The University Nebraska-Lincoln has been selected for a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform research on a specific strain of E. coli found in beef.
The grant is the largest ever awarded to the university by the USDA.
The grant comes from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. It will be used to help curb the public health risks of the seven most dangerous strains of the food contaminant called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, also known as STEC, and a new strain that was part of a European outbreak in 2011.
UNL plans to work with a number of institutions, and a broad group of researchers, educators and specialists to develop better risk management and testing procedures for STEC, UNL officials said in a press release. Other participating universities include Kansas State University, North Carolina State University, the University of California, Davis, Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas. No other Big Ten schools are included in the project.
The man leading the research, Jim Keen, a veterinary scientist at UNL, said there are 500 known strains of STEC. And 100 of those can cause serious illness in humans.
"We will be studying the entire beef chain, from the time an animal is born until the time beef products are consumed," said Keen, who is based at the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center near Clay Center, Neb.
Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said the grant proves the university has "real-world value" in its scientific research departments.
"Consumers shouldn't have to worry about whether the food reaching their table is safe for their families to eat," Nelson said. "UNL will use this grant award to add to the body of research producers and processors can use to keep our food safe and secure, further strengthening their industries through increased consumer confidence."
According to UNL, the $25 million grant will be used to:
>> Provide extension and educational efforts, Keen said, including internship opportunities with the 48 researchers participating in the project.
>> Study if the biological factors that cause STEC-caused illnesses
>> Build intervention techniques to minimize and eliminate STEC risks stemming from live cattle, hides, carcasses and beef, and make those techniques applicable for all sizes of beef producers.
>> Develop a risk analysis model to find the most cost-effective solutions.
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