Articles

Alternative food processing technologies currently under development promise to deliver food with more desirable freshness characteristics, but what about food safety? The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) examines this question in a report it prepared for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The report, Kinetics of Microbial Inactivation for Alternative Food Processing Technologies examines the scientific evidence to date on the effectiveness of each technology in controlling pathogens of potential concern.

"Many of these alternative processing technologies hold great promise for the future, providing food that is more appetizing, fresher or less cooked and at the same time, safe," according to Frank Busta, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, who served as panel chair and senior science advisor on the project. "However, the report demonstrates how much additional research is necessary to fully understand and document the effectiveness of these technologies."

To produce the report, IFT's Department of Science and Technology Projects assembled a scientific and technical panel and three subpanels: Electromagnetic processes, electrothermal processes and physical processes. Each panel was comprised of experts in food microbiology and food engineering with expertise in the alternative technologies under review. The panels were charged with providing scientific and technical review and analysis, not with setting FDA policy.

"The broad range of expertise IFT represents makes the organization uniquely qualified for such projects," said Fred Shank, Ph.D., VP of IFT's Office of Science, Communications and Government Relations.

The report currently is available from the FDA website at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/ift-toc.html. IFT will publish the entire report later in the summer of 2000 as a special supplement in the Journal of Food Science. Copies will be available by calling IFT at 312-782-8242, or by e-mail at info@ift.org.

Edited by Scott Hegenbart
Managing Editor, Food Ingredients Online