Researchers zap microbe DNA in the name of food safety
Aug. 24, 2026
By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Electron Beam effective on ground turkey with no flavor effects
- X-rays, gamma and electrons all used for ‘cold pasteurization’
(671 words)
DOWNLOAD related of Owens, Jesudhasan
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Researchers are gauging the effectiveness of electron beams in the fight against foodborne illness pathogens in poultry.
“Impact of Electron Beam (eBeam) Treatment on Meat Quality and Sensory Attributes of Ground Chicken and Turkey,” was published in the August 2026 edition of the journal Poultry Science.
At the heart of the study is eBeam, a non-thermal technology that uses high-energy electron beams that cause irreparable damage to pathogen DNA.
Foodborne illness is no small thing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it typically coordinates 17-36 investigations of foodborne illnesses each week. In a study, the CDC said that seven foodborne pathogens accounted for 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths in 2019 alone.
Along with X-rays and gamma rays, eBeam is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for “cold pasteurization” — a germ-killing technique that doesn’t rely on heat.
X-rays, gamma rays and electron beams have been used for decades “for pathogen control in fresh, frozen and refrigerated food,” said Palmy Jesudhasan, a research microbiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.
Currently, irradiated fruits and spices are on grocery shelves, and Omaha Steaks and Schwan’s use irradiation to pasteurize beef, Jesudhasan said. However, the technology’s use in “poultry still lacks the data to build confidence” in its use.
“We started with ground poultry because it is a major source of salmonella and campylobacter and a key driver of recalls,” Jesudhasan said.
The study had dual goals: First, understand the ability of eBeam technology to reduce or control food pathogens, and second, evaluate the effects of irradiation treatment on meat quality, he said.
How eBeam works
The research team used the world’s largest electron beam irradiator at the National Center for Electron Beam Research, housed at Texas A&M University.
“eBeam is mainly used for sterilization purposes,” Jesudhasan said. “When you expose any cells, whether it's human cells, bacterial cells, or virus to the beam, it hits the nucleus and shreds DNA or RNA so bacteria cannot replicate.”
While it can halt bad bacteria, the beam can induce other effects.
Jesudhasan said the process “could also generate other reactive oxygen species that can also cause not-so-good side effects for the bacteria.”
What about the flavor?
The trick is finding the right dose.
“We don’t want to use too much of a dose,” he said. “When you use too much, it might make the product bad.”
While the electron beam doesn’t heat or cook the meat, its oxidizing qualities bear watching, especially in poultry, said Casey Owens, professor and meat scientist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“You’ve got to do the meat quality testing, because the oxidation is really the main thing that can start changing quality,” she said.
Poultry’s higher levels of unsaturated fats make it more susceptible to oxidation.
“Oxidation breaks down fats, and the degradation of those fats causes off-flavors and off-odors,” Owens said.
“Think about leftover holiday turkey. The next day it has what some people call a ‘warmed-over’ flavor,” she said. “That’s mild oxidation.”
Highly oxidized fats make “meats very off-putting because it affects not only the
flavor, but odor and sometimes the color,” Owens said. “Consumers are not going to
like it.”
Jesudhasan said the research found differences in how the electron beam affected turkey versus chicken.
The turkey used in the study was in modified atmosphere packaging, or MAP. In this type of packaging, the ratios of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are adjusted to slow oxidation.
“When turkey was in MAP, everything there looked good,” he said. “We were able to inactivate pathogens and we were able to show meat quality” was preserved.
“The only difference we found is in chicken meat that had the off note,” Jesudhasan said.
The authors write that using eBeam “offers a promising intervention strategy to enhance microbial safety while minimizing heat-induced changes in meat quality.”
“In our previous study, we demonstrated that eBeam dose at 3 kilogray achieved 99.99 percent reduction of Salmonella and Campylobacter in one-pound commercial packages of ground poultry meat inoculated with these pathogens,” the authors wrote in the study.
A kilogray is a metric unit of absorbed radiation.
The research was a collaboration between the departments of poultry science and food science and the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Other collaborators included USDA’s Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, the cell and molecular biology program at the University of Arkansas and the National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University.
In addition to Jesudhasan and Owens, the authors are Tanmaie Kalapala, Joaquin Esquivel, Anna L.F. V. Assumpcao, Geetha Kumar-Phillips and Sarah Johnson of the department of poultry science; Komala Arsi and Annie Donoghue of the USDA-ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit; Tomi Obe of both the Center for Food Safety and department of poultry science; Ruvindu Perera of the cell and molecular biology program; Han-Seok Seo of the department of food science; and Suresh D. Pillai of Texas A&M.
This work is supported by the Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative, project award no. 2023-51300-40912, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit aaes.uada.edu. Follow the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station on LinkedIn and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three system campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media contact:
Nick Kordsmeier
nkordsme@uada.edu