Micreos of The Netherlands announced the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have approved SALMONELEX as a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) food-processing aid against Salmonella.
SALMONELEX consists of natural phages that eliminate Salmonella, and the product is easy to apply, according to Micreos. It can be sprayed topically or added to chill tank water. Micreos expects that the product will soon be listed by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic foods.
“Research has shown that SALMONELEX does not dissipate in the presence of protein, said Dirk de Meester, business development manager. Thus, the product enables processors to reduce the use of chemicals and reach Salmonella in places where antimicrobial chemicals are ineffective, for example in follicles which close when exposed to cold water in a chiller.”
Micreos confirmed that industrial scale projects with US poultry processors will start in January 2014.
“Now that the FDA and USDA have given the green light we can offer food processors a new and natural solution against Salmonella, including antibiotic resistant strains,” said Mark Offerhaus, CEO of Micreos. “SALMONELEX is seen as a very elegant solution as it targets only Salmonella and has no other effect on the treated food product, neither in taste, nor texture. Following the successful launch of LISTEX against Listeria, we are now further expanding the ‘green’ arsenal of weapons against foodborne pathogens. Given the prevalence of Salmonella in raw poultry, we expect poultry processors to be the first and largest users of SALMONELEX.”
