Food and Drink Safety
Towards harmonisation of analytical methods for monitoring food quality and safety in the food supply chain
Campden BRI Project 100263 (February 2007 - January 2012)
EU Funded
MoniQA ("Monitoring and Quality Assurance in the Food Supply Chain") is a European Union funded 'Network of Excellence' project. It comprises over 155 researchers and scientists from 33 international partners (including Campden BRI), located in 20 countries. The project seeks to establish long-lasting cooperation amongst leading research institutions and industrial partners, to further ensure food quality and safety for consumers. By implementing joint research programmes and promoting exchanges of researchers, the aim of the project is to promote increased competence in food safety for all involved in the food chain. MoniQA allows participants to work together in areas other than research, including training. This means that knowledge as well as equipment and personnel can be shared globally among the partners. In the long term, the consortium plans that the project will form the basis of a global network of food safety and quality experts, which will continue after the initial project has ended.
Contact: Dr. Anton Alldrick
+44(0)1386 842127
e-mail: a.alldrick@campden.co.uk
The control of Salmonella in low aw products and their environments
Campden BRI Project 119172 (January 2010 - December 2012)
Member Subscription Funded
There is growing concern for the potential presence of Salmonella in low aw products. Salmonella contamination could be better controlled by a comprehensive, validated, thermal reduction process for the raw materials, a knowledge of how Salmonella survives in the processing environment, and the use of decontamination techniques as a final process step that could reduce the risk of cross-contamination. This project will establish techniques to determine the lethality of thermal reduction processes, study the impact of the processing environment and its moisture levels on the long-term survival of Salmonella, and assess the performance of novel technologies such as pulsed light, high pressure and steam injection systems for product decontamination
Contact: Dr. John Holah
+44(0)1386 842041
e-mail: j.holah@campden.co.uk
Food surface decontamination to improve food safety and extend shelf life
Campden BRI Project 122026 (January 2011 - December 2013)
Member Subscription Funded
The surfaces of many foods can become contaminated during storage or processing. This has implications for food safety and can reduce shelf life and increase waste. Many techniques for decontamination have been tested at pilot/laboratory scale. For example, we obtained a 2-log reduction in microbial counts on poultry by spraying buffered lactic acid solutions. High volumes of acid were used but low attachment of acid to the birds was achieved. This proposal aims to examine the use of electrostatic spraying to reduce the acid requirement by a factor of at least 10. A previous LINK project showed that high speed ice particles could achieve a 5-log reduction in microbial counts on steel surfaces. This project will asses the use of this process for the simultaneous polishing, partial cooling, and decontamination of pig carcasses. The effect of spraying ozonated water on to fresh produce will also be assessed with respect to microbial reduction and the best application rates and times.
Contact: Dr. Dean Burfoot
+44(0)1386 842052
e-mail: d.burfoot@campden.co.uk
Reduction and elimination of Listeria using effective hurdle technology: examples and predictive tools
Campden BRI Project 122027 (January 2011 - December 2013)
Member Subscription Funded
To hear Greg Jones talk about this project, visit our podcasts page.
Previous work has shown that if different stress factors are applied to bacteria, the order in which they are applied is crucial to the potential for survival or death during subsequent incubation. Often the demands of a recipe will involve the sequential application of individually sub-lethal stressors to the food matrix, which may have a cumulative inhibitory effect on the microflora present (the hurdle approach). This project will observe the stress response of L. monocytogenes to a range of common stressors used in hurdle technology (e.g. storage temperature, pH, NaCl, heat process and preservatives). Using this data, it should be possible to predict and test combinations of sub-lethal stressors added in the optimum order for their inhibitory effects. This will help the manufacture of safe food through the optimum application of hurdle technology, and it will potentially allow greater flexibility in process design due to increased predictability of microbial response to hurdle technology.
Contact: Dr. Greg Jones
+44(0)1386 842143
e-mail: g.jones@campden.co.uk
Investigations into changes of Campylobacter numbers on broiler carcasses during and following processing
Campden BRI Project 122912 (January 2011 - December 2012)
FSA Funded
A range of processing plants will be identified that are producing low or high numbers of Campylobacter on carcasses post-chill using existing surveys, results supplied by the poultry industry and/or data from samples collected by the collaborators. After confirmation of plant status, carcasses will be sampled and processes studied at various points to determine changes in carcass contamination levels and their possible causes. In collaboration with companies, in-line modifications or interventions will be devised to reduce Campylobacter numbers on carcasses; these will then be trialed, and the results evaluated. If no physical reason is found, molecular studies on isolates from the trials will investigate if particular Campylobacter species or strains are influencing shifts in numbers during processing. From our previous studies, cross contamination from infected onto negative flocks is a minor problem, so this project will focus on limiting surface contamination of the carcasses from Campylobacter positive flocks. However, limited studies will be done to confirm these findings are representative.
Contact: Dr. Dean Burfoot
+44(0)1386 842052
e-mail: d.burfoot@campden.co.uk
Efficacy, practicality, and costs of using currently available intervention methods to reduce Campylobacter contamination in slaughterhouses
Campden BRI Project 122914 (February 2011 - July 2013)
FSA Funded
This project will provide rigorous evidence on the efficacy, practicality, and costs of using existing (allowable) intervention methods to reduce Campylobacter contamination in UK chicken and turkey slaughterhouses. The interventions to be tested are: electrolysed water, steam, hot water, UV light, and electro-oxidation. Industry has tested these methods but few results have been published or have considered Campylobacter. Data from industry and published sources will be used to identify the conditions most likely to be effective. Preliminary testing will be carried out and then application tunnels installed on production lines. Campylobacter reductions achieved using each intervention will be measured after treatment and subsequent storage. The most successful methods will be tested over longer periods by the industry. Data from the project will enable processors to decide on the best interventions to meet their needs.
Contact: Dr. Dean Burfoot
+44(0)1386 842052
e-mail: d.burfoot@campden.co.uk
Efficacy, practicality, and costs of using lactic acid solutions, ozonated water, or ozonated carbon dioxide pellets to reduce Campylobacter contamination in slaughterhouses
Campden BRI Project 122915 (February 2011 - January 2013)
FSA Funded
This project will provide rigorous evidence on the efficacy, practicality, and costs of using intervention methods that are not currently allowed in the EU to reduce Campylobacter contamination in UK chicken and turkey slaughterhouses. The interventions to be tested are electrostatic spraying of buffered lactic acid solutions, conventional spraying of ozonated water, and application of ozonated carbon dioxide pellets. No published data exist on the effectiveness of these methods in reducing Campylobacter on naturally contaminated chickens and turkeys. Preliminary testing will be carried out at our process facilities. Application tunnels will be then be designed and installed on production lines at two poultry processors. Campylobacter reductions achieved using each intervention will be measured after treatment and after subsequent storage. The information gathered will be sufficient to support a submission to the EU Commision/EFSA for approval to use one, or more, of the interventions. Data will enable suppliers of the interventions and processors to seek approval for use in the EU.
Contact: Dr. Dean Burfoot
+44(0)1386 842052
e-mail: d.burfoot@campden.co.uk
Role of biofilms in Campylobacter transmissions through the food chain
Campden BRI Project 123483 (May 2011 - April 2015)
IFR BBSRC Case Studentship
Campylabacter jejuni is a thermophilic, microaerobic, spiral bacterium, which is the leading cause of foodborne gastroenteritis in the develop world. The UK has an annual incidence of 321,000 infections, costing more than £500 million. More than 80% of retail chicken caracses in the UK are contaminated, so investigation into survival of C. jejuni in the food chain is important. Biofilms are thought to conribute to survival, with bacterial shedding from the biofilm allowing cross-contamination of foodstuffs. To study the role of biofilms in food relevant conditions, a model system is being utilised, based on juice collected from chicken meat.
Contact: Dr. Roy Betts
+44(0)1386 842075
e-mail: r.betts@campden.co.uk
Next generation techniques for microbiological and chemical food safety
Campden BRI Project 125505 (January 2012 - December 2014)
Member Subscription Funded
Significant advances in diagnostic techniques have provided higher throughput, more rapid results and greater sensitivity in both food microbiology and chemistry. This project will provide the opportunity to assess the use of these next generation technologies in supporting product quality and safety from both these perspectives. The experimental work will focus on six key areas: same-day microbial identification using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation-Time of Flight analysis; evaluation of portable analytical devices for 'on the spot' testing for pathogens and spoilage/indicator organisms; development of a microbial profiling protocol to assess changes in populations during spoilage and fermentation; allergen detection by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy; migration modelling of packaging components in products during storage; and development of an analytical screen for legal inks and food dyes.
Contact: Dr. Suzanne Jordan
+44(0)1386 842013
e-mail: s.jordan@campden.co.uk