Omics-Driven Insights into Foodborne Pathogens and Spoilage Microorganisms: Applications and Innovations

Foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms pose significant challenges to global food safety, public health, and the sustainability of the food supply chain. Traditional microbiological techniques, while valuable, often fall short of capturing the complexity and diversity of microbial communities in food systems and packaging. Recent advances in high-throughput omics technologies—including genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics—have revolutionized our understanding of microbial behaviors, interactions, and adaptations. Omics approaches allow for the identification of a comprehensive picture of microbial systems, which enables deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms underpinning pathogenicity, spoilage, stress response, and survival, providing new avenues for risk assessment and control strategies.This Research Topic aims to explore how omics-driven approaches can enhance our understanding of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, bridging fundamental microbiology with practical applications in food production and preservation. A major challenge in food microbiology is accurately identifying pathogens in complex matrices, predicting spoilage events, and designing effective intervention strategies. Omics tools offer unprecedented opportunities to decode a wide range of microbial activities and functions, such as virulence potential, biofilm formation, antimicrobial resistance, gene expression, and spoilage-associated metabolic profiles. By integrating multi-omics data, we can better address emerging threats and promote innovation in food microbiology and safety management.This Topic seeks studies that utilize omics for various aspects of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, such as microbial monitoring, predictive modeling, risk analysis, and the development of novel control technologies. We welcome contributions that apply omics approaches to investigate microbes in diverse food systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:(1) genomic, metagenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, or metabolomic profiling of microbial communities in food;(2) mechanisms of spoilage or pathogenesis uncovered by omics technologies;(3) systems biology insights into stress response, biofilm formation, or resistance;(4) applications of microbial control technologies and omics approaches for food safety;(5) predictive models integrating omics data for risk assessment or process optimization.We invite a variety of manuscript types that contribute to applications and innovations in food microbiology, safety, and quality assurance, especially Original Research and Reviews. Topic editors: Xiaowei Lou, XUE ZHAO, Yuan Li, Lin Zhao Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75414/omics-driven-insights-into-foodborne-pathogens-and-spoilage-microorganisms-applications-and-innovations