Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FoodTraNet (Advanced research and Training Network in Food quality, safety and security)
Période du rapport: 2021-05-01 au 2023-04-30
Ensuring food safety, quality, and security has never been more complex than it is today, and it will be increasingly challenging in the future. Given the industry’s size and complexity, it is not surprising that it faces many challenges, including food (in)security, increased food fraud, food safety and quality (authenticity) issues, food waste, requirements to improve the population’s nutrition and health, and changes in consumer preferences. A noticeable gap exists between research capability and industry uptake of potential solutions to these challenges. Across the multiple food supply, production, and distribution chains, no uniform approaches exist to finding solutions, with each sector utilizing its own “ad hoc”, disparate, and uncoordinated processes based on often outdated methods.
FoodTraNet is a multidisciplinary training and research network that provides high-level intersectoral training in new and emerging techniques, including mass spectrometry for food quality, safety, and security, to a new generation of high-achieving early-stage researchers (ESRs). FoodTraNet will empower these researchers with a range of analytical, technological, decision-making, translational, and leadership skills necessary for thriving careers in a burgeoning area that underpins innovative technological development across a range of diverse disciplines essential to meet future needs of academia, industry, and regulatory bodies in the 21st Century.
FoodTraNet is a multidisciplinary training and research network that provides high-level intersectoral training in new and emerging techniques, including mass spectrometry for food quality, safety, and security, to a new generation of high-achieving early-stage researchers (ESRs). FoodTraNet will empower these researchers with a range of analytical, technological, decision-making, translational, and leadership skills necessary for thriving careers in a burgeoning area that underpins innovative technological development across a range of diverse disciplines essential to meet future needs of academia, industry, and regulatory bodies in the 21st Century.
The project’s first year was dedicated to project initialization, establishing management and project infrastructure, and the design and execution of initial networking activities. Notably, the second year marked the delivery of initial results, which served as the foundation for the following project’s main achievements during the reporting period:
1. Reliable and robust authentication techniques were developed to address existing and emerging issues in the global food market, including adulteration, species identification, provenance, production mode, and sustainable sourcing.
2. A database (www.foodtrack.ijs.si) was created to verify food authenticity, production type, and geographical origin for selected commodities, such as wheat, rice, cheese, wine, bee pollen, spices (saffron), essential oils, and new alternative foods.
3. Analytical techniques were developed to determine nutritional values and bioactive compounds in food and optimize the utilization of food and food waste.
4. Analytical protocols were established for detecting contaminants (e.g. mycotoxins, pesticides) in various commodities, including wheat residue and bee pollen.
5. Research revealed sorption mechanisms of contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and common agricultural pesticide residues, on microplastics.
6. Based on accurate high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), both suspect, and non-target screening workflows were enhanced to identify unregulated and emerging chemicals in novel food commodities and food produced using water reuse.
7. High spatial resolution imaging mass spectrometry (MSI) was performed to characterize plant material chemically, differentiate between organic and industrialized food production, and detect micro and nano-plastics in food.
8. Potential edible materials for the development of edible micro-lasers and edible pH sensors were investigated.
9. Advanced selective extraction materials based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) and Super Adsorbent Polymers (SAPs) targeting bioactive compounds and contaminants (pesticides) in food samples were developed.
10. New sensors based on fluorescent dyes for detecting organophosphates (OPs) pesticides and their degradation products were created.
11. Biopolymers and commercial synthetic PET materials were synthesized with nanostructured surfaces, and selected biofilms were developed with antimicrobial, biocompatible, and anti-adhesive properties.
12. A toolkit for more effective communication with consumers to build trust was established.
13. Several network-wide training activities were organized, such as summer schools and webinars.
In addition to the above, FoodTraNet has been actively disseminating results and network activities. A project website, brochure and newsletter were produced, and its social media presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter was established. All activities collectively demonstrate the proactive nature of the FoodTraNet fellows in their dissemination and communication efforts.
1. Reliable and robust authentication techniques were developed to address existing and emerging issues in the global food market, including adulteration, species identification, provenance, production mode, and sustainable sourcing.
2. A database (www.foodtrack.ijs.si) was created to verify food authenticity, production type, and geographical origin for selected commodities, such as wheat, rice, cheese, wine, bee pollen, spices (saffron), essential oils, and new alternative foods.
3. Analytical techniques were developed to determine nutritional values and bioactive compounds in food and optimize the utilization of food and food waste.
4. Analytical protocols were established for detecting contaminants (e.g. mycotoxins, pesticides) in various commodities, including wheat residue and bee pollen.
5. Research revealed sorption mechanisms of contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and common agricultural pesticide residues, on microplastics.
6. Based on accurate high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), both suspect, and non-target screening workflows were enhanced to identify unregulated and emerging chemicals in novel food commodities and food produced using water reuse.
7. High spatial resolution imaging mass spectrometry (MSI) was performed to characterize plant material chemically, differentiate between organic and industrialized food production, and detect micro and nano-plastics in food.
8. Potential edible materials for the development of edible micro-lasers and edible pH sensors were investigated.
9. Advanced selective extraction materials based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) and Super Adsorbent Polymers (SAPs) targeting bioactive compounds and contaminants (pesticides) in food samples were developed.
10. New sensors based on fluorescent dyes for detecting organophosphates (OPs) pesticides and their degradation products were created.
11. Biopolymers and commercial synthetic PET materials were synthesized with nanostructured surfaces, and selected biofilms were developed with antimicrobial, biocompatible, and anti-adhesive properties.
12. A toolkit for more effective communication with consumers to build trust was established.
13. Several network-wide training activities were organized, such as summer schools and webinars.
In addition to the above, FoodTraNet has been actively disseminating results and network activities. A project website, brochure and newsletter were produced, and its social media presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter was established. All activities collectively demonstrate the proactive nature of the FoodTraNet fellows in their dissemination and communication efforts.
FoodTraNet will create a sustainable common platform of advanced MS techniques across three thematic pillars: food quality, authenticity and traceability; new alternative and functional food and food security; development and characterization of advanced and nanomaterials in support to the EU priority issues: “food security”, “circular economy”, “nutrition and health” and “nanotechnology”.
The originality of FoodTraNet lies in its potential to apply the generated data in different applications to develop models for food traceability and link/enhance existing databases or safety (EFSA). While some ESRs will develop advanced analytical tools based on high-resolution MS, others ESRs will integrate them for the characterization of novel functional food products or technologies to ensure quality and safety level and ultimately approval on the EU market. Due to the processes involved, these functional and alternative food products will likely be novel and need risk assessments to evaluate their approval as food ingredients. FoodTraNet ESRs will develop and apply advanced MS techniques to characterize food regarding food safety (toxic compounds, contaminants such as micro, nano-plastics, mycotoxins, pesticides, contaminants of the emerging concern - CEC).
FoodTraNet ESRs will also develop new, sustainable, advanced nano-materials. For example, remotely readable edible photonic barcodes, which can be embedded directly into any food and read by a simple handheld scanner, will be developed for the first time. New advanced polymer nanostructured materials for the selective removal of bioactive compounds and contaminants in food and waste are expected to have higher selectivity than commercially available sorbents and coatings. Novel packaging solutions will be developed from biodegradable polymeric materials containing integrated biodegradable sensors for food packaging. The produced material will represent a step change in packaging film technology compared with existing commercial alternatives. Further, by establishing new platform approaches and models for more efficient consumer communications we intend to increase customer awareness, perception and trust.
The impact foreseen for the ESRs will be duly achieved by preparing a new generation of ESRs able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit. Although the ESRs will be trained mainly in the food sector, their expertise and the broad skillset obtained are transferrable to other fields such as health, environment, material science, and informatics, thus expanding career options. FoodTraNet also provides an important international forum via an industrial liaison strategy group involving important global food players such as Barilla and CONCAST, ensuring rapid commercial exploitation of novel technologies and products concerning legislation and market standards.
The originality of FoodTraNet lies in its potential to apply the generated data in different applications to develop models for food traceability and link/enhance existing databases or safety (EFSA). While some ESRs will develop advanced analytical tools based on high-resolution MS, others ESRs will integrate them for the characterization of novel functional food products or technologies to ensure quality and safety level and ultimately approval on the EU market. Due to the processes involved, these functional and alternative food products will likely be novel and need risk assessments to evaluate their approval as food ingredients. FoodTraNet ESRs will develop and apply advanced MS techniques to characterize food regarding food safety (toxic compounds, contaminants such as micro, nano-plastics, mycotoxins, pesticides, contaminants of the emerging concern - CEC).
FoodTraNet ESRs will also develop new, sustainable, advanced nano-materials. For example, remotely readable edible photonic barcodes, which can be embedded directly into any food and read by a simple handheld scanner, will be developed for the first time. New advanced polymer nanostructured materials for the selective removal of bioactive compounds and contaminants in food and waste are expected to have higher selectivity than commercially available sorbents and coatings. Novel packaging solutions will be developed from biodegradable polymeric materials containing integrated biodegradable sensors for food packaging. The produced material will represent a step change in packaging film technology compared with existing commercial alternatives. Further, by establishing new platform approaches and models for more efficient consumer communications we intend to increase customer awareness, perception and trust.
The impact foreseen for the ESRs will be duly achieved by preparing a new generation of ESRs able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit. Although the ESRs will be trained mainly in the food sector, their expertise and the broad skillset obtained are transferrable to other fields such as health, environment, material science, and informatics, thus expanding career options. FoodTraNet also provides an important international forum via an industrial liaison strategy group involving important global food players such as Barilla and CONCAST, ensuring rapid commercial exploitation of novel technologies and products concerning legislation and market standards.