Firms fail to tap into free food science

Small firms are missing out on opportunities for reassurance about their food's microbiological safety by not tapping into valuable web resources, claimed a food safety expert.

Speaking at the London South Bank University, the head of the Institute of Food Research's microbial biophysics group, Professor Tim Brocklehurst, outlined the importance of calculating the growth rate of bacteria, which he said was controlled by a few parameters.

Predictive tools, such as growth or habitat domain models, allow manufacturers to understand these parameters and the chemical compositions that will prevent bacteria from growing in their food, he explained. The models not only offered reassurances about food safety but also facilitated more efficient product development.

Yet the industry had failed to get to grips with them, despite their being free to access on the internet, said Brocklehurst.

"There is a great divide between the large companies, which are using these tools, and the smaller ones, which are missing the boat. These models are very useful when developing new products -- if you want to lower salt, for instance, they will show you at what levels you can do it safely," he said.

"Manufacturers have got to understand more about the underpinnings of the science of food. It doesn't require huge investments of time or money, it's just a question of tapping into the existing expertise."

He said that in the last decade there had been huge advances in predictive modelling, which he felt was a more effective and reliable method of forecasting than alternatives, such as challenge testing, which was time consuming and costly.

He added that in order to understand how bacteria work, it was necessary to understand the food's structure, ie whether it is liquid or water in oil.

Predictive models can be found at http://wyndmoor.arserrc.gov/combase/​.