USDA launches new food safety web site
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a new food safety web site organized by the Food Safety Research Information Office (FSIRO), a part of the National Agricultural Library. The web site combines news and documents related to food safety from several government agencies and research projects.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio/

RESEARCH:

Trained Sensory Panel and Consumer Evaluation of the Effects of Gamma Irradiation on Palatability of Vacuum-Packaged Frozen Ground Beef Patties - T. L. Wheeler, S. D. Shackelford, and M. Koohmaraie, Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, ARS, USDA. J. Anim. Sci. 1999. 77:3219-3224.
The objectives for this experiment were to determine the effects of gamma irradiation on 1) the palatability of vacuum-packaged frozen ground beef patties by trained sensory panel and 2) consumer evaluation of the taste of hamburgers made with those patties. Boxes (4.5 kg) of frozen (–28°C) ground beef patties (113.4 g/patty, 19% fat) from a commercial supplier were irradiated at a commercial gamma irradiation facility at one of three levels (0, 3.0, or 4.5 kGy). All boxes were stored at 28°C for 27 to 29 d after irradiation before evaluation by a trained descriptive attribute sensory panel and for 62 to 104 d after irradiation before consumer evaluation. The trained panel evaluated grilled patties for ground beef aroma intensity, off-aroma, and off-flavor on 4-point scales (4 = intense, none, and none; 1 = none, intense, and intense, respectively) and ground beef flavor intensity, tenderness, and juiciness on 8-point scales (8 = extremely intense, tender, or juicy; 1 = extremely bland, tough, or dry). Control patties had more intense (P < .05) ground beef aroma (3.1 vs 2.6), less off-aroma (3.3 vs 2.6), and more intense ground beef flavor (4.9 vs 4.3) than irradiated patties. However, there were no differences (P > .05) in any sensory trait between frozen ground beef patties treated with 3.0 or 4.5 kGy of gamma irradiation. There were no differences (P > .05) among treatments for tenderness (6.3, 6.6, and 6.7) or juiciness ratings (5.7, 5.9, and 5.9), respectively, for 0, 3.0, and 4.5 kGy. The consumers evaluated taste of a hamburger that included their choice of condiments on a 10-point scale (10 = excellent; 1 = terrible). Hamburgers made with patties treated with 4.5 kGy were rated lower (P < .05) in taste than hamburgers made with either control patties or those treated with 3.0 kGy (6.5, 6.6, and 6.2, respectively, for 0, 3.0, and 4.5 kGy); however, all doses were rated at some level of “fair.” These results imply that hamburgers made from ground beef patties irradiated under the conditions of this experiment would encounter little, if any, consumer acceptance problems at the 3.0 kGy dose and only slightly greater problems at the 4.5 1999, by the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. http://www.asas.org/jas/papers/1999/dec/dec3219.pdf

Consumer Acceptance of Irradiated Meat and Poultry Products - Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 757 (AIB-757). August 2000.
The Federal Government began allowing food manufacturers to irradiate raw meat and meat products to control pathogenic microorganisms in February 2000. Consumer acceptance of irradiated foods could affect public health because many foodborne illnesses occur when consumers handle or eat meat or poultry contaminated by microbial pathogens. However, food manufacturers have been slow to adopt irradiation, partly because of the perception that relatively few consumers are willing to buy irradiated foods. A recent survey by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) confirmed this perception: only half of the adult residents of the FoodNet sites were willing to buy irradiated ground beef or chicken, and only a fourth were willing to pay a premium for these products, which cost more to produce than comparable nonirradiated products. These findings suggest that the impact of food irradiation on public health will be limited unless consumer preferences change, perhaps in response to educational messages about the safety and benefits of food irradiation.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib757/

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

USDA Issues Meat and Poultry Irradiation Proposal - Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to radiant energy in order to reduce or eliminate bacteria. Forms of radiant energy include: microwave and infrared radiation, which heat food during cooking; visible light or ultraviolet light, which are used to dry food or kill surface microorganisms; and ionizing radiation, which penetrates deeply into food, killing microorganisms without raising the temperature of the food significantly. Food is most often irradiated commercially to reduce the numbers of pathogenic microorganisms, to extend shelf-life, or to eliminate insect pests. Food irradiation for these purposes is practiced in many countries, including the United States. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/background/irradprop.htm

Irradiated Beef Faces Slow Rollout to Consumers - Carey Gillam Monday April 3, 2000. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) – Fearful of a negative public backlash, food companies and retailers are moving slowly to introduce irradiated ground beef products to store shelves, despite government approval granted in February, industry executives said on Monday.
While public opinion polls show that consumers are eager for safer meat products, there are a host of fears to overcome when it comes to the benefits of irradiation techniques, a group of industry players told Reuters at the 2000 Meat Marketing Conference held in Kansas City.
http://www.purefood.org/Irrad/Marketersfears.cfm

Food Irradiation – Economic Research Service, USDA.
Exposing meat and poultry to ionizing irradiation can control many foodborne pathogens. Benefit/cost analyses by ERS find positive net benefits for many meat and poultry products.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Topics/view.asp?T=102818

Industry Food Safety Actions: Unconventional Technologies/Irradiation – Economic Research Service, Briefing Room.
Food processing firms, universities, and the USDA are conducting research on many new technologies to control pathogens. A technology that is commonly accepted as a tool to kill all pathogens is irradiation, and ERS has conducted substantial research on its use. Note that irradiation does not eliminate toxins that organisms may produce before their death and thus does not eliminate all food safety risks.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/industryfoodsafety/unconventech/index.htm

Fact Sheet: Irradiation – Lynn Kosty
The Food Safety and Inspection Service in December issued a final rule on low-dose irradiation of raw meat, including beef. The rule went into effect on Feb. 22. A number of processors, including those that move a high volume of meat, have already contracted with irradiation facilities. Irradiation is one more step in the cattle industry’s continual efforts to provide safe beef for consumers.

http://hill.beef.org/files/FSPP/iarm.htm

Food Irradiation: A Safe Measure http://www.fda.gov/opacom/catalog/irradbro.html

Questions and Answers about Irradiation of Meats – Penn State, College of Agricultural Sciences.
http://www.das.psu.edu/Meat/IrradFctSheet.pdf

Microsoft Powerpoint Presentations:

Effectiveness of Irradiation in Controlling Pathogenic and Spoilage Microorganisms in Meats. (104kB)
Irradiation for Reducing Pathogens in Meat and Poultry (4.6MB)
Irradiation to Improve Meat Safety: What do Consumers Expect? (156kB)

Minnesota Firms Lead Nation in Food Safety & Fight Against E. Coli in Ground Beef - Huisken Meats Scores Double-Digit Sales Growth With Hamburgers Zapped With Electricity
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Minnesota made history a year ago when Chandler-based Huisken Meats became the first processor in the nation to use electricity to eliminate the threat of E. Coli O157:H7 in its products. From an initial distribution in 84 stores located totally within the Twin Cities, the availability of Huisken ``Be Sure'' brand products has rapidly grown to literally thousands of supermarkets in 23 states.
This bold step taken by a family-owned business has reaped significant rewards. ``Response so far has been outstanding,'' says Huisken regional sales manager Cliff Albertson. ``Sales during June and July are up over 35 percent compared to a year ago.''

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010815/cgw044.html