This focus area employs research and outreach that catalyze new product innovations to keep the domestic seafood industry financially competitive and environmentally responsible. It supports the development of protocols and training for innovative food safety procedures that reduce risk and enhance consumer knowledge about seafood.

Specific areas of interest to Delaware Sea Grant include:

• Research, development, and transfer of new technologies to enhance the competitiveness and environmental sustainability of the domestic seafood industry.
• Applied research to facilitate the development of new products and innovative educational approaches to increase seafood availability and consumption by the general public.
• Development of partnerships that enhance training within the industry related to seafood safety best practices.
• Work with partners to develop educational programs that inform consumers about the benefits of seafood consumption, safe seafood handling practices, and the importance of sustainable harvesting practices to the health of the domestic fisheries.
• Conduct of outreach activities to support a viable, sustainable domestic aquaculture industry.

Delaware Sea Grant has funded the following research projects for the 2009–2011 period:

• The influence of growth conditions on pressure resistance and recovery of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

For information about outreach and education activities related to this focus area, visit here.

For additional information, please also see our latest annual report.

Project: The influence of growth conditions on pressure resistance and recovery of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (R/CT-5)

Principal Investigators: Haiqiang Chen and Doris Hicks, University of Delaware

Over the past 100 years, food processing or food production has evolved to meet the needs of consumers by making food safe to eat and convenient to use. Demand for high-quality foods that are fresh tasting and nutritious has created considerable interest in the development of new food-processing techniques. One of those techniques is high pressure processing (HPP).

A recently adopted alternative to traditional heating methods, HPP uses high water pressures to deactivate many foodborne pathogens. Advantages of HPP over traditional preservation methods include increased shelf life, no added preservatives, and no change in flavor, texture, or appearance.

Several recent outbreaks of the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus associated with oysters and clams have heightened the concern with the safety of consumption of these foods. Sea Grant scientists Haiqiang Chen and Doris Hicks are evaluating HPP’s effectiveness in protecting consumers from V. parahaemolyticus contamination in oysters. Results obtained from this study will provide guidance for the seafood industry to process shellfish.

For the full project abstract, click here.