Novolyze selected by French Government for food safety R&D programme

Global developer of food safety initiatives Novolyze has been selected by the French Government for a new research and development (R&D) programme in food safety.

Novolyze will receive funds from the government for developing validation innovations for the programme code-named Alaka.

Novolyze founder and CEO Karim-Franck Khinouche said: “The award is another confirmation of the validity and potential of our technology to improve food safety for consumers.

“We have recently been awarded the 2017 Innovation Award by the International Association for Food Protection and we have added Dr David Acheson to our board.”

The new programme focuses on production and identification of non-pathogenic surrogate microorganisms that mimic the behaviour of enteric pathogens such as Norovirus and other bacteria like Listeria.

The surrogates identified will be used by the food industry to validate the effectiveness of sanitation steps in pre-cut, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables.

Khinouche further added: “This award is valuable in many ways. We will have support to develop our product to serve an additional food segment (fresh and frozen produce), which will help consumers and Novolyze.

“The award continues to accelerate our momentum and development of IP (intellectual property).”

The primary objective of the Alaka project is to strengthen control of microbial hazards to improve environmental sustainability in the food chain through better treatment parameters and a lower use of chemical agents.

The R&D activities will be carried out for a period of three years beginning this month, with an investment of €1.8m of which €0.9m will be provided by the French Government.