PURE Bioscience Inc. of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, announced progress in development of a SDC-based antimicrobial for direct food contact. The company is testing formulations to be used as a rinse or processing aid on produce, poultry and meats.

PURE initiated this project in December 2013, and is working with Dr. James Marsden, a noted food safety scientist and expert at Kansas State University, on the testing and preparation of the submissions for authorization to the FDA and USDA. The company expects to make the submissions early in the calendar second quarter 2014, and estimates that the authorization process could take up to six months, or calendar fourth quarter 2014.

The company’s SDC-based antimicrobial disinfectant for food contact surfaces, PURE Hard Surface, in extensive testing in food processing plants and restaurants, has demonstrated superior effectiveness in breadth and speed of pathogen kill, and therefore the reduction of food safety risk. The product also provides 24-hour residual kill and has a favorable safety profile. In developing a direct food application, the company’s expectations are that, because of SDC’s properties, modes of action and non-toxicity, SDC could revolutionize the industry by proving to have superior efficacy to interventions and processing aids currently in the market.

A critical issue for the food industry is the growing number of product recalls and food borne illness outbreaks due to the presence of pathogens like Salmonella and E.coli, especially in produce and poultry. In addition, there is growing evidence that these bacteria can build up a resistance to many antimicrobials in use on food products today. Based on experience to date, bacteria have not been able to build up a resistance to PURE’s SDC. The company estimates that in the U.S. the potential available market for direct food contact antimicrobials is in excess $1.0 Billion.

“Having an SDC-based direct food application that is more effective in the killing of pathogens that persist through the processing of produce, poultry and meats will greatly increase the value of the food safety solution that PURE is able to offer the food industry,” said Hank Lambert, CEO of PURE Bioscience. “We are excited that preliminary test results are encouraging in this regard.”

PURE Bioscience Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing its proprietary antimicrobial products that provide solutions to the health and environmental challenges of pathogen and hygienic control within the food industry. The company’s technology platform is based on patented stabilized ionic silver, and its initial products contain silver dihydrogen citrate, or SDC. SDC is a broad-spectrum, non-toxic antimicrobial agent, which offers 24-hour residual protection. As a platform technology, SDC is distinguished from existing products in the marketplace by its superior efficacy, reduced toxicity and the inability of bacteria to form a resistance to it. PURE is headquartered in El Cajon, California (San Diego metropolitan area). Additional information on PURE is available at www.purebio.com.