Microfiltration—an emerging processing technology that extends milk’s shelf life by using semipermeable membranes to keep out undesirable microbes—can introduce bacteria that are resistant to pasteurization into fluid milk if equipment is not cleaned properly, Cornell researchers recently found.

Spoilage bacteria Pseudomonas are able to survive thermal processing methods commonly used in meat production and can grow in refrigerated, vacuum-sealed packaging with little to no oxygen, according to a recent study.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbial Risk Assessment (JEMRA) report on commodity specific prevention and control measures for microbial hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables.

METER Food, a provider of water activity and moisture content measurement solutions, is now Aqualab.

The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) recently updated technical guidance on food allergen labeling includes changes to advice on the use of Precautionary Allergen Labeling and clarification on “vegan” versus “free-from” labeling.

Packaging and labeling of cannabis-infused edibles are unregulated at the federal level due to Cannabis remaining a Schedule I drug, therefore industry must comply with individual state codes and use international standards for guidance. Cannabis-infused edibles are packaged and labeled with all the familiar requirements for a food and dietary supplement, and further requirements must be met.

This article discusses the latest research elucidating the main reason why foodborne pathogens like Salmonella are more resistant to heat inactivation in low-moisture food (LMF) systems, including quantitative data relating thermal treatment temperature and water activity/relative humidity to the log-reduction rate of bacterial pathogens in different LMF. Case studies on pilot-scale thermal treatments for the control of Salmonella in LMF are also presented. 

Mettler-Toldedo Product Inspection Group has introduced a significant new update—Version 2.6—for their ProdX inspection device management software.

Melodea Ltd. has introduced its newest innovation, MelOx NGen™, a barrier product engineered to allow for the recyclability of plastic food packaging.

McMaster University researchers have created a new packaging tray that can signal when Salmonella or other foodborne pathogens are present in raw or cooked foods, such as chicken.