HENDERSON, Colo. – Birko, a leader in providing food safety solutions to the meat, produce and beverage industries, today announced its Beefxide® antimicrobial intervention has received approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for use as a non-food chemical in food processing facilities.
Birko received simultaneous approval for its Porkxide™ and Lambxide™ interventions.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a Letter of Acceptance allowing Birko’s antimicrobial interventions to be used with labeling according to the instructions outlined on the labels. These non-food chemicals must be used in accordance with section 17.10 from Chapter 17 in the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures published by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Birko’s Beefxide®, Porkxide™ and Lambxide™ interventions are applied as a spray on all carcasses, primals, subprimals, cuts, trim and offal products, as well as unskinned livers. They are formulated from U.S. FDA-approved ingredients and all components of the formulas are generally recognized as safe (GRAS). The products are also suitable for use on products to be labeled as natural or organic.
“We’re tremendously excited about this approval,” said Elis Owens, Ph.D., senior chemist/microbiologist for Birko. “Following the recent recalls of ground beef in Canada, we believe that Beefxide® will be a new weapon in producers’ food protection arsenal.”
A recent study conducted in conjunction with a U.S. processor and Utah State University demonstrated that Beefxide® was highly effective as an antimicrobial on ground beef produced from treated trim and did not negatively affect color or flavor. After 10 days storage, consumer panel evaluation showed that flavor and overall acceptability was higher for Beefxide®-treated ground beef patties.
“As next generation antimicrobials, Beefxide® and its sister products take the industry a step beyond the lactic acid that is widely used today,” Owens said. “They offer similar antimicrobial efficacy to lactic acid at a lower use concentration and therefore offer a cost saving.”
About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the meat, produce and beverage industries. Birko manufactures concentrated chemical formulations used in plant cleaning and sanitation, as well as antimicrobial interventions used to reduce pathogens from the manufacturing process of food. Birko’s equipment division, Chad Equipment, LLC, designs and manufactures chemical dispensing systems and state-of-the-art washing systems as well as equipment used for food safety protection in meat processing. Chad also provides ongoing service and support for its harvesting and processing equipment. Birko’s information technology includes BirkoStats™, an online chemical usage tracking system, and the BOSS™ Blend-On-Site System, which blends high performance cleaning products on-site from custom super concentrates. Founded in 1953, Birko is a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise and was awarded Supplier of the Century by the National Meat Association. birkocorp.com
