Many pathogenic microorganisms can be found in food of animal origin, such as meat, fish, milk, honey, and eggs, being important sources of human diseases or even deaths. Their presence may be due to the contamination/growth in the production environment and/or during the production or processing of derived products because of human handling and environmental conditions. Thus, although not an easy task, their control throughout the complete food chain is of the utmost significance. Additionally, due to consumers' growing interest in organic and sustainable food, information about animal food products from this kind of industry from their safety point of view needs to be established.
The industry manufacturing food products of animal origin needs to apply effective interventions to avoid the presence of pathogenic microorganisms and microbial toxins and thus guarantee the consumers’ health. Basic actions are proven to be effective to reduce this hazard, but new insights are necessary due to some factors, such as climate change, changing lifestyles, and exports. It is also worth noting that consumers have a growing interest in eco-friendly food production systems, such as the organic production of animal products and the use of natural antimicrobials as additives.
In this Research Topic, our objective is to gather both research papers and reviews in the field of Microbial Safety of Animal Products. Special attention will be given to work focused on novel strategies to guarantee the control of biological hazards in this kind of food products, as well as on the current challenges from the industry's food safety point of view.
Consequently, the topics to be covered include, but are not limited to:
• Foodborne disease outbreaks linked to consumption of animal products.
• Microbial safety of organic food of animal origin.
• Foodborne disease management throughout the food chain.
• Novel technologies for controlling microbial hazards in foodstuffs from animal origin.
• Advances in identifying pathogenic microorganisms and analyzing the potential production of toxins.
• The potential impact of strategies for improving microbial safety of animal foodstuffs on their overall quality, including sensorial acceptability.
• Procedures for predicting microbial safety of animal foodstuffs.
• Perspectives and challenges in animal food safety.
Many pathogenic microorganisms can be found in food of animal origin, such as meat, fish, milk, honey, and eggs, being important sources of human diseases or even deaths. Their presence may be due to the contamination/growth in the production environment and/or during the production or processing of derived products because of human handling and environmental conditions. Thus, although not an easy task, their control throughout the complete food chain is of the utmost significance. Additionally, due to consumers' growing interest in organic and sustainable food, information about animal food products from this kind of industry from their safety point of view needs to be established.
The industry manufacturing food products of animal origin needs to apply effective interventions to avoid the presence of pathogenic microorganisms and microbial toxins and thus guarantee the consumers’ health. Basic actions are proven to be effective to reduce this hazard, but new insights are necessary due to some factors, such as climate change, changing lifestyles, and exports. It is also worth noting that consumers have a growing interest in eco-friendly food production systems, such as the organic production of animal products and the use of natural antimicrobials as additives.
In this Research Topic, our objective is to gather both research papers and reviews in the field of Microbial Safety of Animal Products. Special attention will be given to work focused on novel strategies to guarantee the control of biological hazards in this kind of food products, as well as on the current challenges from the industry's food safety point of view.
Consequently, the topics to be covered include, but are not limited to:
• Foodborne disease outbreaks linked to consumption of animal products.
• Microbial safety of organic food of animal origin.
• Foodborne disease management throughout the food chain.
• Novel technologies for controlling microbial hazards in foodstuffs from animal origin.
• Advances in identifying pathogenic microorganisms and analyzing the potential production of toxins.
• The potential impact of strategies for improving microbial safety of animal foodstuffs on their overall quality, including sensorial acceptability.
• Procedures for predicting microbial safety of animal foodstuffs.
• Perspectives and challenges in animal food safety.
