Chlorate compound reduces bacteria
A patented compound developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists could help reduce the risk of Salmonella and Escherichia coli infection from meat or poultry products.
ARS researchers led by microbiologist Robin Anderson at the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit (FFSRU) in Texas mixed a chlorate-based compound into livestock feed or water two days before slaughter. When fed at roughly 0.5 to 5 percent of an animal’s diet, this powder-like additive was very effective in reducing Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in the animal’s gastrointestinal tract.
To test the chlorate compound in poultry, FFSRU microbiologist Allen Byrd gave it to more than 200 market-age turkeys and 2,000 broiler chickens 48 hours before they went to processing. The incidence of Salmonella dropped from 35 percent to zero in turkeys, and from 37 percent to 2 percent in broilers.
ARS has patented the technology, and FFSRU researchers are working to further develop it to make it ready for approval by regulatory agencies.
Read more about this and other ARS food safety research in the October 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the US Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.
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