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Food processing aid approved to eliminate Salmonella
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The FDA and US Department of Agriculture have approved a food processing aid against Salmonella, according to a press release. The additive, called Salmonelex, uses natural phages to eliminate the bacteria.
Salmonelex is produced by Micreos of the Netherlands and will be used by poultry processors in the United States beginning in January.
“Now that the FDA and USDA have given the green light we can offer food processors a new and natural solution against Salmonella, including antibiotic resistant strains,” said Mark Offerhaus, CEO of Micreos. “Salmonelex is seen as a very elegant solution as it targets only Salmonella and has no other effect on the treated food product, neither in taste, nor texture.”
The food processing aid can be applied as a topical spray or added to chilled tank water.
According to the US Food Safety and Inspection Services of the USDA, illnesses attributed to Salmonella have continued at a high rate or have increased despite previous interventions.
“Research has shown that Salmonelex does not dissipate in the presence of protein,” according to Dirk de Meester, business development manager for Micreos. “Thus, the product enables processors to reduce the use of chemicals and reach Salmonella in places where antimicrobial chemicals are ineffective, for example in follicles which close when exposed to cold water in a chiller.”