This academic hub part of the University of the West of England (UWE) is shaping up to be an international centre of training and research into food quality and safety testing. It's already the lynchpin of an EU project investigating the development of novel technologies for rapid, inexpensive evaluation of meat quality parameters involving partners across the globe.
Now, alongside that, it's creating an MSc in Bio-research into Bio-sensing Technologies, looking at applying these detection methods to a range of industries, including food and drink processing. Standing at the helm and providing the momentum for all this intense activity is Dr Olena Doran, director of research and development at the Institute. According to Doran, meat processors in particular are showing significant interest in the research and the MSc.
She is attempting to get the Masters off the ground by September this year, although, subject to securing accreditation, its launch may be delayed until 2011. "It will involve research into a wide range of biosensing technologies, covering a variety of sciences, including food science," says Doran. "We're planning close collaboration with industry and have contacts with more than 30 academic and 200 global commercial partners. This is a unique opportunity to combine funded research with practical applications that will provide assurance that products meet food quality and safety criteria and consumer demand."
Several of her colleagues at UWE will be involved in course input. Students could either take the full-time option, conducting research and taking teaching modules at UWE, with the opportunity for international industrial placements, or take the part-time option if currently working.
"We are happy to look into the possibility that students could be doing at least part of their project work at the facilities of his or her employer," says Doran. Firms from Europe, China and Malaysia have expressed the most interest, she adds. She has applied to the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council (BBSRC) among others for funds to support the development of the course and students who sign up.
The MSc will examine the use of several groundbreaking bio-sensing technologies. "There are no alternatives to this course in the UK or worldwide in terms of the range of technologies under investigation, the complex approach to technology development and taking that to end users," says Doran.
In terms of the ways in which these methods could be applied to the food industry, Doran gives two examples. First, the issue of boar taint is vexing many manufacturers working with pig meat. This concerns an unpleasant smell emitted by cooking pork from uncastrated boars.
Castration raises animal welfare issues and may be banned in Europe. Consequently, manufacturers working with such meat need to remove the taint and develop methods for testing its absence, potentially using these bio-sensing technologies.
Second, the processes could enable firms that want to make health claims concerning low- or high-fat content or that want to slash saturated fat content to test for this.
The MSc will come under the auspices of UWE's Faculty of Health and Biosciences.
But the training opportunities for industry food scientists won't stop there. The three-year EU research project, which sits among a host of similar initiatives focusing on food quality and safety issues funded by the BBSRC and industry, kicks off this month. It aims to develop inexpensive and swift ways to evaluate meat quality parameters and ways to evaluate animal welfare, for example detection and reduction of stress for animals bred for food.
A particular focus will be detecting genotypes for animals that produce high amounts of beneficial intra-muscular fat and low amounts of potentially harmful saturated, subcutaneous fat. Once these genotypes are successfully detected using emerging science, natural selective breeding could be used to produce meats with the right balance of these fats. Such methods differ from artificial genetic modification (GM) and would not require GM labelling.
"Fatty acid composition and fat content in food products are related to the development of cancer, obesity, coronary heart disease and many other pathological states," says Doran. "One way to improve meat quality is selective breeding towards genotypes with desirable traits."
The project is funded by EU People Marie Curie Action International Research Staff Exchange Scheme and involves eight institutions from the UK, Spain, Italy, the US, China, Ukraine and Belgium. It embraces various work packages, which include an extensive international training and exchange programme. "We are bringing together international expertise to develop new effective tools and approaches for the improvement of food quality," says Doran.
"The partners' experience and facilities will be used to create and develop an international genetics and food quality network which would ensure sustainable international collaboration and long-term training schemes for both young scientists and senior staff."
Exciting times, then, for UK food scientists within and outside the industry.
Bio-sensing technologies covered by the MSc
Screen printed biosensors: uses conductive inks linked to electrodes, each of which detects a particular compound, to screen print results, providing instant information has been used for detecting pesticide residues or mycotoxins
Bioluminescent reporter bacteria: bacteria are used to detect the presence of unwanted toxins, the presence of which is detected by a chemical reaction causing the bacteria to glow
Paramagnetic particle-based detection: quicker than standard Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay tests anti-bodies are linked to magnetic particles as they bind to microbially-created proteins; the more that bind, the greater the magnetic charge
Vapour sensing: uses electrochemical sensor arrays that respond to specific volatile compounds, highlighting food spoilage
Photometric stereo: photometric 3D imaging maps the surface of a product, detecting minute changes caused by spoilage
Spheroids: provides an alternative to animal testing by using live cells to mimic the reactions of a living organism how they react determines toxin levels
Impedence spectroscopy: detects changes in cell culture systems exposed to particular cytotoxic agents