5.4.1 Area: TOTAL FOOD CHAIN
(T1.1) Improving the quality and safety of beef and beef products for the consumer in production and processing - IP

Objective:

The project group would like to be involved in project consortiums carried out or being developed in the area of improving the quality and safety of beef products for the consumer in production and processing through partnerships for collaborative scientific research with institutions in Europe.  Our project group is also capable of finding Turkish SMEs in the particular area.

Targeted Role:

Improving the quality and safety of beef and beef products for the consumer in production and processing is one of the important research topics that can be approached from different perspectives.  There has been a higher incidence of foodborne diseases during the last couple of decades due to contamination of raw foodstuffs in production steps. Foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 in raw hamburgers, L. monocytogenes in hot dogs has been a major threat to human health from beef products.  Besides, usage of food additives such as nitrates in cured beef products has become more restricted for their potential adverse effects to health and consumers’ demand changes towards additive-free food products.  Moreover, evaluation of the effect of feed composition and or dietary treatments on beef production and quality is a special interest to our research group.  With these perspectives our group can perform the following types of research as a contribution to an integrated project in the area of improving the quality and safety of beef products for the consumer in production and processing.

• Improving microbial safety of beef products (elimination of potential pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes from beef products) by employing combinations of non-thermal novel preservation techniques particularly irradiation, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and natural antimicrobials.
• Reduction or elimination of food additives in beef products such as cured beef through usage of alternative preservation techniques such as irradiation, MAP, and natural antimicrobials.
• Evaluation of the effect of feed composition and or dietary treatments on meat quality (physical properties like color, drip loss, shelf life-in respect to lipid oxidation and microbiological quality, sensory properties, volatile properties, nutritional quality).

For the targeted dissemination activities the research group may host and organize the workshops, conferences or seminars in Istanbul. The expert faculty members may give presentations in such seminar or conference series for food and health scientists, agrifood industry, the retail sector, consumers and regulatory authorities.

Project Group:

The project group at ITU Food Engineering Department considers food safety and quality as one of the most important research area and gives it a high priority in research activities.  The number of researchers is totally 7 and 85% of the group is women.

Assistant Professor Gürbüz GÜNES, Ph.D. Phone: (90) 212 285 60 40, E-mail: gunesg@itu.edu.tr  (Coordinator)
Research Interests:Fruits and vegetable processing, minimal processing of foods, combination of nonthermal food preservation techniques such as modified atmosphere packaging and irradiation for assurance of quality and  microbial safety of foods.

Professor Necla ARAN, Ph.DPhone: (90) 212 285 6892, E-mail: naran@itu.edu.tr
Research interests: Food microbiology, microbiological analysis, HACCP, food biotechnology.

Assistant Professor  Beraat ÖZÇELIK, Ph.D., Phone: (90) 212 285 60 42, E-mail: ozcelik@itu.edu.tr
Research Interests: Food chemistry; Sensory analysis; Food analysis

Professor Artemis KARAALI, Ph.D., Phone: (90) 212 285 60 38, E-mail: karaali@itu.edu.tr
Research Interests: Food Chemistry; Food additives; Food toxicology; Food quality control; Food legislation, Chemistry and technology of dietary fats

Professor Dilek BOYACIOGLU, Ph.D., Phone: (90) 212 285 60 39-40, E-mail: boyaci@itu.edu.tr
Research Interests: Food quality control; Food safety; Implementation of HACCP system; Good Laboratory Practices; Chemical food analysis; Mycotoxins; Sensory analysis.

Professor Dilek HEPERKAN, Ph.D, Phone: (90) 212 285 6041, E-mail: heperkan@itu.edu.tr
Research interests: Food microbiology, food safety, food hygiene and sanitation.

Assistant Professor Meral KILIÇ, Ph.D., Phone: (90) 212 285 60 16, E-mail: meral.kilic@itu.edu.tr
Research Interests: Dairy technology; Food stability and shelf-life; Quality changes during storage