ARS | Publication request: INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR CONTROL OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 9, 2002
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The need for better control of foodborne pathogens has been paramount in recent years. Micro-organisms, previously unknown, or not known to be causes of foodborne illness, have recently been linked with documented outbreaks of illness. These food safety concerns are magnified because of consumer preferences for minimally processed foods that offer convenience in availability and preparation. Strategies for control of foodborne pathogens include established physical microbiocidal treatments such as ionizing radiation and heating. Research has continued to demonstrate that food irradiation is a suitable process to control and possibly eliminate foodborne pathogens from a number of raw and cooked foods. Heat treatment is the most common method in use today for the inactivation of microorganisms. Micro-organisms can also be destroyed by the emerging methods of new nonthermal treatments, such as application of high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, oscillating magnetic fields or a combination of physical processes such as heat-irradiation, or heat-high hydrostatic pressure, etc. Each of the non-thermal technologies has specific applications in terms of the types of food that can be processed. Mechanical removal of microorganisms from food can be accomplished by centrifugation, filtration, trimming and washing. Cleaning and sanitation strategies can be used for minimizing the access of microorganisms in foods from various sources. Both conventional and newly developed physical treatments can be used in combination for controlling foodborne pathogens and enhancing the safety and shelf life of foods.