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Bacteria Found to Combat Foodborne Illness

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

Researchers have discovered that some bacteria produce naturally occurring antibiotics that are effective in killing foodborne pathogens such as Listeria.  Interestingly, they discovered the bacteria can be found in foods such as Feta cheese made from raw milk in Greece and around the Mediterranean.

According to EurekAlert,

“We were able to isolate lactic acid bacteria found in raw sheep milk from small farms in Macedonia, northern Greece. Several of these friendly bacteria naturally produce antibiotics that killed off dangerous food-poisoning bacteria like Listeria,” says Panagiotis Chanos, a researcher from the University of Lincoln. “Interestingly, we identified these friendly bacteria as enterococci, more commonly recognised as virulent and/or antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals. We found some strains could produce up to three different natural substances to fight different food pathogens.”

The enterococci often give Mediterranean cheeses their distinct tastes, but can also live at extreme temperatures like Listeria.  The enterococci produce bacteriocins which help kill pathogens. The researchers are hoping that they can utilize these friendly bacteria to replace artificial additives in foods as an organic way of protecting against foodborne illness.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on April 04, 2008 (boomark / email).