Our research focuses on understanding how biofilms develop and how members of
these communities interact with one another in a range of settings, including those
relevant to the food chain and infections.
One major focus is on biofilm development
of spoilage microbes and foodborne pathogens from “farm to fork” i.e. all stages from
pre-harvest to post-harvest, to food processing/packaging, and from retail to the
consumer. We are using a range of approaches including ‘omics, advanced
microscopy and molecular microbiology to obtain a detailed molecular mechanistic
understanding of biofilm development in these settings. We then aim to exploit this
information to direct interventions that target biofilms formed by spoilage microbes
and foodborne pathogens.
Our interventions will extend food shelf life and increase
food safety, which will reduce food waste and increase food sustainability.
Pre-harvest application of beneficial microbes to leafy greens to increase post-
harvest shelf life and safety
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Spoilage microbes and foodborne pathogens form biofilms in the rhizosphere
(soil-root region) and phyllosphere (leaf region) of leafy green vegetables pre-
harvest. These microbes can then be present post-harvest to cause food
spoilage and food poisoning.
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We are exploring if application of beneficial microbes can boost plant growth
as well as inhibit spoilage microbe and foodborne pathogen biofilm
development on leafy greens as they are growing.
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This will reduce the abundance of these problematic microbes pre-harvest
which will improve the shelf-life and safety of leafy greens post-harvest.
Targeting biofilms on abiotic food chain surfaces to reduce food spoilage and
increase food safety
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Food spoilage microbes and foodborne pathogens form biofilms on abiotic
surfaces that food encounters during food processing. These microbes are
then present at the retail and consumer stages causing food spoilage and
food poisoning.
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We are working to obtain a detailed understanding of how these microbes
from biofilms on common food chain surfaces, such as stainless steel and
different kinds of plastic.
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One strategy will be to target the microbes themselves, and/or the
extracellular biofilm matrix components, to reduce biofilm formation.
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This will reduce the amount of spoilage microbes and foodborne pathogens
on fresh foods, improving food shelf life and safety.
Characterising biofilm develop on fresh foods to develop new ways to monitor
and extend shelf life and to improve food safety
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Spoilage microbes and foodborne pathogens form biofilms on fresh foods
such as meat and leafy greens, which leads to rapid spoilage and food waste.
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Our aim is to understand how these problematic microbes interact with one
another, and the food surface, to form biofilms and cause food spoilage and
food contamination.
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We are also developing novel ways to monitor and report on fresh food shelf
life to encourage consumption of these commodities before they are spoiled
and thus discarded.
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Our long-term aim is to use the information we obtain to develop novel
interventions that increase food shelf life and safety, which will reduce food
waste.
