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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #248357
Title: Food safety on the farm: Movement toward the development of sustainable and environmentally compatible pre-harvest interventions for livestock producers

Author
item Anderson, Robin
item Smith, David
item Krueger, Nathan
item Beier, Ross
item Callaway, Todd
item Edrington, Thomas
item Harvey, Roger
item Nisbet, David

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2010
Publication Date: 3/21/2010
Citation: Anderson, R.C., Smith, D.J., Krueger, N.A., Beier, R.C., Callaway, T.R., Edrington, T.S., Harvey, R.B., Nisbet, D.J. 2010. Food safety on the farm: Movement toward the development of sustainable and environmentally compatible pre-harvest interventions for livestock producers [abstract]. Chemistry for and from Agriculture. 78:80.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pathogenic bacteria residing in the gut of food-producing animals can contaminate meat and dairy products during processing. A chlorate-based feeding strategy specifically targeting respiratory nitrate reductases possessed by E. coli and Salmonella has shown promise in depopulating these pathogens. Most beneficial bacteria are not affected by chlorate. Co-administration of chlorate with select nitroalkanes, which exhibit bactericidal activity in their own right, synergistically enhances the bactericidal effect of chlorate by an undefined mechanism. The nitrocompounds are attractive because they also reduce enteric methane production, which contributes > 20% of the United States’ total emission of this greenhouse gas. Chemicals targeting amino acid catabolism by asaccharolytic Campylobacter have also shown promise in reducing the carriage of these pathogens in food animals and in conserving amino nitrogen. The application of these chemical interventions may ultimately improve the microbial safety and quality of foods produced for human consumption while limiting greenhouse gasses.