THE NEW SALMONELLA BUSTER-WILL IT IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY?

America is a country which can be cursed or admired depending on the yardstick one uses. When food safety and healthy foods are concerned, this country has a despicable record though this is not due to the scientific inertia or insensitivity by the scientists to the sufferings of the consumer but due to the attitude of its politicians who are all prisoners of the food industry lobbyists spending millions of dollars to curry favor with them. But scientists as a group are highly innovative bringing out novel findings and new technologies regularly whether for manufacturing or safety assessment. No wonder most of the Nobel laureates hail  from the US during the last few decades. The Netherlands appears to have taken a lead on the US recently by finding an effective solution to the emergence of dangerous pathogens which have much higher damage potential due to their ability to circumvent the lethal effect of most of the antibiotics presently in the armory of the physicians. The so called antibiotic resistance developed by a few disease causing bacteria is the greatest threat to humanity and with the development of a bacteriophage based treatment protocol, primarily for the meat industry which by far is the biggest user of antibiotics at present. here is a take on this new development which has far reaching implications vis-a-vis humans.  

"The FDA and US Department of Agriculture have approved a food processing aid against Salmonella, according to a press release. The additive, called Salmonelex, uses natural phages to eliminate the bacteria. Salmonelex is produced by Micreos of the Netherlands and will be used by poultry processors in the United States beginning in January. "Now that the FDA and USDA have given the green light we can offer food processors a new and natural solution against Salmonella, including antibiotic resistant strains," saidMark Offerhaus, CEO of Micreos. "Salmonelex is seen as a very elegant solution as it targets only Salmonella and has no other effect on the treated food product, neither in taste, nor texture." The food processing aid can be applied as a topical spray or added to chilled tank water. According to the US Food Safety and Inspection Services of the USDA, illnesses attributed to Salmonella have continued at a high rate or have increased despite previous interventions. "Research has shown that Salmonelex does not dissipate in the presence of protein," according to Dirk de Meester, business development manager for Micreos. "Thus, the product enables processors to reduce the use of chemicals and reach Salmonella in places where antimicrobial chemicals are ineffective, for example in follicles which close when exposed to cold water in a chiller."

Proving safety of any food additive or processing aid for contact application is a herculean task involving heavy investments in resources and time. Ready approval by USFDA and USDA for using this processing aid by the poultry industry in the US is all the more surprising because American meat industry has been misusing antibiotics for enhanced growth of the meat animals though there is no scientific explanation as to why this happens. Whether poultry industry will avoid using antibiotics with the availability of the new disinfecting agent from the Nethelands remains to be seen. Salmonella food poisoning is one of the most serious food safety problems in the US and logic and common sense demand that meat processors use this new tool more extensively to protect the consumers from the threat of Salmonella infection of meat products.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD COLORS-PROCESSING AIDS INDUSTRY CAN DO WITHOUT

Making food attractive is an age old practice and use of several dyes in processed foods often raised questions regarding their need and safety. Even though the dyes presently used in many countries are permitted by the safety authorities there is an increasing concern regarding their long terms consequences especially amongst the children. While some countries have gone in for more stringent regulations regarding their use, in many other countries a few such dyes are still allowed giving them the benefit of doubt. But consumer activists who are in the forefront in fighting for a total ban on synthetic coloring matters have valid grounds for such a stand, if the available evidence is taken into account. Though protagonists of color use may take the stand that such evidences as of now are not conclusive, the benefit of doubt has to be given to these studies on synthetic colors and their health implications, risk taking is not being a choice anymore when it comes to food safety.

"Chemical dyes used for food coloring carry serious health risks and should be banned, says a new report from a consumer group. The group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), notes that none of the nine artificial food dyes approved for U.S. use have been proven safe. However, human and animal studies suggest that at least several of the chemicals carry health risks. "For a food additive that does not provide any health or safety benefit whatsoever, there should be a very strict standard for safety. Food dyes do not meet that standard," CSPI Executive Director and study co-author Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, tells Web MD. "These colors carry risks," says Bernard Weiss, PhD, professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester. "The question for parents is this: Is it worth taking even minimal risks for benefits that do not exist?" Weiss was not involved in the CSPI report. However, in 1980 he reported clinical studies showing that food dyes can cause behavioral problems in children. Currently, the European Union is considering taking action over this issue. In 2008, the CSPI asked the FDA to ban the dyes because studies linked them to hyperactivity-like behavioral effects in children. Now the group points to animal studies suggesting that the dyes -- and other chemicals bound to them -- can cause cancer. Jacobson admits that most the studies of food dyes are of poor quality. But that, he says, is part of the problem. "The FDA has not looked at the safety of food dyes in 15 or 20 years," Jacobson says. "To accept widely used dyes that have these bound carcinogens is shameful."

Use of chemical colorants does make any food more desirable and acceptable. In a competitive environment it is but natural that each manufacturer uses the technological tools to use different colors in varying combinations to give a hue more appealing than that of the competitor. Probably banning of all chemical colorants may give a level playing field with no undue advantage to any one. The earliest incidence of ban of artificial color was against its use in tomato products and the way industry responded to this situation is a lesson that cannot be ignored easily. Within a short period after the ban, tomato varieties with intense natural red color and stability under thermal processing were evolved making use of external colorants redundant. It is certain that industry will be able to survive a total ban on artificial colors too in a way with least economic damage.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com