Company eyes European approval for 'revolutionary' anti-listeria ingredient
The US-based company said its “revolutionary” Micocin product can “reduce the risk of serious Listeria outbreak and food product recall by controlling the growth of Listeria in packaged meat products”.
Health Canada has just approved the ingredient, a company spokeswoman told FoodProductionDaily.com. She added the firm had already started the regulatory process in Europe and was anticipating approval within the usual timeframe. Micocin has been granted GRAS status, including GRAS Notice 305, in the US and has been approved for addition to processed meat products. The ingredient also has approval in Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia.
The product was developed by CanBiocin Inc from a strain of naturally-occurring bacteria, Carnobacteria maltaromaticum, which produces a bacteriocin that is especially effective against Listeria monocytogenes (LM). The R&D outfit teamed up with Griffith to scale-up and commercialise its production.
The company said Micocin, which is already being used in consumer products, has no effect on flavour, taste or texture of foods.
Application at packaging stage
The superfine powder is diluted in water and then deposited precisely onto foods during the packaging process, said the company.
For ready-to-eat (RTE) products, it should be applied to the product surface and distributed homogenously. In hot dogs and sausages, a small amount of a liquid solution of Micocin is applied to the package and when vacuum packed, it distributes across the surface of the product. For sliced products, the solution is sprayed over each face of the slice in the slicing process, before being sealed, said the spokeswoman.
Griffith said application equipment design would vary from customer to customer. The majority of application systems are contained units that can provide liquid delivery and spray nozzle control, while most pieces of equipment are pump-based systems with electric valves, manual pressure regulators and gauges to control. Obviously they must comply with regulation standards and “many food manufacturers are already working with them,” added the firm.
Protection
The company said it would make no generic claims on Micocin’s Listeria reduction capabilities, adding that each product would need to be validated individually. However, Griffith claimed that a 3-log reduction has been noted in certain products with the ingredient and that it had been validated by health agencies and companies in different countries in combating Listeria in RTE foods.
“Testing and product usage to date shows that Micocin offers manufacturers a total protection package unlike what else is currently available,” said the spokeswoman.
Further benefits include a clean flavour profile, cost of use, and temperature abuse, as well as being in tune with market trends such as sodium reduction and a natural-versus-chemical base, she added
New legislation
Griffith said it believed the ingredient could help processors meet the challenges of Canada’s new safety legislation – due to be introduced at the beginning of April in the aftermath of the Maple Leaf Listeria outbreak in 2008 which killed 21 people.
The company said the ingredient could be used by processors to move to the 2B classification for listeria control. Products meeting these criteria, in which the growth of LM cannot occur throughout the expected shelf life of that food, should receive a lower priority with regards to industry verification and control, as well as regulatory oversight and compliance activities.
