# Microbiology: Analytical Track 3: Animal Food Testing

> **NIH FDA U19** · MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH · 2020 · $30,000

## Abstract

SUMMARY: MICROBIOLOGY ANALYTICAL TRACK 3 (ANIMAL FOOD TESTING) 
Pet food can become adulterated with a wide range of contaminants that threaten to compromise 
household safety. The core tenet of this large and multifaceted proposal is to contribute a 
comprehensive and integrated food protection laboratory hub to the Food Emergency Response 
Network (FERN) that is capable of analyzing many different foods across a diversity of threat priorities. 
As such, surveilling animal food for microbiological contamination is an essential component of 
the MDH Laboratories Administration’s goal of ensuring a safe food supply. This proposal seeks to 
strengthen testing of diverse animal foods (100 samples) using ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited 
methods, extensive technical capabilities, and the experienced Analysts of the Food Microbiology 
Laboratory. This planned strategy complements high-volume human food testing activities, and further 
leverages a strong and close collaboration with our in-house Sequencing Core. Activities within this 
analytical track will be purposefully focused to achieve the 15 Specific Aims that were outlined in the 
PAR-20-105 program announcement. The Laboratory will work with local regulatory authorities in the 
event that violative contaminants are found in pet foods.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10174012
- **Project number:** 1U19FD007084-01
- **Recipient organization:** MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** SINISA URBAN
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $30,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10174012

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10174012, Microbiology: Analytical Track 3: Animal Food Testing (1U19FD007084-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10174012. Licensed CC0.

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