Presentation of the project Sharing molecular techniques for food borne pathogen detection (FoBoS)

The project “Sharing molecular techniques for food-borne pathogen detection” (acronym FoBoS), directly aims to set up a molecular procedure to detect pathogens in milk and foodstuffs. The project is casted inside the mainframe of “Innovation4Welfare” project (INTERREG IVc), whose objectives are improving the quality of life by developing a good practice useful for food-borne pathogen early detection. The project gathers a team in which three University research groups blend with five private company Partners with different missions (from agro-food industries to meal preparation and distribution public companies). Their aims will be to analyze, implement and transfer a DNA-array based protocol to the field of food analysis. In a first step, the protocol will be customized to food-borne pathogen detection and several kinds of food matrices. In a second phase, the procedure will be implemented in an industrial context. The protocols validated at the end of WP2 will be transferred to the agro-food and meal distribution companies, as well as other relevant and interested stakeholders for their implementation on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and other food-chain critical points. The expected result of FoBoS will be a new and innovative good practice, which will improve the effectiveness of regional food safety policies through the implementation of a DNA-array based procedure. Thanks to the application of this new and versatile technology, and the participation in the consortium of several typologies of private and public companies, FoBoS will also encourage new business opportunities focussed into innovative new products and services.