HENDERSON, Colo. — Birko, a leader in providing food safety solutions to the protein industry, today announced its Beefxide® intervention has received additional approvals from the USDA for use as an antimicrobial processing aid on unskinned livers and other organ meats, without the need for a drain time between application and packaging.
Birko received simultaneous parallel approvals for use of its Porkxide™ and Lambxide™ antimicrobial processing aids on unskinned pork and lamb livers, respectively.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a Letter of No Objection allowing Birko’s antimicrobial interventions to be used as a spray at concentrations up to 2.5% w/w on unskinned livers (outer membrane intact), skinned livers (outer membrane removed), tongues, tails, primal cuts, sub-primal cuts, cuts and trimmings without labeling. Skinned livers must be drained one to two minutes after application and before packaging.
These approvals will be included in the next update of the FSIS Directive 7120.1, “Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry and Egg Products.”
Birko’s Beefxide®, Porkxide™ and Lambxide™ interventions are formulated from FDA-approved ingredients and all components of the formulas are GRAS. The products are also suitable for use on products to be labeled as natural or organic.
“This approval will greatly benefit our slaughter customers,” said Elis Owens, Ph.D., Birko’s senior chemist/microbiologist. “For many processors the inability to use Beefxide® on skinned livers and the requirement for a drain time between application to organ meats and packaging was an obstacle to their adoption of Beefxide®. These new approvals eliminate these obstacles and will allow for wider adoption of this highly effective food safety tool.”
“This organically-based suite of antimicrobials offers similar efficacy to lactic acid at a lower use concentration and therefore offer a cost saving,” Owens said.
