Newswise — During the past two decades, food safety has improved dramatically with major advancements in scientific understanding of food-borne pathogens as well as technological innovations in food handling, processing and storage. However, the national outbreak of E. coli linked to fresh spinach and, more recently, the recall of potentially tainted lettuce again have raised questions about the safety of America's food supply.
Investigations are ongoing, but such events are reminders of the potential contamination of foods, either by lapses in processing safety measures or, more alarmingly, the potential evolution of bacterial pathogens.
From pre-harvest through post-harvest phases of food production and processing, researchers at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., are working to reduce potential contamination of foods by E. coli and other common food-borne pathogens. The following OSU researchers are available to comment on their research and other food safety issues.
"¢ Dr. Peter Muriana, a food microbiologist at the Oklahoma Food and Agricultural Products Research and Technology Center at OSU, is working with an Oklahoma food processing equipment manufacturer to verify the effectiveness of new cleansing applications for electrolyzed water. Muriana is also heading a study to determine if the ability of certain strains of bacteria to adhere much more strongly to surfaces in processing plants means they adhere strongly to " and are absorbed more readily by " intestinal tissue, a potential indication of higher virulence.
"¢ Dr. William McGlynn, a produce specialist at the FAPC and faculty member in OSU's Horticulture and Landscape Architecture department, is conducting a contamination risk assessment analysis of fresh cut fruits and vegetables used in salad bag mixes. The study seeks to identify the stages of processing " cutting, washing, bagging " during which the inherent risk of contamination is highest. Its findings will help produce processors target their efforts to prevent contamination by pathogens such as E. coli.
"¢ Dr. Timothy Snider, assistant professor of veterinary pathology at OSU's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, is studying O157 E. coli as it occurs in cattle intestinal tracts. Cows are carriers of this E. coli strain that causes human sickness, and Snider's work in pre-harvest food safety seeks to prevent, reduce or eliminate the bacteria's presence.
Compared to salmonella poisoning that requires an infectious dose of approximately 1,000 to 10,000 bacteria, 1 to 100 E. coli microorganisms can make a person sick. Slightly reducing E. coli counts in cattle may improve exponentially the safety of meat processing. It also could reduce greatly the possibility of E. coli being passed from cows into water supplies used for irrigation, limiting potential contamination of produce in the field.
RSS