Bio
Prof. Dr. Harun Cerit is a distinguished academic at Istanbul University's Veterinary Faculty, serving in the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics. His research spans animal genetics, food safety, and microbiological quality of dairy and meat products. With over 30 publications and an h-index of 5, his work has been cited more than 165 times. He has contributed to studies on DGAT1 gene mutations, detection of animal species in processed meats using PCR, and the effects of light on egg yield in quail. Prof. Cerit holds a PhD from Istanbul University and has supervised numerous projects in veterinary science.
Educational Journey
Istanbul University
Prof. Dr. • PhD
Experience
Research
Stop the Time for Your Skin: A Search for Ageing Process
One of the most common yet mis and poorly understood topic is ageing process and how it affects the body. Aging is a complex phenomenon that emerges in the coming years. Skin aging can be classified as intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging (photoaging). The skin changes over time due to decrease in hormone levels, chronic sun exposure, chronic inflammation and many other reasons. It occurs at microscopic level with physiological, histological and metabolic changes, at macroscopic level with wrinkles, dryness, loss of elasticity and stain formation. Delaying skin aging and alleviating the signs of aging with cosmetic products is one of the most important tasks of cosmetic science. The use of topically applied cosmeceuticals containing ingredients that affect deep biological functions has increased significantly in recent years. Antiaging cosmetic products used in facial care should be scientifically proven products whose efficacy and reliability are intended to show anti-aging effects using different biologically active ingredients. It is the intention of this article to review which biomolecules cause aging, why they cause it, and which crops can prevent unwanted problems caused by aging.
Investigation of the Presence of Different Animal Species within Processed Meat and Meat Products using PCR Procedures and Development of Risk Models Based on Consumer Health
Fraudulent imitation and adultery of meat and meat products are fooling the consumers, jeopardizing their health, economical situation and potentially causing harm to religious beliefs. The aim of this project was to search for the existence of such fraudulent imitations and adulteries within processed meat products across different sale points (them being markets) found within 11 municipalities of the Marmara Regionusing PCR procedures. According to the findings gathered during the study, 25 of the collected samples (4.54%) contained poultry DNA, 5 of them (0.90%) contained house fly DNA, 6 of them (1.09%) contained sheep DNA, 2 of them (0.36%) contained cockroach DNA, 2 of them (0.36%) contained horse DNA and 4 of them (in chicken sausages/0.72%) contained bovine DNA as foreign species. Again our findings showed that, for samples not suitable for human consumption in relation to their Escherichia coli parameter of total coliform bacteria quantity, highest value was found within beef salami and chicken sausage. Such findings show significant differences between unadulterated/non-fraudulent products that are not suitable for human consumption and adulterated/fraudulent products, in terms of microbiological risks that can be brought upon the consumer. In the light of these findings, it can be said that adultery and fraudulent imitation can end up seriously jeopardizing the consumer health.
Studying the Presence of Adultery, Fraudulent Imitation and Food Pathogens with in Processed Meat Products (Such As Salami, Sausage, Braised Meat) using DNA Typingand PCR Procedures*
Adulteration of meat with cheaper ambiguous meats of different origin during preparation of meat products is a common practice in many countries. Because meat adulteration and mislabeling are illegal and raise many health, religious, cultural and economic issues. In this study, 500 ready to eat raw meat samples (minced meat, lahmacun ingredients, kebap, stew and meatball samples / 100 samples for each type) were collected from different types of plants that were located in Istanbul. The samples were explored if they had different animal originated DNA residues (pork, chicken, cattle, sheep, horse, donkey, cat, dog, mouse, cockroach and house fly) by PCR procedures. According to the results, total of 52 samples were determined as adulterated and different originated animal DNA samples were found (chicken, horse and sheep DNA residues). It was concluded that to apply total quality management and food security systems are very important to decrease the risk factors for both products and the public health.
Determination and Effects of Milk and Dairy Products Consumption Profile in Thrace Region to some Microbiological Parameters
Milk and its products are very important for development and physiology of human organism. In developed countries annual consumption of milk per person is above 100 liters while this rate in our country is about 25 liters. Unfortunately milk is not consumed as needed especially by children. According to the Index of the Global Diary, economic development, urbanization and increasement of the purchasing power of middle class citizens are the most important factors of the epanding dairy market. Annual consumption milk and its products per person is expected to increase all over the world expect West Europe between the years 2010 - 2020, and this expection is commented as the increasement of purchasement is being slide from west to east. In spite of milk and its products are important nutrition elements for humans, they can be very serious risk factors for consumer health if they are produced under unsufficient hygiene conditions and / or absence of food security systems.
