Bacteriophage treatment for reducing and preventing bacterial contamination

摘要

A system and method for reducing or preventing bacterial contamination in food includes application of a bacteriophage treatment to any type of food product at any stage of processing the food product. The bacteriophage treatment may also be applied to non-food surfaces and water systems, which may be susceptible to bacterial contamination and subsequent spread of bacteria. The bacteriophage treatment comprises at least one bacteriophage in a concentration sufficient to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination from pathogenic bacteria and/or spoilage bacteria. In some embodiments, the bacteriophage is able to reduce or eliminate bacteria introduced to a food product after the bacteriophage treatment was applied to the food product. In some embodiments, the bacteriophage treatment includes a buffering agent to maintain the bacteriophage at a pH level that sustains the bacteriophage. In some embodiments, the bacteriophage treatment includes a surfactant and/or a thickener to aid in applying the bacteriophage. Additional adjuvants and enhancers may be used in some embodiments to stabilize the bacteriophage or enhance its performance as an antibacterial agent.

主权项

1. A method of treating and preventing bacterial contamination in a raw meat product, the method comprising:
applying a bacteriophage treatment to the raw meat product as a foam, the bacteriophage treatment comprising:
at least one bacteriophage in a concentration sufficient to reduce or eliminate bacteria selected from the group consisting of pathogenic bacteria, spoilage bacteria, and combinations thereof;a buffering agent to maintain the bacteriophage treatment at a pH between approximately 4 and 9;from about 25 ppm to about 2.0 weight percent of a foaming surfactant selected from the group consisting of alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol ethoxylate carboxylate, amine oxides, alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfate, sulfonates, quaternary ammonium compounds, alkyl sarcosines, betaines, alkyl amides and mixtures thereof; andan adjuvant comprising one or more of calcium, magnesium, a competitive exclusion bacteria, a fatty acid, a terpene, a terpenoid, glycerol, and propylene glycol.