Articles Tagged with ''antimicrobial''

Antimicrobial processing aids (APAs) are a subgroup of antimicrobial food additives used by food processors to benefit public health. As new APA technologies emerge, food processors and retail food/foodservice companies have identified opportunities to enhance food safety and the reliability of their processes. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS) is looking into the antimicrobial properties of mushroom extracts and how they can enhance food safety against aflatoxin-producing fungus and bacteria.

Funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS), University of Tennessee researchers are examining whether adding food-grade antimicrobials to the wax and fungicidal coatings typically applied to stone fruit might mitigate foodborne pathogen contamination while extending shelf life.

Innovative packaging technologies that contribute to food safety include, but are not limited to, antimicrobial packaging, controlled-release packaging, nanotechnology, and biosensors. These technologies can aid in the control of not only spoilage microorganisms, which make the food product undesirable (but not necessarily unsafe), but also pathogenic organisms, which can cause illness and even death in humans. In the current economy, it may be difficult to make the decision to transition from a traditional packaging solution to an alternative; however, when product food safety is jeopardized and consumers are at potential risk, the food industry must do everything it can to prevent adverse scenarios.

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are researching a sunlight-based method for controlling microbial contaminants—specifically, Salmonella and Escherichia coli—in irrigation water used for food crops. After enough research is conducted, the UGA team hopes to create an app that will help growers enhance food safety.

Six nations have assessed their performances in minimizing and containing foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The work was done as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO’s) ACT project, which aims to support the global implementation of Codex Alimentarius texts on AMR.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update the protocol for the development and registration of antimicrobial treatments for preharvest agricultural water, removing Listeria monocytogenes from the organism test panel.

PlantGuard™ AM is a plant-based, clean label-friendly, antimicrobial ingredient that inhibits the growth of foodborne yeasts, molds, and bacteria.

A team of scientists have developed a plant-based, nontoxic food packaging solution that is antimicrobial and biodegradable.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all industries that need to maintain microbiologically safe environments have shown a renewed interest in antimicrobial coatings and their application.