Bremerhaven meets Shanghai: The ttz Bremerhaven has been invited by the European Commission to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The organisation is one of only five institutions chosen to participate in a show-case event on European research activities in the area of food safety. As Project Coordinator, Matthias Kück will present the latest achievements of the NANODETECT project, in the framework of which a rapid test kit based on nanotechnology is being developed.
Bremerhaven, May 2010. This summer, Shanghai is hosting the World Expo 2010. ttz Bremerhaven has been invited to Shanghai by the European Commission. During the Expo, a conference on food processing and safety will take place at which experts from industry and science will discuss current issues and trends.
“This invitation is a true reward for the outstanding research being conducted in Bremerhaven in the field of food technology”, states Werner Mlodzianowski, General Manager of ttz Bremerhaven. The conference on “Research for Healthy Life” aims to discuss topics related to the enhancement of food safety, with a focus primarily on research and development due to their potential to transform and influence daily life. Apart from ttz Bremerhaven’s NANODETECT project, only four other EC research projects (out of a couple of hundred) have been invited by the European Commission to present their latest findings.
“Nowadays, food safety is becoming more and more important because consumers want to know if their dairy products have been manufactured and processed in accordance with the relevant regulations. The conference is therefore an excellent vehicle for strengthening awareness towards food safety concerns and a platform for an exchange of knowledge,” says Matthias Kück. The conference is being organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumers and will take place on 5 – 6 June 2010.
The objective of the NANODETECT project is to identify and prevent food contamination which may occur in the phase between production and consumption of foodstuffs. Under the leadership of ttz Bremerhaven, an international consortium is developing a nanosensor prototype targeted at tracking quality parameters along the food chain. The European dairy industry has been selected as an example, because milk is subject to different levels of potential contamination of various types.
Since the NANODETECT project was launched in 2008, biological detection systems have been developed at laboratory scale and are now being integrated into an industrial prototype together with a microfluidic system which will track quality parameters along the food chain.
Further information on this topic:
NANODETECT project descritpion
Event: Presentation of the NANODETECT project at the Shanghai Expo
Press pictures for editorial use (foto: ttz/pr)
Picture 1:
On the transport from the farm to the dairy the fresh raw milk can be tested for contaminations. As a result, complete product batches can be prevented from contaminations as traditional methods need several days for the detection.
Picture 2:
The new micro chips enable that contaminations can be specifically enriched with the aid of bio-active surfaces in the area of nano meters. Micro optics then analyses the signals which inform the dairy about the degree of contamination.
Picture 3:
With the ELISA test, bacilli, molds as well as drug residues can be detected in the milk. In addition, the test reveals the dilution of high-quality milk with cheap milk.
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ttz Bremerhaven is an innovative provider of research services and operates in the field of application-oriented research and development. Under the umbrella of ttz Bremerhaven, an international team of experts is working in the areas of food, environment, health and consulting.
