Iranian Journal of

Background and Objective: Aluminum (Al) is a neurotoxic agent and this element is being associated with Alzheimer disease. The use of semi-rigid packaging has been increased in recent years. In these packages, the main layer is aluminum. The purpose of this study was to determine the Al concentration in foods packaged in semi-rigid packaging in during storage time.
Materials and Methods: Al concentration of the samples (Joje kabab, khorake morgh, khoresh gheymeh, n=36) was determined at different storage times (0, 60, 120, and 180 days after packaging). Aluminum was determined by ICP-OES after wet digestion method of the samples. A two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the results with respect to time and food factors.
Results: The effect of storage time on Al concentration was significant p˂0.001. The samples that were stored longer had significantly higher aluminum concentrations. The highest concentration was determined in Joje kabab (3.27 ±0.93 ppm( and lowest Al content was determined in khoresh gheymeh (1.04 ± 0.16 ppm). The results showed that Al concentration of the foods packaged in semi-rigid packaging increased significantly during storage.
Conclusion: Considering the present state of knowledge and the suggested provisional tolerable daily intake of 1 mg/kg body weight per day of according to World Health Organization, Al leaching from semi-rigid packages may add low doses of Al into the diet.
 

Background and Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the difference in knowledge, attitude, and performance in terms of food hygiene and safety between people with and without a history of Covid-19.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 712 people from August to September 2021 using a standard online questionnaire. The questionnaire had four sections, the first section includes demographic information, the second section includes seven questions related to participants' knowledge about food hygiene and safety, the third section includes ten questions about participants' attitudes, and the fourth section contains 10 questions related to participants' health performance. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the main predictors of knowledge, attitude, and performance. The significance level was considered as p < 0.05.
Results: There were 271 (43%) people with a history of infection and 361 (57%) without infection. Demographic factors were not significantly different between people with and without a history of infection. The results of the present study showed that knowledge (p=0.05) and people's performance (p=0.002)  about food hygiene and safety have a significant relationship with the history of corona infection. However, people's attitude was not affected by the corona infection (p=0.17). Attitude was the major predictor of performance (p <0.001).
Conclusion: It can be claimed that contracting Corona has increased people's knowledge and improved performance regarding food hygiene and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic and has improved health conditions.
 

Background and Objective: Given the crucial role of milk and its products in human diets, it is imperative to implement effective measures to ensure the safety of milk by minimizing the presence of hazardous pollutants. This study aims to assess the concentration and potential risks associated with lead in raw milk produced in Tehran province.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study involved the collection of raw milk samples from 24 diverse livestock farms in Tehran province during the winter season of 1401. The samples were analyzed for lead contamination using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Statistical tests were applied to compare the results with international standards, and subsequent risk assessment was conducted based on the average amounts.
Results: The study revealed that none of the samples exceeded the permissible limit for lead. The mean and standard deviation of lead concentration in the samples was 7 ± 5.8 (ppb), well below the international standard. There was no significant variation in lead levels among the tested livestock farms. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) values for both children and adults were calculated to be less than 1.
Conclusion: The concentration of lead in all samples remained below the permissible limits set by Codex and the Iran Standards Organization, indicating no non-carcinogenic risks associated with milk consumption in terms of lead contamination, as suggested by the calculated HQ values.