SYMBIOSIS-EU is a collaborative project between 14 European and international partners, with the aim to develop an innovative toolbox of novel methodologies for the reliable and inexpensive evaluation of meat freshness, spoilage and safety.
The current practice to insure food freshness still relies heavily on regulatory inspection and sampling regimes. However, this approach cannot sufficiently guarantee consumer protection since 100% inspection and sampling is technically, financially and logistically impossible. In addition, the following issues need to be considered:
(i) more than 50 chemical have been identified as taking part in the spoilage process.
(ii) most of these methods are time-consuming and provide retrospective information and thus they can not be used on- or at line
(iii) the lack of general agreement on the early quality changes
(iv)the changes and development in technologies for food processing and preservation