As the U.S. government steps up efforts to reduce Salmonella Enteriditis illnesses resulting from eggs, food industry companies continue introducing treatments that either destroy the bacteria in the shell or significantly reduce its growth.
If cheesemaking is an art, then starter cultures can be likened to the temperamen tal artist, says Dan Pelgrin of Madison, Wis.-based Rhodia, Inc., a manufacturer of microbiological starter cultures for the food, dairy and agriculture industries.
Strong sales of the nation's first irradiated hamburger meat, which debuted in Minneapolis and St. Paul stores last month, should help alleviate concern about consumer acceptance of irradiated products.
Research under way at the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University suggests that the use of electrical current may be more effective in producing good tasting, ultra-high temperature milk than more conventional methods.