The Indy Star reports that the recent spinach E. coli outbreak struck a chord with Purdue University professors whose research may help avert future food-borne illnesses.

Two emerging technologies are designed to find and kill food-borne pathogens more quickly and less expensively than existing processes. Researchers hope the technologies ultimately will keep food safer and help prevent people from getting sick after eating contaminated food.

One method being tested uses chlorine dioxide gas to get rid of pathogens on fruits and vegetables, said Richard Linton, a Purdue professor of food science. "We have done work on several different produce items in the last several years and found gas is 10,000 to 100,000 times more effective than current technology."