Enhancing Food Safety Through Control of Food-Borne Disease Agents

Objective

<OL> <LI> Pre-harvest reduction of food-borne pathogens in animals and the environment. <LI> Chemical and physical decontamination in food processing plant environments.

More information

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This project will focus on pre-harvest, on-farm factors and post-harvest food processing factors and conditions that can be modified/changed to further improve the safety of the food supply and reduce human foodborne illnesses. This project examines methods designed to reduce pathogen contamination on foods at pre- and post-harvest.
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APPROACH: Develop methods for determining the efficacy of pathogen reduction (decontamination) treatments for raw food commodities under commercial food processing conditions. A central method focusing on standardizing challenge organisms, inoculation conditions, and recovery media will be developed. Development of methods to detect pathogens in pre-harvest environments and monitor rates of development and transfer of resistance to antibiotics with emphasis on Campylobacter.

Investigators

Johnson, Mark

Institution

University of Arkansas

Start date

2000

End date

2007

Funding Source

Nat'l. Inst. of Food and Agriculture

Project number

ARK01857

Accession number

187593