Southfield, MI - Thorn Apple Valley, Inc. announced that it has entered into a technology development program with Tru-Pure Ozone Technologies, LLC, of Yreka, CA, to validate the ozone equipment manufacturer's innovative processes for assuring microbiological integrity in meat processing applications.
"Thorn Apple Valley is known throughout the meat processing industry for its leadership in product quality assurance," said Joel Dorfman, president of the Southfield, Michigan, based company. "Tru-Pure Ozone Technologies markets the cutting edge in ozone-based sanitizing and purification systems, which have proven highly effective in microbiological control."
Dorfman said the new venture is proposed to test the Tru-Pure ozone technology under commercial processing conditions by Thorn Apple. Researchers at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, California, have recently completed the initial phases of testing the Tru-Pure technology on E. Coli 0157:H7 and other microbial contaminants of concern to the meat and food processing industries. The University's testing is being led by Dr. Joseph Montecalvo, Jr., past chairman of the Cal Poly Department of Food Science & Nutrition and a member of the Technical Advisory Panel of the USDA National Organic Standards Board.
The company's ozone technology also has been tested in dairy products processing by the School of Dairy Science at Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina. Cumulatively, the Cal Poly and Clemson research both indicated the Tru-Pure technology resulted in a significant reduction in microbiological contamination of meat, poultry and produce as well as processing surfaces.
Technical papers on the Tru-Pure ozone processes have been published in several scientific journals including Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Journal of Dairy Science and Journal of Food Engineering. Results of the Cal Poly tests, including effective destruction of E. Coli 0157:H7 on food surfaces, will be presented at the annual convention of the National Meat Association in San Francisco in February.
"Our objective now is to test the technology in a commercial process environment," Dorfman stated. "We plan working in close conjunction with the USDA and the FSIS under guidelines suggested by the latter agency."
Thorn Apple and Tru-Pure will develop testing protocols for approval by FSIS to compare ozone sanitation to more traditional chemical treatment and other new processes such as irradiation.
"The meat, poultry and food processing industries are aggressively examining emerging technologies for even greater quality assurance," Dorfman said. "Ozone has been used extensively outside the US for microbiological control, but it was just in the past year that it was recognized by the FDA as a technology for food processing in this country."
Ron Long, director of technology for Tru-Pure, said that Ozone is a form of condensed oxygen, which is known to be the most powerful sanitizer and oxidizer available. It has been utilized for water purification throughout the world for nearly a century, Long explained, but its use in the United States has become common only in the past two decades.
"An important attribute of ozone is that, in addition to the power and speed it exhibits in eliminating microbes such as E. Coli 0157:H7, E. Coli and Salmonella, it leaves no chemical residue on foods or food processing surfaces," Long stated.
"We believe our work with Thorn Apple will help prove, not only the viability of the technology, but its economic, environmental and worker safety superiority compared to chemical treatment and irradiation," Long said.
Thorn Apple Valley Meats, Inc., is the 18th largest meat processor in the US. The company manufactures and sells fresh pork, bacon, hot dogs, lunch meats, hams, smoked sausage and turkey products.
Tru-Pure Ozone Technologies, LLC, markets ozone purification equipment manufactured by Longmark Ozone Industries, Inc., that has been installed in commercial sites such as the NASA Space Shuttle Program, major soft drink and beverage bottling plants, Disney World, 3M, Robert Bosch and others.
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