We are proud to announce that HUGIN is part of BIOTRACER - Improved bio-traceability of unintended microorganisms and their substances in food and feed chains. BIOTRACER is an IP project under the 6th framework.
All food and feed producers (including water-bottling companies) within the European Union are required to provide records to food safety authorities upon request, but there is no common standard for the format or in what media these records must be produced.
In addition, current methods for microbial analysis of food-borne pathogens are time-consuming, have limited sample throughput, and do not provide all of the information needed.
Prediction of how pathogens in food and feed would spread in a given situation is essential to control potential threats to public health. Thus, it is important to develop fast and simple methods for tracking microbial pathogens in the complex environment of the food chain.
Objective The objective of BIOTRACER is to develop methods to trace the course of food and feed contamination.
Methodology Using a total food chain approach, BIOTRACER will develop recommendations to control any risk through the integration of novel genomic and metabolomic data resulting in a better understanding of the physiology of the micro-organisms, combining these with advances in predictive food-based microbiological models.
Contribution to Advancing Proven Scientific Methods- Collection of physiological data on virulence, gene expression persistence, pathology and metabolite composition of micro-organisms that might enter into the food chain.
- Application of whole genome micro-arrays and polymerase chain reaction-type methods to the fast-tracking of pathogens in the food and feed chains.
- New quantitative food chain modelling systems using many combinations of current methods.
- Computation of risk assessment for pathogens in animal products.
Dissemination and Exploitation BIOTRACER has brought together experts from microbiology, software and database development, risk assessment, legislation and standards, as well as food retailers, to develop novel frontier technologies and exploit them to track and trace micro-organisms in selected food and feed chains, and will model the behaviour of the pathogens in these environments.
In order to assure a wide impact on food safety and quality, dissemination and technology transfer issues are at the core of the BIOTRACER strategy. This information will be available through regional, national and European Union databases and will promote a better understanding of how microbes are transmitted within Europe.
Basic project information Full project title: Improved bio-traceability of unintended micro organisms and their substances
in food and feed chains
Duration: 48 months
Starting year: 2007
EU funding: EUR 11 million
FP6 instrument used: Integrated Project
Partners: 47
Project coordinator:
Jeffrey Hoorfar
Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research, Copenhagen Denmark
Project website:
http://www.biotracer.org/
