Jan 27 2010
Ecolab Inc. has entered into an agreement with AvidBiotics Corp. under
which they will jointly work to develop a new technology that could
significantly reduce the presence of the pathogen E. coli O157:H7
in red meat products.
The companies’ intent is to successfully commercialize AvidBiotics’
proprietary protein-based antibacterial technology, which can be
targeted against specific bacterial pathogens. While this platform
technology may be applicable to numerous food pathogens, the companies
are first targeting the food pathogen E. coli in red meat.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
over 70,000 people are infected with E. coli each year in the
United States, at least 2,000 are hospitalized, and approximately 60 die
as a direct result of E. coli infection and its complications.
Timothy Mulhere, Ecolab’s senior vice president and general manager for
Food & Beverage North America, commented, saying, “Ecolab is committed
to helping customers reduce their food safety risks, offering multiple
interventions to help ensure a safer global food supply. We will work
with AvidBiotics to further develop this platform technology to
complement and further strengthen our industry-leading suite of
antimicrobial food safety solutions for the food processing market.”
Source: Ecolab Inc.