Researcher says white wine works well as an anti-bacterial agent

In a year dominated by news of food poisoning outbreaks and recalls, Oregon State University food scientist Mark Daeschel has a tip for consumers: Down a glass of Chardonnay with that burger.

Wine, particularly white wine, the fermentation expert discovered, kills E. coli, salmonella and other potentially deadly bacteria in the stomach, or at least in the model stomach he created in his lab.

Daeschel's research, which he hopes to publish in January in the Journal of Food Science, builds on earlier anti-microbial research and on anecdotal evidence that suggested drinking wine with a meal helped some people avoid food poisoning.

He's now hoping his lab discovery will find its way into America's kitchens. He is developing a new kind of white wine spritzer. But rather than a drink to be sipped, it will be a Chardonnay-based disinfectant to be sprayed on countertops.

Daeschel said several California wine companies have expressed interest in licensing the formula he is developing for his university as a means of disposing of their surplus or substandard wine.