Seward Stomacher® 400 used in evaluation of natural antimicrobials against food borne pathogens

Efficacy trial of herb and spice essential oils as antimicrobials against Listeria requires thorough sample homogenisation

Seward, the manufacturer and developer of the world leading, patented Stomacher® Paddle Blender range, today highlighted a novel application of its Stomacher® 400 Circulator laboratory blender in the study of the antimicrobial effects of herbs and spices as a natural means of protecting consumers from food borne pathogens. Stomacher 400 Circulator is referenced in many antimicrobial efficacy protocols because it is the best guarantee of thorough sample homogenisation.

An international team from Spain and Algeria has recently focussed its attention on the antimicrobial activity of two commonly occurring culinary herbs native to the Mediterranean region. Essential oils extracted from Pistacia lentiscus, the mastic plant and Satureja Montana, the winter savoury, have been evaluated for their efficacy individually and also in combination, for their synergistic potential, against Listeria monocytogenes CECT 935 in minced beef1.

Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in nature and can be frequently found in a large number of food products, as well as in processing plants. Listeriosis is recognised as an important public health problem, affecting primarily pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.

The Stomacher 400 Circulator was used in two crucial phases of the evaluation process. Firstly, to ensure an even distribution of the test strain of the bacteria through the spiked meat samples; and then to mix in the essential oils. The techniques applied by the team highlight a less familiar function of this widely used laboratory blender in food science, chemical analysis and chemical residue extraction.

The findings of the evaluation showed that the combination of the two essential oils was the most effective. Importantly for the consumer, the required dose was tested against a panel and no after taste was detected. The use of essential oils is appealing to the consumer as they are natural solutions to a real health issue.

For further information on Seward’s Stomacher® range and other sample preparation products, please visit: www.seward.co.uk.

About Seward Limited - www.seward.co.uk

Seward manufactures the world leading range of Stomacher® paddle blenders and Stomacher® accessories used in sample preparation for microbiological analyses. The company has been manufacturing and developing the world renown and patented Stomacher® Lab Blender for 40 years. The original and still regarded as the best, over 8 million food samples a day are prepared on Stomacher® 400 paddle blender units around the world.

In addition to sample preparation for food safety analyses, within the bioscience market the new developments of the Stomacher® 80 and micro 80 are proving invaluable for safe and efficient sample processing. The Stomacher® 3500 has established itself as the instrument of choice for preparing samples for the new pathogen test protocols requiring jumbo size samples.

The company is based in Worthing, West Sussex, UK with subsidiaries in Long Island, N.Y., USA and Singapore. All Seward machine products are manufactured within the UK and 1 of its 3 worldwide Stomacher® bag manufacturing operations is also UK-based. This ensures control of quality and price to deliver excellent value to global trading partners and laboratory customers.

Seward Limited continues to develop the product range, now with 3 patents to its credit. Stomacher® is the most highly referenced brand name in food safety and life science sample preparation in scientific publications. The company also assists customers with method development through reference searches and sample evaluations within its own development laboratory.
The original and still the best. The Stomacher® - a Seward product trade name.

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Media Contact Information:
Sarah Preceval
Tel: +44 (0) 1489 557672
Email: sarahp@alto-marketing.com

Seward contact details:
Europe and ROW: +44 (0) 1903 823077; info@seward.co.uk
US & Canada: +1 631 750 5660; info@sewardusa.com
Asia, Pacific and Middle East: +65 67447811; info@sewardinternational.com

This release was published on openPR.