On Tuesday morning at the 2022 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting, leading industry academics discussed the topic of enteric virus persistence in low-moisture foods (LMFs). The session featured Kristen Gibson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at the University of Arkansas; Lee-Ann Jaykus, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University; and Alvin Lee, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Processing Innovation at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute for Food Safety and Health.
The three presenters discussed the features of significant enteric viruses and LMFs, relevant foodborne illness outbreaks, and promising processing technologies for the inactivation of enteric viruses in LMFs. Dr. Lee opened the session by noting that relatively little research has been conducted in the realm of viral contamination of LMFs, stating, “While we may not have all the answers to the questions you raise, I hope that our presentations begin a discussion.”