Food Safety

 

Substandard food products are the cause of high morbidity and mortality in the general population, but especially among people with weakened immune systems, children and the elderly. The number of food-borne diseases is increasing due to changes in farming practices; livestock intensive technologies aimed at maximum reduction of production costs; increase in the proportion of meat and poultry products in the diet; expansion of food distribution systems; the emergence of new types of products that may contain little-known pathogens; the emergence of new hazardous for people zoonotic infections; expansion of the range of diseases caused by microbial, parasitic or chemical contamination of food; a significant increase in the number of people who are more susceptible to microbial contamination of food. Emergency situations caused by substandard food, dictate the need for countries to take all measures to reduce the scope of their possible severe consequences for health, the economy and society as a whole.

The Proposed Developments:

(1)New biofungicides Cellobiosolipids (CBL) - natural detergent compounds able to effectively inhibit the growth of a wide variety of plant pathogenic fungi. CBL can be used in greenhouses, in store houses to improve the preservation of fruit and vegetables, as well as at small enterprises of dairy and meat industry as a gelling agent, biodegradable detergents, and as agents able to reduce ice formation in refrigerators. They are non-toxic, easily utilized by microorganisms, thermostable and stable at storage. The CBL preparations are safe for animals and humans, they do not jeopardize the soil microflora and do not adversely impact on the environment. They can be produced as solutions or sprays for the treatment of plants and /or fruits and vegetables; in the form of powder, CBS microbiological preparations (yeast strains-producers) can be applied directly to soil or to treat the harvest. Advantages: An easy and cheap production as well as simple, not requiring expensive equipment, method of application. At present it is planned to study the possibility of optimizing the yield of CBL using cheap nutrients depending on the geographical region, e.g. biodiesel wastes, sugarcane wastes, food and soap industry wastes that contain vegetable oils, and others.

(2)“Potok” Technology to provide safety conditions of production, transportation and storage of food. This innovative energy-saving technology “Potok” is used for the decontamination of air in enclosed spaces. The technology provides a consistent, controlled, 100% efficient inactivation of viruses and microorganisms in the treated air stream. The technology has proven its absolute effectiveness in a variety of conditions ranging from space stations to hospitals, food production facilities, greenhouses and vehicles. The technology can be used to provide food safety in such cases as: Growing of fruits and vegetables under conditions with the controlled air flow; transportation and storage of food in the controlled air environment to prevent its damage and decay and thus to provide longer shelf life; preparation, packing and packaging of food in the required “clean” environment with the controlled air conditions (according to ISO and GMP).