In the news

A recent article in “Food Quality and Safety” describes the regulatory future of cell cultured meat and raises three issues (i) What federal agency should be responsible for overseeing such products? (ii) How should such products be regulated? (iii) How should the product be labeled? The agency responsible depends on the definition of cell cultured meat. Is it truly a meat? Is it FSIS or FDA? FSIS has been silent on this jurisdictional issue, noting when asked that the issue is under discussion within the administration. The FDA has taken a more active position and believes that they have the legal authority, the scientific expertise, and the procedural mechanisms in place to take hold of the issue. FDA’s approach at its public meeting in July focused heavily on gate-keeping questions. The overall message was that the FDA was highly receptive to fine-tuning its authority and to identify and activate a suitable gateway mechanism. Comments by the public revealed that some are advocating extreme caution and extensive research before any introduction of such products to the public while others, more hostile to traditional animal agriculture, arguing the sooner the better. A wide range of options for labeling was expressed—ranging from the extremely benign “clean meat,” to the highly pejorative, “fake meat,” with much in between. The main question remains whether cell culture meat will receive widespread consumer acceptance. This will depend heavily upon whether the consuming public has confidence that cell-cultured meal is safe, wholesome, properly labeled, and overseen by the appropriate government authorities. @ https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/cell-cultured-meat-the-emerging-regulatory-landscape/?elq_mid=29674&elq_cid=10195538

The voluntarily recall of fresh-cut melon products, from Caito Foods, cost its owner SpartanNash $2.9 million this summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiological research traced back the Salmonella outbreak in fresh-cut melons that caused 77 people to become ill and 36 people to be hospitalized to Caito Foods. Costs of the recall included the disposal of the product, decreased efficiencies, increased production and other costs, according to a news release. The company CEO and President David Staples said: “It is worth noting that not one of the over 500 tests taken by the various parties showed positive evidence of salmonella, I believe these results are a testament to our commitment to operating a high-quality manufacturing process.” Tests were done by third-party food safety professionals and the FDA, according to the release. @ https://www.thepacker.com/article/caito-foods-recall-costs-spartannash-29m?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0RsbU56a3paR1UyWW1RMCIsInQiOiJpV3lIU3BoM2syMUlCTlFZWjhkTGp3aGQ2Q2JCc2Q3OXRyaEhSRDVnVVBuZDBOTGtGQlJOdTRRTWZSZ3lKNUVtUjRnSUtOUEFlWGF3eXBKdldCcVRHR0NxVVN0d0UzQm1qMWpxVktvc1RkZTVEWkFYa2U1UWFNN2I4cktYdWZEbiJ9

A study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, researchers from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Science and Engineering at UMN have developed a method to screen and identify harmful or antibiotic-resistant bacteria within one hour using chemiluminescence and a portable luminometer. The new technology was tested by analyzing surface swabs and urine samples for the presence of small concentrations of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). To screen for microorganisms, green gold in the form of triangular nanoplates was combined with a reducing agent and luminol. This caused a strong chemiluminescent reaction that was stable for as long as 10 minutes. When researchers introduced MRSA and other microorganisms into the combination, they consumed the gold nanoplates, causing the chemiluminescent intensity to decrease proportionally to the microbial concentration, indicating the presence of microorganisms. Researchers also introduced a new concept called microbial macromolecular shielding to specifically identify MRSA. A polymer specific to MRSA was added to the same sample where it engulfed and surrounded the MRSA bacteria, preventing them from consuming the gold nanoplates. This increased chemiluminescence intensity, indicating the presence of MRSA. @ https://phys.org/news/2018-08-green-gold-rapidly-bacteria.html

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have discovered a plant-based food preservative that they claim is more effective than artificial preservatives. The organic preservative comprises flavonoids the flavonoids created by NTU scientists have strong anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties. Flavonoids are found in almost all fruits and vegetables; it is responsible for inducing vivid colors in them. These include onions, tea, strawberries, kale, and grapes. The team’s findings were published last month in Food Chemistry, 2019; 270: 123 DOI. Flavonoids’ anti-microbial potential have been reported before, however, they have not been used as a food preservative because they require further processing before they can inhibit bacteria. The NTU researchers achieved this by implanting the flavonoids-producing mechanism from plants into baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The new flavonoids may open new doors in food preservation technologies, providing a low-cost solution for industries. @ https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/plant-based-food-preservative-thats-more-effective-than-artificial-ones-307756