Food and Feed Microbiology

Last changed: 23 May 2023

Our research addresses both positive aspects such as probiotic bacteria, and microbes for biopreservation and as food/feed ingredients, as well as negative aspects, such as growth of moulds on food and feeds, and risk management tools to ensure safe food.

We interact with the effects of microbes in our food every day. From the panicked supermarket recalls when Salmonella has been detected in a product, to the appreciation of a fine bit of Roquefort cheese on sourdough, washed down with a nice bottle of red. From the frustration when we realise that our last bread roll has gone mouldy, to grandmother’s wisdom that filmjölk will help calm an unsettled stomach.

So, we can all relate to the statement that microbes have both positive and negative impacts throughout the entire food and feed chain, including what happens in the gut of humans and animals.

Our research addresses negative aspects, such as the spread and growth of moulds on food and feeds, and risk management tools to ensure safe food in an increasingly complex food-production web.

On the positive side, we examine probiotic bacteria in the guts of humans and animals, and the use of ‘biocontrol’ yeasts and lactic acid bacteria to suppress mould spoilage during storage of grain and feedstocks for ethanol production. An additional aspect is using microbes AS food or feed, in studies of microbial fish-feed production.

We collaborate with industry and national agencies, and we also offer a microbial identification service to industry.