Monday, AvidBiotics Corp. and Ecolab Inc. (ECL) announced an agreement under which they will work to develop a new technology to dramatically reduce the presence of the dangerous pathogen E. coli O157:H7 in red meat products.
The companies' intent is to successfully commercialize AvidBiotics' proprietary protein-based antibacterial technology which can be targeted against specific bacterial pathogens. The approach could yield a versatile food processing aid that is non-chemical and non-toxic. While the platform technology may be applicable to numerous food pathogens, the companies are first targeting the dangerous food pathogen, E. coli, in red meat.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, over 70,000 people are infected with E. coli O157:H7 each year in the United States, at least 2,000 are hospitalized, and about 60 die as a direct result of E. coli infection and its complications.
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