Activated lactoferrin achieves GRAS status

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated activated lactoferrin as Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS). This new status brings the new food safety technology one step closer to commercialisation. GRAS status is granted to a food ingredient by the FDA after extensive scientific evidence demonstrates that a product is safe regarding its intended use. Activated lactoferrin is a naturally occurring protein found in milk. It has been proven in laboratory tests to protect fresh meat against more than 30 different types of pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. The technology accomplishes this by inhibiting bacterial growth and preventing bacteria from attaching to meat surfaces. ``FDA's recognition of activated lactoferrin as GRAS brings us one step closer to being able to use this new food safety technology to further protect fresh meat products and in turn consumers from harmful pathogens,''​ said Eric Hale, President, aLF Ventures, LLC. Activated lactoferrin will now undergo review by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) before fresh meat produced using the technology becomes available in the market. aLF Ventures, LLC, a partnership between Dutch bioactive peptide and protein company DMV International and US beef packing company Farmland National Beef Packing Company, holds the worldwide exclusive rights to activated lactoferrin for use in food safety.