Food Processing Commons^™

Characterization And Use Of Pathogen Specific Bacteriophages To Reduce The Viability Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Contamination On Fresh Produce, Badrinath Vengarai Jagannathan

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Fresh produce is one of the most common sources of food-borne outbreaks, involving various pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli. Recent outbreaks have clearly shown that post-harvest washing has limited effectiveness on decontaminating produce and may contribute to cross-contamination of produce due to various limitations. Excessive use of sanitizers and antibiotics has also led to the development of many antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that have made the food industry more vulnerable.

Bacteriophages are a bacterial viruses that can selectively infect and replicate within bacteria leading to cell lyse and death. Bacteriophages have become widely recognized due to their ability …