Aquatic Food Safety Unit (SANAQUA)

The SANAQUA unit carries out research, reference, surveillance and expert appraisal activities relating to the biological and chemical hazards that can affect the safety of foods derived from fishery and aquaculture products.

The unit is organised into three scientific sections: 

• Bacteriology
• Chemistry
• Parasitology

The activities undertaken by the bacteriology section 

The scientists working on bacteriology are conducting research into Listeria monocytogenes, with a particular focus on its adhesion, biofilm formation and its persistence on surfaces in food processing facilities, making it a potential source of food contamination. Another major area of research concerns the ecophysiology of Listeria in aquatic products, with the aim of better understanding the factors influencing its virulence.

In parallel, work is being carried out on Vibrio (in particular Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio vulnificus), which are bacteria naturally found in the marine environment that can cause emerging infections, due in particular to global warming and the increase in the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood.

Research is also focusing on the development and validation of methods for detecting, identifying, quantifying and characterising these pathogenic bacteria, in conjunction with efforts to study the factors determining their pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance.

A specific component is dedicated to studying the spread of antibiotic resistance in the marine environment and its impact on food safety. The objective is to carry out a survey of this resistance in the marine environment and aquatic products, considering that this area of research is still poorly documented.

Lastly, this section is associated with the National and European Reference Laboratories (NRL and EURL) for L. monocytogenes at ANSES’s Laboratory for Food Safety in Maisons-Alfort (SEL unit). It also has an NRL mandate for Vibrio sp. in fishery products.

The activities undertaken by the chemistry section

The chemistry section encompasses two areas of research relating to fishery and aquaculture products:  the first involves histamine risks and the second deals with microplastics in food.

It has an NRL mandate for histamine in fishery products. This compound is one of the main causes of foodborne illness related to fish consumption. The NRL for histamine works to improve and harmonise analytical methods to identify and quantify biogenic amines, including histamine, in seafood products.

This section also deals with food contamination by microplastics by participating in research projects to improve the methods for characterising these particles (type of polymer, size, additive content, etc.) and to assess levels of contamination in different types of food products (beverages, meat, seafood, etc.). In addition, research is being conducted on the identification and quantification of plastic additives in materials and food. These different approaches are helping to improve knowledge on the impact on human health. Expert appraisal work is also being undertaken within the normative framework (ISO, JRC, AFNOR, etc.) as well as in support of institutions (FAO, WHO, ministries, etc.).

The activities undertaken by the parasitology section

The scientists working on this topic are researching parasites in fishery and aquaculture products that are known to have or suspected of having zoonotic potential. Among these, Anisakidae, i.e. nematodes that can cause digestive and/or allergic reactions in humans, pose a significant parasitic risk in fishery products. This is because these cosmopolitan parasites infest more than 200 species of fish and cephalopods, with prevalence ranging from 0 to 100%.  In addition, work is being carried out on trematodes, which are potentially zoonotic parasites found in marine and freshwater products from fishing and aquaculture. 

The parasitology section involves three lines of research:

• developing and validating methods (molecular or otherwise) for the detection, identification and characterisation of parasites 
• studying (quantification, characterisation) the distribution of these parasites in fishery and aquaculture products and the biotic and abiotic factors that influence it
• and to a lesser extent, taking measures to control these parasites, for both professionals and consumers.

This section also contributes to reference work on Anisakidae and is an associate laboratory of the Maisons-Alfort Laboratory for Animal Health (BIPAR unit) as part of its mandate as NRL for foodborne parasites.

As an NRL or associate of an NRL in all three sections, the unit acts as a branch of the Central Laboratory for Veterinary Services (Laboratory for Food Safety in Maisons-Alfort) to carry out first-line analyses in the context of foodborne illnesses.

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