"Cheese made from contaminated raw milk was found to contain infectious avian influenza virus, raising potential health concerns for consumers, according to new research. The study also found that no virus was detected in samples of raw milk cheese with high acidity. Feta cheese, which is naturally more acidic, served as an example of this safer variety. The findings were published on October 8 in Nature Medicine."
""In this study, we were specifically looking at the stability or persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in raw milk cheese products," said senior author Diego Diel, professor of virology in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences and director of the Virology Laboratory at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), all in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)."
"Virus Survived Twice as Long as Expected Under Food and Drug Administration guidelines, raw milk cheese must be aged for at least 60 days at or above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. This process helps reduce moisture and destroy harmful bacteria that may be present in unpasteurized milk. However, the researchers detected infectious H5N1 virus after 120 days of aging at 39 degrees Fahrenheit, suggesting that the standard aging period may not fully eliminate viral contamination."
Contaminated raw milk can produce cheese containing infectious H5N1 avian influenza, posing potential health risks to consumers. Highly acidic cheeses showed no detectable virus in tested samples, with feta cited as an example of a safer variety. Infectious virus persisted in some raw milk cheeses well beyond the standard food safety aging requirement, remaining after 120 days at 39°F despite the FDA's 60-day guideline at or above 35°F. Viral shedding in milk from infected cows and survival of H5N1 in refrigerated raw milk contribute to this risk. Acidity levels and careful milk testing can reduce the likelihood of contamination.
Read at ScienceDaily
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]