Biology

Using a Blanching Process to Control Pathogens on Produce

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Fresh produce

Co-authored with Erdogan Ceylan

Every summer, I sit under the carport with my family and shuck a few buckets of corn that we later boil and quickly freeze. I never thought much about that home process until I started working at the Mérieux NutriSciences Food Science Center and interacting regularly with customers who are on a much larger and elaborate scale doing the same thing with their vegetables.

Blanching vegetables not only improves product quality by changing the texture, preserving the flavor and color, but it can also serve as a critical control point in regards to pathogen inactivation.  Continue Reading

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Food Manufacturing

Technical Tuesday: Recalls Raise Concerns About Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli in Flour

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Recently,  multiple foodborne outbreaks caused by shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) have been epidemiologically linked to the consumption of wheat flour. This has been a hot topic of discussion with many of our flour milling clients as well as manufacturers and retailers who use flour as an ingredient or sell flour to consumers. Many in the food industry are wondering if they should be changing their hazard analyses, environmental monitoring programs, ingredient testing or finished product testing. Continue Reading

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