[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE SCIENCE OF FREEZING'S BENEFITS FOR FOOD SAFETY

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                       HON. C. L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the hope that a scientific 
review article may spur research that could benefit public health. 
Specifically, Douglas L. Archer, Ph.D. authored a paper titled, 
``Freezing: An underutilized food safety technology?'' which was 
published in the January 15, 2004, International Journal of Food 
Microbiology.
  The article has attracted attention over the past year, including a 
presentation today by Dr. Archer for the House Frozen Food Caucus, of 
which I am co-chairman. I would like to submit for the record the 
abstract of Dr. Archer's article, and emphasize its conclusion: 
``Through research, it seems possible that freezing may in the future 
be used to reliably reduce populations of food-borne pathogens as well 
as to preserve foods.''
  Mr. Speaker, I call this article and this opportunity for improving 
public health to the attention of my colleagues and to the research 
community.

      [From the International Journal of Food Microbiology, 2004]

           Freezing: an Underutilized Food Safety Technology?

                         (By Douglas L. Archer)

       Freezing is an ancient technology for preserving foods. 
     Freezing halts the activities of spoilage microorganisms in 
     and on foods and can preserve some microorganisms for long 
     periods of time. Frozen foods have an excellent overall 
     safety record. The few outbreaks of food-borne illness 
     associated with frozen foods indicate that some. but not all 
     human pathogens are killed by eommercial freezing processes. 
     Freezing kills microorganisms by physical and chemical 
     effects and possibly through induced genetic changes. 
     Research is needed to better understand the physical and 
     chemical interactions of various food matrices with the 
     microbial cell during freezing and holding at frozen 
     temperatures. The literature suggests that many pathogenic 
     microorganisms may be sublethally injured by freezing, so 
     research should be done to determine how to prevent injured 
     cells from resuscitating and becoming infectious. Studies on 
     the genetics of microbial stress suggest that the induction 
     of resistance to specific stresses may be counteracted by, 
     for example, simple chemicals. Research is needed to better 
     understand how resistance to the lethal enact of freezing is 
     induced in human pathogens and means by which it can be 
     counteracted in specific foods. Through research. it seems 
     possible that freezing may in the future be used to reliably 
     reduce populations of food-borne pathogens as well as to 
     preserve foods.

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