Scientists develop new technology to kill foodborne pathogens in minutes

Washington, June 25 : To counter the increasing rate of food-borne illnesses, researchers at University of Georgia have developed a new and effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on food.

The new antimicrobial wash rapidly kills Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on foods ranging from fragile lettuce to tomatoes, fruits, poultry products and meats. It is made from inexpensive and readily available ingredients that are recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This new technology also has commercial application for the produce, poultry, meat and egg processing industries.

According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. alone, foodborne pathogens are responsible for 76 million illnesses every year. These widespread outbreaks of food-borne illnesses are partly attributed to the fast-paced distribution of foods across the nation.

Right now, a chlorine wash is often used in a variety of ways to reduce harmful bacteria levels on vegetables, fruits and poultry, but because of chlorine's sensitivity to food components and extraneous materials released in chlorinated water treatments, many bacteria survive.

Chlorine is toxic at high concentrations, may produce off-flavors and undesirable appearance of certain food products, and it can only be used in conjunction with specialized equipment and trained personnel. In addition, chlorine may be harmful to the environment.

"We can't rely on chlorine to eliminate pathogens on foods. This new technology is effective, safe for consumers and food processing plant workers, and does not affect the appearance or quality of the product. It may actually extend the shelf-life of some types of produce," said Michael Doyle, one of the new technology's inventors and director of UGA's Center for Food Safety.

Doyle is an internationally recognized authority on food safety whose research focuses on developing methods to detect and control food-borne bacterial pathogens at all levels of the food continuum, from the farm to the table.

Developed by Doyle and Center for Food Safety researcher Tong Zhao, the new antimicrobial technology uses a combination of ingredients that kills bacteria within one to five minutes from application.

It can be used as a spray and immersion solution, and its concentration can be adjusted for treatment of fragile foods such as leafy produce, more robust foods such as poultry, or food preparation equipment and food transportation vehicles.

"The effectiveness, easy storage and application, and low cost of this novel antibacterial make it applicable not only at food processing facilities, but also at points-of-sale and at home, restaurants and military bases. The development of this technology is timely, given the recent, sequential outbreaks of foodborne pathogens," said Gennaro Gama, UGARF technology manager in charge of licensing this technology.

ANI