Introduction

Quality of pork and pork products has become a complex and dynamic theme involving the total pork chain from fork-to-farm with a multitude of interacting aspects related to peoples demands as consumers, as citizens and as producers of economic and environmental sustainability.

The European Unions self-sufficiency and leading position in the global market for pork and pork products is challenged by a number of non-European countries (for example Brazil, China, USA and Canada). The need for developing innovative, integrated, and sustainable food production chains of high quality pork products matching consumer demands is therefore being addressed by Q-PorkChains.

Project overview

The objective of Q-PorkChains is to develop innovative, integrated and sustainable food production chains of high quality pork products matching consumer demands, by development and testing of advanced and multi-disciplinary approaches for identification, characterisation, prediction, and control of the quality of pork and pork products in different stages of the pork chain in diverse production systems. Q-PorkChains is the largest project of the EU six framework program, which is engaged in meat science. More than 50 organisations from 21 countries work together on the project for five years, from 2007-2011.

Eight research and development modules

Research, technology and innovation from „fork-to-farm“ is addressed in six research modules I-VI, which are the pillars of the project, and one horizontal pilot and demonstration module (Module A). Another horizontal module (Module B) will include communication and knowledge transfer.

The six pillars explore specific development potentials of different aspects of the pork production sector: consumer and citizen behaviour and preferences; on-farm production systems; product development; integration and sustainability within the pork production chain; new biology for quality control; and the development of prediction models for food quality, food safety and animal welfare.

The horizontal module A will ensure that research is followed by innovative actions and exploitation of the research results through the formation of research pilots and demonstration chains.

The core of Module B is to transfer new knowledge in education and training programmes at different educational levels from vocational school to university. GIQS takes on the role as “SME Liaison Office”, to inform Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) throughout entire Europe about the development and results of Q-PorkChains and to support their involvement in project activities.

The third horizontal module C focuses on project management and coordination.

Module I: Consumer/market analysis
Coordinator: Prof. Klaus G. Grunert, e-mail
The objective is to develop new tools for the development and marketing of pork products based on mapping and assessment of consumers and citizens behaviour towards the pig production chain.
Expected achievements include clear and empirically based guidelines that can be used in the other modules in order to investigate the market potential and societal acceptance of production systems, processing technologies, and newly developed consumer products. New software tools are to be developed for prediction of market shares and new product development.
<< top

Module II: Diversity, flexibility and sustainability of farm-level production systems
Coordinator: Prof. Michel Bonneau, e-mail
The objective is to develop tools for improved responsiveness of sustainable production systems at farm-level towards society demands. An extensive inventory is to be carried out within the module of the European and the most important competing countries of pig production systems. Another expected achievement is to develop better and more innovative pig production systems and quality assurance strategies.
<< top

Module III: Product Development quality, nutrition and convenience
Coordinator: Dr. Jacint Arnau, email
The objective of module III is to develop innovative technologies to improve pork products matching consumer demands in relation to quality, nutrition and convenience.
<< top

Module IV: Integration and sustainable management of the production chains
Coordinator: Dr. Jacques H. Trienekes, e-mail
New tools are to be identified and developed for integration and efficient sustainable management of a diversified European production and distribution system. The objective of this module is to improve quality of the production chains, the sustainable chain logistics and the innovation management.
<< top

Module V: New biology as a tool for control of pork quality
Coordinator: Prof. Niels Oksbjerg, e-mail
The objective is to develop new molecular tools to control the quality of the pork production. The industry is to be provided with molecular methods for the production of high quality pork and pork products at all levels of the production chain from “fork-to-farm”.
<< top

Module VI: Synthesis of existing knowledge on pork quality, safety and welfare
Coordinator: Dr. Karel H. de Greef, e-mail
The objective is to develop prediction models for pork quality and food safety as a consequence of production systems. These models of preceding character are to be made accessible to the public and provide them with information about meat products (in regards to technological and sensory quality, food safety and animal welfare).
<< top

Module A: Pilot and demonstration chains
Coordinator: Prof. Brigitte Petersen, e-mail
The objective is to facilitate cooperation with Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) on pilot and demonstration activities and develop inter-organisational collaboration along pork production chains and networks. The pilot and demonstration activities should provide European wide transparency of research outcome, new developments and innovations.
<< top

Module B: Education, training and dissemination
Coordinator: Dr. Mette Christensen, e-mail
The objective is to transfer knowledge: The newly gained knowledge from the Q-PorkChains project is to reach target groups at all levels: (Consumer, industry and universities).
<< top

For further information please visit the project website. There you are also able to subscribe to our Q-Porkchains newsletter.