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US 7,862,843 B2Granted
Method of sanitizing a biological tissue
AssigneeUrthTech, LLC
InventorAziz C. Awad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for treating biological tissue, particularly meats for human consumption, so as to sanitize the tissue, is described. The method inactivates microorganisms and pathogenic prions (proteins) in the tissue.
Claims24
A method for sanitizing a biological food tissue which is possibly infected with prions, the method comprising:
- (a) selecting ruminant biological food tissue (i) that is contaminated with infectious prions and (ii) that has been exposed to specified risk material tissue from another ruminant, the specified risk material tissue being selected from the group consisting of skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, small intestine, and combinations thereof;
- and,
- (b) treating the tissue with an aqueous solution comprising (i) a hydroxide selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal hydroxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide and mixtures thereof and (ii) a lower alkanol containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms such that any infectious prions in contact with the aqueous solution are inactivated, thereby sanitizing the biological food tissue.
A method for sanitizing meat food tissue which is possibly infected with prions, the method comprising:
- (a) selecting ruminant meat food tissue (i) that is possibly contaminated with infectious prions and (ii) that has been exposed to specified risk material tissue from another ruminant, the specified risk material tissue being selected from the group consisting of skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, small intestine, and combinations thereof;
- (b) treating surfaces of the meat with an aqueous solution consisting essentially of an alkali metal hydroxide and ethanol such that any infectious prions in contact with the aqueous solution are inactivated, thereby sanitizing the meat;
- and
- (c) washing the surfaces of the meat with an additional aqueous solution so that the meat has a pH between about 5 and 8, the additional aqueous solution comprising a food grade neutralizing agent selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, and combinations thereof.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.