Did You Know?
New Egg Pasteurization System
One of the newest wrinkles in the government’s new egg-safety program—intended to cut Salmonella infections in half by 2005 and eliminate them by 2010—is a new pasteurization process that uses hot baths to kill any bacteria that might be on the egg shell. Using this process, which allows consumers to eat raw eggs without fear of infection, a New Hampshire company intends to begin marketing the pasteurized eggs this spring through several East Coast grocery chains, including Pittsburg-based Giant Eagle. The additional cost is estimated at three cents per egg. The pasteurization process got a boost from President Clinton in December when he proposed new food-safety rules meant to encourage producers to use the sterilization system. The rules set out a two-track safety system that would allow producers to skip some Salmonella testing of their hens if they pasteurize the eggs before sending them to market.
Vaccine to Eliminate E.Coli from Cattle
University of Alberta Medical Microbiology and Immunology professor Dr. Glen Armstrong is leading a team of researchers to develop a vaccine to eliminate E. coli O157:H7 from beef cattle herds.The study, funded by the Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (CABIDF) is aimed at eliminating the contamination of the meat by E. coli before the microbes enter the food chain at the slaughter and carcass dressing stage. Basically the researchers hope to isolate the binding structures that allow the bacterial to attach to the gastrointestinal wall of the cattle. Once those structures are identified, the cattle will be immunized with these binding structures, eliminating the availability of host structures upon which the bacteria can attach. Without the ability to attach, the bacteria will be eliminated from the cattle’s gastrointestinal system and will no longer be a threat to contaminate the meat during slaughter and packaging. Field trials of the vaccine are not expected for at least two years.
New Canadian Food Safety Training Certification
The Canadian food industry recently launched a new Certified Food Safety Training program for food handlers. Dubbed the BASICS.fst Food Safety Training in Canada certification program, the course is designed to provide food safety training and certification for front line employees in every area of the foodservice and food retail industries. Endorsed by the Canadian Food Service Executives Association (CFSEA), BASICS.fst utilizes a course book that is comprehensive but also easy to use and understandÑeven by students at the Grade 9-10 level. Each section contains carefully crafted learning objectives, fun and informative activities, and practice questions all designed by educators, industry trainers and public health officers. It is very flexible, designed for self study, part time study or full time classroom (4-6 hours.) It will be available in English via the Internet, and in the Canadian French language edition, in the second quarter 2000.
Tomatoes: Redder is Better
Horticulturists at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are breeding tomatoes for color: the color red. These tomatoes contain a crimson gene that gives them a deeper red color, while also increasing the tomatoes’ levels of lycopene, a substance recently shown to have health benefits. A crimson tomato is said to be 50% higher in lycopene than a regular tomato—which, according to clinical dietitian Mary Branagan of UF’s Shands Hospital, allows crimson tomatoes to qualify to be placed in the functional foods category. Branagan says studies are finding that the lycopene in tomatoes is beneficial in reducing risks of heart disease and some cancers. High-lycopene tomatoes also have anti-oxidant properties.