USDA Looks to Put a Wrap on Microbes That Cause Food-Borne Ills

[Guest guest]

Washington Post

Tuesday, November 21, 2006; Page HE02

A new, paper-thin wrap made from fruits and vegetables could soon add more than flavor to your food; it may also protect you from E. coli, salmonella and other food-borne illnesses.

These brightly colored, filmlike sheets, each of which provides about a quarter-serving of fruit or vegetables, come in a variety of flavors, from apple and blueberry to carrot, broccoli and tomato. They're already appearing on restaurant menus -- wrapped around sushi, for example -- through a cooperative research and development agreement with Origami Foods and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The hope is that the wraps -- along with sprays and dips that are currently under development -- may one day provide alternatives to the water-based washes currently used to clean fresh produce. (The advantage of the fruit base is that it is stickier than water and thus provides a longer-lasting protective coating.)

USDA chemists are experimenting with adding natural antimicrobial ingredients: oils from oregano, cinnamon and lemon grass. All three oils thwarted bacterial growth when included in an apple wrap, the scientists report in the Nov. 29 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Oregano oil proved the most effective, killing more than 50 percent of bacteria in three minutes. Next steps: boosting that kill rate and testing the herb-laced fruit wraps outside the lab.

Using these natural oils instead of antibiotics sidesteps the antibiotic-resistance worry that plagues the fight against food-borne illness. " They have been consumed for many, many years, " notes USDA food chemist Tara McHugh, lead author of the study. So far, no evidence of resistance to the oils has arisen. " We don't anticipate that is going to be a problem, " she says.

If the research proceeds successfully, expect a hint of oregano to become a regular flavor in your salads.

-- Sally Squires