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Ozone Kills E.coli
A university study of a relatively new process for controlling dangerous food-borne pathogens has confirmed that low-levels of ozone applied to food surfaces can significantly reduce the risk of illness caused by bacteria on produce and on meats. The research findings completed last week by California Polytechnic University food scientists in San Luis Obispo, California, found consistently significant reductions of more than 99.99 percent of such pathogens as E. Coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobactor on surfaces of lettuce, meat and poultry. The University's testing of the ozone food surface sanitizing was 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. Dr. Montecalvo said the study just completed is the first, to his knowledge, to examine the effectiveness of low levels of ozone against E. Coli 0157:H7 and Campylobactor, two pathogens that have recently been identified as the source of consumer health risks on produce, such as lettuce, and on meat and poultry. "Our research findings suggest that the ozone sanitizing process can be a valuable tool for the food processing industry,"Montecalvo stated. "We also feel the results validate the usefulness of the technology at the home level as well, because it gives consumers the ability to insure food quality when coupled with safe handling and preparation practices." The entire article may be found here.
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