A&M researchers invent beam to clean raw oysters

Broad Bay, Virginia oysters on the 1/2 shell photographed at Liberty Kitchen, a new casual pub and oyster bar in the Heights on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in Houston. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) Broad Bay, Virginia oysters on the 1/2 shell photographed at Liberty Kitchen, a new casual pub and oyster bar in the Heights on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, in Houston. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close A&M researchers invent beam to clean raw oysters 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Texas A&M University researchers have developed a way to pasteurize raw oysters with an electron beam to reduce the chances of food poisoning from norovirus and hepatitis A, according to a national consumer health safety group.

The Texas A&M researchers, along with team of researchers from other agencies and institutions, found that the E beam was able to reduce norovirus levels by 12 percent and hepatitis A levels by 16 percent in highly contaminated oysters, according to Food Poisoning Bulletin.

At more moderate levels of contamination, the E beam method reduced norovirus by 26 percent and hepatitis A by 90 percent, without the need for chemicals or heat.

A study on the innovative process will appear in the June issue of the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

For folks who love raw oysters, the development is good news indeed.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A, which can last for weeks or months, include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Norovirus is no fun either. Sometimes called "the stomach flu," it's an extremely contagious virus responsible for half of all foodborne illness outbreaks each year, according to the CDC. About 21 million Americans get sick from norovirus each year. Of those, 70,000 are hospitalized and 800 die, according to the CDC.

The virus inflames the linings of the stomach and intestines causing stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and vomiting. It can cause serious illness in young children and older adults, according to Food Poisoning Bulletin, which is sponsored by PritzkerOlsen, P.A., a leading food safety law firm.