The Special Issue, 'Improved biotraceability of unintended microorganisms and their substances in food and feed chains',  of the International Journal of Food Microbiology was published on 1 March 2011. Subscribers to the journal can read the Special Issue at www.sciencedirect.com.

The following articles are contained in the Special Issue:

Introduction
J. Hoorfar, M. Wagner, K. Jordan, S.L. Bouquin and J. Skiby
Towards biotracing in food chains

Feed
J. Zentek
Feed for food

C. Binter, J.M. Straver, P. Häggblom, G. Bruggeman, P.-A. Lindqvist, J. Zentek and M.G. Andersson
Transmission and control of Salmonella in the pig feed chain: A conceptual model

S. Koyuncu, G. Andersson, P. Vos and P. Häggblom
DNA microarray for tracing Salmonella in the feed chain

Dairy
P.N. Skandamis
Advancements of biotracing in the dairy chain

M. Fricker, B. Skånseng, K. Rudi, B. Stessl and M. Ehling-Schulz
Shift from farm to dairy tank milk microbiota revealed by a polyphasic approach is independent from geographical origin

M.S. Schvartzman, A. Maffre, F. Tenenhaus-Aziza, M. Sanaa, F. Butler and K. Jordan
Modelling the fate of Listeria monocytogenes during manufacture and ripening of smeared cheese made with pasteurised or raw milk

E. Fox, K. Hunt, M. O'Brien and K. Jordan
Listeria monocytogenes in Irish Farmhouse cheese processing environments

C.-E.A. Belessi, A.S. Gounadaki, A.N. Psomas and P.N. Skandamis
Efficiency of different sanitation methods on Listeria monocytogenes biofilms formed under various environmental conditions

C.-E.A. Belessi, A.S. Gounadaki, S. Schvartzman, K. Jordan and P.N. Skandamis
Evaluation of growth/no growth interface of Listeria monocytogenes growing on stainless steel surfaces, detached from biofilms or in suspension, in response to pH and NaCl

I. Aprodu, G. Walcher, J. Schelin, I. Hein, B. Norling, P. Rådström, A. Nicolau and M. Wagner
Advanced sample preparation for the molecular quantification of Staphylococcus aureus in artificially and naturally contaminated milk

Pork
A. Pielaat
The data supply chain for tracing Salmonella in pork production

H.J.M. Aarts, P. Vos, J.T. Larsson, A.H.A.M. van Hoek, S. Huehn, T. Weijers, H.A. Grønlund and B. Malorny
A multiplex ligation detection assay for the characterization of Salmonella enterica strains

H. Grønlund, L. Riber, H. Vigre, C. Löfström, L. Folling, S. Huehn, B. Malorny, P. Rådström, K. Rudi and J. Hoorfar
Microarray-based genotyping of Salmonella: Inter-laboratory evaluation of reproducibility and standardization potential

N. Krämer, C. Löfström, H. Vigre, J. Hoorfar, C. Bunge and B. Malorny
A novel strategy to obtain quantitative data for modelling: Combined enrichment and real-time PCR for enumeration of salmonellae from pig carcasses

C. Pin, G. Avendano-Perez, E. Cosciani-Cunico, N. Gomez, A. Gounadakic, G.-J. Nychas, P. Skandamis and G. Barker
Modelling Salmonella concentration throughout the pork supply chain by considering growth and survival in fluctuating conditions of temperature, pH and aw

C. Löfström, J. Schelin, B. Norling, H. Vigre, J. Hoorfar and P. Rådström
Culture-independent quantification of Salmonella enterica in carcass gauze swabs by flotation prior to real-time PCR

Poultry
H. Ingmer
Challenges of Campylobacter jejuni in poultry production

M. Ligowska, M.T. Cohn, R.A. Stabler, B.W. Wren and L. Brøndsted
Effect of chicken meat environment on gene expression of Campylobacter jejuni and its relevance to survival in food

E. Kudirkiene˙, J. Buneviciene, L. Brøndsted, H. Ingmer, J.E. Olsen and M. Malakauskas
Evidence of broiler meat contamination with post-disinfection strains of Campylobacter jejuni from slaughterhouse

Bio-terror
R. Knutsson
A tracing tool portfolio to detect Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum and Noroviruses: Bioterrorism is a food safety and security issue

R. Knutsson, B. van Rotterdam, P. Fach, D. De Medici, M. Fricker, C. Löfström, J. Ågren, B. Segerman, G. Andersson, P. Wielinga, L. Fenicia, J. Skiby, A.C. Schultz and M. Ehling-Schulz
Accidental and deliberate microbiological contamination in the feed and food chains - How biotraceability may improve the response to bioterrorism

M. Fricker, J. Ågren, B. Segerman, R. Knutsson and M. Ehling-Schulz
Evaluation of Bacillus strains as model systems for the work on Bacillus anthracis spores

P.R. Wielinga, R.A. Hamidjaja, J. Ågren, R. Knutsson, B. Segerman, M. Fricker, M. Ehling-Schulz, A. de Groot, J. Burton, T. Brooks, I. Janse and B. van Rotterdam
A multiplex real-time PCR for identifying and differentiating B. anthracis virulent types

P. Fach, L. Fenicia, R. Knutsson, P.R. Wielinga, F. Anniballi, E. Delibato, B. Auricchio, C. Woudstra, J. Ågren, B. Segerman, D. de Medici and B.J. van Rotterdam
An innovative molecular detection tool for tracking and tracing Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, F and other botulinum neurotoxin producing Clostridia based on the GeneDisc cycler

L. Fenicia, P. Fach, B.J. van Rotterdam, F. Anniballi, B. Segerman, B. Auricchio, E. Delibato, R.A. Hamidjaja, P.R. Wielinga, C. Woudstra, J. Ågren, D. De Medici and R. Knutsson
Towards an international standard for detection and typing botulinum neurotoxin-producing Clostridia types A, B, E and F in food, feed and environmental samples: A European ring trial study to evaluate a real-time PCR assay

A.C. Schultz, S. Perelle, S. Di Pasquale, K. Kovac, D. De Medici, P. Fach, H.M. Sommer and J. Hoorfar
Collaborative validation of a rapid method for efficient virus concentration in bottled water

B. Segerman, D. De Medici, M. Ehling Schulz, P. Fach, L. Fenicia, M. Fricker, P. Wielinga, B. Van Rotterdam and R. Knutsson
Bioinformatic tools for using whole genome sequencing as a rapid high resolution diagnostic typing tool when tracing bioterror organisms in the food and feed chain