EBI Food Safety - Listeria Bacteriophage Solution LISTEX P100™

LISTEX P100™ is an all-natural and innovative way of eradicating Listeria in food products. LISTEX P100™ is highly targeted towards Listeria monocytogenes, reducing bacterial numbers efficiently. EBI Food Safety is committed to making the application of bacteriophages ('phages') the new industry standard for the control of pathogens in food.

LISTEX P100™ CLEARS LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES NATURALLY

LISTEX P100™, a product against Listeria, is a culture of safe and natural bacteriophages, characterised by its broad spectrum towards Listeria monocytogenes strains. It is used as a processing aid in the production of meat, cheese, fish and other products. LISTEX P100™ is the first bacteriophage product, which has received GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).This means that LISTEX P100™ is approved for use on all food products in the US.

The Dutch designated inspection office SKAL confirmed in July 2007 the 'organic' status of LISTEX P100™ under EU law, as a result of which it can be used in the EU in regular and organic products.

LISTEX P100™ APPLICABLE TO MEAT, FISH AND CHEESE

The most common applications are meat, fish and cheese. In these areas, EBI Food Safety serves customers with experience and solutions on how to use LISTEX P100™ in the best way for every individual customer. Application of LISTEX P100™ onto other foods is also possible.

The use of LISTEX P100™, and its application, can be easily integrated within the daily routine of the normal production process. The application of LISTEX P100™ does not affect any of the properties of the food product, be it chemical, physical, or organoleptic.

PHAGES - OMNIPRESENT

With 10 31 phages are the most abundant micro-organisms on Earth. Fresh water and seawater can contain as many as one billion phages per ml, while in fresh and processed meat and meat products, more than 100 million viable phages per gram are often present. Phages are harmless to humans, animals and plants, and target only bacterial cells. They are extremely specific in regard to the bacteria they recognize. The LISTEX P100™ bacteriophages target only Listeria, and are easy to apply in production processes.

LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES - THE PATHOGEN

Listeria Monocytogenes, the western world’s primary food safety threat, causes listeriosis in humans, a potentially fatal disease. Although accurate estimates are difficult to obtain, it is clear that a large number of food categories are susceptible to Listeria, including many of the popular convenience food categories with double-digit growth. Listeria related economic losses run into the billions per year. This excludes the damage in 'brand equity' and the loss of market share and litigation costs that result for corporations when their contaminated products hit the market.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Listeriosis is one of the most severe food-borne infection, with a mortality rate of 30%. It can take weeks after exposure before an infection becomes apparent. The US Food Safety and Inpsection Service maintain a zero tolerance policy for the bacterium, which grows at refrigeration temperature and is omnipresent.

Listeria monocytogenes is found in the environment (e.g., in soil, water, vegetation, and on the surfaces of equipment, floors and walls) and is often carried by healthy animals (including humans) Listeria monocytogenes is spread easily by direct food contact with a contaminated surface, and can survive and grow in a refrigerated, packaged, Ready to Eat product.

Listeria monocytogenes grows under low-oxygen conditions and at low refrigeration temperatures and survives for long periods of time in the environment, on foods, in processing plants and in household refrigerators. Until now it was cumbersome for food producers to secure compliance with regulatory requirements.

EBI FOOD SAFETY - INNOVATIVE AND UPRISING

EBI Food Safety is a Dutch, privately-held life sciences company, focused on the development and commercialization of natural anti-bacterial products, based on its bacteriophage technology. The company's scientific network includes collaborations with universities and research centres around the world, i.e. in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Nowray, Italy, Canada and the US.

The company is viewed as product leader in the field of applied bacteriophage technology for food products and was honoured with the 2006 Technology Innovation Award by Frost & Sullivan. In 2007, the company was elected as one of Holland's 25 most promising young enterprises by FEM Business Magazine. In October 2007, the company received the gold medal at the Fi Awards in London for the most innovative ingredient.