Seafood CRC: a critical evaluation of supply-chain temperature profiles to optimise food safety and quality of Australian oysters

Funded Activity Summary

VALUE FOR MONEY
A benefit/cost analysis is attached.


LEVEL OF IMPACT
The potential impacts of the project relate to both product food safety and quality.

Food safety:
There is a need for acquiring time/temperature data for critical process steps that impact on the ability of foodborne pathogens to grow, notably Vibrio spp.. In a recent discussion paper by Codex Alimentarius (CX/FH 05/37/13), the impacts of seafood related illnesses were summarised, ‘The economic effects of illnesses reverberate throughout the seafood supply industry causing loss of consumer confidence and concomitant loss of sales. Consequently, a slowing effect for seafood sales overall occurs, which can represent a short-term serious economic loss. In general, the various reports of seafood related illnesses also appear to combine to affect the entire seafood supply in a cumulative fashion, which can lead to long term depressed sales’. The impact of this work will be a decreased risk of economic loss due to any risk of associated illness and also target further/ follow on research for the development of a predictive tool to better manage food safety risks.


Product quality:
There is a need to evaluate the effectiveness of cool chain management across major supply chains. Successful development of a temperature profile, which is underpinned by microbiological data will provide a practical assessment of the efficacy of critical cool chain processes and steps. The impact of this work will be the identification of potential interventions of critical cool chain steps that can be undertaken to achieve maximum product quality. Based on recent product losses, this project will meet an immediate industry need and also underpin supply of product of consistent quality.






Objectives:
1. Evaluate Australian oyster cool chain processes to underpin food safety and optimise commercial quality
2. Identify future research, investment, education and training priorities to implement best practice time temperature regimes for the Australian oyster industry
3. Provide input to the development of an Australian Oyster Refrigeration Index to assist industry and regulators to optimize time temperature regimes that assure food safety.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 28-02-2008

End Date: 31-03-2009

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $54,697.69

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

There are no FoR codes available for this funding activity

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Community | Data | Fisheries Management | Food processing | Food Safety | Innovation | Input costs | Market opportunities | Seafood Quality | Stakeholder | Supply Chain

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