- Copper - the metal used by ancient Egyptians to keep
water fresh - could be the answer to tackling modern food poisoning viruses
such as E.coli, research released today has found.
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- British scientists working as part of an international
drive to develop the bacteria-killing properties of copper has found the
metal can kill harmful bugs other materials cannot.
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- A team from the University of Southampton has shown E.coli
O157 can survive for more than a month on stainless steel, the work surface
used in most commercial kitchens.
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- But tests showed that copper killed the virus in just
four hours at room temperature. If cooled to a typical chill temperature
of 4C (39F) it killed the virus in 14 hours.
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- At room temperature of 20C (68F) the bacteria survived
on stainless steel for 34 days and on brass for four days.
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- If the properties of the metal can be used then new copper
surfaces for food preparation in factories, shops, hospitals, restaurants
and the home could help reduce the risk of infection by potentially fatal
food bugs.
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- Professor Bill Keevil, who is leading the British research,
said: "The goal is now to find the appropriate copper alloys that
are acceptable for food use, easy to maintain, economical to fabricate
and which retain the ability to kill bacteria.
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- "If this work is successful, it may be possible
to achieve important public health benefits just by changing the surface
material commonly used in food processing.
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- "Stainless steel is used throughout the world because
of its perceived hygienic properties. It always looks like a nice, clean
and bright surface," he added.
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- "But a closer look reveals scratches and marks which,
on a microscopic scale, are more like valleys.
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- "It is very easy for pathogens to get into these
crevices and rubbing a cloth or brush across the surface may not be sufficient
to get them out. Unless a good disinfectant is used to get to the bottom
of the valley you can't kill them off."
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- "The research we have already done has shown that
E.coli O157 is a very robust pathogen and that very rigorous cleaning techniques
are needed to try and keep it out of the food chain.
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- Food poisoning is on the increase in the United Kingdom
with more virulent viruses such as E.coli 0157 becoming common. In 1997
an outbreak of E.coli O157 in Scotland made 500 people ill and killed 20.
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