Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Direct injection mass spectrometry for food volatilomics: emerging gre...
Highlights
Coordinator
Standard protocols (ISO), whole genome sequencing (WGS), computational methodologies, and MetaOmic approaches (metagenomics, metatrascriptomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, culturomics and phenomics) will be applied for the identification and characterization of the new and (re)-emerging chemical and biological hazards in traditional products, related to climate changes, microbial evolution, and modifications in the manufacturing processes. Omics techniques will also be applied to study factors affecting the survival and the stress resistance mechanisms of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria during food processing and shelf life. In addition, a CAD-based automatic feature recognition procedure will be developed for hygienic design of food machinery, as a prerequisite for GMP in food production.
MetaOmics and MultiOmics approaches will be used for the identification and quantification of toxic compounds in novel sources or ingredients, also to anticipate risks related to novel foods and new sustainable food processes. The culture collection from task 3.1.1 will be used for challenge experiments in pilot plants mimicking industrial manufacturing. Food toxicants in new ingredients and food processing technologies will be evaluated (in connection with Spoke 2). Allergenicity (also with computational approaches) and toxicity will be considered by in vitro and in vivo tests. Exposure assessment and risk- benefit assessment (RBA) of novel foods will be performed.
The task includes: a) the development of advanced predictive models describing the effects of uncontrolled or unexpected processing/storage conditions on chemical biological risks; b) the reduction of the allergenic potential/toxicity of foods
Innovative mitigation measures to reduce the risks through the application of bacterial pathogens challenges in food models. Tailored fermentation processes, based on QPS microorganisms (i.e., biocontrol agents, lactic acid bacteria, non-conventional yeasts, symbiotic culture of microorganisms) and hydrolysed food matrices, will be set-up and integrated in traditional food production protocols to increase food safety. Selected natural antimicrobials (e.g., essential oils) and hydrolysed raw matrices will be used to inactivate pathogens at food processing, storage, and retail levels.
New breeding techniques like genome editing will be used to produce customised safety food and to generate lines with an improved nutritional profile covering both compounds with beneficial properties and reducing anti-nutritional components. Biotechnological processes will be used to eliminate toxic compounds to produce new food/beverages from novel substrates. Tailored (bio)technological approaches will be set up to valorise alternative protein sources (i.e., cricket powder, micro- and macro-algae, single cell proteins, and yeast biomasses, agri-food and fishery by-products, insect-based foods. Set- up of a safe system of cellular agriculture for the development of novel food, like cultured meat and cheese in connection with Spoke 2 and 4)
The task includes evaluation of safety parameters in traditional and novel foods through the development of: a) chemical sensors and immunosensors for the selective detection of algal and plant toxins, and trace allergens; b) portable devices based on laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) and other spectroscopy techniques; c) Ambient Desorption Ionisation methods with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (DESI-HRMS); e) use of rt-PCR and digital droplet-PCR to evaluate new and (re)-emerging foodborne pathogenic species; f) metabolomics and proteomics strategies coupled to pathway analysis to evaluate the effects of emerging and re-emerging contaminants; d) analytical techniques, i.e., spectroscopic and MS-based, to determine biogenic amines, pesticides, veterinary drug residues, mycotoxins and processing toxicants; and g) new Matrix-Reference Materials to be characterised for food safety parameters will be developed, including preparation of test-lots, their characterization and homogeneity and stability studies.
Omics protocols to evaluate food safety
Report on integrated methodologies for RA and RBA of novel foods (M30)
Advanced predictive model(s) and novel strategies to mitigate the biological/chemical risks (M18)
Protocol of innovative microbiological cultures and fermentation for food improvement.
Protocol for the development of novel and innovative food/beverages (M36)
Report on the development and testing of new rapid and direct analytical tools, chemical sensors, and portable devices (M36)
Direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques form a subset within the field of mass spectrometry (MS) targeting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) monitoring strategies. The common denominator of these techniques is the direct injection of headspace with no sample treatment, VOC extraction, or chromatographic separation. DIMS techniques are versatile tools for understanding VOC release in agri-food applications, combining low-cost analytical strategies, fast sample processing and good analytical performances. They provide interesting applications in the whole food chain, from high-throughput sample screening to process monitoring. In particular, the non-destructive character of these approaches allows the rapid, green and/or online monitoring of VOCs associated with a given matrix (real-time monitoring of food fermentations, massive screening of microbial resources and of fermented products, assisting food safety/quality assessment).
The activity aims to develop and test different DIMS-based screening/ monitoring protocols for the characterisation of the volatilome of microbial communities. The focus is the automatisation of high-throughput approaches and their evaluation and development on case studies of relevance for ONFOODS:
From the application of novel green, rapid and high-sensitivity tools for the profiling of microbial volatilome we expect to provide the agroindustry with novel and practical methods, supporting product development and quality control. In particular, we expect to:
