The search for natural biocontrol agents that allow the production of foods that are safe for human consumption and do not impact the taste, texture, and nutritional quality of the food, is a constant challenge for diverse food industries worldwide, particularly as the human population continues to rise globally, and multiple antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria is increasingly prevalent.
Bacteriophages have been proposed as alternatives to antibiotics in animal health, as biopreservatives in food, and as tools for detecting pathogenic bacteria throughout the food chain.
Purdue University animal scientist Paul Ebner discusses how he uses bacteriophages to tackle key foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella in animals bound for the butcher and E. coli in ground beef and leafy greens.
This article earlier appeared in the “Purdue Agriculture ” YouTube channel
References are available bellow.
- https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLnfjvZ4sRc&ab_channel=PurdueAgriculture
- García P, Martínez B, Obeso JM, Rodríguez A. Bacteriophages and their application in food safety. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2008 Dec;47(6):479-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2008.02458.x. PMID: 19120914.
- Lorraine Endersen, Aidan Coffey; The use of bacteriophages for food safety; Current Opinion in Food Science; Volume 36, 2020; Pages 1-8; ISSN 2214-7993
