Loophole may allow too much E coli

One federal inspector calls it the 'E. coli loophole.' Another says, 'Nobody would buy it if they knew.'

The officials are referring to the little-discussed fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has deemed it acceptable for meat companies to cook and sell meat on which E. coli, a bacteria that can sicken and even kill humans, is found during processing.

The 'E. coli loophole' affects millions of pounds of beef each year that tests positive for the presence of E. coli O157:H7, a particularly virulent strain of the bacteria.

The agency allows companies to put this E.

Cooking the meat, the USDA and producers say, destroys the bacteria and makes it safe to eat as pre-cooked hamburgers, meat loaf, crumbled taco meat and other products.

But some USDA inspectors say the 'cook only' practice means that higher-than-appropriate levels of E. coli are tolerated in packing plants, raising the chance that clean meat will become contaminated. They say the 'cook only' practice is part of the reason for this year's sudden rise in incidents of E. coli contamination.

'All the product that is E.

Companies will test, and everything that's positive, they slap that label on.'

There is no evidence that 'cook only' meat has directly sickened consumers. But some inspectors contend that the practice conceals significantly higher levels of E. coli bacteria in packing plants than the companies admit to. That's because companies that find E. coli are allowed to shift that meat immediately into 'cook only' lines, without reporting it to the USDA.

USDA regularly conducts tests for E. coli in slaughtering plants, but only on meat that packing companies have already deemed free of E. coli, the agency inspectors say. USDA officials say they do not track how much meat is put into 'cook only' categories, but interviews with a half-dozen inspectors suggested it is a significant amount.

'The government keeps putting out that we've reduced E. coli by 50 percent and all of that,' said an inspector. 'And we haven't done nothing. We've just covered it up.'

USDA denied this. In answers to written questions from the Chicago Tribune, department officials said USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service 'collects its own random samples without waiting for test results from the plant.'

Meat industry representatives and the USDA also said there is no risk from beef that is fully cooked, since cooking meat above 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills pathogens such as E. coli. Meat companies also said they have taken significant steps to eliminate E. coli in meat during the slaughtering process, including lactic acid washes of carcasses and steam treatments in which carcasses are heated to kill the bacteria.

Meat found with E. coli, they said, isn't worth as much.

Randall Huffman, senior vice president for scientific affairs at the American Meat Institute, an industry group. 'There's not as big a market for that.'

Most of the major meat packing companies offer their own cooked meat products, such as meat loaf, pre-cooked hamburgers and taco meat crumbles. They also sell 'cook only' meat to food processing companies.

Some cooked beef products end up in programs like the National School Lunch Program, which is administered by the USDA.

The agency bought 2.8 million pounds of cooked beef in 2006, according to USDA records. Officials, however, were not sure whether the total included beef that had been found positive for E. coli.

'I did not know that's a common practice,' said Jeannie Sneed, a food service consultant formerly at Iowa State University. 'Most people are probably not aware that it occurs. But it probably does not create a great amount of concern because if meat is cooked at a little less than 155 degrees, the E. coli is killed.'

Regarding the safety of cooked beef, USDA said it 'does collect and sample some cooked, ready-to-eat products for E. coli O157:H7.'

E. coli can be difficult to detect and prevent. The bacteria live in intestines of cattle, which tolerate it. It can contaminate meat during the slaughter process if fecal matter comes in contact with the meat portions of a carcass. That can happen in several ways, such as when workers accidentally puncture the digestive tract during removal, or when a cow's hide, which might carry fecal dust, is taken off.

In humans, E. coli poisoning can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody urine and diarrhea, kidney failure and even death.

The American meat industry is bewildered by this year's increased findings of E. coli contamination. Theories about the causes range from dry conditions in cattle feedlots, where cattle stand in manure, to changes in feed caused by high corn prices.

Whatever the reason, the result has been sick consumers. The largest recall so far this year involved the Topps Meat Co. of Elizabeth, N.J., which went out of business after it recalled 21.7 million pounds of ground beef due to E. coli contamination. About 40 people fell ill from Topps meat.

More recently, Cargill, the Minneapolis-based grain and foods giant, has recalled nearly 2 million pounds of ground beef due to E. coli concerns. And more than 3 million pounds of General Mills' Totino's and Jeno's pizzas have been recalled because of E. coli in pepperoni.

The inspectors interviewed for this story contended that the E. coli increase is due to the methods used to slaughter cattle, as well as the practice of designating affected meat 'cook only.'

That practice means companies can profit from meat that they would otherwise lose. But while the practice is clearly spelled out in USDA regulations, it is not widely publicized. 'If you knew this was all E. coli positive, would you buy that product?' asked one inspector. 'That's very hush-hush.'

The American meat industry produced 26.3 billion pounds of beef in 2006, from 33.7 million cattle. Meat companies summarily reject the inspectors' charges that corners are being cut in preventing E. coli contamination.

Gary Mickelson, a spokesman for Tyson Foods, one of the nation's largest beef producers, said his company has developed a special testing program, Tyson Total N60, to detect E. coli. The program is so effective, Mickelson said, that other companies now use it.

'Tyson tests all raw beef components we know are destined for ground beef production,' Mickelson said, adding that the program provides a 95 percent or greater assurance of finding E. coli.

Mickelson also said USDA inspectors have access to Tyson's records on its E. coli tests.

Cargill declined to comment for this story. Another large meat packing firm, Swift Foods Co., did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Some inspectors said that USDA should eliminate the 'cook only' category to force companies to work harder to eliminate E. coli or face the prospect of destroying beef that can't pass inspection.

But the American Meat Institute's Huffman said that would be a waste of food.

'You're talking about throwing away a significant volume of product, which to any food safety person, that doesn't make sense because the product can still be put through a validated cooking process and be made safe,' said Huffman. 'A lot of food products right now are cooked.'

USDA performed nearly 11,000 E. coli tests at 1,653 meat plants in 2005, according to the agency's inspector general. From 2004 through 2006, the agency says, 0.17 percent of ground beef samples tested positive for E. coli.

Inspectors interviewed for this story, however, challenged the suggestion that it's a small problem. One USDA inspector said a large meat packing plant where he worked produced a half million pounds a week of E. coli positive beef that was tagged 'cook only.'

'It's a smoke screen,' the inspector said.

D-glucose oxidase reductase, cofactor for flavin adenine dinucleotide. It safe, drug-free, the animal has a good physiological role. 1999 was China s Ministry of Agriculture approved the use of feed additives. In recent years, poultry, livestock breeding have expanded the scope of application areas. In Cow culture, a lot of fresh Erkang experimental application shows that the physiological effect of dairy cows have the following:
1. Rumen rapid removal of oxygen, anaerobic fermentation promote rumen, improve digestion, increase intake. Due to the elimination of cattle perinatal and postnatal infection, surgery, the former gastric diseases, heat stress, the stress caused to the field of rough feed or feed intake reduced fine, inability to chew, ruminant weakened, the trough to eat, such as loss of appetite expected performance improvement of cattle due to chronic indigestion caused by messy dark hair and other physical phenomena feeble.
2. Unique acidic odor, induces cows initiative intake.
3. Anti - mildew antidotes, lifting mildew fine or silage to feed cows hazards.
4. Application of the period, the status of the various cows. Cow s milk after use without abandoning period.

Fresh Erkang below preliminary note on the physiological role of the digestive system Cow:
First, the saliva of cows
Saliva secretion of cows one day and night about 100 to 200 L. Cow saliva pH 8.2, with the secretion increased, HCO 3 - content gradually increased. Therefore, any time cows have saliva high buffering capacity. Saliva can dilute, or wiped clean and harmful substances, which have bactericidal action of bacteriolytic. A large number of dairy cattle by saliva into the rumen of urea, urea in the body of recycling to reduce nitrogen losses. Fresh Erkang palatability was excellent micro-sour foods can stimulate saliva secretion of cows, moist oral and fodder, and facilitate the promotion of chewing and swallowing appetite, a lot of saliva can also increase the stability of the rumen environment, maintain appropriate pH and will be conducive to remove feed in some harmful substances and pathogens, while improving the body s use of nitrogen. When cattle in a state of stress (such as pregnancy, production, hot, surgery) fresh Erkang role became evident.

Second, the impact on Cow rumen
Rumen digestible feed cattle in the 70% -80% of the digestible dry matter and 50% crude fiber, and produce volatile fatty acids (VFA), CO 2 and NH 3 and the synthesis of protein and B vitamins. Therefore, the rumen (including net stomach) digest dairy cows in the whole digestive process possession of particular significance.n

C, suitable for pH is 4.5 to 7.5, and the role of temperature and pH environment and basic anastomosis Cow rumen environment, which is seldom Erkang in normal cows rumen can play a role in the environment guaranteed.
Under normal circumstances, rumen is a high degree of anaerobic environment. Oxygen will be accompanied by drinking, eating into the rumen materials, and other activities, and will be quickly exhausted means rumen microflora. This has maintained a high degree of anaerobic rumen environment. But when the cows by stress, illness and childbirth, and other unfavorable factors, the rumen microflora will be greatly affected, activities weakened, which makes access to the rumen of oxygen consumption can not be timely. Oxygen accumulated in the rumen, destroyed the rumen normal anaerobic environment. Rumen microbes is strictly anaerobic ciliate, anaerobic bacteria and fungi. Which ciliates in 1 g rumen contents on the weight of from 600,000 to 1.8 million. Rumen ciliates in such adverse conditions to natural recovery may take 10 weeks of time.
Fresh Erkang to quickly catalytic glucose, water and O 2 reaction of gluconic acid. Rumen cows after it entered through that role in a short period of time in the rumen removing oxygen so that the rumen normal anaerobic environment rapid recovery, and promote ciliates, the growth of anaerobic bacteria and fungi reproduction, and then coordinated by the unit produce Organic Acids and resume normal rumen pH environment, so as to promote roughage normal fermentation decomposition.
Third, the impact of the digestive juice
Cow saliva, in addition to other digestive juice one day and night about secretion 80 L, due to the secretion of digestive juice vary feed, about 180 to 200 L. These digestive fluid containing electrolyte concentration and plasma broadly similar. Digestive fluid through the digestive tract with chyme, most of the re-absorption by the intestine, therefore, water and electrolyte in the blood circulation between the digestive tract and a constant cycle. This cycle one day and night up to 10 times. With the consumption of fluid secretion of endogenous protein a day and night up from 500 to 700 g, fat intake is the 0.5-1 times, these sources within the body of the material not only for nutrition plays an important role in the process, but also for the body to maintain normal physiological state also indispensable.
Fresh Phalcon can not only promote saliva secretion, but also promote other digestive fluid secretion. When cows in the state of sub-health or a pathological disorder, fluid secretion caused by the secretion gradually weakened, so that such exchange weakened. With fresh Erkang carrier protection, it is very stable, as a heterologous protein secretion of digestive juice will inevitably stimulate the digestive tract, accelerating cycle of the body material, and promote the body back to health.

4, lifting mycotoxin poisoning
Cow mycotoxin can lead to anorexia, weight loss, sleepiness, triggering a variety of diseases. Actual breeding process, the silage due to improper preservation, especially in the rainy season, more in mildew. Feed intake such a short period of time cows no obvious symptoms, but such large quantities of feed intake, there will be symptoms of anorexia. Fresh Erkang lifting mycotoxin with the functions of the mycotoxin can reduce the adverse effects of dairy cattle digestive system.

Additional information :

From www.tuscaloosanews.com:
In contrast, increased forage particle size in dairy cow diets improved fiber digestion and microbial protein synthesis in the rumen, and shifted.
The feeding program for a cow, affects digestion. For example, high fiber forages are less digestible. Since, undigested food can not pass out of the rumen.
In a cow, however, the abomasum starts digestion of the feed which has been partially degraded by microorganisms. These bacteria and protozoa.
We studied the effects of goat and cow milk fat on the digestive utilization. of this nutrient and on some of the biochemical parameters that are related.
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Digestion information covering the digestion system and related diseases, procedures and tests, medications, and treatments. Produced.