SALINAS, CA — Growers know it is impossible to eliminate 100% of pathogens in fresh produce. Best practices of food safety include minimizing opportunities for contamination in the field and controlling cross-contamination in produce wash lines where a small amount of pathogens can spread to a large batch of product.
SmartWash Solutions, a produce industry leader in fresh-cut food safety, is expanding access and distribution of the company’s SmartWash Boost product, a patent-pending process aid used to pretreat fresh-cut produce items prior to washing and proven in studies by the USDA-ARS to greatly limit the potential for cross-contamination before it starts.
SmartWash Boost combines Pure Bioscience’s product PURE Control, containing Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC)—the patented molecule utilizing stabilized ionic silver known for its antibacterial properties—and SmartWash Solutions’ chemistry to “boost” established free chlorine wash process lethality, resulting in a 2.94 log reduction of Listeria monocytogenes and a 3.15 log reduction of E. coli 0157:H7.
“SmartWash Boost serves as an initial kill step, eliminating most E. coli and other pathogens before they have the opportunity to contaminate a wash line and spread to other product,” said Steven Swarts, director of business development at SmartWash Solutions.
“Combined with SmartWash or SmartWash Organic wash line chemistry and our Pinpoint Process Control systems, the result is the virtual elimination of the risk of outbreaks from leafy greens and fresh-cut produce.”
The recent study presented by the USDA-ARS confirmed and documented the increased effectiveness of adding SmartWash Boost to existing produce food safety protocols. Measurements of tissue integrity and headspace gas composition also demonstrated the shelf life, quality and appearance of fresh-cut produce products were unaffected.
“Since the costs of an outbreak in terms of response, lost sales and damage to brand reputation are so significant, it makes sound economic sense for companies to achieve the highest level of pathogen control possible, and the combination of SmartWash and SmartWash Boost provides that level of protection,” Swarts continued.
“This USDA study showed extraordinary results in fresh cut lettuce, and we are continually researching additional applications for this product, with promising data already arising for several fruit and vegetable commodities that are not currently processed on a traditional wash line.”
To find out more about SmartWash Boost and SmartWash process control solutions and service, visit smartwashsolutions.com or call (831) 676-9750. You can view the full study results published in Food Research International here.
About SmartWash Solutions
SmartWash Solutions is an industry leader in food safety technology, helping processing plants around the world maximize food safety, achieve FSMA compliance, control wash water chemistry, track wash line efficiency, prevent food-borne outbreaks and save money. Visit smartwashsolutions.com or call (831) 676-9750 for more information
About Pure Bioscience, Inc.:
PURE is focused on developing and commercializing our proprietary antimicrobial products primarily in the food safety arena. We provide solutions to combat the health and environmental challenges of pathogen and hygienic control. Our technology platform is based on patented, stabilized ionic silver, and our initial products contain silver dihydrogen citrate, better known as SDC. This is a broad-spectrum, non-toxic antimicrobial agent, and formulates well with other compounds. As a platform technology, SDC is distinguished from existing products in the marketplace because of its superior efficacy, reduced toxicity and mitigation of bacterial resistance. PURE is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California (San Bernardino metropolitan area). Additional information on PURE is available at www.purebio.com.
