Tomato Film Prevents E. Coli Contamination

By Vanessa Richins

The stories show up in the media – some new food has been found to be contaminated with E.coli.

While most varieties of E.coli are actually harmless, some are quite dangerous.

Illness and sometimes even deaths occur before the outbreak can be contained.

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service and the Western Regional Research Center, Processed Foods have been experimenting with a film made from a mixture of tomato puree and carvacrol (the main ingredient in oregano oil). The film was placed onto an agar plate, then swabbed with E.coli.

The results were surprising. On plates without Read the rest of this entry »