Reduction of Foodborne Pathogens

Listeria monocytogenes is a nonfastidious, widely occurring foodborne pathogen that is a major challenge to the food industry. Investigation indicates up to 35 percent of samples from retail deli environments are positive for L. monocytogenes. Food scientists at the UGA Center for Food Safety did two projects to solve these problems. The results indicated that phenyllactic acid reduced the population of L. monocytogenes. The biofilms assays demonstrated that L. monocytogenes biofilms could be inactivated to different degrees by these treatments. These finding revealed that new bacteriocins could be used as a food additive to increase the safety of RTE meat from the contamination of L. monocytogenes and phenyllactic acid could be used as a sanitizer for control of biofilm in food processing facility.