Systematic and critical review on the potential use of bacteriophages on foods

<p>This project critically reviewed information on the use of bacteriophages on food to determine where and how bacteriophages could potentially be used in food production. The work focussed on efficacy, specificity, safety and any potential issues associated with their use. The project focused on five key pathogens responsible for the microbiological contamination of foods which can lead to food poisoning i.e. Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes, shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and Staphylococcus aureus. For food spoilage bacteria, two representative species were selected from the following groups: Gram negative rods, the Enterics, Gram positive spore formers, Gram positive non-spore formers and lactic acid bacteria. The first stage of the project assessed the current applications of bacteriophages in the food industry, including information on where and how they are used, controls/guidelines and any existing risk assessments on their use. The second stage involved a systematic and critical review of the data available from a literature search on the ability of bacteriophages to reduce food pathogens or spoilage bacteria to determine the potential use of bacteriophages in food production.</p>