Food Hygiene and Safety Division

Training courses offered by the Food Hygiene and –Safety Divisiony:

• Food hygiene and safety, basic course.
• Food hygiene, mid-level course.
• Food hygiene and self-control in small-scale and private establishments.
• Ensuring food production hygiene.
• Sampling of the production environment for detection of pathogens and monitoring of the general hygiene
• Principles and methods of sampling of the production environment.
• Establishing of self-control systems and auditing.
• Prerequisite programs and food safety management systems.
• Transport of farm animals following animal protection requirements.
• Control of food allergens.
• Sanitary and hygiene course for hunters.
• Meat hygiene and inspection.
• The safety of meat and meat products and production hygiene.
• The safety of fish and fish products and production hygiene.
• Durability studies and determination of food shelf-life.
• Chemical hazards in food.
• Essential foodborne pathogens: transmission routes, growth, control and health risks.
• The control of Listeria monocytogenes in food production.
• Food additives.
• Plant endogenous toxicants/poisons.
• Plant origin feed and food toxicants/poisons.

Don't hesitate to contact the Open University of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for inquiries about training courses.

Food Hygiene and Safety Division conducts internationally recognized research and development work in the fields of food hygiene and safety.

The academic staff of the Unit of Food Hygiene and Safety:

• Provides expert opinions and informational materials related to the field;
• Participates in oral presentations at seminars and scientific-practical conferences on food hygiene and safety;
• Tenured professor in food hygiene, Mati Roasto, represents Estonia as a member of EFSA's Biological Hazards Commission (BIOHAZ-MRA) network;
• Engages in food safety communication through various media platforms to raise public awareness and highlight key aspects of food safety, aiming to prevent or minimize health risks associated with food.

Research services:

• Expert opinions in food hygiene and safety.
• Consultation services in food microbiological and chemical safety/quality.
• Basic and applied research in food hygiene and –safety.
• Foodborne pathogens (L. monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp.) related expertise and studies including molecular genomics.

Project introduction of TEM-TA52

The selection and consumption of plant-based foods, including meat alternatives, is growing rapidly, but their microbiological and chemical safety has been poorly studied worldwide. This project focuses on assessing the safety and quality of high-risk plant-based foods in Estonia.

Main activities:

• Defining typical products and risk categories.
• Analyzing microbiological safety and quality, as well as conducting risk assessments.
• Conducting molecular biology and antibiotic resistance studies.
• Analyzing chemical safety: mycotoxins, toxic alkaloids, ATP breakdown products, and oxidation parameters.

The project aims to clarify:

• Microbiological safety and quality of animal food alternatives.
• Chemical safety and quality of animal food alternatives.
• Microbiological safety and quality of plant-based ready meals.
• Chemical safety and quality of plant-based ready meals.
• Public health risks associated with the consumption of these food groups.

Collaboration:

The project partner is the State Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment Center (LABRIS).

Outcome:

The research results will help assess public health risks and support the development of preventive and control measures at both the company and national institutional levels.

Project introduction of PRG1441

The project focuses on investigating the antioxidant, anti-autolytic, and antimicrobial properties of plant-based substances to create optimized blends that inhibit the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and proteins in meat and fish matrices. Additionally, the impact of these blends on the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microbiota is evaluated.

More detailed information can be found here:

Between 2005 and 2024, we have published a substantial number of scientific publications, primarily 1.1 category articles (indexed by Thomson Reuters Web of Science) in international scientific journals. The list can be found here:

The Food Hygiene and Safety Division maintains close collaboration with both other Chairs of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and international partners:

• Within the Estonian University of Life Sciences: Cooperation with the Polli Horticultural Research Centre, the Chair of Food Science and Food Technology (e.g., projects SUSMEATPRO and RESTA 14), and Research Centre of Organic Farming.
• In Estonia: Collaboration with various institutes of the University of Tartu, OÜ BioCC, and the State Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment Center (LABRIS), as well as national food safety institutions and others.
• Internationally: Our partners include various institutes of the University of Helsinki, the Latvia University of Life Sciences, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE).