Objectives and Main Focuses

The aim of the Mediterranean University's Food Safety and Agricultural Research Center is to organize the university's research and development activities in the field of food safety and agriculture within a central organization framework, thereby enhancing the quality and quantity of these activities by creating a healthy and productive research environment.

In Turkey, various government institutions are involved in the determination and control of toxic and biological risk factors in food, and research is conducted in relevant departments of universities. However, there is currently no fully equipped food safety research center that comprehensively addresses these substances in food, provides methodological support, keeps track of scientific and technological advancements to develop faster and more accurate analysis methods, and supports agricultural research. It is believed that the establishment of such a fully equipped food safety research center capable of conducting comprehensive analysis, monitoring activities, research, and development studies on these risk factors would fill a significant gap at the national level. In our province, where extensive agricultural production activities take place, one of the main challenges faced by agricultural producers and exporters is the issue of residues related to agricultural pesticides and toxic chemicals. The center aims to develop projects that provide solutions to residue problems and enable the central laboratory to conduct residue analyses needed by the private sector, thus contributing to the university's revolving fund budget. Furthermore, the center aims to support interdisciplinary research on food safety among different academic disciplines.