MITIGATING THE POTENTIAL RISK OF E. COLI AND SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION IN WHEAT SUPPLY CHAIN USING BIG DATA STRATEGIES

The major goals of this project are to:Provide a system-wide modeling approach to identify the factors that may influence the contamination of the wheat supply chain by pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella.Track the propagation of these pathogens through various processes in the supply chain.Recommend process parameter settings to mitigate the impact of E. coli and Salmonella contamination.Determine the distribution of E. coli and Salmonella in milling fractions and processing equipment upon milling of contaminated wheat. Develop models to predict the concentration of residual microbes at different stages of processing.Evaluate the impact of residual microbes on the processing equipment on milling of uncontaminated batches of wheat. Develop models to identify potential regions of cross- contamination and provide measures that can be taken to mitigate the cross-contamination.Determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of SBS solution and ozone against E. coli and Salmonella in nutrient broth.Evaluate efficacy of SBS, heat treated wheat, and ozonized water, individually and in combination, to control the pathogens on wheat kernels. Develop hurdle technology to improve the efficiency of microbial inactivation.Assess the impacts of the developed hurdle technology (tempering method) on milling and baking quality of the wheat flour.