European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

The use and mode of action of bacteriophages in food production[1] - Endorsed by the BIOHAZ Panel for public consultation 22 January 2009 Public consultation 30 January – 6 March 2009[2]

Question number: EFSA-Q-2008-400

Summary  (0.1Mb)

Opinion  (0.2Mb)

Summary

Following a request from the Health and Consumer Protection, Directorate General, European Commission, the Panel on Biological Hazards was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on “The use and mode of action of bacteriophages in food production”. In accordance with the terms of reference, this report does not consider the safety assessment of the use of bacteriophages on foods.

Modern microbial food safety assurance is based on a farm-to-fork principle that involves a wide range of coordinated control measures applied at all relevant steps in the food chain. A large number of different food decontamination treatments have been described in the literature. Some of them involve the application of live microorganisms to inhibit or eradicate pathogenic and/or spoilage bacteria in/on foods. To this regard, the use of bacteriophages has recently attracted a growing interest. This Opinion deals only with bacteriophage-based treatments of food products, and its main focus is on their mode of action when used for the most important types of foods of animal origin (i.e. meat and meat products, milk and dairy products). 

The Panel on Biological Hazards made following main conclusions: Bacteriophages may be temperate or virulent; they can induce lysis of the bacterial host-cell by 2 mechanisms: “lysis from within” and/or “lysis from without”. The bacteriophages have narrow host-ranges and replicate best on growing bacterial cells. Naturally occurring bacteriophages can be isolated in considerable numbers from foods of animal origin. Virulent bacteriophages are the ones of choice for phage-based food decontamination, and some of these, under specific conditions, have been demonstrated to be very effective in the targeted elimination of specific pathogens from foods. In general terms, the higher the ratio of bacteriophages to host cells, the greater the reduction in the target bacterial population. Bacteriophage insensitive mutants might exist among the populations of target bacteria. The frequency of these mutations and their consequences are likely to vary according to the bacteriophage, the conditions of its application and the target bacteria. The persistence in/on food varies with each bacteriophage, and with the conditions of application, including dose, and physical and chemical factors associated with the food matrix. Based on data currently available in peer-reviewed literature, it cannot be concluded whether bacteriophages are able or unable to protect against recontamination of food with bacterial pathogens. This is likely to vary with each bacteriophage, each food matrix, and with conditions of application including environmental factors. Research for specific bacteriophage-pathogen-food combinations should be encouraged to ascertain these issues.

The Panel on Biological Hazards recommends that, if bacteriophage treatments are to be used for removal of surface contamination of foods of animal origin, then a Guidance Document on the submission of data for their evaluation is to be provided.

Table of comments received during public consultation  (0.2Mb)

Report of the public consultation on the EFSA Draft Opinion  (0.1Mb)

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[1] For citation purposes: Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Biological Hazards on a request from European Commission on The use and mode of action of bacteriophages in food production. The EFSA Journal (2009) 1076, 1-26.
[2] A table of comments received during the public consultation and a report of the public consultation are available at http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1211902525399.htm.