Foodborne pathogens in fresh and processed meat products pose a serious threat to the health of consumers, as well as an additional burden on healthcare systems. In today’s meat supply chain, products may reach consumers in geographically dispersed markets within two to three days, thus making rapid and accurate pathogen detection technologies key to protecting public health and ensuring “business as usual” in the meat industry.
Within the European meat sector the pork industry is crucial both in terms of consumption and in terms of its commercial importance; pork is the most produced and consumed meat in Europe (51%), as well as the most exported. According to FaoStat, pigmeat supply in the EU in 2007 was estimated at over 21 Million tonnes, with pigmeat export reaching a total value of over 10 billion Euros in 2009. Despite these positive figures, pork is also responsible for a higher number of verified outbreaks per year, comparing to beef or bovine meat. These outbreaks are due to certain specific pathogens or serotypes, the most important of which are Salmonella, Yersina, Listeria and Campylobacter which represent practically all verified pork-associated infections reported in 2007.
The purpose of the PassPork project is to develop a device for identifying particular key pathogens in pork meat. The nominated solution will be an analyzer that will utilise a combination of recent advances in immunochromatography and optical scanner technologies, together with specific monoclonal antibodies with high affinity to the target pathogens (Salmonella, Yersina, Listeria and Campylobacter), to allow the simultaneous, rapid and accurate detection of the key pathogens in the pork industry. This combination of technologies will improve limit of detection. This will allow meat producers, such as abattoirs and meat-processors, to immediately take appropriate remedial action, significantly reducing risk of cross contamination and the possibility of pathogens entering the food chain.
Within the European meat sector the pork industry is crucial in terms of consumption and commercial importance; pork is the most produced and consumed meat in Europe (51%), as well as the most exported. However, pork is also responsible for a high number of verified outbreaks per year, with Salmonella, Yersinia, Listeria and Campylobacter representing practically all verified pork-associated infections in the EU in recent years. While large enterprises in the pork industry may be able to afford the regular application of expensive tests; for SMEs, which account for 94% of businesses in the European meat industry, these methods are mostly beyond economic reach, thus impeding their capability to comply with strict regulations. Consequently, Small producers in the pork industry are losing competitive advantages to larger and foreign competitors with the total number of businesses in the industry dropping by 1% a year. There is a clear need for an affordable solution for reliable pathogen detection which can be applied in Critical Control Points in small businesses in the pork industry.
The main objective of PassPork is to develop, validate and test an affordable, robust, rapid and reliable multi-pathogen detector for use by non-technical staff in the pork industry. The device will build upon a combination of immuno-chromatography, fluorescence labelling and optical scanner technologies, together with specific monoclonal antibodies, which will reach detection limit in the range of 10-100cfu/ml. The final product, a rapid pre-screening device for identifying Salmonella, Yersina, Listeria and Campylobacter in pork meat, will be manufactured and distributed by the projects SMEs to businesses throughout the pork supply chain. With expected market price of 500/device and 3/test, the consortium estimated sales of approx. 10M after 5 years in the market.
The specific objectives of the project are as follows:
1. Identification, screening and production of specific antibodies for Salmonella, Yersina, Listeria and Campylobacter.
2. Design of a compatible meat sampling method and treatment protocol adapted to field conditions.
3. Development of a reliable detection system.
4. Development of a rapid and robust fluorescence optical reader, corresponding to lateral flow assays for the detection of four pathogens of importance in the porcine industry.
5. Development of simple and fully-integrated device.
6. Lab validation and field testing of the final prototype.