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University of Alberta,
Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home
Economics
Antibody
Cocktail Targets Deadly Foodborne
Germs
In
the future, consumers may be
adding a powerful
"spice" to their food
that could save lives. Researchers
at the University of Alberta are
developing a natural antibody
cocktail that can help prevent the
most common foodborne germs,
including E. coli and Salmonella,
which cause thousands to become
sick or die each year.
Derived from freeze-dried egg
yolk, the substance is nicknamed a
spice because it can be sprinkled
or sprayed onto meats, fruits and
vegetables to complement existing
sanitation protocols. The
so-called spice does not alter the
taste of food.
Food contamination is on the rise
around the world and is
increasingly seen as a possible
means of bioterrorism. One of the
pathogens cited by the World
Health Organization as a possible
agent of bioterrorism is
Salmonella, which this spice could
protect against, said Dr. Hoon
Sunwoo, chief investigator in the
study and a food chemist with the
U of A Faculty of Agriculture,
Forestry and Home Economics.
Research on the compound, which
appears promising in early animal
tests, was described Sunday at the
225th national meeting of the
American Chemical Society, the
world's largest scientific
society.
"This spice represents a
safe, easy and inexpensive way to
enhance your protection against
deadly germs that attack humans
via food. One day, it will be
found in everyone's spice
cabinet," said Sunwoo.
"This spice does not kill the
germs, but prevents them from
infecting your body," said
Sunwoo. The antibody can remain
active one to two hours after
being ingested. "That buys
precious time that can help keep
you alive."
As with the flu vaccine, hens are
injected with specific foodborne
pathogens, such as E. Coli,
Salmonella, Campylobacter,
Staphyloccoccus, and Listeria. The
animals then develop antibodies,
called IgY (immunoglobulin Y), to
these pathogens as their immune
systems attempt to attack them.
These antibodies tend to
accumulate in large amounts in the
egg yolk, which is then collected,
processed, and freeze-dried to
form a natural, germ-fighting
cocktail.
Unlike the flu vaccine, which
contains inactive viruses, the
antibodies found in the spice are
nonliving and pose no risk of
infection.
Germs normally target and bind to
the intestine, causing infection.
In the presence of the antibody
cocktail, the germs bind to their
corresponding antibodies. The
antibody-germ complex is then
eliminated as waste, preventing
infection.
More tests are needed before the
spice is ready for consumer use;
however, if all goes well, human
tests could begin within a year,
Sunwoo said. Early tests show that
the spice can remain active in a
freeze-dried condition for up to
two years.
The spice will be most useful when
traditional sanitation safeguards
(i.e. rinsing, refrigeration, and
thorough cooking) are unavailable
or unreliable, Sunwoo said.
It could be effective to be used
on foods that are prepared
outdoors or on meals that are
eaten away from home, especially
at salad bars and food bars.
The spice could be helpful for
travelers to foreign countries in
which food-handling practices are
not optimal. It can even be added
to beverages, including water and
fruit juice, Sunwoo said.
At the industrial level, the spice
can be dissolved in water and
sprayed onto meat carcasses to
complement other processing
methods, such as irradiation, or
applied to final packaging. Such
extra-protection methods would be
welcome news for an industry that
has been recently plagued with
record-high meat recalls, Sunwoo
said.
Although summer is the peak season
for food contamination, cases can
occur throughout the year.
Consumers are urged to continue
practicing safe-food handling
techniques to reduce their chances
of developing foodborne illness.
People most vulnerable to serious
complications from foodborne
illness include infants, the
elderly, pregnant women and those
with weakened immune systems.
Antibodies can be developed for
virtually any foodborne germs,
including viruses, Sunwoo added.
One possible candidate that could
be neutralized is the norovirus,
which has recently been linked to
a rash of outbreaks of flu-like
illnesses on cruise ships.
Funding for this study was
provided by the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council
of Canada (NSERC).
By Mark T. Sampson
This article was first published
by the American Chemical Society.
Excerpt:
Department of Agricultural, Food
and Nutritional Science, Faculty
of Agriculture, Forestry and Home
Economics, University of Alberta
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