New methods for the detection of enterotoxins from Bacillus
cereus have been developed by European scientists. The
discovery paves the way for the identification of genes responsible
for the production of emetic toxins (vomiting toxins).
New insights about the foundations of our health could soon be
revealed thanks to the recent completion of the genome sequence of
one of the most prevalent bacteria that live in the human intestine
- Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.
Improving food safety 'the natural way' would certainly appeal to
the increasingly health vigilant consumer. Scientists in the UK
have been looking at a variety of natural antimicrobials that could
extend food shelf-life...
Aquentium CEO Mark Taggatz has emphasised key strategies on how the
company's wholly owned subsidiary, Food Safe, is aiming to
alleviate current fears within the food industry - an area of
growing interest given the current political...
Understanding the enterococci bacteria family - mostly found in
non-heat treated foods - formed the prime objective of a recent
European funded project. Primary objective? To investigate the
relationships between food, veterinarian...
A food scientist in the United States has developed a new
technology to tackle an old problem in cheesemaking - bitterness.
The solution - that hinges on an enzyme - could ultimately lead to
a reduction in costs for cheesemakers.
An acidified calcium sulphate solution called Safe2O has been shown
to significantly reduce the amount of Listeria monocytogenes on hot
dogs and prevented regrowth of the pathogen over a 12-week period.
A new study, funded by the AMI foundation in the US, has discovered
that lactic acid can prove to be a strong listeria inhibitor for
food processing environments.
Aquentium, has filed a trademark application for #1 Patriot Food
Safe Fruits and Vegetables, its food safety process for the
protection of fresh food products, with the United States Patent
Trademark Office and is planning to license...
The number of deaths from foodborne diseases is likely to be
underestimated, finds a study in this week's British Medical
Journal - a fact that could force many food manufacturers to
re-evaluate present labelling and food safety...
This week people across the world will be indulging in one of the
wonders of nature's waters - oysters. Unfortunately, for a handful
of people each year the pleasure can be disastrous if they become
infected by a deadly bacteria...
In the US, an agreement has been signed for Marathon Products, a
leading supplier of food safety equipment, to supply Food Safe with
its requirements for temperature monitoring equipment.
International BioChemical Industries has said that it has moved
into the second round of testing in a cooperative effort with a
global food and beverage company after initial testing for its
antimicrobial agents proved effective.
Danish enzymes company Novozymes has linked up with a major
breeding ground for food scientists, the Technical University of
Denmark, to set up the 'Novozymes Bioprocess Academy'. The move is
a bid to enhance chemical engineering...
Are organic foods better for us? This is the question on the lips
of many a consumer, food manufacturer and scientist. For what,
exactly, is the consumer paying a higher price? The US Institute of
Food Technologists took a refreshing,...
A Swedish researcher has found that nitric oxide, naturally present
in the body's immune system, may play a positive role in protecting
against tuberculosis. A supplement of the amino acid arginine,
which is found in peanuts,...
US FDA moves to update its health advisory on risks associated with
eating all raw sprouts due to the recent outbreak of E. coli
O157:H7 associated with alfalfa sprouts.
Analysing the DNA of 11 strains of probiotic bacteria can help food
scientists improve the safety of a number of food products such as
cheese, yoghurt or wine. It could also help them fight food
spoilage, and improve production methods.
The incorporation of genes from other organisms into food plants
has raised concerns about possible health risks and environmental
consequences. A new report from the American Academy of
Microbiology (AAM) looks at the case of a bacterium...
In the news again - food to fight cholesterol. A new study released
this week suggests that honey contains about the same level of
antioxidants as spinach, apples, bananas, oranges and strawberries.
The US Agriculture Department, trying to repair its image after the
second-largest recall in history, is considering new regulations
that would require meat companies to implement more food safety
safeguards, consumer groups said...
A series of research projects from the UK Food Standards Agency
have concluded that "it is extremely unlikely that genes from
genetically modified (GM) food can end up in bacteria in the gut of
people who eat them," the...
US food safety technology company Neogen Corporation and DNA
technology company Hamilton Thorne Biosciences this week announced
an agreement to jointly develop 'the next generation' of rapid
bacterial food safety tests.
A new method that establishes genetic markers for bacteria in
water, food, and biological and medical samples could be used to
detect terrorist contamination, or simply the bacterial
contamination that causes food poisoning.
The Institut Rosell-Lallemand recently won an award for its Enteric
Coating Technology for probiotic supplement capsules. The Food and
Beverage Market Engineering Award is given each year by market
analysts Frost & Sullivan.
The European Commission, within its Fifth Framework Programme and
linked to the Fair-Flow 4 project, has funded a 3-year project
entitled "Virus Safe Seafood", with the overall objective to
provide useful and rapid tools...
The evolving characteristics of food, technology, pathogens and
consumers make it unlikely that the consumer marketplace will ever
be entirely free of dangerous organisms, according to a new report
by the Institute of Food Technologists.
Growing consumer appetite for ready-to-eat meals with a minimal
preparation time and few preservatives has led to increased
production and sales of chilled ready meals, reports the UK
Institute of Food Research.
Environmental biotechnology has been used by humans for centuries
in food making, medicine, fermentation and waste treatment.
According to a new study, today the market for microbial blends and
nutrients is gaining in strength.
The Food, GI-tract Functionality and Human Health Cluster
(PROEUHEALTH) brings together 64 research partners from 16 European
countries in the quest to obtain greater knowledge of the role of
the intestinal microbiota in human health...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the use of
activated lactoferrin on fresh beef, providing beef processors with
a revolutionary food safety technology that protects consumers from
harmful bacteria.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week designated
the milk protein activated lactoferrin as Generally Recognised as
Safe (GRAS). This new status brings the new food safety technology
one step closer to commercialisation.
Food technology company aLF Ventures, LLC, a partnership between
Farmland National Beef Packing Company L.P. and ingredients
specialists DMV USA, this week opened N-terminus, a new
multi-million dollar food safety research and development...
Decontamination with 1 per cent and 2 per cent buffered lactic acid
does not appreciably affect the spread of pathogen E.coli in beef
tissue, Belgian scientists report this week.
Organic broiler chickens are three times as likely as
conventionally-bred poultry to be contaminated with a bacterium
that causes food-poisoning, say Danish vets, the New Scientist
reports this week.
Taiwan on Thursday was cited as reporting its first-ever confirmed
case of an infection with the virulent O-157 strain of E. coli
bacteria that claimed the lives of several children in western
Japan during a 1996 epidemic.
The use of copper surfaces for food preparation in factories,
shops, hospitals, restaurants and the home could help reduce the
risk of infection by potentially fatal food bugs.
US food safety product company Neogen Corporation announced on
Monday that it has completed the acquisition of Gene-Trak Systems,
a supplier of foodborne pathogen detection products.
On June 22, the American consumer products group Sara Lee pleaded
guilty in federal court for selling hot dogs and meats in 1998 that
were contaminated...
Alcohol consumption suppresses an immune-system protein involved in
fighting pneumonia, which may explain why alcoholics have an
increased risk of the...
Concerns about antibiotic resistance have lead to an increased
interest in alternative approaches for controlling common childhood
infections, Christine...
Tetra Pak, the European food packaging company, and BioGaia AB, the
Swedish biotechnology research company, will launch a nutraceutical
straw. LifeTop™...
Scientists announced this week that they are developing an edible
vaccine that could stop the E. coli bacteria where it starts - in
cattle and other...
