Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 6/23/16

A team of researchers at the University of Nevada is reporting success in reducing salmonella bacteria in ground meat as it is being processed, in some cases by as much as 90 percent.

Asst. Professor Amilton de Mello at the school’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources said the team treated ground poultry, ground pork and ground beef with natural bacteria predators before grinding. The so-called bacteriophages were mixed with meat products – specifically refrigerated meat and poultry trim – that had been inoculated with salmonella. The finished product was found to contain a 10-fold decrease in salmonella levels, according to de Mello and reported in the Reno, Nev.-based, university newspaper Nevada Today.

De Mello presented the results of the bacteriophage tests at this week’s American Meat Science Association’s conference in San Angelo, Texas.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that salmonella causes 1 million foodborne illnesses among U.S. residents annually, resulting in 19,000 hospitalization and 380 deaths.

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