Research project CP/31 (Research action CP)
Context
The safety of food products supplied to consumers and its public health aspects are of utmost importance world-wide. Recent crises in industrialised countries have damaged the public confidence in the regulatory process, the food industry and the authority of science. The European Commission’s White Paper on Food Safety elaborates upon the development of a comprehensive integrated approach to regulating the food supply chain, within the FAO/WHO Risk Analysis framework. The (Belgian) Federal Agency for Safety of the Food Chain has two principal tasks: analysis of the risks related to food products and control of the complete food chain, e.g., through the advanced exploitation of auto-control systems. This contributes to the principles of sustainable development as it enables to deal carefully with energy and time consumption, food ingredients and production of waste.
Project description
This project is to be framed within the context of the above mentioned Risk Analysis, more precisely in the area exposure assessment. The (relatively young) discipline of predictive microbiology deals with the design and analysis of quantitative relations (mathematical models) aiming at the prediction of the evolution (growth, inactivation, survival) of pathogenic or spoilage micro-organisms (the so-called target-organisms) during subsequent stages of production, distribution and storage of food products.
Objectives
The project focuses on the development and integration of a collection of generic predictive modelling tools for predictive microbiology, hereby aiming at standardising and consolidating the promising use of mathematical modelling techniques in the framework of risk analysis of foods. As a vehicle to demonstrate their intrinsic generic nature and applicability, two case studies (that are challenging from both the scientific and technological/economical point of view) will be used for development and validation purposes: (i) exploring the boundaries of microbial evolution, and (ii) quantifying interactions between micro-organisms.
Methodology
The project objectives are to be reached by carrying out four major Work Packages (WPs):
Work Package 1: Exploring the boundaries of microbial evolution
Work Package 2: Quantifying inhibition and inactivation phenomena due to microbial interaction
Work Package 3: Developing and integrating predictive modelling methodologies
Work Package 4: Towards a Belgian centre for predictive microbiology/risk assessment
The different steps in the model building cycle (namely, data generation, model development, and model validation) are to be performed in an iterative scheme. Optimally designed experiments (calculated based on methods developed in WP3) are needed to generate informative data sets of microbial lag phenomena in WP1 and of antagonistic microbial interaction phenomena in WP2. These data, in combination with available a priori mechanistic knowledge, will allow for proper model structure selection (based on building blocks developed in WP3) and model parameter estimation (including uncertainty assessment using techniques developed in WP3). Validation of the model is a crucial step within this cycle: less successful modelling attempts are the driving force for designing and performing more informative experiments that will yield models with a higher predictive value.
Finally, all knowledge generated in WP1 to 3 is integrated in WP4 to contribute to the establishment of a national centre for predictive microbiology/quantitative microbial risk assessment.
Interaction between the different partners
Successful realisation of the project objectives requires a multidisciplinary and complementary research team, combining the expertise of food microbiologists/biochemists and scientists involved in mathematical modelling, system identification, and statistics. The former aspect is realised by the Laboratory for Food Microbiology and Food Preservation (LFMFP, Universiteit Gent), while the latter expertise is to be found at the research group Bioprocess Technology and Control (BioTeC, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven).
Expected results
The modelling framework, realised in this project, generates an application driven optimal modelling procedure (modelling recipe), ranging from experimental design and data collection, over data processing and model identification, up to protocols for model validation and validation in real food products.
A Portal Site presenting interesting links related with predictive microbiology and microbiological risk assessment is a deliverable that will be updated throughout the project’s lifetime. Research findings will be disseminated via (inter-)national peer reviewed scientific journals, presentations at (inter-)national conferences and sector-specific journals. Next to the technical meetings on a 6 months basis, this research consortium will organise (hands-on) courses for the Users Committee members aiming at the introduction and exploitation of predictive modelling methodologies/risk assessment in the Belgian food industry. Moreover, the (Belgian) Federal Agency for Safety of the Food Chain will deliver further regulatory impetus to the food industry in this respect.
Partners
Activities
The research group BioTeC concentrates on mathematical modelling and model based design, monitoring, optimisation and control of microbial/biochemical conversion processes. Application domains include bioreactors, biological wastewater treatment systems, and food production processes. In the latter context the focus lies on the development of a standard unifying and transferable methodology in the frame of predictive microbiology.
The LFMFP has as main objective to study the microbial behaviour and ecology of microbiologically perishable food products during their production and further storage. The research involves spoilage phenomena as well as microbial safety. Next to mild and novel, more focused preservation techniques, food packaging and rapid (molecular) detection techniques are key research topics.
Coordinates/Details
Prof. Jan Van Impe (co-ordinator)
Dr. Annemie Geeraerd (daily leader)
BioTeC - Bioprocess Technology and Control?
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Faculty of Applied Sciences - Department of Chemical Engineering
W. de Croylaan 46
B-3001 Leuven
Tel: +32 (0)16 32 26 75; Fax: +32 (0)16 32 29 91
jan.vanimpe@cit.kuleuven.ac.be
http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/cit/biotec/index.htm
Prof. Johan Debevere (financed partner)
Dr. Frank Devlieghere (daily leader)
Universiteit Gent
Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences - Department of Food Technology and Nutrition - Laboratory for Food Microbiology and Food Preservation (LFMFP)
Coupure Links 653
B-9000 Gent
Tel: +32 (0)9 264 61 64; Fax: +32 (0)9 225 55 10
johan.debevere@rug.ac.be
http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~pprovijn/Microbiology/aan.htm
Users Committee
The Users Committee associated to this project consists of a large number of companies and organisations in the food area. Its members are well divided over the different sectors: representatives of the meat products industry, dairy industry, fish processing industry, fruit processing, cereals, ingredients and additives industry, prepared meals, the Flanders Center for Postharvest Technology and (last but not least) the Federal Agency for Safety of the Food Chain Chain and. Both large companies and SMEs are represented in the Committee.
- Filip Arnaut - Puratos nv - Groot-Bijgaarden
- Eddy Bauts - Guka Delicatessen - Erembodegem
- Guido Bresseleers - Ter Beke nv - Waarschoot
- Jos Coenen - Scana Noliko nv - Bree
- Suzanne De Cort - Coca-Cola Services nv - Brussel
- Marc De Loose - CLO - Plantenveredeling en genetica - Melle
- Ingrid De Smet - Janssen Pharmaceutica - Beerse
- Michel Demanet - Puratos nv - Groot-Bijgaarden
- Marc DeMeersman - Dera Food Technology nv - Bornem
- Frans Devos - CVBA Belgomilk - Kallo
- Léon Gorris - Unilever Research Vlaardingen - Vlaardingen (NL)
- Benoît Horion - SPF Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement - Bruxelles
- Anje Mattheeuws - Pieters Visbedrijf - Brugge
- Jozef Mottar - INZA cvba - Schoten
- Mia Schellekens - Mondi Foods Belgium nv - Rijkevorsel
- Bart Schoonbaert - Jermayo - Lier
- Guy Temmerman - Federaal Agentschap voor de Veiligheid van de Voedselketen (FAVV) - Brussel
- Jean Van de Put - Delhaize Le Lion sa - Zellik
- Erik Vanderbeke - AVEVE nv - Leuven
- Bert Verlinden - Vlaams Centrum voor Bewaring van Tuinbouwproducten vzw (VCBT) - Heverlee
Microbial food safety assessment: development and integration of generic predictive modeling tools : final report
Van Impe, Jan - Geeraerd, Annemie - Debevere, Johan ... et al Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2006 (SP1678)
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