Lysozyme as a barrier to growth of Bacillus anthracis strain Sterne in liquid egg white, milk and beef

► Egg White contains high concentration of lysozyme and inactivated Bacillus anthracis (Sterne), B. pumilus and B. subtilis spores over a teperature range of 20-55°C. ► Inactivation of B. anthracis was influenced by pH and progressively increases from from 0.25''4.42 log CFU/h over a pH range of 6.0-8.5 at 35 °C. Moreover, inactivation rates at pH 7.0, were higher at 45 and 60 °C than at pH 8.5 (native pH of EW). ► Manipulation of temperature and pH could enhance the utility of lysozyme as a safe additive in different foods and could possibly lower thermal requirements for pasteurization. ► Addition of lysozyme in ground beef and milk suppressed the growth of B. anthracis. Lysozyme offers a limited but attractive possibility for potential applications in the food industry. ► Data from this research could be extended to other food matrices and used in developing value-added risk assessment models for food biosecurity.