US approves new product to tackle salmonella
Salmonelex, which contains natural phages against salmonella and is produced by Dutch company Micreos, has been granted ‘GRAS’ status (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Micreos claims that Salmonelex, which can be sprayed topically or added to the chill tank water, eliminates salmonella rather than just inhibiting growth.
“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,” said Micreos CEO Mark Offerhaus.
“Given the prevalence of salmonella in raw poultry, we expect poultry processors to be the first and largest users of Salmonelex.”
Micreos previously launched Listex, a phage product against listeria, which is now listed by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic foods. The company said it hoped Salmonelex would also achieve OMRI listing.
“Research has shown that Salmonelex does not dissipate in the presence of protein. 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,” said Dirk de Meester, business development manager for Micreos.
The company said industrial-scale projects with US poultry processors would begin this month.
