Proyecto TRADEALMA: "Caracterización y trazabilidad de los procesos de degradación biótica de los alimentos mediante secuenciación masiva" Referencia IDI/2018/000089: Informe técnico final

Abstract

Throughout the study, an evaluation of the shelf life of different food matrices was carried out by means of metagenomics, the DNA extraction adjusting it to different food matrices. The main microbial groups responsible for spoliage during the shelf life were determined. On the other hand, an exhaustive evaluation has been carried out to know the hygienic state of the raw materials. Once the different processes have been evaluated, flow diagrams of various food categories have been defined, identifying in each case the initial level of danger H0, its reduction (∑R) and its increase ((I). With the results obtained, a joint evaluation has been carried out to determine how the raw material-matrix-workflow interactions are in relation to the microbial growth curves. Process flows have been established for various categories of food, establishing which are the most relevant microbial families at each critical point of production. After the selection of the products to be tested, empirical tests have been carried out to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments for each microbial group - selected matrix useful life. The presence of biofilms on real food industry surfaces was also evaluated by macroscopic staining. After detection, preliminary tests were performed with various methodologies to establish elimination strategies. Work protocols were established to apply in the industry and mitigate the risk of cross contamination by biofilms.