Research

This research evaluated the addition of sodium caprylate, a natural eight-carbon fatty acid, to cattle drinking water in order to inactivate E. coli O157:H7. The addition of sodium caprylate proved to significantly reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in water for a sustained period of time even in the presence of fecal matter or residual feed.

This research demonstrated that hot water and warm lactic acid were effective at reducing E. coli O157:H7 at high inoculation levels. It also showed that needle enhancement resulted in greater internalization of O157 when compared with blade tenderization. The results provided the necessary data for FSIS to allow use of this organic acid intervention on primals.

This study demonstrated that aerosol particle size, relative humidity and distance from the air handling unit impacted settling rate and potential that exposed ready-to-eat products may become contaminated.

This research followed up on previous research that demonstrated the effectiveness of antimycotic agents in controlling Listeria. The resulting data has been used to obtain provisional FSIS approval of sorbate, benzoate and propionate

This research provided a complete secondary model for log-D with temperature, fat content and moisture content as independent variables. It also expanded thermal inactivation parameters for Salmonella lethality models. The results led to improved user interface and functionality for the AMI Process Lethality Spreadsheet.

This research continued the development of IMS for detection of Listeria. It also focused on developing sample mechanisms for direct and aerosol sampling that would allow the samples to be analyzed directly by IMS techniques.

This project reviewed the FSIS Risk Assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in deli meats and examined the model assumptions and model construct to determine whether they were appropriate and applicable to actual industry “what if” scenarios.

The research demonstrated that egg antibodies were an effective antibody production method. It also showed, unexpectedly, that chitosan, the carrier of the antibody, showed a statistically significant reduction in shedding E. coli O157:H7.

This study identified a non-pathogenic bacterium that has heat resistance properties similar to Listeria and Salmonella in meat and poultry. Research developed protocols for the use of a non-pathogenic surrogate organisms in processing facilities to validate thermal processing.

This research showed that combinations of pre- and post-packaging processing were effective in reducing levels of Listeria monocytogenes. Research also demonstrated that some pre-packaging antimicrobials were more effective than others, with most not effective on uncured turkey products.