Researching strategies to protect produce from contamination
Food contamination can occur at various stages from farm to table. At Louisiana State University AgCenter, researchers are studying foodborne pathogens to better understand how they are transmitted and what might be done to prevent them from contaminating fresh and processed foods.
Among the research projects are efforts to treat foods to make them less vulnerable to contamination. Those include developing natural antimicrobial treatments and thermal treatment using hot water and steam. Additionally, they are evaluating the effectiveness of chemical sanitizers such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide.
On-farm risk management practices being studied include using ultraviolet-C light treatment to reduce microbial risk from irrigation water and evaluating the effectiveness of plastic and biodegradable mulch to minimize pathogen contamination from irrigation water, soil bacteria and raw manure.
View the full statement on the NIDB.
Project supported by Hatch Multistate funds.
