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.
Microbiological and chemical risk assessment for food safety
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.
New/existing materials will be characterised in terms of migration studies of both intentionally and non-intentionally added substances, small-/micro/nano- plastics, metal nanoparticles, food packaging suitability and growth of mycotoxigenic moulds, even after being subjected to innovative/emerging processing technologies (e.g., cold gas plasma, HPP). Potential antimicrobial properties will also be assessed, particularly for developed functional packaging systems. The safety of new materials used as FCM, from recyclable sources, bioplastics or derived from by-products, will be assessed in collaboration with Spoke 2
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
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.
Database of WGS data of foodborne pathogens (M24)
Report on procedure for auto recognition of features critical for hygienic design (M36)
Advanced predictive model(s) and novel strategies to mitigate the biological/chemical risks (M18)
Report on safety / stability functionality of new/existing food packaging materials/systems (M30)
Safety assessment of traditional and novel foods through targeted and untargeted methodologies (M36)
Report on the development and testing of new analytical techniques for targeted analysis of contaminants (M36)
Food is unequivocally linked to non-communicable diseases, and changes are needed for nutritional food safety. Besides emerging and re-emerging foodborne pathogens, some chemicals are of concern, and food is a major source of human exposure. Particularly, in addition to Intentionally Added Substances (IAS), including monomers, pre-polymers, antioxidants, lubricants, which increase shelf-life and enhance the manufacturing, stability, and mechanical properties, Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) may be introduced or formed FCMs. In recent years, there has been an increase in foodborne diseases associated with the increase in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and with the increase in ambient temperature and rainfall.
Innovative analytical techniques will be applied using GC/MS and HPLC/MS/MS for the identification and characterization of emerging IAS and NIAS in both traditional and novel food and MCA products. The analytical characterization of the MCAs for the detection of chemical contaminants will also be carried out. In addition, new/existing materials will be characterized in terms of migration studies of intentionally and unintentionally added substances, in order to identify crucial points in the FCM production cycle, including storage and transit conditions, as well as others, will be assessed and described.
The identification and characterization of food-borne pathogens will also be performed by applying standard protocols (ISO) and whole genome sequencing (WGS).
The results of the project will allow 1) the availability of innovative, economic, fast and sustainable analytical techniques for the identification and quantification of traditional and emerging IAS and NIAS, such as degradation products present in both food and FCMs; 2) to identify the critical points of the food systems in order to develop innovative/emerging processing technologies aimed at improving process efficiency, in terms of energy savings and reducing environmental impact; 3) development of operative protocols with the aim of reduce migration of food contact chemicals in the production chain both in foodstuffs and new/existing materials. Moreover, microbiological risk assessment (MRA) applied as a systematic tool can allow effective decisions to be made to reduce the impact of pathogens on health.
