Phages for Food Safety

The foods we eat sometimes become contaminated with dangerous pathogens such as Listeria, E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella. Traditional food safety interventions are only partially effective and many foods are over-processed to destroy pathogens. These processes can also deleteriously impact the color and taste of foods, and they usually wipe out the natural ingredients and healthy microflora in foods that are beneficial to us and help us stay healthy. Products based on naturally occurring bacteriophages can specifically target and eliminate the bad bacteria in foods. These innovative phage-based products for food safety are all natural, non-toxic and cost effective, and they can help improve the safety of foods without impacting their natural "good" microflora, taste, or appearance.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[TheMightyCardigan]

They wont

To be a little more clear, the phages are constantly screened/tested to show that they only carry genes for lysis for the pathogenic bacteria. If a mutation occurs, massive amounts of testing would be needed to determine safety etc.

[QUESTI0NSnANSWERS]

Phages can be used for MRSA also! I hope the drug companies allow it to cut in to there profit... Big money always wins unfortunatly

[MjrTom2009]

Good

[Mynnia]

And if they mutate and attack "good" bacteria?

[Bob Joy]

Clearance came in the form of a “Food Contact Notification” or FCN, filed with the FDA specific for the use of EcoShield on red meat parts and trim intended to be ground. The FDA has designated the FCN clearance for this phage-based product as FCN No. 1018. Data submitted as part of Intralytix’s FCN application showed that EcoShield significantly reduced to eliminated E. coli O157:H7 in ground meat by 95 to 100%.

[Mary Puckett]

The blog that I just posted on phages was not spelled correctly. It is actually AmazingPhage. The site is hosted by Grace Filby and has lots of information on the use of phages.

[Mary Puckett]

Very happy to hear this news. The FDA does know about the use of phages. In 1991 there was a phage treatment to treat ear and sinus infections called Staphage Lysate. SPL was used by my autistic son's medical doctor to treat his constant sinus and ear infections that antibiotics would not cure.Once he received the phage treatment he was not longer on long term antibiotics. Unfortunately in 1994 SPL was taken off the market for human use because the FDA wanted more testing. See AmaingPhage blog.

[Bob Joy]

home.comcast.net/~bobjoyx/phag­e

[SmartMimiB]

Someone should tell the FDA about this. It just makes sense.

[wjpricev]

Well done and very informative