Services
ACTALIA’s Food Safety unit empowers agri-food companies with cutting-edge expertise in analysis, testing, advice, training, and R&D, ensuring top-tier microbiological safety and food wholesomeness.
Located in Saint Lô, our 2,700 m² state-of-the-art facility, built in 2014-2015, features advanced L2 and L3 laboratories and a 230 m² confined technological hall. In the latter, we are able to reproduce at the pilot-scale technological treatments, and cleaning-disinfection operations with biological material up to biosafety level 3. To know more
ACTALIA Food Safety is at the forefront of advancing knowledge, methods, and practices in food and water safety and wholesomeness.
Our expertise comes from working on national and European public research projects with leading laboratories (ANSES, INRAE, CNRS, University hospitals, Universities). Each year, ACTALIA Food Safety leads or partners in 10 to 15 research programs. We share our findings through scientific publications, conference presentations, and by transferring innovations and knowledge to the industry.
The Food Safety unit is composed of four key services:
- Food Microbiology: bacteria, yeasts and molds.
- Food Virology: norovirus, Hepatitis A virus (HAV), emerging viruses.
- Food Parasitology: Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Toxoplasma, Cyclospora, Anisakis.
- Equipment Hygiene and Cleaning and Disinfection Strategies.
- Study of microbial ecosystems of food and production environments (protective or spoilage flora, pathogens, biofilms).
- Investigations of food spoilage by yeasts/molds.
- Characterization of microbiota of spoilage and pathogenic flora using -omics approaches (genomics (WGS), metabarcoding, metagenomics).
- Resolution of manufacturing defects with a microbiological origin.
- Validation of microbiological shelf-life:
- Growth tests: pathogenic and spoilage flora (laboratory recognized by DGAL for carrying out Listeria monocytogenes growth tests according to IT DGAL/SDPAL 2016-688).
- Predictive microbiology: Sym’Previus expert center (more information: https://symprevius.eu/fr/).
(more information here)
- Detection of norovirus and HAV in food under COFRAC accreditation n°1-6246, with quantification in case of presence (scope available on cofrac.fr).
- Epidemiology of emerging viruses in wastewater (Actalia is associate member of SIG Obepine: https://www.reseau-obepine.fr).
- Monitoring the virological quality of water environments and production areas (shellfish and vegetables).
- Characterization of infectious viral hazards (norovirus, HAV) in food and the environment.
- Organization of inter-laboratory proficiency tests for the detection of norovirus and HAV in food according to the ISO 15216 standard.
- Evaluation of phage therapy applied to food.
- Detection/quantification of protozoan parasites in food and water.
- Characterization of the infectivity of protozoan parasites.
- Development of detection methods for protozoan parasites: all matrices.
- Disinfectant testing: suspension and carrier tests (DVG, personalized tests).
- Study of other parasites (Anisakis, Eimeria).
- Authorized EHEDG test laboratory (ehedg.org) for the certification of the hygienic design of closed-design equipment (pumps, valves, inline sensors…) under COFRAC accreditation n°1-6246 (scope available on www.cofrac.fr).
- Characterization of the cleanability of open-design equipment (pedestals, gutters, screws…). Certification possible since 2024.
- On-site audit and training.
- Management of cross-contamination hazards by allergens.
- Effectiveness of biocides and in situ cleaning & disinfection procedures: open/closed surfaces, Airborne Surface Decontamination.
- Evaluation of the microbicidal effectiveness of innovative decontamination technologies:
- Targets: pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, protozoan parasites), indicators, and spoilage flora (bacteria, yeasts, molds, bacteriophages).
- Matrices: food, water, sludge, surfaces.
- Laboratory or pilot studies.
- Hosting of trial pilots in a biosafety level 3 confined technological hall.
- Qualification as an Agro-Industrial Technical Institute (ITAI) by the French Ministry in charge of food for the period 2023-2027.
- Accreditation as a Technological Research Center (CRT), Research Tax Credit (CIR), and Innovation Tax Credit (CII) by the French Ministry in charge of Education and Research.
- Co-leadership of the Actia QUALIMA joint technological network (RMT) (2020-2025) approved by the Ministry in charge of food.
- Members of the Actia CHLEAN (2021-2025) and FLOREPRO (2021-2025) joint technological networks (RMT).
- Leadership of the Actia VIROcontrol (2022-2026) Joint Technological Unit (UMT) approved by the French Ministry in charge of food.
- Leadership of the Actia PROTORISK (2020-2024) Joint Technological Unit (UMT) approved by the French Ministry in charge of food.
- Participation in national and international (ISO) expert networks.
- SYM’PREVIUS expert laboratory (www.symprevius.eu).
- Laboratory recognized by DGAL for conducting Listeria monocytogenes growth tests (IT DGAL/SDPAL 2016-688).
- EHEDG Authorized test laboratory.
- Associate member of SIG Obépine (wastewater based epidemiology).
- Laboratories accredited by COFRAC for the detection of norovirus and HAV in food and for the EHEDG cleanability tests (Accreditation n°1-6246 scope available on cofrac.fr)
