With the FDA’s recent announcement that it plans to begin testing pet food for Salmonella, both consumers and pet food processors are paying closer attention to what Fluffy and Fido eat at home. The current concerns are that Salmonella in pet foods could be transmitted to humans who handle the food and then touch their own mouths, as well as cause illness in the pets.
Birko carries several products that can be useful in controlling Salmonella in pet foods. For example, Beefxide®, approved by the USDA for use as an antimicrobial processing aid on beef intended for human consumption, is being applied by some pet food processors to raw meat ingredients prior to grinding. Beefxide is being applied using conveyor spray cabinets in a method analogous to treating beef trim during ground beef production. Birkoside MP-2™ is a PAA-based antimicrobial intervention that is also being used by pet food companies as part of their process. Birkoside MP-2™ is fast acting and is also approved for use on beef intended for human consumption. It provides a very favorable cost of use per application when compared to other antimicrobial interventions. Both Beefxide® and Birkoside MP-2™ are non-toxic, sustainability-friendly products.
Our technical representatives are available to advise pet food processors on the use of antimicrobials, lactates and sanitation chemicals.
Elis Owens, Ph.D., Director, Technical Services, Birko, can be reached at [email protected], 303-289-1090.
