Beef jerky has been linked to multiple outbreaks of salmonellosis and Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection over the past 40 years. With increasing government scrutiny of jerky-making process lethality, a simple method by which processors can easily validate the lethality of their ground-and-formed beef jerky process against Salmonella' and E. coli O157:H7 is greatly needed. Previous research with whole-muscle beef jerky indicated that commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may be more heat resistant than Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, suggesting the potential use of LAB as pathogen surrogates. Of six commercial LAB-containing cultures evaluated for heat resistance in ground-and-formed beef jerky, Saga 200 (Pediococcus spp.) and Biosource (Pediococcus acidilactici) were identified as consistently more heat resistant than Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. Six representative ground-and-formed beef jerky commercial processes, differing widely in lethality, were used to identify an appropriate level of LAB reduction that would consistently indicate a process sufficiently lethal (> or = 5.0-log reduction) for Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. Both Saga 200 and Biosource consistently predicted adequate process lethality with a criterion of > or = 5.0-1og reduction of LAB. When either LAB decreased by > or = 5.0 log CFU, processes were sufficiently lethal against Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in 100% of samples (n=39 and 40, respectively). Use of LAB as pathogen surrogates for ground-and-formed beef jerky process validation was fieldtested by three small meat processors, who found this technique easy to use for process validation.
Ground-and-formed beef jerky can be made easily at home with ground beef and kits that include spice, cure, and jerky-forming equipment. Ground beef poses inherent risks of illness due to Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella contamination, making adequate pathogen lethality important in jerky manufacturing. We evaluated the effectiveness of drying regimes at eliminating E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in seasoned ground-and-formed beef jerky manufactured with three home-style dehydrators and one small commercial unit. Inoculated jerky strips were dried for up to 12 or 24 h in a home-style or the commercial unit, respectively, with target drying temperatures ranging from 51.7 degrees C (125 degrees F) to 71.1 degrees C (160 degrees F). Pathogen lethality varied with seasoning, temperature, and drying time (n = 288 samples). Lethality against E. coli O157:H7 ranged from 1.5 log CFU (Jerky Xpress, 57.2 degrees C [135 degrees F], 4 h) to 6.4 log CFU (Gardenmaster, 68.3 degrees C [155 degrees F], 12 h), and varied with seasoning. Lethality against Salmonella ranged from 1.7 log CFU (Jerky Xpress, 57.2 degrees C [135 degrees F], 4 h) to 6.0 log CFU (Gardenmaster, 68.3 degrees C [155 degrees F], 12 h), and also varied with seasoning. There was a > or =5-log CFU reduction in both pathogens in 0, 10, and 27 % of samples at 4, 8, and 12 h, respectively. Heating jerky for 10 min at 135 degrees C (275 degrees F) 4 or 6 h postdrying increased lethality, on average, 2.99 log CFU for Salmonella and 3.02 log CFU for E. coli O157:H7. The use of a lactic acid bacterium culture (Pediococcus spp.) as a pathogen surrogate accurately predicted safety in 28 % of samples containing E. coli O157:H7 and 78% of Salmonella-inoculated samples.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.