• About ComBase
  • What is ComBase?
  • Objectives
  • History
  • ComBase Associates
  • Acknowledgments
  • Publications
• Access ComBase
• Modelling Toolbox
  • Tools Integrated in ComBase Browser
  • Tools Based on Validated ComBase Data
  • Other Useful Programs
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• Submit Data
• Support
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• FAQs
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WELCOME TO COMBASE

The ComBase Initiative is a collaboration between the Food Standards Agency and the Institute of Food Research from the United Kingdom; the USDA Agricultural Research Service and its Eastern Regional Research Center from the United States; and the Food Safety Centre in Australia.

Its purpose is to make data and predictive tools on microbial responses to food environments freely available via web-based software. The ComBase Database (accessible via the ComBase Browser) consists of thousands of microbial growth and survival curves that have been collated in research establishments and from publications. They form the basis for numerous microbial models presented in ComBase Predictor, a useful tool for industry, academia and regulatory agencies. They can be used in developing new food technologies while maintaining food safety; in teaching and research; in assessing the microbial risk in foods or setting up new guidelines.

ComBase is a database that contains information about how microorganisms respond to different environments. The information in ComBase is referred to as “quantitative microbiological” data since it describes how levels of microorganisms, both spoilage organisms and pathogens, change over the course of time.

The primary goal of the ComBase consortium is to improve efficiency in locating specific microbiological information, provide a more rapid means to compare data from different laboratories, and to reduce unnecessary redundancy in conducting microbiological studies.

Using an Internet interface, the user identifies criteria that they are interested in for a foodmicrobiology scenario(s). This includes identifying a type or species of organism, a type or class of food, pH, temperature, water activity (or NaCl concentration), and specific food conditions. Alternatively, ComBase customers may be interested in retrieving data donated by a specific source (publication, organisation or researcher).

The Internet version of ComBase was launched in June 2003. Since then, the database has been expanded to over 40,489 data records.

For further information, contact the ComBase support team