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Stability and inactivation of hepatitis E virus during food processing and in the environment
Project
Project code: BfR-BIOS-08-1343-100
Contract period: 01.06.2018
- 01.05.2021
Budget: 199,565 Euro
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Keywords: hepatitis E virus, inactivation, cell culture, pH stability, salt stability, drying, meat products, inactivation model
The hepatitis E virus (HEV) can be transmitted via contaminated food or the environment. The lack of efficient methods for HEV infectivity testing hampered the identification of sources of infection and inactivation methods in the past. An HEV cell culture system recently developed by us will be used in the project for this purpose. The inactivating effects of different pH values and salt concentrations, which are used for food production, will be investigated. A model enabling the prediction of HEV infectivity at different temperatures, pH values and salt concentrations in a time-dependent manner will be developed. In an HEV-contaminated meat product, the infectivity after curing will be investigated. Surfaces will be contaminated with HEV and the infectivity after drying will be assessed. The investigations should help to identify foods and environmental conditions showing a high risk for virus transmission as well as identify effective inactivation methods
Section overview
Subjects
- Food Processing
- Food microbiology