Investigation of the molecular basis of variation in thermal and organic acid inactivation of Salmonella enterica (KINGSLEY_Q18CASEN)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Graduate Office
Abstract
The aim of this project is to investigate the molecular basis for the inactivation of Salmonella by combinations of mild thermal treatments and recommend critical limits to ensure pathogen inactivation and product safety. We will test the central hypothesis that genetic variation of pathogen strains results in differences in inactivation, especially at mild heating conditions, and therefore the associated risk to food safety and consumer health.
The rationale for the study is that there is a gap in the scientific knowledge of the variation of physiological responses in pathogen strains. Scientific pathogen inactivation data are crucial in food production to ensure food safety, and an understanding of the genetic basis of this phenotypic variation will result in a rational selection of target strains for process validations and improved processing, and more reliable risk assessments. At present the selection of thermal treatments rely on test strains for which data and clear relevance are missing. The hypothesis is based on preliminary data indicating considerable variation in response to processing stresses, even in closely related Salmonella variants. The project value is that scientific data that will be translated into recommendations for consumers, regulators and industry to ensure safe supply and consumption of trendy plant protein products.
The rationale for the study is that there is a gap in the scientific knowledge of the variation of physiological responses in pathogen strains. Scientific pathogen inactivation data are crucial in food production to ensure food safety, and an understanding of the genetic basis of this phenotypic variation will result in a rational selection of target strains for process validations and improved processing, and more reliable risk assessments. At present the selection of thermal treatments rely on test strains for which data and clear relevance are missing. The hypothesis is based on preliminary data indicating considerable variation in response to processing stresses, even in closely related Salmonella variants. The project value is that scientific data that will be translated into recommendations for consumers, regulators and industry to ensure safe supply and consumption of trendy plant protein products.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Robert Kingsley (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Hannah Pye (Student) |
Publications
Brunt J
(2018)
The orphan germinant receptor protein GerXAO (but not GerX3b) is essential for L-alanine induced germination in Clostridium botulinum Group II.
in Scientific reports
| Description | 2020 IAFP European Symposium Student Travel Scholarship |
| Amount | € 750 (EUR) |
| Organisation | International Association for Food Protection |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 04/2020 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | Conference Studentship Grant |
| Amount | £500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Society for Applied Microbiology |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 07/2017 |
| Description | Microbiology Society Conference Grant |
| Amount | £295 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Microbiology Society |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 04/2017 |
| Description | YSMG Award |
| Amount | € 300 (EUR) |
| Organisation | Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2018 |
| End | 04/2018 |
| Description | Norfolk County Council #Active Summer Learning for Foster Carers Public Engagement Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | During this workshop, I taught food related science experiments to fosters carers, in partnership with Noroflk County Cuncil as part of their Summer learning campaign. The foster carers really enjoyed the acitivities and the feeback received was all positive. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Poster Presentation at 8th European Spores Conference, London, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster entitled 'Characterisation of Spore Germination in Clostridium botulinum Group I strain Af84 and Group II strain Eklund 17B' at the 8th European Spores Conference held at the Royal Holloway University, London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Poster Presentation at the IAFP European Symposium on Food Safety, Stockholm, Sweden. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster entitled 'Germination of Clostridium botulinum spores and the Implication for Food Safety' at the IAFP European Symposium on Food Safety in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Poster Presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference, Edinburgh, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster entitled 'Effect of heat on the germination apparatus of Clostridium botulinum Group I and II' at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference in Edinburgh, UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Poster Presentation at the Sfam Summer Conference, Gateshead, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presetned a poster entitiled 'The spore germination apparatus in Clostridium botulinum Group I and II' at the Sfam Summer Conference in 2017. I also received a best poster prize for this presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Postgraduate Student Knowledge Exchange Trip to Ziel Institute for Food and Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | PhD students from Quadram Institute Bioscience travelled to Munich, Germany, to visit the ZIEL institute for food and health and presented their PhD projects to PhD students and research leaders at the host insitute. Students were given a tour of the host insitute and learnt about the types of research that take place at the institute. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Primary School Visit at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Teaching primary school children about food safety and foodborne pathogens. The session was entitled 'Are microbes helpful or unhelpful?' and the session was hosted at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts for year 5 students from Stradbroke Primary Academy. The workshop was very successful and I was asked to run another similar session for a different group of students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Primary School Visit at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Teaching primary school children about microorganisms that can be found in food and food safety in general. The children participated in experiments to learn abou yeast and to answer the question 'Why are there bubbles in my bread?'. The workshop was a science and art joint activity activity at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts for year 2 pupils from West Earlham Infant School. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Primary School Visit, Lowestoft, Suffolk. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Teaching primary school children the importance of a healthy diet through the use of science experiments. Positive feedback was received from the teachers and pupils. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Student visit (Year 7 Boys) to UEA BIO Teaching Lab |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | During this public engagement activity, I was involved with helping 30 Year 7 students test their reaction times in the UEA Biology laboratory and talking to them about STEM related careers. Some of the students said they were considering a STEM career after visiting the UEA. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Young Entrepreneurs Scheme, Syngenta |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | In OCtober 2019, I participated in the YES19 entrepreneurial competition hosted by the University of Nottingham, where students are required to develop a hypothetical, but plausible scientific business idea and pitch it to a panel of industry judges. My team in the 'Plant, Microbial and Environmental' workshop which was hosted at Syngenta. During the 3-day residential workshop, participants learnt all aspects of preparing a business plan, from devising an intellectual property strategy to evaluating a business worth. The teams business was called 'Cowbiotica' and the company aimed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from livestock by developing an encapsulated faecal microbiota transplant to reduce methane producing bacteria in the ruminants gut. Although the team didn't win, they learnt so much from participating in the competition and it was definitely an insight into what a career outside of academia might look like. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |