Luna Innovations Incorporated, a Virginia-based developer and marketer of molecular technology and sensing solutions, has announced that it is developing two new products that will provide an integrated approach to the management of bacterial contamination in food.

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The new product concepts are a rapid bacterial viability kit to assess decontamination efficiency and to evaluate the cleanliness of surfaces, and what is anticipated to be the first in a family of bacteriophage products. The company made the announcement at the 2007 Food Safety & Security Summit in Washington, DC.


“The products currently under development at Luna are aimed at providing a safe solution for the control of deadly microorganisms in meat, fruits and vegetables,” said Dr Richard Obiso, director of fife sciences at Luna Innovations.


The rapid bacterial viability kit is specifically designed to assess the presence of bacteria to determine the effectiveness of a decontamination routine used to clean surfaces in the food processing and manufacturing industry, the company said. The kit is intended to be a faster solution than standard culture methods, giving food manufacturers more timely information about their decontamination processes.


Luna’s initial bacteriophage product is aimed at destroying Listeria monocytogenes, a common foodborne pathogen responsible for the disease Listeriosis. The mixture is designed to be added in line with current food production and manufacturing processes or sprayed on food surfaces to reduce L. monocytogenes contamination, the company said. It is an all natural product, Luna added, containing no preservatives or potentially-allergenic substances, and will not alter the taste, odour, or colour of foods.

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