Projects
Sabbatical Hans De Witte: Development of a book on Well-being at work KU Leuven
I would like to deepen a number of insights from Work Psychology (a) through a further literature study, and (b) empirically tested with recent data from Flanders, with the aim of developing a book summarizing the most recent state of affairs with regard to well-being at work in Flanders/Belgium. With this I would have liked to have 'crowned' my career as an occupational psychologist, by offering a synthesis of the state of affairs in the ...
Improving the quality of pork products for the consumer: development of innovative, integrated and sustainable food production chains of high quality pork products matching consumer demands Ghent University
This Integrated Project, funded by the EU Sixth Framework Programme, acronym Q-PorkChains, runs for 5 years, starting 1 january 2007. It aims at developing and testing advanced and multi-disciplinary approaches for identification, characterisation, prediction, and control of pork and pork products throughout diverse production chains. UGent invovlement relates to citizen and consumer issues related to pork production and pork products.
Occurrence and control of Listeria monocytogenes in the beef and pork supply chain KU Leuven
Despite the efforts already made by the sector, slaughterhouses and cutting plants are still confronted with the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in the production environment and on carcasses and meat cuts. Its occurrence may result in meat contamination, leading to economic losses and a potential risk for public health, as evidenced by recent outbreaks. Therefore, there is a need for scientifically based knowledge to ...
Increase the taste and quality of the Flemish pork Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Can the eating and technological meat quality of pork that we produce in Flanders be improved? ILVO and UGent are answering this question in the 4-year project VLEVAVLEES. The aim is to bring the taste and quality of meat closer to the wishes of consumers and buyers by means of targeted strategies in pig farming. Specifically, the project looks at the effects of the finishing line and the ...
Quali-pork: Adaptation of slaughtering methods for improved microbiological quality and safety of pork carcasses Ghent University
Carcasses of food animals must meet increasingly stringent microbiological criteria. Where such criteria should be adapted to the slaughter, but (pigs) slachtjuizen not always have sufficient information to apply targeted and effective measures. Fecal contamination of carcasses during removal of gastrointestinal package remains a widely known problem. Moreover, during the normal slaughter process, the heartbeat (heart, liver, lungs and tongue ...
Innovative feed additives for the reduction of Salmonella contaminated pork - II Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Is it possible to reduce Salmonella shedding by pigs by using innovative feed additives? If so, this could result in fewer Salmonella shedding pigs being delivered to the slaughterhouse. That in turn reduces the risk of meat being contaminated with this bacterium during the slaughter process. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of human Salmonella cases and to ...
Development of methods for detection of infectious hepatitis E in pork meat products and optimization of processing practices to reduce infectivity Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Which food products have the highest risk for transfer of hepatitis E virus (HEV) to the consumer? Can methods be developed to assess the infectivity of HEV? What is the effect of current meat processing practices on the infectivity of HEV in high-risk pork meat products? Currently there is a lack of methods that allow to identify HEV contaminated food products and that determine the risk for ...
Towards pork production and collaboration along the chain to satisfy consumers and society KU Leuven
The general aim of the project is to create added value by acquiring knowledge about current and interrelated challenges for the pig production and processing chain in Flanders through cooperation throughout the chain. In particular, strategies are being developed to 1/improve animal welfare, 2/reduce losses, both at animal level (before slaughter) and carcass level (post-slaughter), and 3/improve the taste and quality of fresh pork and dried ...
Towards more taste and quality in Flemish pork Ghent University
The general objective of the project is to improve the taste and quality of Flemish pork, tailored to the needs of consumers and customers, in order to create added value in primary production and to reduce production losses throughout the pig chain.