NEW YORK - E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, the pathogen involved in the recent hamburger recall, may be harder to control than other food-borne infectious agents, researchers say. But new technologies may help beat the bacteria in the factory and on the farm.
Instead of inhibiting the growth of existing colonies of the microbe (a strategy proven effective against most food-borne germs), the fight against E. coli "must focus on reducing or eliminating the presence of the microorganism" altogether, according to Drs. Robert Buchanan and Michael Doyle, two researchers at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit professional organization representing the food sciences. Their report on E. coli control is scheduled for release next month.
E. coli infection can cause gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea serious enough to warrant hospitalization. The recent outbreak of E. coli linked to hamburger meat resulted in the recall of over 40 million pounds of frozen patties from store shelves across the U.S.
The two experts point out that the E. coli dosage needed to result in illness is much lower than that of most other pathogens -- infection with less than 10 E. coli cells can result in illness.
And refrigeration, which usually keeps microbe growth under control, actually extends the survival time of E. coli in food, experts say.
Finally, E. coli has what the two experts label "unusual acid tolerance" -- making it more resistant to interventions of heat, radiation, and antimicrobial drugs.
Based on these facts, Buchanan and Doyle believe the best way to stop E. coli is to eliminate it at its source: farm and factory.
On the farm, the researchers discourage the fertilization of crops with fresh manure. E. coli has been traced to manure, they say, and can survive in it far beyond the two-month limit of other pathogens.
They also advocate the introduction of 'competitor' organisms into the digestive tract of cattle. These benign microbes often 'crowd out' the E. coli bacteria that naturally occur there -- preventing E. coli's eventual passage to humans further along the food chain.
The two authors say that, in the factory, ionization radiation (already federally-approved for foods like vegetables, fruits, poultry and pork) should be used to eliminate E. coli during food processing. Federal approval for the use of radiation on seafood and beef is currently under review.
There is another method for decontaminating red meat, however. Buchanan and Doyle say steam pasteurization -- the quick spraying of hot steam on beef carcasses -- can achieve a nearly 1000-fold reduction in beef-borne E. coli populations.
The IFT experts believe all of these methods represent steps "lethal to the pathogen."
They believe E. coli needs to be eliminated before it reaches the supermarket. The researchers point out that the only surefire way to eliminate E. coli at home is heating foods to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit -- a method practical for some, but not all, foods.
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