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Reducing chlorine to reduce food poisoningTens of thousands of people get sick from food poisoning every year. This often arises from Salonella typhimurium and E.coli 0157:H7, bacteria harbored in the guts of chickens, pigs and cattle. These bacteria subsequently contaminate the meat because of the technology used in slaughtering the animals.However, Robin Anderson at College Station, Texas has found that Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7 have an enzyme--respiratory nitrate reductase--that beneficial intestinal bacteria lack. This enzyme converts the sodium chlorate to chlorite, which kills the harmful bacteria. Because the beneficial bacteria lack respiratory nitrate reductase, they are unharmed by the added chlorate. Enzymes are biological chemicals that increase the rate of the reaction by lowering the activation energy for the chemical process. The chlorine has been reduced from an oxidation number of +5 to +4 in the process. Sodium chlorite is deadly to the bacterium but is relatively harmless when ingested in small quantities by humans and animals. So, Anderson has achieved the optimum solution to this problem it would seem, namely a sip of sodium chlorate solution for animals just prior to slaughter.
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