Antimicrobial dips and sprays aid in food safety of suppliers' raw product by reducing the micro load that comes from areas including the hide, intestinal tract and the environment. Hence, the application of an antimicrobial intervention can be seen as a positive step for total food safety.
Consumers increasingly demand antibiotic-free meat and poultry. So how do processors prevent contamination during the pre-harvest stage without using this common antimicrobial?
Current antimicrobial compounds used by meat industry to destroy E. coli O157:H7 are effective against non-O157 STEC, according to an AMIF-funded study conducted by researchers at the Agricultural Research Service’s Meat Animal Research Center.
