A study published in the Journal of Food Science found that extracts from pecan shells should protect meats against the growth of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The University of Arkansas was the center of this study.
Unroasted and roasted pecan shells produced antimicrobials tested against Listeria serotypes. Scientists found that the solvent-free extracts inhibited Listeria strains at minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.38%. The antimicrobial effectiveness tests on poultry skin found that pecan shell powder exhibited a 2 log reduction of Listeria strains. The extracts produced a greater than 4 log reduction of an inoculated cocktail mix of Listeria strains.
Since pecan shells are a by-product of the shelled pecan industry, they are easy to access and are very inexpensive. The scientists used a novel solvent free extraction system that is food safe, so these antimicrobials may be suitable for organic meat processing.
I hope the meat treated with pecan extract will be labeled, so people allergic to nuts can avoid it. Nut allergies are often deadly.