Food Research Ireland - Department of Agriculture

Microbial hazards, including foodborne viruses, if present in the food
chain will always be a threat to Ireland’s brand reputation and to public
health. For example, bacteria colonising the production chain are subject
to food processing stresses designed to control them. However, some
strains of bacteria alter their phenotype as a consequence of these
control measures. This evolutionary phenomena can lead to harmful
bacteria surviving along the food chain. Research that seeks to
understand the underlying mechanisms that contribute to this altered
microbial behaviour in the food processing environment is continuously
needed. Research efforts, including the exploitation of databases, have
contributed and should continue to contribute to the development of
new food safety risk assessment models as well as developing the
technical expertise and knowledge relevant to all sectors of Ireland’s
food processing industry; however, ongoing research is required.
Research Objectives:
■ Isolation, characterisation and prediction of the behaviour of existing
food-borne pathogens and emerging pathogens (new and those
which are exhibiting antimicrobial resistance) in food systems, to
facilitate decisions on metrics, to enable adequate control measures
and their validation, and to support risk assessment;
■ Investigation of the relationship between food processing stress(es)
– such as heat, pH and others, encountered by zoonotic (food-borne)
bacteria and their transcriptomes/proteomes, to uncover off-line
mechanisms that can be translated into improved food safety
controls;
■ Predicting in a timely manner the emergence of new bacterial
strains and serotypes of public health significance and the
underlying role of horizontal gene transfer in the emergence of
virulent bacteria such as verocytotoxigenic E. coli and bacteria
with multi-antibiotic resistance;
■ Application of predictive microbial modelling and risk assessment to
predict public health risk posed by pathogens in particular food
products and process chains and to strategically assess the benefit of
risk reduction measures;
■ Identification and development of antibacterial agents that are
effective against key pathogens. Where appropriate, existing
research knowledge should be further developed with a focus on
application of such agents in key parts of the food chain from
primary production (cattle, pigs, and poultry) through to
decontaminants for animal coats, and carcasses to applications in
food processing and distribution (packaging);
■ Isolation, characterization and application of novel antifungal/anti-microbial
compounds for use within the food
industry including:
■ the application of natural antimicrobial compounds
encapsulated in nanosomes as a means of reducing the
burden of pathogens at primary production such as
Campylobacter in the gastrointestinal tract of avians or
Salmonella in pigs and also application of such nanomaterials
as part of a natural food packaging solution at
the consumer end of the food chain;
■ increasing shelf life of food products including dairy, fish,
meat, cereals and fresh cut produce;
■ Development of quantitative risk assessments for key
pathogen/commodity combinations to underpin risk
management approaches to pathogen reduction in meats;
■ Effect of chilling rates of hot/warm-boned meat on the spoilage,
especially blown pack spoilage and assessment of the safety
risks associated with spoilage;
■ Preservation systems to improve shelf life and facilitate access to
new markets via longer distribution chains whilst maintaining
quality and safety;
■ Development of rapid methods for the identification of
microbiological contamination.
Food Research Ireland
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