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Control of Listeria, Salmonella sp., and E. coli O157:H7 in processed foods. |
V. K. JUNEJA, Food Safety Research Unit, USDA-ARS-Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 E. Mermaid Ln., Wyndmoor, PA 19038-8598 The need for better control of foodborne pathogens has been paramount in recent years. Heat inactivation of foodborne pathogens is one of the fundamentally important strategies to assure microbiological safety of thermally processed foods. Accordingly, research was conducted to define the heat treatment required to achieve a specified lethality for 35 Salmonella spp. in chicken broth, beef, pork, turkey, and chicken. No correlation between the heat resistance and the origin of the Salmonella spp. could be established due to significant variation in the heat resistance among strains. The z-values of all strains including the cocktail were very similar, ranging from 6.85 to 5.77 C. Also, the effects and interactions of temperature, pH, sodium chloride content, and sodium pyrophosphate concentration are among the variables that were considered when attempting to assess the heat inactivation kinetics of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7. Incorporation of these multiple barriers increased the sensitivity of cells to heat, thereby reducing heat requirements and ensuring the safety of ready-to-eat food products. Confidence intervals were developed to allow food processors to know the expected heat resistance of these pathogens. Thermal death time values should assist food processors in designing acceptance limits on critical control points that ensure safety against the pathogens in processed foods.
Session 9, Survival of pathogenic microorganisms in hostile environments
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