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- Summer 1996 "Update" Newsletter Article -
New applications explored for antibacterial lotion
From CATI Publication #961001
Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.
Research is set to expand this year on an anti-bacterial lotion first studied by a California State University, Fresno professor as a potential new product for the food service industry.
Animal science professor and university veterinarian Michael Thomas will oversee additional studies on Bio-SafeTM Lotion, a commercially made antibacterial product with potential for application in the food service, medical and agricultural industries.
Last year Thomas directed tests combining the lotion with a skin-protecting compound that would extend the antibacterial effectiveness of the product.
Initial tests on biopsied pigskin samples provided positive results, and so the work, funded primarily by Bio-Safe Enterprises Inc. will continue with some new applications as well, Thomas said.
The first will involve continued tests of the new antibacterial lotion against other similar commercial products. After skin samples are coated with different lotions, organisms such as E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus fecalis will be spread on the samples. The samples will then be observed to learn the rate at which the pathogens are reduced or eliminated.
A second set of trials will focus on the lotion's effectiveness as an udder-sanitizing dip for dairy cows. In this test, a Bio-Safe compound will be applied as a post-milking teat dip to selected cows on the university dairy. Skin condition and the presence of pathogens will be measured against cows the undergo conventional iodine dipping.
A final experiment will explore the Bio-Safe lotion in a food service application. The laboratory trials will measure the lotion's effectiveness in protecting human hands against a benign bacterial organism injected into raw meat.
While funded by Bio-Safe, these trials will be conducted through CATI's Center for Food Science and Nutrition Research, which is dedicated, among other things, to improving food products and nutrition. The center's phone number is (559) 278-5924.
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CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE - CATI
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
California State University, Fresno