Phagepowder
Sustainable, Effective and Natural Inhibition of Food-Borne Pathogens by Advanced Phage Technology
The project goal is to establish a technology platform for development of next generation phages in enhanced formulations, to protect food against contamination with Listeria, Salmonella and STEC (Shiga toxin producing E. coli).
Start
01. Oct 2020
End
30. Sep 2024
Funded by
EU - Eurostars programme
Project Manager(s):
Other Participants:
Ingunn Berget
Tom Christen Johannessen
Anette Wold Åsli
Merete Rusås Jensen
Tove Maugesten
Lars Axelsson
Existing processing aids for food safety, while mostly effective, still cannot prevent antimicrobial resistance and disease outbreaks; imposing huge socio-economic burden due to morbidity, mortality, and product recalls. Further, customers are seeking new interventions for food safety that qualify as clean-label technologies. We aim to ensure food safety via bacteriophages (“phages”); the natural biological control agents against bacteria.
Phages infect and replicate inside specific bacteria, ultimately killing them. By selecting phages that specifically target pathogens, yet are safe for beneficial bacteria, targeted products can be developed to eliminate harmful bacteria, preventing foodborne illnesses. The main results of the project will be a completed technology platform for next generation phages in improved phage formulations, and demonstration of three prototype products as food processing aids. To achieve this, we will select specific phages and develop prototype products which will be validated for efficacy. Prototype phage formulations will be validated in spice-blends/marinades and dry-salted cold-smoked salmon.
Publications
Research areas
Shelf life and food safety
Topics
Pathogens