June 12, 2002–West Lafayette, IN–Would you like your bologna boiled? A new study suggests sandwich meat that is dipped in heated water kills harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes, according to HealthScoutNews.

The study was conducted by Purdue University researchers and states that if a person individually wraps their sandwich meat in plastic and then places it into water heated to 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 seconds and then place it into water registering 39-degrees for the same amount of time it kills harmful bacteria.

Tim Haley of the university’s Center for Food Safety Engineering told HealthScoutNews
that "the procedure will eliminate harmful bacteria from the surface of prepared meats, where the germs are most likely to be found, without affecting the taste or quality of the food."

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its results will be presented at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting later this month.