Dr. H. Russell Cross, Head, Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, asks if it’s doing enough and suggests the next logical steps to advance the state-of-the-art.
Researchers at Washington State University have found that a compound in garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, one of the most common causes of intestinal illness. Their work was published recently in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
High-pressure processing (HPP) is a commercially available, non-thermal process that utilizes water under pressure to reduce pathogens while also extending the shelf life of the product. The mode of action of HPP against microbes is protein denaturation (breaking of covalent bonds), ultimately resulting in cellular death. Researchers have documented the effectiveness of HPP on pathogens in a variety of muscle foods.
On May 7, 2012, FSIS announced that its traceback policy was about to change. Previously, in the event of a positive E. coli O157:H7 regulatory finding in finished ground beef, or in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak linked to ground beef, FSIS rarely would attempt to demine the original source of the contamination.
A clean plant by definition has all visible soil removed. Typically cleaning will remove 99 percent of the bacteria, but sanitation is necessary to remove that last 1 percent.
With the shift toward highly automated, continuous processing, it’s critical to remember that food-grade lubricants, greases and other mechanical fluids play a key role in a plant’s overall hygiene strategy.
On June 4, six non-O157 STECs (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145) officially became per se adulterants in various raw beef products. On that date, FSIS began analyzing raw beef manufacturing trimmings for these six.
Tom Egan, vice president, Industry Services/Membership, for PMMI, adds his thoughts on how FSMA will impact meat processers and what equipment suppliers are doing to present more sanitary design options.
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