Proposed Student Projects

FSANZ Student research projects

Food Microbiology

Consumer food safety practices

Dr Duncan Craig:

Dr Jamie Conlan:

As a member of the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC) FSANZ is continually on the lookout for data on consumer practices to support communication of food safety information. This may involve generating data from on-line questionnaires, observational studies or analysing data from the published literature. Examples include collecting information on consumer practices when handling foods such as raw chicken meat, eggs or fresh produce; hand washing; consumer knowledge of specific food safety issues; use of thermometers when cooking; temperatures of domestic refrigerators. FSANZ also welcomes any ideas on gaining a better understanding of particular consumer food safety practices.

Alternatively a project could be undertaken to investigate and compile current sources of data in relation to food safety knowledge in the scientific literature or collected by the various polling agencies, on social media platforms and in the traditional media, and critique the data in relation to robustness and recent trends. The project could also investigate novel approaches to food safety knowledge surveillance and the communication of food safety information and advice.

Emergence of hepatitis E virus in the pig and human populations of industrialised countries in the northern hemisphere and why is it not apparent in the southern hemisphere
Dr Jamie Conlan:

The emergence of zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) appears largely to be a northern hemisphere phenomenon. HEV genotypes 3 and 4 have been co-emerging in the human and pig populations of North America, Europe, Japan, Korea and China over the past 10-20 years and foodborne transmission has been postulated as a possible source of human infection. With the exception of Argentina and small cluster of cases in Australia, HEV genotypes 3 and 4 do not appear to be emerging in the human populations of southern hemisphere countries even though HEV genotypes 3 and 4 have been found to be present in respective pig populations.

The principal aim of the project would be to identify environmental, production, processing and food-handling factors and cultural practices that may explain the discrepancy in HEV emergence between industrialised countries of the northern and southern hemispheres.

July 2015

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli – current state of play for testing its presence in food
Dr Duncan Craig:

Although most E. coli are considered harmless, certain strains can cause severe illness in humans, particularly Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Infection with STEC is the main cause of haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a condition which can be fatal in humans.

While testing for generic E. coli as an indicator organism is simple and relatively inexpensive, routine testing for STEC is more challenging. In addition to serotyping, a number of virulence factors are indicative of pathogenicity, such as Shiga toxin (stx1 and stx2), and E. coli attaching and effacing (eae) genes. Isolation of STEC from food traditionally involves culture-based methods (enrichment, selective plating) followed by molecular techniques to determine the presence of relevant virulence genes.

The aim of this project would be to investigate the current state of play for isolating STEC from food and the uptake of next generation molecular diagnostic techniques, with particular emphasis on the applicability of these methods for regulatory testing in Australia.

Will it or won’t it? Validation of predictive models to determine growth of Listeria monocytogenes in a selection of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods

Dr Duncan Craig:

The ability of a food to support the growth of L. monocytogenes increases the risk of causing listeriosis in vulnerable populations. Many factors need to be considered in determining whether growth is supported to any significant degree before the food is consumed. A consideration of these factors, including the physical and chemical characteristics of the product, shelf life and processing treatments allows RTE foods to be assessed on the basis of whether growth of L. monocytogenes can occur in the food or not.

Predictive microbiology can play an important role, along with other supporting information, in determining if a given product formulation or process will reduce the likelihood of Listeria presence or growth. A project to validate available predictive models for a selection of RTE foods would be useful for demonstrating the utility of this approach in the practice. It could include undertaking lab-based challenge studies or utilisation of relevant published data.
Food Technology

Insects as a food
Jonathon Kite:

Steve Crossly:

Insects are increasingly viewed as an alternative food source that is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce, particularly compared to more traditional and large scale livestock breeding and processing. Insects have a tradition of consumption in some regions of the world. The use of insects as a food in Western cultures is a relatively recent development. As the use of insects as a food becomes more widespread, there is also an increasing need to determine whether there are any safety concerns that need to be addressed to ensure that insects supplied for sale as foods are safe for consumption.

This project could investigate the types of insects that are of interest for human consumption and examine one or more of these insect varieties to determine what factors are important in ensuring they are safe for human consumption. The project could include investigation of the inherent properties of insects that are beneficial (nutritional profile) or present potential hazards (toxins, physical swallowing hazards). The project could also investigate insect production and processing environments and identify the types of hazards that may need to be controlled to ensure the safe supply of insects for human consumption.

Background reference: https://www.anses.fr/en/content/insects-food-review-potential-hazards-and-research-needs

The use of 3D-printing technologies and food
Steve Crossley:

The creative use of 3D printing for cooking and the production of intricately shaped food is an emerging issue that may present some regulatory and food safety challenges. The current technology will allow the printing of a number of food types, including confectionary, pasta, sugar lollies and cereal chips. As the cost of such 3D food printing reduces, its long-term application more broadly could be substantial.

This project would investigate the currently available 3D technology with respect to food, its current application and future trends. The food safety challenges would be identified, including any potential unmanaged risks from chemical and microbiological hazards. Other regulatory (e.g. novel foods) and nutritional issues could also be considered.

Background references: http://www.nature.com/news/foodies-embrace-3d-printed-cuisine-1.17358

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-01-28/all-the-food-thats-fit-to-3d-print-from-chocolates-to-pizza

Synthetic biology
Dr Lisa Kelly:

Synthetic biology is an emerging interdisciplinary field that includes the relatively new ability to synthesize long pieces of DNA, as well as improved methods for genetic manipulation to essentially re-design living organisms that can carry out specific functions, such as the synthesis of new compounds. One recent example of synthetic biology being used for a food application is the development of genetically modified yeast expressing a novel metabolic pathway for the biosynthesis of the flavouring substance vanillin. Flavouring substances generally do not require pre-market assessment and approval in Australia and New Zealand because they are permitted by reference to various lists maintained under EU or US regulations or by the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers Association of the US and the Council of Europe. Only flavourings in these lists are permitted to be added to food in Australia and New Zealand. But how they are produced is not differentiated, i.e. whether they are extracts from natural materials or chemically synthesised, or produced using synthetic biology. The types of flavouring substances on the market that would qualify as a product of synthetic biology are therefore currently unknown.

The aim of the project would be to research the extent of use of synthetic biology for food applications, particularly the production of flavouring substances, including products currently under development or in the pipeline for the food industry.

July 2015