Q4MRATools: Quantitative tools to microbial risk assessment

Abstract

In the context of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) fellowship programme, the project 'Q4MRATools: Quantitative Tools to Microbial Risk Assessment' focused on training in predictive microbiology, experimental design and the use of advanced software tools like R, MATLAB, @Risk, DMFit and GInaFiT. The primary objective of this programme was to equip the fellow with foundational knowledge in quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA), thereby contributing to the development of more effective and accurate food safety risk assessments. This initiative was part of a broader effort to address the evolving challenges in food safety by enhancing collaborative actions and developing robust food safety systems. The fellow engaged in various risk assessment tasks, acquiring fundamental knowledge in predictive microbiology, particularly different modelling strategies for growth and inactivation models, as well as understanding the nuances of microbiological behaviour under different conditions and food matrixes environments. The training emphasised the importance of experimental design and the application of software tools essential for conducting QMRA. Secondary activities were also included to broaden the fellow's competencies, expanding their expertise beyond qualitative methods.

Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes; exposure assessment; fermented products; food safety; pH; predictive microbiology; risk analysis.

FIGURE 1

Caption of @Risk Microsoft Excel Add‐in performing distribution fitting on ripening temperature data.