Did You Know?

Active Packaging Breakthrough
According to a recent news release from the Food Safety Consortium, researchers at the University of Arkansas are close to finalizing development of a protective coating for edible packaging films which, when applied to the surface of processed foods, proves effective against such pathogenic bacteria as Listeria monocytogenes. The coating—designed to be added to packaging films like zein, which is used to coat candies—is comprised of the bacteriocin nisin. [Bacteriocins are small, disgestible proteins produced by benign bacteria in order to inhibit the growth of competitive bacteria.] Marlene James, Arkansas Food Safety Consortium researcher, recently reported chicken tainted with listeria showed a significant decrease in the bacteria after the meat was treated with the zein/nisin coating. The compound, according to researchers, can prevent the recontamination of foods between the in-plant cooking and product packaging phases, the most critical points in food processing. Although several companies have expressed interest in this new active packaging technology, it has not yet been approved by the FDA.

Putting a Muzzle on E. Coli
According to a recent article in the Montreal Gazette, researchers have discovered for bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and vibrio cholerea to become a hazard to health, they must be able to communicate with each other or, in some cases, with other organisms. This “bacteria language” consists of a set of chemical signals used by the bacteria to determine if it has an adequate number of cells present to successfully attack the host organism, a technique known as “quorum sensing.” Researchers now are attempting to determine how they can intercept these messages by attacking and/or disabling the “receptor” cells of those who receive them, in order to prevent the bacteria from releasing their toxins and developing into an infection. This discovery is expected to aid reseachers in the treatment of a host of potentially deadly diseases, including those showing resistance to the drugs used to combat them.

“Functional Food” Halt
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) urged the FDA to immediately halt the sale of dozens of “functional foods” that contain ingredients considered to be unsafe. It also wants manufacturers to stop making false and misleading claims about them. These products are claiming to enlighten your senses, enhance your mind, or provide extra energy; but the claims are not supported by scientific evidence. The CPSI wants state attorneys general to make functional foods a top consumer protection initiative

NFPA Offers Food Safety Audit Program
One of a food producer’s biggest concerns is the quality of the product received from suppliers. Enter the National Food Processors Association (NFPA), which recently announced a new program to coordinate food safety audits of suppliers on behalf of food processors. Under this quality assurance program, dubbed the “Food Safety and Quality Systems Supplier Audit Program,” the NFPA will coordinate the scheduling of quality system audits of North American suppliers by NFPA-trained auditors. The NFPA will then review the final report for completeness and distribute copies to processors as authorized by the supplier. “An auditing standard accepted by the food processing industry would dramatically reduce the number of audits required,” explains Kelly Johnson, NFPA’s Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications, adding that currently suppliers must undergo an average of nine audits per year per facility. Standards to be used by the auditors, and the processes to be scrutinized, were established earlier this year by a 27-company task force appointed by the NFPA.

Fat-Fighting Properties of Uncoupling Protein-1
Seems like everyone is looking for a solution in America’s battle with obesity (see this issue’s By the Numbers) and it looks like researchers at Washington University may have found one. According to a report in the October issue of the journal Nature Medicine, Washington U. researchers have developed a strain of mice that resist weight gain despite lack of exercise and a diet high in fat. The secret lies with a protein dubbed “uncoupling protein-1,” which when produced in muscle tissue mimics the effects of exercise. Apparently these mice have been genetically tweeked so that their skeletal muscle produces uncoupling protein-1 even while the body is at rest, and as a result food energy gets turned into heat instead of being stored as fat. It is hoped this research will lead to a treatment program to reduce obesity in humans.