WP4: MICROBIAL HAZARD DETECTION AND BEHAVIOUR

WP4 will focus on the implementation of novel omics method for microbiological hazard detection including the application of i) WGS as biotyping method to improve targeted microbial hazard detection, ii) metataxonomic, metagenomics and metabolomics for determining microbial dynamics and associations of the food microbiota with particular emphasis on tracing the microbial contamination source, iii) transcriptomics and volatolomics to identify biomarkers that describe and may predict microbial hazard behavior. Data and procedures of WP4 will also integrated into a DSS module dedicated to hazard detection and upgraded with the complementary data and tools provided by the SAFFI Chinese mirror project.

Objectives

The aim of WP4 is the integrated and complementary application of state of the art nucleic acid sequencing methodologies for microbial hazard detection and characterization in order to establish all elements of a DSS module for microbial hazard detection (MHD DSS) and to provide predictive models of microbial behaviour.

Specific objectives include: i) Determination of the presence, distribution (in time and space) and prevalence of target foodborne pathogens throughout the 4 food chains; ii) Upgrade of predictive models by implementing omics data; iii) Integration of databases, procedures and tools for microbiological hazard detection at critical control points in the DSS module dedicated to hazard detection to be included in the WP5 DSS.