An Irish scientific team has reported a breakthrough in the fight to control a range of food-poisoning bacteria, such as listeria and clostridia, using a natural inhibitor. The team, led by Dr Paul Ross of Teagasc and Dr Colin Hill of UCC, uncovered a bacterium in the cheese-making process, known as lacticin 3147, which is capable of killing pathogens in a range of products, including cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and yoghurt.
Working at the Moorepark Research Centre, Co Cork, the team also found that a whey-based powder ingredient, when enriched with the inhibitor, could extend its benefits. Details of the discovery were announced at the National Dairy Conference at Moorepark yesterday.
Recently, another team working at the research centre discovered that Irish milk contained high levels of a fatty acid which, it is claimed, can offer protection against cancer in humans. This substance, known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid, was found in milk and meat from ruminant animals, but the research team in Moorepark found significantly higher levels of CLA in milk produced from grass.
The presence of New Zealand cows at Moorepark attracted a lot of attention. Teagasc is assessing the suitability of New Zealand cows for the Irish dairy industry. Working with the New Zealand authorities, embryos from cows from that country were transferred to cows at Teagasc's Dairy Production Research Centre, and the first calves born at Moorepark were on show yesterday.
Considerable interest was shown by farmers in another trial involving imported Norwegian Red cows.