Research

Funding: Dieses Projekt wird durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung gefördert., 40.000 EUR

Project Details:
The topic of this project picks up on the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to investigate the safety of food transported in different "take-away"-menu trays during delivery or self-collection. Commercially available menu trays will be considered, and different packaging systems (open, semi-open, and closed) made of different materials will be included in the studies. Since it cannot be guaranteed that the food will be consumed immediately and completely after delivery, different storage temperatures and storage times will also be considered. In this three-stage project, cooked, unbreaded pork and turkey cutlets will be examined first, followed by cutlets contaminated (inoculated) with specific bacterial species and, finally, packaging materials inoculated in the same way. The aim is to gain improved insights into the development of microbial growth in prepared meat in different take-away meal tray systems.

Funding: #

Project Details:
The decline in insect biodiversity with negative consequences for food webs and the loss of ecosystem services is currently dramatic. The causes of the decline in insect diversity are manifold, the qualitative deterioration of their habitats, whether on land or in water, light pollution, habitat loss, competition from invasive species and environmental toxins are just some of the factors. As part of this pilot project, flowering areas and nesting aids for insects are being created on the grounds of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation. The results of a species inventory serve as the basis for targeted measures to improve the habitat. The optimizations, e.g. the creation of flowering areas with regional wildflowers, deadwood areas and insect nesting aids, are only the first steps.
Through these measures to promote key species groups, such as wild bees and butterflies, other groups of organisms can also be promoted through deadweight effects due to the improved structural offer, in order to achieve a sustainable optimization of the entire TiHo site.
Further steps are planned as part of the project, which will be scientifically supported by Bachelor's and Master's theses. The TiHo grounds, which are near-natural in many areas, already provide important habitats for numerous rare animals and plants in the urban environment. These habitats are to be recorded in detail, protected and optimized. Other planned measures include improving the ecological condition of the Bünte pond in the park, creating an interactive insect trail and an exhibition with measures to promote biodiversity in urban areas.

Funding: Verein der Förderer der Wildtierforschung e.V., 5.800 EUR

Project Details:
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Cooperation Partners:

Chadi Touma, Abteilung Verhaltensbiologie, Universität Osnabrück

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 20.000 EUR

Project Details:
Alternative sources of nitrite or nitrate for meat product production are the subject of much current research. Since nitrite is an important additive that can be used to generate the desired cured red in meat products, and thus an appealing and stable color for the consumer, it is considered largely indispensable. While there are efforts to generate nitrite-free or -reduced products due to health concerns, these are generally characterized by a less vibrant color as well as a shorter shelf life.
Nitrite is commonly added to meat products as a mixture of nitrite ions (sodium or potassium nitrite) and table salt (synthetic nitrite curing salt (NPS)). This is countered by the growing consumer demand for meat products made using natural substances. Plant extracts, for example, which naturally contain nitrate, come into question here. This nitrate can be converted to nitrite in the production process with the aid of a starter culture. The nitrite generated in this way can subsequently induce the curing process.
In addition to plant extracts, drinking water can also be used as a source of nitrite or nitrate. If drinking water is treated with non-thermal plasma, nitrogen species (including nitrate and nitrite) are formed in the liquid. The amounts and compositions of these nitrogenous species vary depending on the plasma source, settings and treatment durations. Thanks to the kind support of the Fritz Ahrberg Foundation, we were able to purchase a plasma source in early 2021 and use it to produce plasma-activated water (PAW) for the first time. The first results showed that both nitrite and nitrate can be generated in, for a curing process, sufficient quantities. The plant available to us generates mainly nitrate ions. These could be successfully converted into nitrite by adding a nitrate-reducing starter culture in an in vitro experiment for the production of a cooked sausage product. Thus, a curing process using PAW could be successfully induced.
In addition to the direct incorporation of PAW into the browning substance in the production of cooked sausage, the use of this novel nitrate or nitrite source is also of interest for the wet curing of meat products. This research project therefore aims to gather initial knowledge on whether PAW can induce a reddening process without the addition of synthetic nitrite during the wet curing of meat products and what criteria must be met to generate an acceptable product. Possible other positive or negative effects on the product and its shelf life will be investigated and critically discussed. Physicochemical, sensory and microbiological investigations are planned for this purpose.

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch den Forschungskreis der Ernährungsindustrie e.V. (FEI), 206.756 EUR

Project Details:
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is used for the production of meat products such as raw sausages and cooked sausages, although there are health concerns regarding its use. In addition to techno-functional properties, NaCl not only affects the taste, but also the safety and shelf life of meat products, as NaCl contributes significantly to the hurdle concept by lowering water activity. The use of nitrite, in the form of nitrite curing salt, in meat products not only contributes to colour formation through reddening, flavour formation and antioxidant effects, but also unfolds an antimicrobial effect that leads to the inhibition of pathogenic or toxigenic bacteria such as Listeria (L.) monocytogenes and Clostridium (Cl.) botulinum. However, the consumption of heated meat products made with nitrite/nitrate carries the risk of ingesting nitrosamines, which are classified as carcinogenic. It is so far unclear what effects the individual and combined reductions of NaCl and nitrite really have with regard to shelf life and product safety in the meat products. This has to be considered especially against the background that the manufacturer is responsible for the safety of the product until the end of the best-before date and that food retailers want food with long shelf life. For this reason, in the present project at the Institute for Food Quality and Safety (LMQS), the content of NaCl and nitrite in raw sausages will be reduced, followed by analysis of their physicochemical (e.g. colour, pH value, aw value, shear force) and microbiological (e.g. total bacterial count) properties. The aim is to determine limit values which, when the salts are reduced, still lead to acceptable meat products for the industry. Taking into account the limit values, raw sausages (normal NaCl and nitrite contents, NaCl reduced, nitrite reduced, NaCl and nitrite reduced) will be produced by at least two industry partners in two repeats. After slicing the products will be packed under a protective gas atmosphere. These packages will be stored in the LMQS for up to 84 days, during which time they are regularly analysed physicochemically, microbiologically and, in the event of increased microbial content and/or spoilage, by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The aim is to identify typical (new) bacterial species (indicator germs) that are associated with the shelf life/ spoilage of raw sausages from industrial production. In addition, molecular biological methods for the detection of these indicator germs will also be developed. Finally, challenge tests will be carried out on packaged raw sausages with different NaCl- and nitrite-concentrations after inoculation with the detected indicator germ and Cl. sporogenes, a surrogate of Cl. botulinum. The aim is to determine the behaviour of these bacterial species in or on raw sausages with different NaCl and nitrite contents.

Cooperation Partners:

Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (DIL) in Quakenbrück

Project Details:
Diese Projekt analysiert Vorstellungsgründe, Symptome, Therapie und den Krankheitsverlauf sowie Spätfolgen von Kaninchen mit einer Enzephalitozoon cuniculi (E.c.)-Infektion. Dazu werden die Untersuchungsergebnisse von Kaninchen mit einem positiven Antikörpertiter gegen E.c. ausgewertet.

Project Details:
Dieses Projekt wertet die Anästhesieprotokolle der Klinik für Heimtiere, Reptilien und Vögel aus. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt hierbei auf der Untersuchung und Ursachenforschung von Narkosezwischenfällen. Außerdem auf der Analyse der verwendeten Medikamente, Narkoseregime und postoperativer Versorgung.

Project Details:
Meerschweinchen werden häufig mit Urinabsatzbeschwerden oder Schmerzen beim Urinabsatz in der tierärztlichen Praxis vorgestellt. Häufig liegen in diesen Fällen bakterielle Infektionen als Ursache vor. Dieses Projekt wertet die mikrobiologischen Untersuchungsergebnisse von Harnuntersuchungen bei Meerschweinchen mit Zystitis aus, welche in den letzten 10 Jahren in der Klinik für Heimtiere, Reptilien und Vögel durchgeführt wurden.

Funding: Morris Animal Foundation, 62.488 EUR

Project Details:
We will investigate brain function, brain metabolism and gut microbiome in dogs to distinguish between epileptic seizures and a episodic movement disorder called paroxysmal dyskinesia - commonly mistaken for epileptic seizures - to improve diagnosis and appropriate treatment

Funding: Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung, 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
technique
Summary:
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an increasingly common food-associated cause of acute viral hepatitis. To ensure rapid pathogen identification and tracing of the infection sources, rapid and reliable detection methods are crucial. Various approaches are available for the detection of HEV, some of which involve considerable effort, such as cultivation of cell cultures or performing animal experiments. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification enables rapid pathogen detection with low-cost equipment and little work effort, qualifying the method for on-site application. Within the framework of the project a LAMP assay for detecting HEV in pork products and liver will be developed and validated. For this purpose, suitable genomic target regions will be identified and used for specific primer design. Assay validation includes analytical specificity and sensitivity testing as well as determining the detection limit in artificially contaminated matrices under the influence of product-typical background flora. Finally, the assay will be applied to natively contaminated samples to define the diagnostic quality criteria of the test procedure. In the second phase of the project, pig livers will be examined using the developed LAMP assay and classified into three categories according to viral load. Afterwards, liver sausages will be produced from this material and tested again so that conclusions can be drawn about the significance of the virus load in the raw material and influences of the production process on the viral load in final products.