Fates of foodborne pathogens in raw hams manufactured rapidly using a new patented method.

To manufacture raw ham in an efficient manner, we recently developed a new system in which presliced pork loin was used, and the processing time was reduced to 5% of the conventional method. This study aimed to examine whether this raw ham could be as safe as ham produced by the conventional method. Pork loin spiked with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2c, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus were processed using either the new or conventional method. The fate of the foodborne pathogens and behavior of hygiene indicator bacteria were examined. Whereas nitrite had disappeared during the conventional packaging process, the reduced processing time in the new system allowed for the ham to be vacuum packed with retention of the nitrite (6.9±1.2 ppm, P<0.01). This accounts for the prominent decrease in L. monocytogenes (2.3 log reduction in 35 days) and S. aureus (3.3 log reduction in 13 days) counts during storage. E. coli O157 and Salmonella Enteritidis were likely resistant to the nitrite in the ham. However, they were unable to multiply in the ham and decreased gradually as in the conventionally produced ham. The bacteriostatic nature of the raw ham was also indicated by the gradual decrease in coliforms (1.3 log reduction in 13 days) in nonspiked ham. In conclusion, the raw ham produced using presliced pork loin is practically as safe as conventionally produced raw ham. It is worth validating these results in a small-scale production setting.

Influence of lactic acid and post-treatment recovery time on the heat resistance of Listeria monocytogenes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lactic acid (LA) with and without organic material at various post-treatment recovery times on the heat resistance of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). LA decreased Lm numbers; however, the effect was remarkably attenuated by the presence of organic matter. Five strains of Lm were treated with LA and the listericidal effects were compared. The effect of LA varied depending on the strain, with ≥3.0% (w/w) LA required to kill the Lm strains in a short time. The heat resistance of Lm treated with LA was examined with respect to the time interval between the acid treatment and the subsequent manufacturing step. The heat resistance of Lm was shown to significantly increase during the post-treatment period. Heat tolerance (D value) increased up to 3.4-fold compared with the non-treated control bacteria. RNA sequencing and RT-PCR analyses suggested that several stress chaperones, proteins controlled by RecA and associated with high-temperature survival, were involved in the mechanism of enhanced heat resistance. These results are applicable to manufacturers when LA and heat treatment methods are utilized for the effective control of Lm in foods.