Food safety is a concern for public health officials and consumers alike. One
Michigan Technological University scientist has a new tool that can help the food industry improve safety.
Jaroslaw Drelich, a professor of materials science and engineering at Tech, has found a way to embed copper, which has antibiotic properties, into the inert compound vermiculite.
Vermiculite is most often used in potting soil, but also could be incorporated into food packaging materials, like packing beads, boxes and even cellulose-based egg cartons.
In Drelich's studies, the copper-infused material killed 100 percent of E. coli bacteria in water samples, and also killed Staphylococcus aureus, the most common staph bacteria. Other scientists have shown copper can kill Listeria, Salmonella and even the antibiotic-resistant MRSA, as well as viruses and fungi.
Drelich says the cost of the material is very low, about 25 cents per pound, and it could be a cheap and effective way to increase food safety, especially of fruits and vegetables. He is working with the Michigan Tech SmartZone to commercialize the product through his business,
Micro Techno Solutions.
Other uses might include purifying water, industrial wastes, use in public places like bathrooms, or even in money, which often carries bacteria.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Technological University
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