Better factory hygiene

Why are we undertaking this project?

Advanced microbial profiling allows the environmental (microbial) load of a factory (or other premises) to be easily analysed in detail - including the presence of organisms that are difficult to culture. This extra information has the potential to deliver insights into the microbial ecology of a factory, insights previously unobtainable, which should facilitate better control of microorganisms.

What are we doing as part of this project?

Investigating the microflora of factories making different product categories including the changes in microbial populations over the course of a year during normal operation. Experiments will map the microflora over the factory area and measure the impact of interventions such as cleaning. This will improve our understanding of microbial populations in a variety of food production environments and improve methodology used in factory investigations.