Queen's University and MOBILion announce collaboration to advance food safety

Queen's University and MOBILion announce collaboration to advance food safety

Queen's University and MOBILion Systems, Inc. have launched a new partnership to advance food safety by innovating test methods and tools that aim to quickly identify contaminants, enhancing current technologies for better detection.

The goal is to ensure consumer access to safe, nutritious food, highlighting both organisations' commitment to public health.

Leading this initiative are Professor Chris Elliott, Founding Director of the world-famous ASSET Technology Centre from the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast, and Dr Nick Birse, Lecturer in Mass Spectrometry from the Institute for Global Food Security and School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast.

Their work focuses on improving the detection of contaminants such as mycotoxins and hazardous pollutants in food, leveraging Queen's extensive sample libraries and expertise to set new standards in food safety testing. Central to their efforts is the MOBIE platform, known for its superior resolution, increased throughput, and unmatched reproducibility.

Professor Chris Elliott, Founding Director of the world-famous ASSET Technology Centre from the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's, said: "I'm delighted to see the launch of this partnership. The ASSET Centre was established over 15 years ago to undertake cutting edge research in the important areas of food safety and authenticity.

"The positive impacts of this work have been seen in many parts of the world, saving lives and protecting consumers and businesses. We see massive opportunities for the MOBILion technology to further support our work in protecting the integrity of the global food supply system."

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Nick Birse, Lecturer in Mass Spectrometry from the Institute for Global Food Security and School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, said: "We're excited to be working with MOBILion and Agilent to install the first MOBIE instrument in the UK and second in Europe. This will significantly enhance our food security research within the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast.

"The MOBIE system has been shown to accelerate testing up to 60-fold, allowing for more samples to be analyzed and increasing the chance of detecting contaminants. Its enhanced accuracy ensures greater certainty in identifying problems in food and feed.

"The integration of a new small molecule ion mobility mass spectrometry platform within the extensively equipped ASSET Technology Centre demonstrates a commitment to continuing and improving further on the research which saw Queen's University Belfast ranked No.1 for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science (2022). Collaborations with vendors such as MOBILion support our vision of undertaking world-leading research, connecting with collaborators across the globe, whether academic or commercial."

The partnership promises to yield joint research publications, conference presentations, and webinars to disseminate findings to industry stakeholders and regulatory bodies, fostering ongoing communication and collaboration.

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