Food technology company aLF Ventures, LLC, a partnership between Farmland National Beef Packing Company L.P. and ingredients specialists DMV USA, this week opened N-terminus, a new multi-million dollar food safety research and development laboratory located in Pomona, California.
The 4,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility houses a research team that will prepare activated lactoferrin, a natural food safety technology, for commercialisation.
Activated lactoferrin is a formulation of lactoferrin - a naturally occurring protein found in milk.
Patented by Dr. A.S. Narain Naidu, activated lactoferrin has been shown to further protect fresh meat against pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter , by inhibiting growth and by preventing them from attaching to meat surfaces.
"The investment in this state-of-the-art research facility is another step in our efforts to complete commercialisation of this exciting new food safety technology and bring it to consumers worldwide," said Eric Hale, President aLF Ventures, LLC.
The lab was named N-terminus, for the region of the lactoferrin molecule that is central to its function in protecting meat against harmful bacteria.
The N-terminus research team led by Dr. Naidu will help develop activated lactoferrin technology for commercial use, initially on beef products.
The research team will evaluate effectiveness of activated lactoferrin in other applications- including chicken, pork, fish and fresh produce.
The laboratory will also search for additional natural solutions for improving food safety for consumers worldwide.
"We are using the principles of medical microbiology and applying them to food safety microbiology.
The result is a naturally-occurring substance that will play an important role in food safety for consumers around the world," claimed Dr. Naidu.
The all-natural activated lactoferrin technology increases the effectiveness of lactoferrin up to 1000 times and is in its final stages of review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).