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The
The lantibiotic could be used to prevent harmful bacteria in meats, processed cheeses, egg and dairy products, canned foods, seafood, salad dressing, fermented beverages and many other foods. In addition to food safety benefits, lantibiotics are easy to digest and nontoxic, do not induce allergies and are difficult for dangerous bacteria to develop resistance against.
O’Sullivan discovered the lantibiotic by chance, while researching the genome of bacteria. He then collaborated with Ju-Hoon Lee, a
Recent E. coli and Salmonella recalls emphasize the importance of finding new and harmless-to-human bacteria killers. “Salmonella burden has increased more dramatically than any other foodborne illness,” says Shaun Kennedy, director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense. “The largest recall in 2010 for food contamination was eggs contaminated with Salmonella.”
Salmonella and E. coli, both gram-negative bacteria, account for more than half of all food recalls in the