Improved bio-traceability of unintended microorganisms and their substances in the food and feed chain
Lead Research Organisation:
QUADRAM INSTITUTE BIOSCIENCE
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
BIOTRACER is an EU Integrated Project which aims to improve tracing and tracking of harmful agents within the feed and food chains. BIOTRACER will include research on novel methods for detection and identification of harmful agents in food environments and will develop mathematical models to predict development and spread of contamination. Together these elements will add to a system for tracing and tracking agents from the point of entry until the point of detection based on post contamination observations and prior understanding of food chain structures. Additionally BIOTRACER will include the development of tools that support sound decision-making and prediction of risks to consumers. Within the BIOTRACER IP (approx. 40 partners) a range of technologies and techniques will be developed and exploited. BIOTRACER will explore open questions about the use of novel molecular markers in QRA and the relationship between QRA and biotraceability. An important objective of BIOTRACER is to produce recommendations for controlling risk and strategies to handle both inadvertent and intentional contamination events. To approach this objective from a practical point BIOTRACER will explore case studies (virtual contamination scenarios) characterised by a high probability for contamination of feed and food. These scenarios provide cross programme activities and links to a set of action elements.
Planned Impact
unavailable
People |
ORCID iD |
| Gary Barker (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Barker G
(2013)
Advances in Microbial Food Safety
Barker G
(2009)
An introduction to biotracing in food chain systems
in Trends in Food Science & Technology
Barker GC
(2013)
A risk assessment model for enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in pasteurized milk: a potential route to source-level inference.
in Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
Hoorfar J
(2011)
The public health, industrial, and global significance of rapid microbiological food testing.
in Rapid detection, characterization, and enumeration of foodborne pathogens
Hoorfar J
(2011)
Tracing Pathogens in the Food Chain
Madsen A
(2013)
A Software Package for Web Deployment of Probabilistic Graphical Models
in Twelfth Scandinavian Conference on Artificial Intelligence (Scai 2013)
Matt M
(2015)
Food Safety
Nicolau A
(2013)
Relating the biotracing concept to practices in food safety
in Food Control
Pin C
(2011)
Modelling Salmonella concentration throughout the pork supply chain by considering growth and survival in fluctuating conditions of temperature, pH and a(w).
in International journal of food microbiology
| Description | The BIOTRACER project was very large (more than 100 scientists from more than 40 institutions) and very complex (in excess of 21 work packages and involving two rounds of extension activity). The final activity report delivered to the EU identifies more than 100 publications, 35 Ph.Ds, 40 mobility visits, 200+ posters, 100+ scientific presentations, 3 complete books, 20 additional book chapters and 244 deliverables. IFR was responsible for 5 deliverables and several of the published outputs. IFR initiated the working definition of biotracing : "Bio-traceability is the ability to use down stream information to point to materials, processes or actions within a particular food chain that can be identified as the source of undesirable agents" IFR developed and published the ideas that support implementation of biotracing (operational biotracing) in food chain systems IFR established a proof of principle by developing a prototype scheme for biotracing of Staphylococcus aureus in small scale dairy operations IFR worked closely with other BIOTRACER partners to show that biotracing is a practical source level inference scheme in the dairy chain, the pork chain and in some bioterrorism scenarios IFR worked closely with HUGIN (Aalborg Denmark) to show that biotracing systems could be delivered effectively as dynamic web applications |
| Exploitation Route | There is continued interest in biotracing that has emerged as a major issue in many food sectors. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
| Description | The initial concept of the BIOTRACER project (Developed in 2005) concerned the potential extension of established food tracing schemes to embrace tracing, and source identification, for harmful (biological) agents in food (based on concerns that harmful agents may originate at multiple points in complex food chains). Many manifestations of this 'source level inference' idea are established in particular specialist activities (e.g. Microbial forensics) but, recently, following the 'horsemeat scandal' the concept of a biological trace has a significant societal visibility. In this respect the development of principles (even definitions) for biotracing, at IFR, can be assigned with some wide impact. At IFR emphasis on delivery and practical application of biotracing led, naturally, to the incorporation of Bayesian statistical techniques (and particularly Bayesian networks) into quantitative food chain models. Although it is difficult to establish direct causation it is clear that Bayesian models have become competitive with, initially more prevalent, Monte Carlo simulations in ongoing research associated with quantitative food safety (e.g. risk assessment). Bayesian nets are strongly associated with normative decision making processes so that the BIOTRACER ideas could be assigned a wider impact in terms of extended methodologies in food safety research. At the end of the project (September 2011) BIOTRACER combined with other EU funded traceability projects (Including TRACE coordinated at CSL in the UK, PathogenCombat and ProSafeBeef) in a showcase event for EU representatives, including MEPs, in Brussels. The event had a live feed and a dedicated YouTube channel and the coordination provided strong feedback into EU directorates. BIOTRACER was awarded its own mini-symposium at the 100th IAFP meeting in Milwaukee in 2011. Research contributing to BIOTRACER led to the development of follow on projects at IFR in collaboration with SVA Uppsala (AniBioThreat), with Veterinary University of Vienna (PROMISE) and with RIVM in Bilthoven (EFSA Foresight). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |