Lactic acid mix found to eliminate food pathogens
almost all of the common pathogens found in ground beef and other
meat products, according to scientists.
The mixture of lactic acid bacteria, which scientists claim eliminates "99.99 per cent" of all pathogens in processed beef and poultry, has passed GRAS (or generally recognized as safe) status review by the Food and Drug Administration.
The treatment was developed through Texas Tech University and is available through Indianapolis-based Nutrition Physiology. The mixture, to be sold under the name Bovamine Meat Cultures, is one of the few post-production treatments available that protects meat and poultry during long-term storage.
Administered during the processing phase, it works with other food safety processes throughout the beef production chain to provide an added layer of protection for consumers, the university stated.
Mindy Brashears, an associate professor and director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech, led the team that developed the mixture.
It was tested under conditions simulating meat storage and transfer to and from supermarkets. The product was found to reduce Salmonella by 99.9 per cent and E. coli O157:H7 by 99 per cent.
The cultures were put through a battery of both subjective and objective taste tests and were shown to have no impact on flavor, the university stated.
"Lactic acid bacteria are considered good bacteria in that they have a lot of benefits," Brashears said. "They are used to make several products like cheese, yogurt and sausages. They have a place in nature and they compete with other bacteria by producing compounds that kill the other bacteria. That is where the concept of using these bacteria to actually reduce foodborne pathogens came from. It is not a new concept, but some of the applications we have developed are unique."
The FDA requires that meat and poultry products containing the mixture to be labeled to reflect the lactic acid cultures used to reduce foodborne pathogens.
The research was funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, the Texas Beef Council and Nutrition Physiology Corp. It was published in the Journal of Food Protection.
E.coli O157:H7 is a virulent form of the bacteria that can cause diarrhea and, in some cases, kidney failure. Salmonella can cause food poisoning, typhoid, and paratyphoid fever in humans.
