Agroscope is investigating how antibiotic resistance can be transferred to plant-based foods.
Agroscope experts are investigating where antibiotic resistance can arise in the food supply chain. The research projects are intended to help highlight and eliminate weak points, so that antibiotics can continue to remain effective against diseases in future.
An Antibiotic Awareness Week will take place for the first time throughout Switzerland from 13–19 November. The intention here is to discuss how antibiotic resistance arises, and how it endangers our health when resistant pathogens can no longer be combatted with antibiotics.
REDYMO, the Agroscope research programme on the ‘Reduction and Dynamics of Antibiotic-resistant and Persistent Microorganisms along Food Chains’, investigates antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistant biofilms in selected areas of food production.
When undesirable bacteria crop up in the food chain, they can make the product in question inedible, or even cause illness in consumers. Agroscope experts aim to stop such bacteria in its tracks.
Wenn Mastschweine wegen Infektionskrankheiten behandelt werden, verabreicht man Antibiotika über das Rohrleitungssystem von Flüssigfütterungsanlagen. Dadurch können die Bakterien in den Leitungen resistent werden und über das Futter in die Schweinemägen gelangen. Eine einfache Regel hilft, das Problem in den Griff zu bekommen.
Fattening pigs treated for infectious diseases are sometimes administered antibiotics via the pipeline system in liquid-feed units. This means that the bacteria in the pipes can become resistant and wind up in the pigs’ stomachs through the feed. A simple rule helps us get to grips with the problem.
In the manufacture of traditional types of cheese, the processing of fresh milk that has been treated as gently as possible is of crucial importance. Preserving the microbiome and the activity of the original enzymes in the raw milk to the greatest extent possible allows these cheeses to retain their original character. This objective conflicts with the growing demands placed on products in terms of food safety.
