ILSI North America FoodMicro Grants 2012

ANNOUNCEMENT

The North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute is a public, non-profit scientific foundation that provides a forum to advance understanding of scientific issues related to the nutritional quality and safety of the food supply by sponsoring research programs, educational seminars and workshops and publications. These forums allow for government, academic, and industry scientists to address scientific issues of common concern for the well-being of the general public.  ILSI North America receives support primarily from its industry membership. 

The ILSI North America Technical Committee on Food Microbiology is committed to taking a proactive role in providing scientific findings to improve understanding and control of microbial food safety hazards that will enable scientifically informed decision making.  This is achieved through sponsoring research and education in collaboration with academia, government, and industry.   In 2012, the committee is requesting pre-proposals for research funding in three specific areas as outlined below.  Pre-proposals will be judged on their scientific quality, their relevance to the committee's goals outlined below, and their potential for producing strong scientific information on which to base public health policy.

A. Prevalence

Brief background:  The prevalence (typically described as a percentage or as a rate) of potential pathogens is an input that drives many decisions in food safety plans. Pathogen prevalence influences the overall risk assessment associated with a microbiological hazard for a manufacturing operation; the hazard-analysis component of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan; the intervention strategies deployed to control a microbiological hazard; the specifications established for raw materials and ingredients; and sampling plans for raw materials, ingredients, in-process samples, and finished products. Prevalence also may be influenced by seasonal and geographical factors, weather and other environmental factors, and sampling and testing methodologies.

In most scenarios, prevalence of potential pathogens in commodity food ingredients is relatively low (<5%).  Thousands of samples need to be assessed to determine prevalence with a degree of confidence. Testing this number of samples is costly, resource intensive, and must include multiple growing seasons or years. Instead, published literature reports or food industry estimates are used as guidance for predicting prevalence. However, as time passes, historical data may become less reliable as new interventions are deployed, agricultural practices change, international trade modifies the supply chain, regulatory requirements are modified, or outbreak data define new risks.

Research needs:  The ILSI North America Technical Committee on Food Microbiology is interested in areas for which new or updated pathogen prevalence data are needed. The following are vehicles, processing steps, and potential foodborne pathogens of interest as defined by the ILSI North America Technical Committee on Food Microbiology.  However, other vehicles, processing steps, and potential foodborne pathogens may be addressed with an appropriate rationale.  With regard to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), the Committee is also interested in comparative prevalence data for (i) stx ½ positive E. coli; (ii) stx ½ positive E. coli that also carry eaeA; and (iii) stx 1.2 positive E. coli that carry eaeA and are classified into the “big 6”. 

• Mesophilic anaerobic spore formers in thermal processing cooling water
• Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, and STEC in spices and spice processing
• Salmonella and STEC in raw materials and products of the flour milling business
• Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and STEC in tree nuts, including pecans and hazel nuts
• Salmonella and STEC in grain commodities other than flour
• Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and STEC in fresh produce and leafy greens
• Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and STEC in fresh meat for retail markets

• Defines the need for new or updated prevalence data for improved food safety within the specified commodity and identifies existing data gaps
• Includes a process to ensure anonymity of the samples and data collected
• Provides a scientific rationale for a timeline for data collection
• Clearly defines the sampling scheme and sample preparation procedures
• Leverages test methods (e.g., multiplex PCR) that will maximize the data value and provides an assessment of the sensitivity of the detection methods
• Utilizes a protocol that defines prevalence not only of a commodity ingredient, but also how the prevalence may change through the production and supply chain

B. Dry Sanitation—Technology and Processes to Control Salmonella in Low-Moisture Environments

Brief background: Foodborne illness due to Salmonella contamination of low-moisture foods continues to be a significant problem. Traditional control mechanisms may be inadequate if the microorganism has evolved beyond our current understanding of its ecological, physiological, and pathogenic characteristics.  

Research needs: The committee is prepared to fund research in the following research areas:

1) Non-aqueous sanitation processes that eliminate Salmonella from dry manufacturing equipment and environments
Water containment is the traditional approach to controlling Salmonella in dry processes and environments.  Water-based sanitation procedures, if employed, may lead to enhanced risks due to the creation of growth niches.  The committee is interested in non-aqueous approaches that demonstrate at a minimum a 5-log reduction of Salmonella from processing equipment or the environment.  Studies developing non-aqueous approaches to sanitation must provide evidence of lethality and strategies to validate the process.

2) Novel approaches that eliminate Salmonella from dry manufacturing equipment and processing systems
These approaches may include strategies such as flushing with food-grade materials or product that eliminates pathogen contamination to a minimum of a 5-log reduction or aid in lot definition.  The design of the study must include validation of efficacy and the identification of surrogates for ongoing verification in plant.

C. Identification and Use of Appropriate Surrogates Across Food Products and for a Variety Of Processes and Commodities

Brief background: There is a pressing need for surrogates and standardized protocols to permit plant validation of critical process operations required for the control of foodborne pathogens.  Validation testing can be carried out using specific pathogens of concern, using a surrogate organism that has been validated for the product and process under consideration, or using a non-microbial method such as an enzyme that has been validated for use in such applications. 

When time and temperature profiles of a process can be mimicked in the laboratory, a challenge study with appropriate pathogenic strains can be conducted in the laboratory to validate the process.  However, when plant process line validation or confirmation is required, use of a surrogate culture is essential because of the risks associated with introduction of pathogens to a food processing environment. 

An effective surrogate is one whose resistance to the kill step is well known relative to the pathogen of concern. Desirable criteria for surrogates include: (1) non-pathogenic organism/spores of a non-pathogenic organism or non-toxic material, (2) inactivation characteristics similar to target organism, and (3) easy detection and enumeration or quantification of the surrogate.

Research needs: The committee is prepared to fund research in the following areas:

1) Identification/validation of microbial or non-microbial surrogates for use in process or hurdle technology (intrinsic properties; preservatives) validation against foodborne pathogens of concern (Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, STEC such as O157:H7, proteolytic/non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum, and foodborne virus of public health significance).  Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Surrogates to demonstrate non-proteolytic C. botulinum control/lethality in extended shelf-life refrigerated foods.
• Surrogates to demonstrate Salmonella sp. lethality in baking processes.

2) Research related to process validations, technology validation, and inoculation studies.  Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Standardized and validated protocols using surrogates in baking processes.
• Standardized and validated protocols using surrogates to validate lethality treatments of dry spices, seasonings, nuts, or seed ingredients.

Pre-Proposal Application Form