MoniQA web seminar- Methodology of shelf life testing and modeling of frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable food products

The aim of the webinar is to offer a systematic approach to defining, measuring and controlling the shelf life of food products.
Topics to be addressed:

• What is shelf life? How is it defined? Quality vs safety. Analytical vs sensory evaluation. Regulations vs commercial shelf life.
• Selecting appropriate shelf life indices and methodology to measure them.
• Effect of product formulation, design, processing and packaging on shelf life.
• Tools for shelf life determination: ASLT (Accelerated Shelf Life Testing) - Predictive microbiology- Mathematical modeling of shelf life- Shelf life prediction and validation in dynamic food chain conditions- Computer software for shelf life estimation and product-package design.
• Monitoring, management and optimization of shelf life in the real distribution chain. FIFO (First In First Out) vs LSFO (Least Shelf life First Out).
• Intelligent packaging

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MoniQA web seminar - "MoniQA Partner Audit preparation training and Q&A"

Begin: 10:00
Duration: 1,5 to 2,5 hours

In the webinar, the trainer will give a short general introduction about audits and then focus on the full audit process to be performed by every MoniQA partner at the end of the project.  Partners who are less familiar with the process of a project audit will get prepared for the final MoniQA financial audit. To make the presented information as applicable as possible, the trainer will give a specific presentation on the topic describing step by step what needs to be done and will include real life examples of previous MoniQA audit issues. Additionally, the participants have the chance to email questions before the training and post questions during the training. All questions will be answered in the webinar.

MoniQA web seminar - “How Unsafe is our Cheese?”

Presenter: Marija ZUNABOVIC

Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a food-borne disease primarily associated with the consumption of processed foods.
Cheese products, especially red smear cheeses, offer suitable growth conditions for Listeria monocytogenes. Hence, these products are often implicated in outbreak situations.
A recent outbreak in Austria 2009/2010 due to the consumption of the so-called "Quargel" cheese (Olomutz type) resulted in 8 fatal outcomes. The human L. monocytogenes serotype 1/2a was indistinguishable with the PFGE profile
of environmental isolates obtained by a an Austrian cheese manufacturer.
In this presentation we provide you an insight into the epidemiological actions taken during this Austrian listeriosis outbreak and the role of media informing the public.