Don’t be Shellfish! Use Next Generation Sequencing to Improve Seafood Safety and Quality

Webinar Description

Organized by: IAFP's Seafood Safety and Quality

Seafood safety and quality research primarily focuses on two areas: the presence of pathogens and spoilage. Spoilage is traditionally evaluated using microbiological, chemical, and/or sensory analyses of products. Pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, are commonly detected with molecular methods, including real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing. However, as next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches such as metagenomics and whole genome sequencing (WGS) are more readily available, their use can provide a broader perspective on seafood safety and quality compared with classic molecular techniques. While WGS and metagenomic tools are frequently applied to other food commodities, the application of these powerful tools towards seafood safety, quality, and outbreak investigations is not as widespread. Key questions remain about NGS and seafood research. Focusing on seafood safety and quality, this webinar will delve into metagenomics and WGS as tools for a better understanding of pathogens and spoilage organisms, and their associated public health risks.

Learning Objectives:

-Explore recent advancements of NGS tools in seafood safety and quality research and application of these tools to seafood spoilage with an emphasis of comparison to traditional methods.
-Apply metagenomics to bacterial and viral analyses of seafood safety.
-Discuss lessons learned in overcoming the challenges of seafood matrices to generate impactful NGS data for practical applications.

Professional Development Groups

  • Seafood Safety and Quality Professional Development Group

Presenters

  • Foteini Parlapani, Presenter University of Thessaly
  • Sabrina Mace, Presenter Ifremer
  • Christopher Grim, Presenter U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Soizick Le Guyader, Presenter Ifremer
  • Marlee Mims, Presenter & Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Rachel Rodriguez, Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)