After the outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa in 2017/18, the food industry will be more vigilant about food safety and safety issues in the future. The research group focuses on food safety and spoilage, especially the psychrotolerant bacteria in food (of which Listeria is one such bacterium), emphasising the genus Chryseobacterium. This genus is known for its food spoilage capabilities under refrigerated food storage.
This group also investigates the use of natural preservatives and lowered salt concentrations in food production regarding food spoilage and safety.
Some of the research activities of this group include the following:
The taxonomy and significance of Chryseobacterium species in the food industry
The influence of natural or alternative preservatives on microbial food safety and spoilage
The influence of lowered salt and replacer salts on microbial food safety and spoilage
Microbial food analysis services
This group also runs a routine microbial food analysis laboratory. Microbial analysis of food is integral to assuring food safety and quality. This laboratory has been performing microbial analysis on different kinds of food (e.g., milk and milk products, meat and meat products, cereals and cereal products, vegetables, fruit juices, teas, alcoholic beverages, water, chocolate, etc.) and analysing environmental samples from the food industry since 2000. More information