Summary
The microbial contamination of ready-to-eat products has garnered great concern by the processor and the consumer, and the implementation of novel techniques, alone or in tandem with traditional methods, may help the food industry address this concern in a timely and cost effective manner.
One of the potential applications of high pressure processing - HPP - is as an in-package ‘cold' pasteurisation step for packaged ready-to-eat meats that may have been contaminated through portioning, slicing, comminuting and/or packaging.
Important benefits of this application include improved food safety and extension of the refrigerated shelf life.
The objective of this study was to determine the required process criteria - pressure and time parameters - via kinetic inactivation studies and product challenge testing - conducted with four commercially available smallgoods products - to meet a performance criterion of a 4-log10CFU/g reduction in Listeria monocytogenes.
Additionally, this study examined the effect of in-package HPP on the refrigerated shelf life of smallgoods - Strassburg, export sausage, low-fat pastrami and Cajun beef - with regards to sensory attributes and the microbial safety and quality of the product.
