Nonthermal Ways to Kill Food Pathogens
At universities throughout the country, scientists are finding new ways to make our food supply safe from harmful foodborne pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria. A March 31, 2006, Penn State article highlights the work of Dr. Ali Demirici, an associate professor of agriculture and biological engineering in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. According to the article, he is "every germ's worst nightmare."
Dr. Demirici is working on nonthermal ways to kill food pathogens which will not damage the quality of the food product. "I have been investigating the use of ozone, supercritical carbon dioxide, electrolyzed oxidizing water and pulsed UV-light," says Demirci in the article.
Having seen the devastating effects of food poisoning, we are encouraged at Pritzker | Ruohonen with the amount of research that is being done to prevent E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses. With Dr. Demirici, we hope his efforts "will pay off by reducing outbreaks due to consumption of minimally processed foods."