Nestle opens advanced pathogen labs
The new facilities at the Nestle Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland will have a high level of ‘bio-containment’, according to the global food firm. That means certain areas will be sealed with access restricted to trained personnel who must wear protective clothing and adhere to strict hygiene procedures.
The company said it would use the most sophisticated scientific techniques available to refine the processes it uses to kill pathogens without destroying the nutritional value of its food.
Facilities at the newly opened site include a polymerase chain reaction laboratory, which will be able to identify and characterise bacteria and detect unlabelled raw materials, for example in cases of food fraud.
Molecular typing laboratory
There is also a molecular typing laboratory to 'fingerprint' individual bacteria types and a level three bio safety lab where research on viruses such as norovirus and strains of E. coli will be carried out, according to Nestle.
“We constantly face familiar pathogens like Salmonella, but there are newer threats as these pathogens evolve,” said Nestlé’s chief technology officer Werner Bauer.
“We have to stay one step ahead. The research done here will undoubtedly be a great asset for Nestlé, but we also have a responsibility to communicate and share the results with the scientific community and consumers, so everyone can benefit.
'More data, more technologies'
"We need more data and more technologies to guide our product development and to ensure our products continue to be absolutely safe.”
Nestlé's research and development organisation includes a dedicated quality and food safety network, which operates an early warning system that identifies and helps prevent potential safety issues.
It also has a microbiological safety network providing fast and reliable microbiology safety assessments, an analytical methods network to develop and improve analytical standards and a global analytical laboratories network.
