WASHINGTON – Recent American Meat Institute Foundation-funded research conducted by researchers at Colorado State Univ. show decontamination treatments that reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination on beef trimmings also reduce non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), plus multiple drug resistant (MDR) and susceptible Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Typhimurium.

“This study illustrates that existing industry practices are controlling all STEC, not just E. coli O157:H7,” said James Hodges, AMI Foundation president. “From a scientific perspective, in-plant interventions do not discriminate; they target E. coli strains broadly.”

The antimicrobial effects of various chemical decontamination treatments for beef trimmings were evaluated in public studies. However, E. coli O157:H7 was used in most previous studies as the target pathogen.

“Overall, the findings presented in this report on the effectiveness of chemical decontamination treatments for beef trimmings against E. coli O157:H7, non-O157 STEC serotypes, and antibiotic susceptible and resistant S. Newport and S. Typhimurium should be useful to regulatory authorities and the meat industry as they consider these pathogens in beef trimmings” said John Sofos, Ph.D., study author.

AMIF relays studies were conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of chemical decontamination treatments against E. coli O157:H7, six non-O157 STEC serotypes (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) plus antibiotic susceptible and resistant (MDR and/or MDRAmpC) phenotypes of S. Newport and S.Typhimurium inoculated on beef trimmings. Individual strains or mixtures were evaluated.

Lactic acid (5 percent, at 25 or 55°C), acidified sodium chlorite (0.1 percent), peroxyacetic acid (0.02 percent), sodium metasilicate (4 percent), Bromitize Plus (225 ppm active bromine), SYNTRx 3300 (pH 1.0), and AFTEC 3000 (pH 1.2) were the antimicrobial treatments evaluated. The antimicrobial effects of these decontamination treatments against the non-O157 STEC serotypes and S. Newport/Typhimurium antibiotic resistance phenotypes were generally the same as those against E. coli O157:H7, findings indicate.

Findings from the study were presented by Sofos in a presentation at the 98th Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection.