4-3 |
Pathogen control with chemical additives in muscle foods |
J. N. SOFOS1, J. Samelis, M. Calicioglu, and P. A. Kendall. (1) Dept. of Animal Sciences, Colorado State Univ., 14-B Animal Sciences Bldg., Fort Collins, CO 80523-1711 Contamination of muscle foods with pathogenic bacteria may occur at any stage of the production, processing and preparation chain through serving for consumption. Antimicrobial hurdles or interventions should be applied, together with proper sanitation and hygiene, to remove, inactivate or inhibit and overall eliminate pathogens by the time a product is ready for consumption. Chemical additives have been used traditionally in food preservation and have received renewed interest in recent years for use as antimicrobial hurdles, applied singly or in combinations, or in conjunction with other treatments or interventions as decontaminating, destructive or inhibitory agents of pathogenic microorganisms in muscle foods. Organic acids have been applied to reduce contamination on carcasses and fresh meat, while their salts, as well as the acids, are used or evaluated for control of contamination in processed meat products, such as ready-to-eat luncheon meats. Pathogenic bacteria of concern include Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, especially in raw meats, and Listeria monocytogenes, especially in ready-to-eat processed meats. Concerns, however, have been expressed that exposure of microorganisms to sublethal stresses, such as acids, may lead to potential development of stress-adapted, resistant strains that may be more difficult to control and may lead to additional food safety risks. The objective of this presentation is to provide an overview of studies in our laboratory that have evaluated chemical additives, singly or in combination, as antimicrobial agents aimed at reducing initial contamination or inhibiting and inactivating, previously acid-adapted pathogenic bacteria in muscle foods. Organic acids are effective in reducing contamination on carcasses and in inhibiting growth during storage of processed products; however, their application should be optimized to prevent development of acid-resistant strains. Inclusion of chemicals in jerky marinades enhances pathogen destruction during drying. Combinations of reduced levels of salts are highly effective in inhibiting post-processing contamination in ready-to-eat products.
Session 4, Recent developments in post harvest intervention technologies to control microbial pathogens in muscle foods
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