Food safety trends: From globalization of whole genome sequencing to application of new tools to prevent foodborne diseases

Siyun Wang, Daniel Weller, Justin Falardeau, Laura K. Strawn, Fernando O. Mardones, Aiko D. Adell, Andrea I. Moreno Switt

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Background
Food safety is a priority for all stakeholders associated with the food supply and consumption. Outbreaks and recalls caused by microbial pathogens are widely attributed to contaminated foods, and lead to considerable public health and economic burdens.
Scope and approarch
This review presented major current trends in food safety research, regulation and strategic development. Specifically we discussed about: (i) worldwide application of genomic data in foodborne pathogen surveillance and outbreak investigation; (ii) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in food safety to prevent and predict pathogen contamination; (iii) modeling tools adapted from landscape ecology, network analysis and niche modeling to prevent foodborne diseases; and (iv) meta-analysis of food safety data to facilitate decision making.
Key findings and conclusions
While some of these technologies are receiving increasing recognition around the world (e.g., WGS), others are still at their infancy in regards to their application in food safety (e.g., meta-analysis). The establishment of relevant, valid and multi-dimensional databases is the key to effective application of many new trends in food safety described in this review.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)188-198
Number of pages11
JournalTrends in Food Science and Technology
Volume57
Early online date30 Sept 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Oct 2016

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Foodborne pathogens
  • Geographic information systems
  • Landscape ecology
  • Meta-analysis
  • Modeling
  • Network analysis
  • Whole genome sequencing

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