Sterilex® Products Featured in CBS News Segment on Jensen Farms Cantaloupe Listeria Cleanup

Oct. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- HUNT VALLEY, MD, October 27, 2011 – A recent segment on CBS4 News Denver reporting on the FDA’s investigation into the Listeria monocytogenes cantaloupe outbreak at Jensen Farms featured Sterilex products as a “key chemical that kills and helps prevent the formation of Listeria” and “something that could save lives” if used at similar facilities.  

Sterilex markets a line of products with the unique ability to kill resistant organisms such as Listeria living within protective biofilm.  “Sterilex products based off of PerQuat® technology are currently used by food processors across the United States as a key tool in their fight against deadly food pathogens such as Listeria,” said Alex Josowitz, Sterilex’s Director of Business Development.  “Unfortunately, not all producers are proactive in understanding how to prevent pathogens such as Listeria from being transferred to product contact surfaces and ultimately to the product itself.”

A 2009 USDA-ARS publication in Agricultural Research magazine entitled “Biofilms Have a New Foil” concluded that “(Sterilex chemistry) is more effective than currently used disinfectants in reducing L. monocytogenes biofilm growth, thus minimizing the risk of pathogenic contamination.”  While most meat and poultry producers have recognized the importance of Listeria biofilm control in their cleaning and sanitation procedures, the produce industry still has a ways to go.

“High profile recalls related to fresh produce in recent years have served as a wakeup call to the industry”, said Josowitz.  “We are getting more and more calls from produce manufacturers looking to implement best practice protocols for Listeria prevention and biofilm control, but the outbreak at Jensen Farms is a reminder that there is still a lot of education to be done.”

Sterilex’s patented products for food and beverage processing are distributed through cleaning and sanitation chemical providers in the US and Canada.

To watch the CBS4 News Video, visit http://www.sterilex.com/sterilex/pressroom.asp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNmG-RbYa8w&feature=feedu



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Sterilex develops antimicrobial, anti-biofilm, and specialty cleaning products to address the decontamination of pathogens, spoilage organisms, and biofilm in dental care, health care, food processing, food preparation, and water care applications.