Food poisoning outbreaks caused by bacteria such as salmonella could be significantly reduced if a new sanitiser is proven to be successful in the next stage of trials.
University of Adelaide researchers are developing plasma-activated water as an environmentally friendly food sanitiser that can kill foodborne superbugs in seconds.
“The results of our prototype trials are really exciting and showed that our sanitiser destroyed salmonella on chicken meat and eggs in just five seconds,” said lead researcher Dr Katharina Richter, a Future Making Fellow from the University of Adelaide’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing and Adelaide Medical School.
“We envisage that this sanitiser could be used as a spray or dip for at-risk foods such as eggs, meats, poultry and plant-based products during the manufacturing process, potentially providing a chemical-free alternative to current sanitisers and preventing disease.”
More than four million cases of foodborne disease are estimated to occur in Australia each year. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and include diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, aches, and pains.
“Vulnerable people such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk of severe consequences and could even die of foodborne illnesses,” said Dr Richter.
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