Novel analytical strategies for control of contaminants mixtures in food: development of joint platform (CONTAMMIX)
A wide range of adverse effects on a biota, humans included, may result from exposure to various contaminant classes released into the environment through anthropogenic activates. A comprehensive monitoring of contaminants occurrence in environmental compartments and human food chain and taking measures to minimise emission sources is a current global challenge requiring international collaborative effort. The proposed project aims at deepening of cooperation in common research activities between two universities in the Czech Republic and Norway, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague) and Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), respectively. The strengthening and improvement of scientific activities will be based on a complementarity of partners´ competences in application of advanced strategies for food contaminants control. The Norwegian partner, NBMU, will support UCT Prague in a novel non-target screening strategies based on a high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). This novel approach enables, contrary to ´classic´ targeted analysis which is still employed in many labs, not only detection of ´unknown´ compounds present in sample, but also retrospective data mining, highly valuable function in case of emerging food contamination crisis. UCT Prague will share with until now mostly ´environmentally oriented´ NMBU long term experience in food safety control, including the knowledge of contamination scenarios, the impact of physicochemical and biochemical factors on hazardous chemicals fate and typical contaminants pattern in various food matrices. The strategies to exploit benefits offered by advanced mass spectrometry (MS) platforms and associated research needs will be the subject of scientific communication between the partners. Both young scientists (PhD students), and experienced academics and senior research staff will increase their research profiles through series of short-term trainings / study stays, expert’s visits and common workshop. The cooperation will also enable advancing of common initiatives leading to enhancing potential for research activities in the field of non-target analytical strategies in food safety control. It is expected that new collaborating research teams will be established which will follow the present research, and will also support future extension of the collaboration on research projects focusing on implementation of novel analytical strategies for control of emerging organic hazardous substances in food products.
