Two large research groups carry out this work. Food Science is based in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science’s Division of Farm Animal Science (DFAS) and Food Safety staff are based in both DFAS and the Veterinary Pathology, Infection and Immunity Division (VPII). The groups conduct strategic research for Defra, FSA and EU and an increasing amount of basic research funded by BBSRC, Genesis Faraday etc. There is strong industry involvement in research projects. The overarching philosophy is that food safety and quality can be consistently improved through awareness that changes in one part of the “food chain” affect outcomes at another.
We have excellent facilities for conducting research including an EU-licensed red meat abattoir, a computerised kitchen and taste panel suite, rooms for simulated retail display studies and lipid and anti-oxidant analytical laboratories. Current research includes: the influence of grass-based diets on beef healthiness (i.e. balance between saturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) shelf-life and flavour, and the development of ‘functional’ meat based foods as carriers of neutriceuticals including long chain n-3 fatty acids, polyphenols and fiber; the effect of pre- and post-slaughter factors on meat shelf life and hence wastage in different packaging systems; spoilage of vacuum-packed red meats by cold-tolerant Clostridium species, particularly Cl. Estertheticum; factors affecting the control of boar taint and marbling fat deposition in pigs; the effect of feed nitrogen concentration on carcass fatness, marbling fat, eating quality and on nitrogen excretion and pollution; developing on-line measures of carcass and meat eating quality; and the development of stunning systems which simultaneously improve animal welfare and product quality e.g. gaseous stunning for poultry and pigs.
Work is focused primarily on the two major zoonotic pathogens, Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. Taking a ‘farm-to-fork’ approach focusing on the epidemiology of infection in food animals, identifying risk factors and transmission pathways to fundamental aspects of pathogen behaviour in the environment and animal hosts. The on-farm studies have the aim of identifying intervention measures to protect animals from infection and feature projects on biosecurity and dietary manipulation. The group increasingly interacts with the Animal Welfare and Behaviour group to examine the impact that the production environment has on disease resistance, recognising that food animals can suffer both chronic and acute stress, which may make them more susceptible to infection.
Host-pathogen interactions are also being studied with particular emphasis on Salmonella and laying hens and Campylobacter and broiler chickens. This work aims to determine mechanisms of bacterial persistence and clearance and how these can be manipulated. The more basic research is examining the molecular bases for bacterial behaviour in the host and food environments.
