showed that leafy vegetables accounted for a major share of perchlorate exposure among the Kuwaiti population at 0.062 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (36.2%), followed by fruits at 0.026 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (15.3%) and non-leafy vegetables at 0.017 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (10.1%). The urinary perchlorate geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranged from 8.51 to 17.1 µg l(-)(1) for the five age groups, which were higher than those reported in other countries. The estimated urinary perchlorate exposure for the Kuwaiti general population was 0.42 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1), which was higher than that reported for the United States. The dietary intake of perchlorate for the Kuwaiti population ranged from 0.14 to 0.67 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) for the five age groups, with a mean total daily intake of 0.17 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) for the general population. The highest estimated dietary mean daily intake of perchlorate (0.67 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1)) was found for children at 3-5 years. The estimated dietary perchlorate exposure in Kuwait is higher than the recommended mean reference dose (RfD) but lower than that of provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006
To assess the intake of artificial food colour additives by 5-14-year-old children in the State o... more To assess the intake of artificial food colour additives by 5-14-year-old children in the State of Kuwait, a 24-h dietary recall was conducted twice on 3141 male and female Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti children from 58 schools. The determination of colour additives in 344 foods items consumed was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. A comparison with the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) was undertaken to evaluate the potential risk associated with the consumption of artificial colour additives by children in Kuwait. The results indicated that out of nine permitted colours, four exceeded their ADIs by factors of 2-8: tartrazine, sunset yellow, carmoisine and allura red. Further, follow-up studies to provide insight into potential adverse health effects associated with the high intakes of these artificial colour additives on the test population are warranted.
Food Additives and Contaminants, 1997
Analysis for the presence of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 327 foodstuff samples ... more Analysis for the presence of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 327 foodstuff samples originating from locally reared animals was carried out. The data revealed that non-carcinogenic PAHs were detected in considerable amounts in several food commodities. The carcinogenic PAH concentrations were relatively low in most of the samples investigated. Among the carcinogenic PAHs detected, chrysene had the highest concentration.
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2012
This analysis uses recent data on fish consumption among Kuwaitis and on levels of Hg in fish col... more This analysis uses recent data on fish consumption among Kuwaitis and on levels of Hg in fish collected from fish markets in Kuwait to estimate the human health risks to the Kuwaiti population due to consumption of fish containing Hg. Mercury is a known human neurotoxicant. Recent, somewhat controversial, evidence suggests that it also may play a role in cardiovascular
Nature Food
Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to ... more Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to children and adolescents. This impairs target setting and investment in evidence-based actions to support healthy sustainable diets. Here we quantified global, regional and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, education and urbanicity, across 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, on the basis of data from the Global Dietary Database project. Our primary measure was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, a validated score of diet quality; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and Mediterranean Diet Score patterns were secondarily assessed. Dietary quality is generally modest worldwide. In 2018, the mean global Alternative Healthy Eating Index score was 40.3, ranging from 0 (least healthy) to 100 (most healthy), with regional means ranging from 30.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean to 45.7 in South Asia. Scores among children versus adults were generall...
The Lancet Planetary Health
Summary Background Diet is a major modifiable risk factor for human health and overall consumptio... more Summary Background Diet is a major modifiable risk factor for human health and overall consumption patterns affect planetary health. We aimed to quantify global, regional, and national consumption levels of animal-source foods (ASF) to inform intervention, surveillance, and policy priorities. Methods Individual-level dietary surveys across 185 countries conducted between 1990 and 2018 were identified, obtained, standardised, and assessed among children and adults, jointly stratified by age, sex, education level, and rural versus urban residence. We included 499 discrete surveys (91·2% nationally or subnationally representative) with data for ASF (unprocessed red meat, processed meat, eggs, seafood, milk, cheese, and yoghurt), comprising 3·8 million individuals from 134 countries representing 95·2% of the world population in 2018. We used Bayesian hierarchical models to account for differences in survey methods and representativeness, time trends, and input data and modelling uncertainty, with five-fold cross-validation. Findings In 2018, mean global intake per person of unprocessed red meat was 51 g/day (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 48–54; region-specific range 7–114 g/day); 17 countries (23·9% of the world's population) had mean intakes of at least one serving (100 g) per day. Global mean intake of processed meat was 17 g/day (95% UI 15–21 g/day; region-specific range 3–54 g/day); seafood, 28 g/day (27–30 g/day; 12–44 g/day); eggs, 21 g/day (18–24 g/day; 6–35 g/day); milk 88 g/day (84–93 g/day; 45–185 g/day); cheese, 8 g/day (8–10 g/day; 1–34 g/day); and yoghurt, 20 g/day (17–23 g/day; 7–84 g/day). Mean national intakes were at least one serving per day for processed meat (≥50 g/day) in countries representing 6·9% of the global population; for cheese (≥42 g/day) in 2·3%; for eggs (≥55 g/day) in 0·7%; for milk (≥245 g/day) in 0·3%; for seafood (≥100 g/day) in 0·8%; and for yoghurt (≥245 g/day) in less than 0·1%. Among the 25 most populous countries in 2018, total ASF intake was highest in Russia (5·8 servings per day), Germany (3·8 servings per day), and the UK (3·7 servings per day), and lowest in Tanzania (0·9 servings per day) and India (0·7 servings per day). Global and regional intakes of ASF were generally similar by sex. Compared with children, adults generally consumed more unprocessed red meat, seafood and cheese, and less milk; energy-adjusted intakes of other ASF were more similar. Globally, ASF intakes (servings per week) were higher among more-educated versus less-educated adults, with greatest global differences for milk (0·79), eggs (0·47), unprocessed red meat (0·42), cheese (0·28), seafood (0·28), yoghurt (0·22), and processed meat (0·21). This was also true for urban compared to rural areas, with largest global differences (servings per week) for unprocessed red meat (0·47), milk (0·38), and eggs (0·20). Between 1990 and 2018, global intakes (servings per week) increased for unprocessed red meat (1·20), eggs (1·18), milk (0·63), processed meat (0·50), seafood (0·44), and cheese (0·14). Interpretation Our estimates of ASF consumption identify populations with both lower and higher than optimal intakes. These estimates can inform the targeting of intervention, surveillance, and policy priorities relevant to both human and planetary health. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and American Heart Association.
Nature Medicine
The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk a... more The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generall...
Food Science and Technology, 2005
Nature Food
Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive ... more Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF c...
Nature Food
In the version of this article originally published, the Global Dietary Database consortium was m... more In the version of this article originally published, the Global Dietary Database consortium was missing from the author list. The consortium is now listed as an author, with a list of members and their affiliations appearing online. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
Globally, food security faces unrelenting challenges, including growing population expected to re... more Globally, food security faces unrelenting challenges, including growing population expected to reach 10 billion toward the end of 21st century, shifting diet preferences, diminishing natural resources and a changing planetary climate. This challenge is most acute in arid, hot Arabian Gulf region. Presently, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are comfortably food secure, almost entirely through food importation, with all the risks associated with total dependency on food import. Risks related to heavy reliance on food import include i) disturbance to global supplies routes, ii) food price volatility in global markets like 2007-2008, and iii) the unpredicted impact of climate change on global food supplies. To balance risks of food import, two measures seem to be effective: 1) stable grain stock and 2) a boost in domestic production. There are gaps in our knowledge regarding the local production capacity and how much contribution can be expected under prevailing climatic and env...
Food Research International, 2012
An investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmone... more An investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella serovars in ducks, their rearing and processing environments in Penang, Malaysia. A total of 531 samples collected from wet markets and duck farms, were examined from August 2009 to October 2010. The overall prevalence of Salmonella serovars was 23.5% (125/531). The 125 Salmonella isolates belong to 10 different serovars namely Typhimirium (29.6%), Enteritidis (12.0%), Gallinarum (2.4%), Braenderup (12.0%), Albany (11.2%), Hadar (20.8%), Derby (6.4%), Weltevreden (1.6%), Newbrunswick (3.4%) and London (0.8%). Salmonella serovars also showed various resistance patterns against 13 different antibiotics. All the serovars were resistant to erythromycin but susceptible to cephalothin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone. Plasmids were detected in 91 (72.8%) of the isolates with sizes ranging from 1.4 to 23.1 Kbp. Our findings provide baseline information on the distribution of Salmonella serovars in ducks, their rearing and processing environments, and indicate that ducks should be considered as an important source of food-borne pathogens.
Expert Opinion on Environmental Biology, 2016
New Sequence Types for Environmental Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Kuwait A total of 102 e... more New Sequence Types for Environmental Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Kuwait A total of 102 environmental isolates of Legionella pneumophila (sg 1 = 19; sg 3 = 33; sg 4= 4 sg 7= 39; sg 10=7) were genotyped by the consensus Sequenced-Based Typing (SBT) scheme developed by the ESCMID Study Group for Legionella Infections (ESGLI former EWGLI). Results showed that the Legionella isolates were discriminated into 11 distinct SBT profiles, of which six (ST1223, ST1436, ST1555, ST1604, ST1718, and ST1719) were new to the ESGLI SBT database. Results showed that ST1718 of L. pneumophila serogroup 7 (38 isolates) was the most prevalent ST. In addition to ST1718, other prevalent STs were identified included ST336 (20 isolates), ST93 (13 isolates), and ST1 (10 isolates). Furthermore, all of the ST1 L. pneumophila sergroup 1 isolates were of the Oxford/OLDA subgroup. This is the first study to describe the use of SBT to characterize environmental Legionella pneumophila isolates from domestic water systems and cooling towers in the State of Kuwait. This baseline data will form the basis for the development of a Legionella environmental surveillance program, which will be used for future epidemiological investigations.
Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2016
Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the envir... more Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the environment. Little is known on human exposure to perchlorate in Kuwait. In this study, 218 water samples, 618 commonly consumed foodstuffs and 532 urine samples collected from Kuwait were analysed to assess the exposure of the Kuwaiti population to perchlorate. For the estimation of daily intake of perchlorate, food consumption rates were obtained from the National Nutrition Survey in the State of Kuwait (NNSSK). The results showed that leafy vegetables accounted for a major share of perchlorate exposure among the Kuwaiti population at 0.062 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (36.2%), followed by fruits at 0.026 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (15.3%) and non-leafy vegetables at 0.017 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (10.1%). The urinary perchlorate geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranged from 8.51 to 17.1 µg l(-)(1) for the five age groups, which were higher than those reported in other countries. The estimated u...
The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 2009
Three commercial products, a partially defined chicken-origin competitive exclusion culture (Avig... more Three commercial products, a partially defined chicken-origin competitive exclusion culture (Aviguard, 0.50 mL/chick) and 2 single-organism probiotic cultures (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Levucell SC, 1 g/kg of feed, and Pediococcus acidilactici, Bactocell, 100 ...
Sinha/Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing, 2012
International Journal of Poultry Science, 2012
Salmonella contamination of broilers is a major problem that faces the poultry industry in Kuwait... more Salmonella contamination of broilers is a major problem that faces the poultry industry in Kuwait and elsewhere since it affects the consumption of poultry meat. Therefore, utilization of different control measures leading to the reduction of Salmonella contamination is an important task for the broiler industry and the public health authorities in Kuwait. An important strategy is to significantly reduce the levels of Salmonella at the farm level and improve the manufacturing practices in the processing plant to prevent the risk of c ross contamination. In our Department, different treatments have been used to control the contamination of this pathogen at the farm level, one of which is presented in the current study. The objective of the current study is to determine the effect of using different organic acids in the drinking water during the feed withdrawal period on reducing Salmonella in broilers. One hundred and twenty broiler chicks were originally housed in each of 36 floor pens. At the time of feed withdrawal, the pens were divided into four groups of nine pens each and were used for one of four treatments. These treatments included the control group and received untreated water, the second group received water containing 0.1% acetic acid, the third group received water containing 0.1% formic acid and the fourth group received water containing 0.1% lactic acid for a period of eight hrs. This study was repeated both in the summer and winter seasons. The prevalence of Salmonella on the chicken body, ceca and in the crop was determined before and post treatment at the farm and then at the processing plant. In addition to reducing body Salmonella contamination significantly (p<0.05) post treatment at the farm, in both seasons, it was found that acid treatments, in the summer season, significantly (p<0.05) reduced Salmonella contamination in the carcass at the processing plant from 36% (control) to 16, 13, 13% for acetic, formic and lactic acid treatments, respectively. In the winter season, both formic and lactic acid treatments reduced Salmonella contamination in the carcass at the processing plant and the reduction was significant (p<0.05) for formic acid treatment. It can be concluded that using organic acids in the water during the feed withdrawal period, both in the summer and winter seasons, can be beneficiary in reducing broiler Salmonella contamination both at the farm and at the processing plant.
Food Control, 2011
We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (... more We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various grilled and smoked foods and estimated the dietary exposure of Kuwaiti children, adolescent and adult populations. Results indicated that non-carcinogenic PAHs were present at high proportions (60e100%) with phenanthrene showing the highest mean concentration (54.9 mg kg À1 , 37.1% of the total PAH concentrations). Among the genotoxic PAHs (PAH8), chrysene (4.88 mg kg À1 , 3.29%) and benz[a] anthracene (2.27 mg kg À1 , 1.53%) showed the highest mean values. Meat tikka contained the highest mean concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (2.48 mg kg À1), total genotoxic PAHs (42.9 mg kg À1), total PAHs (SPAHs) (648 mg kg À1) and total benzo[a]pyrene equivalents (SBaPeq) (6.02 mg kg À1). High levels of genotoxic PAHs were detected in grilled vegetables (21.1 mg kg À1), shish tauk (20.5 mg kg À1) and whole grilled chicken (20.3 mg kg À1) samples. However, meat and chicken shawerma samples had low levels of PAH8. Meat tikka (437 ng/day, 641 ng/day), whole grilled chicken (160 ng/day, 241 ng/day), grilled vegetables (120 ng/day, 166 ng/day), meat burger (114 ng/day, 92.7 ng/day) were the major contributors to the daily intake of PAH8 in children/adolescent and adult populations, respectively. The total mean dietary intakes for children/adolescents and adults for BaP (8.09 ng/day, 9.20 ng/day), PAH8 (84.2 ng/day, 95.7 ng/day), P PAHs (974 ng/day, 1108 ng/day) and P BaPeq (14.8 ng/day, 16.8 ng/day) were comparable. Cancer risks for Kuwaiti children/adolescents and adults from dietary intake of SBaPeq from the animalorigin foods were determined to be 2.63/10 7 and 9.3/10 7 , respectively.
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 2010
Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 115 samples of olive... more Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 115 samples of olive oil (extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil, pomace olive oil and blended olive oil), cooking oil (corn oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, palm olein oil, soya oil, canola oil, mustard oil, peanut oil and mixed vegetable oil) and fat (butter and table margarine) collected from retail stores in Kuwait. Carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was detected in 43% of the samples analyzed. Benz[a]anthracene and chrysene were detected in 37 and 45% of the samples, respectively, that did not contain BaP. Of the individual non-carcinogenic PAHs, naphthalene showed the highest mean concentration (14 microg kg(-1)), while for the carcinogenic PAHs, BaP (0.92 microg kg(-1)) and chrysene (0.87 microg kg(-1)) showed the highest mean values. Approximately 20% of the samples within the olive oil and cooking oil sub-categories exceeded the EU maximum tolerable limit for BaP, with the highest level of 6.77 and 11.1 microg kg(-1), respectively. For the fat sub-category, 9% of the samples exceeded the tolerance limit, with the highest level of 3.67 microg kg(-1). The Kuwaiti general population&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s dietary exposure to the genotoxic PAHs (PAH8: benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and benzo[ghi]perylene) was estimated to be 196 ng day(-1) (3.3 ng kg(-1) bw day(-1), assuming an average adult body weight of 60 kg). Results indicated that PAH8 and BaP(eq) (total sum benzo[a]pyrene equivalents) are more reliable measures of the concentrations of other carcinogenic PAHs in oil and fat samples, while BaP and PAHs alone are not good indicators of the occurrence or degree of contamination by carcinogenic PAHs in these food products.
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, Sep 1, 2007
The prevalence of Salmonella isolated from a poultry farm and from the poultry processing plant e... more The prevalence of Salmonella isolated from a poultry farm and from the poultry processing plant environment were evaluated from August 2004 to July 2005 along with microbial antibiotic resistance. In total, 3242 samples were collected from the farm and processing plant. Samples collected from the farm included hatching eggs, paper liners, litter, feed, water, drinkers, air, bird rinse, and ceca. While samples collected from the processing plant included carcass rinse and ceca. Out of 2882 samples collected from the farm, the overall percentage prevalence of Salmonella was 5.4% with prevalence rates of 10%, 1.5%, 0.7%, 0.2%, 13.5%, and 12.6% for hatching eggs, litter, feed, drinkers, bird rinse and ceca, respectively. No Salmonella were detected in any of the paper liner, water, or air samples. Out of 360 samples collected from the processing plant, the overall percentage prevalence of Salmonella was 4.7% with prevalence rates of 6.1% and 3.3% for carcass rinse and ceca samples, respectively. Salmonella Enteritidis was the most prevalent serotype. All of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and 10 different resistance profiles were found among 173 isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis. Resistance to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, and tetracycline were the most common. The widespread occurrence of multiple resistant Salmonella Enteritidis is a cause for concern, and local regulatory enforcement agencies should ensure prudent use of antibiotics.
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, Jun 1, 2016
Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the envir... more Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the environment. Little is known on human exposure to perchlorate in Kuwait. In this study, 218 water samples, 618 commonly consumed foodstuffs and 532 urine samples collected from Kuwait were analysed to assess the exposure of the Kuwaiti population to perchlorate. For the estimation of daily intake of perchlorate, food consumption rates were obtained from the National Nutrition Survey in the State of Kuwait (NNSSK). The results showed that leafy vegetables accounted for a major share of perchlorate exposure among the Kuwaiti population at 0.062 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (36.2%), followed by fruits at 0.026 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (15.3%) and non-leafy vegetables at 0.017 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (10.1%). The urinary perchlorate geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranged from 8.51 to 17.1 µg l(-)(1) for the five age groups, which were higher than those reported in other countries. The estimated urinary perchlorate exposure for the Kuwaiti general population was 0.42 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1), which was higher than that reported for the United States. The dietary intake of perchlorate for the Kuwaiti population ranged from 0.14 to 0.67 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) for the five age groups, with a mean total daily intake of 0.17 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) for the general population. The highest estimated dietary mean daily intake of perchlorate (0.67 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1)) was found for children at 3-5 years. The estimated dietary perchlorate exposure in Kuwait is higher than the recommended mean reference dose (RfD) but lower than that of provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006
To assess the intake of artificial food colour additives by 5-14-year-old children in the State o... more To assess the intake of artificial food colour additives by 5-14-year-old children in the State of Kuwait, a 24-h dietary recall was conducted twice on 3141 male and female Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti children from 58 schools. The determination of colour additives in 344 foods items consumed was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. A comparison with the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) was undertaken to evaluate the potential risk associated with the consumption of artificial colour additives by children in Kuwait. The results indicated that out of nine permitted colours, four exceeded their ADIs by factors of 2-8: tartrazine, sunset yellow, carmoisine and allura red. Further, follow-up studies to provide insight into potential adverse health effects associated with the high intakes of these artificial colour additives on the test population are warranted.
Food Additives and Contaminants, 1997
Analysis for the presence of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 327 foodstuff samples ... more Analysis for the presence of 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 327 foodstuff samples originating from locally reared animals was carried out. The data revealed that non-carcinogenic PAHs were detected in considerable amounts in several food commodities. The carcinogenic PAH concentrations were relatively low in most of the samples investigated. Among the carcinogenic PAHs detected, chrysene had the highest concentration.
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2012
This analysis uses recent data on fish consumption among Kuwaitis and on levels of Hg in fish col... more This analysis uses recent data on fish consumption among Kuwaitis and on levels of Hg in fish collected from fish markets in Kuwait to estimate the human health risks to the Kuwaiti population due to consumption of fish containing Hg. Mercury is a known human neurotoxicant. Recent, somewhat controversial, evidence suggests that it also may play a role in cardiovascular
Nature Food
Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to ... more Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to children and adolescents. This impairs target setting and investment in evidence-based actions to support healthy sustainable diets. Here we quantified global, regional and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, education and urbanicity, across 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, on the basis of data from the Global Dietary Database project. Our primary measure was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, a validated score of diet quality; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and Mediterranean Diet Score patterns were secondarily assessed. Dietary quality is generally modest worldwide. In 2018, the mean global Alternative Healthy Eating Index score was 40.3, ranging from 0 (least healthy) to 100 (most healthy), with regional means ranging from 30.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean to 45.7 in South Asia. Scores among children versus adults were generall...
The Lancet Planetary Health
Summary Background Diet is a major modifiable risk factor for human health and overall consumptio... more Summary Background Diet is a major modifiable risk factor for human health and overall consumption patterns affect planetary health. We aimed to quantify global, regional, and national consumption levels of animal-source foods (ASF) to inform intervention, surveillance, and policy priorities. Methods Individual-level dietary surveys across 185 countries conducted between 1990 and 2018 were identified, obtained, standardised, and assessed among children and adults, jointly stratified by age, sex, education level, and rural versus urban residence. We included 499 discrete surveys (91·2% nationally or subnationally representative) with data for ASF (unprocessed red meat, processed meat, eggs, seafood, milk, cheese, and yoghurt), comprising 3·8 million individuals from 134 countries representing 95·2% of the world population in 2018. We used Bayesian hierarchical models to account for differences in survey methods and representativeness, time trends, and input data and modelling uncertainty, with five-fold cross-validation. Findings In 2018, mean global intake per person of unprocessed red meat was 51 g/day (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 48–54; region-specific range 7–114 g/day); 17 countries (23·9% of the world's population) had mean intakes of at least one serving (100 g) per day. Global mean intake of processed meat was 17 g/day (95% UI 15–21 g/day; region-specific range 3–54 g/day); seafood, 28 g/day (27–30 g/day; 12–44 g/day); eggs, 21 g/day (18–24 g/day; 6–35 g/day); milk 88 g/day (84–93 g/day; 45–185 g/day); cheese, 8 g/day (8–10 g/day; 1–34 g/day); and yoghurt, 20 g/day (17–23 g/day; 7–84 g/day). Mean national intakes were at least one serving per day for processed meat (≥50 g/day) in countries representing 6·9% of the global population; for cheese (≥42 g/day) in 2·3%; for eggs (≥55 g/day) in 0·7%; for milk (≥245 g/day) in 0·3%; for seafood (≥100 g/day) in 0·8%; and for yoghurt (≥245 g/day) in less than 0·1%. Among the 25 most populous countries in 2018, total ASF intake was highest in Russia (5·8 servings per day), Germany (3·8 servings per day), and the UK (3·7 servings per day), and lowest in Tanzania (0·9 servings per day) and India (0·7 servings per day). Global and regional intakes of ASF were generally similar by sex. Compared with children, adults generally consumed more unprocessed red meat, seafood and cheese, and less milk; energy-adjusted intakes of other ASF were more similar. Globally, ASF intakes (servings per week) were higher among more-educated versus less-educated adults, with greatest global differences for milk (0·79), eggs (0·47), unprocessed red meat (0·42), cheese (0·28), seafood (0·28), yoghurt (0·22), and processed meat (0·21). This was also true for urban compared to rural areas, with largest global differences (servings per week) for unprocessed red meat (0·47), milk (0·38), and eggs (0·20). Between 1990 and 2018, global intakes (servings per week) increased for unprocessed red meat (1·20), eggs (1·18), milk (0·63), processed meat (0·50), seafood (0·44), and cheese (0·14). Interpretation Our estimates of ASF consumption identify populations with both lower and higher than optimal intakes. These estimates can inform the targeting of intervention, surveillance, and policy priorities relevant to both human and planetary health. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and American Heart Association.
Nature Medicine
The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk a... more The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generall...
Food Science and Technology, 2005
Nature Food
Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive ... more Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF c...
Nature Food
In the version of this article originally published, the Global Dietary Database consortium was m... more In the version of this article originally published, the Global Dietary Database consortium was missing from the author list. The consortium is now listed as an author, with a list of members and their affiliations appearing online. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
Globally, food security faces unrelenting challenges, including growing population expected to re... more Globally, food security faces unrelenting challenges, including growing population expected to reach 10 billion toward the end of 21st century, shifting diet preferences, diminishing natural resources and a changing planetary climate. This challenge is most acute in arid, hot Arabian Gulf region. Presently, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are comfortably food secure, almost entirely through food importation, with all the risks associated with total dependency on food import. Risks related to heavy reliance on food import include i) disturbance to global supplies routes, ii) food price volatility in global markets like 2007-2008, and iii) the unpredicted impact of climate change on global food supplies. To balance risks of food import, two measures seem to be effective: 1) stable grain stock and 2) a boost in domestic production. There are gaps in our knowledge regarding the local production capacity and how much contribution can be expected under prevailing climatic and env...
Food Research International, 2012
An investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmone... more An investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella serovars in ducks, their rearing and processing environments in Penang, Malaysia. A total of 531 samples collected from wet markets and duck farms, were examined from August 2009 to October 2010. The overall prevalence of Salmonella serovars was 23.5% (125/531). The 125 Salmonella isolates belong to 10 different serovars namely Typhimirium (29.6%), Enteritidis (12.0%), Gallinarum (2.4%), Braenderup (12.0%), Albany (11.2%), Hadar (20.8%), Derby (6.4%), Weltevreden (1.6%), Newbrunswick (3.4%) and London (0.8%). Salmonella serovars also showed various resistance patterns against 13 different antibiotics. All the serovars were resistant to erythromycin but susceptible to cephalothin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone. Plasmids were detected in 91 (72.8%) of the isolates with sizes ranging from 1.4 to 23.1 Kbp. Our findings provide baseline information on the distribution of Salmonella serovars in ducks, their rearing and processing environments, and indicate that ducks should be considered as an important source of food-borne pathogens.
Expert Opinion on Environmental Biology, 2016
New Sequence Types for Environmental Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Kuwait A total of 102 e... more New Sequence Types for Environmental Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Kuwait A total of 102 environmental isolates of Legionella pneumophila (sg 1 = 19; sg 3 = 33; sg 4= 4 sg 7= 39; sg 10=7) were genotyped by the consensus Sequenced-Based Typing (SBT) scheme developed by the ESCMID Study Group for Legionella Infections (ESGLI former EWGLI). Results showed that the Legionella isolates were discriminated into 11 distinct SBT profiles, of which six (ST1223, ST1436, ST1555, ST1604, ST1718, and ST1719) were new to the ESGLI SBT database. Results showed that ST1718 of L. pneumophila serogroup 7 (38 isolates) was the most prevalent ST. In addition to ST1718, other prevalent STs were identified included ST336 (20 isolates), ST93 (13 isolates), and ST1 (10 isolates). Furthermore, all of the ST1 L. pneumophila sergroup 1 isolates were of the Oxford/OLDA subgroup. This is the first study to describe the use of SBT to characterize environmental Legionella pneumophila isolates from domestic water systems and cooling towers in the State of Kuwait. This baseline data will form the basis for the development of a Legionella environmental surveillance program, which will be used for future epidemiological investigations.
Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2016
Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the envir... more Perchlorate is a thyroid hormone-disrupting compound and is reported to occur widely in the environment. Little is known on human exposure to perchlorate in Kuwait. In this study, 218 water samples, 618 commonly consumed foodstuffs and 532 urine samples collected from Kuwait were analysed to assess the exposure of the Kuwaiti population to perchlorate. For the estimation of daily intake of perchlorate, food consumption rates were obtained from the National Nutrition Survey in the State of Kuwait (NNSSK). The results showed that leafy vegetables accounted for a major share of perchlorate exposure among the Kuwaiti population at 0.062 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (36.2%), followed by fruits at 0.026 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (15.3%) and non-leafy vegetables at 0.017 µg kg(-)(1) bw day(-)(1) (10.1%). The urinary perchlorate geometric mean (GM) concentrations ranged from 8.51 to 17.1 µg l(-)(1) for the five age groups, which were higher than those reported in other countries. The estimated u...
The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 2009
Three commercial products, a partially defined chicken-origin competitive exclusion culture (Avig... more Three commercial products, a partially defined chicken-origin competitive exclusion culture (Aviguard, 0.50 mL/chick) and 2 single-organism probiotic cultures (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Levucell SC, 1 g/kg of feed, and Pediococcus acidilactici, Bactocell, 100 ...
Sinha/Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing, 2012
International Journal of Poultry Science, 2012
Salmonella contamination of broilers is a major problem that faces the poultry industry in Kuwait... more Salmonella contamination of broilers is a major problem that faces the poultry industry in Kuwait and elsewhere since it affects the consumption of poultry meat. Therefore, utilization of different control measures leading to the reduction of Salmonella contamination is an important task for the broiler industry and the public health authorities in Kuwait. An important strategy is to significantly reduce the levels of Salmonella at the farm level and improve the manufacturing practices in the processing plant to prevent the risk of c ross contamination. In our Department, different treatments have been used to control the contamination of this pathogen at the farm level, one of which is presented in the current study. The objective of the current study is to determine the effect of using different organic acids in the drinking water during the feed withdrawal period on reducing Salmonella in broilers. One hundred and twenty broiler chicks were originally housed in each of 36 floor pens. At the time of feed withdrawal, the pens were divided into four groups of nine pens each and were used for one of four treatments. These treatments included the control group and received untreated water, the second group received water containing 0.1% acetic acid, the third group received water containing 0.1% formic acid and the fourth group received water containing 0.1% lactic acid for a period of eight hrs. This study was repeated both in the summer and winter seasons. The prevalence of Salmonella on the chicken body, ceca and in the crop was determined before and post treatment at the farm and then at the processing plant. In addition to reducing body Salmonella contamination significantly (p<0.05) post treatment at the farm, in both seasons, it was found that acid treatments, in the summer season, significantly (p<0.05) reduced Salmonella contamination in the carcass at the processing plant from 36% (control) to 16, 13, 13% for acetic, formic and lactic acid treatments, respectively. In the winter season, both formic and lactic acid treatments reduced Salmonella contamination in the carcass at the processing plant and the reduction was significant (p<0.05) for formic acid treatment. It can be concluded that using organic acids in the water during the feed withdrawal period, both in the summer and winter seasons, can be beneficiary in reducing broiler Salmonella contamination both at the farm and at the processing plant.
Food Control, 2011
We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (... more We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various grilled and smoked foods and estimated the dietary exposure of Kuwaiti children, adolescent and adult populations. Results indicated that non-carcinogenic PAHs were present at high proportions (60e100%) with phenanthrene showing the highest mean concentration (54.9 mg kg À1 , 37.1% of the total PAH concentrations). Among the genotoxic PAHs (PAH8), chrysene (4.88 mg kg À1 , 3.29%) and benz[a] anthracene (2.27 mg kg À1 , 1.53%) showed the highest mean values. Meat tikka contained the highest mean concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (2.48 mg kg À1), total genotoxic PAHs (42.9 mg kg À1), total PAHs (SPAHs) (648 mg kg À1) and total benzo[a]pyrene equivalents (SBaPeq) (6.02 mg kg À1). High levels of genotoxic PAHs were detected in grilled vegetables (21.1 mg kg À1), shish tauk (20.5 mg kg À1) and whole grilled chicken (20.3 mg kg À1) samples. However, meat and chicken shawerma samples had low levels of PAH8. Meat tikka (437 ng/day, 641 ng/day), whole grilled chicken (160 ng/day, 241 ng/day), grilled vegetables (120 ng/day, 166 ng/day), meat burger (114 ng/day, 92.7 ng/day) were the major contributors to the daily intake of PAH8 in children/adolescent and adult populations, respectively. The total mean dietary intakes for children/adolescents and adults for BaP (8.09 ng/day, 9.20 ng/day), PAH8 (84.2 ng/day, 95.7 ng/day), P PAHs (974 ng/day, 1108 ng/day) and P BaPeq (14.8 ng/day, 16.8 ng/day) were comparable. Cancer risks for Kuwaiti children/adolescents and adults from dietary intake of SBaPeq from the animalorigin foods were determined to be 2.63/10 7 and 9.3/10 7 , respectively.
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 2010
Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 115 samples of olive... more Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 115 samples of olive oil (extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil, pomace olive oil and blended olive oil), cooking oil (corn oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, palm olein oil, soya oil, canola oil, mustard oil, peanut oil and mixed vegetable oil) and fat (butter and table margarine) collected from retail stores in Kuwait. Carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was detected in 43% of the samples analyzed. Benz[a]anthracene and chrysene were detected in 37 and 45% of the samples, respectively, that did not contain BaP. Of the individual non-carcinogenic PAHs, naphthalene showed the highest mean concentration (14 microg kg(-1)), while for the carcinogenic PAHs, BaP (0.92 microg kg(-1)) and chrysene (0.87 microg kg(-1)) showed the highest mean values. Approximately 20% of the samples within the olive oil and cooking oil sub-categories exceeded the EU maximum tolerable limit for BaP, with the highest level of 6.77 and 11.1 microg kg(-1), respectively. For the fat sub-category, 9% of the samples exceeded the tolerance limit, with the highest level of 3.67 microg kg(-1). The Kuwaiti general population&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s dietary exposure to the genotoxic PAHs (PAH8: benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and benzo[ghi]perylene) was estimated to be 196 ng day(-1) (3.3 ng kg(-1) bw day(-1), assuming an average adult body weight of 60 kg). Results indicated that PAH8 and BaP(eq) (total sum benzo[a]pyrene equivalents) are more reliable measures of the concentrations of other carcinogenic PAHs in oil and fat samples, while BaP and PAHs alone are not good indicators of the occurrence or degree of contamination by carcinogenic PAHs in these food products.