Assessment of the microbial safety and quality of cooked chilled foods and their production process

Daelman, Jeff; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Lahou, Evy; Devlieghere, Frank; Uyttendaele, Mieke

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2012.10.010

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Due to the occurrence of B. cereus in herbs and spices (EFSA , ; Daelman and others ), and the fact that spores are more resistant to thermal treatment than vegetative cells (Setlow ), spores of B. cereus were used as a suitable indicator to monitor the efficiency of the IR decontamination process in oregano. The strain B. cereus ATCC 14579 was selected as an indicator strain due to its mesophilic characteristics, and the fact that it has previously been used when evaluating thermal resistance of B. cereus spores (Penna and Moraes ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In dried herbs and spices, the dominant microflora therefore consists mainly of bacterial spores of Clostridium and Bacillus species. One of the commonest species of Bacillus spores found in dried spices is B. cereus (Daelman and others ). B. cereus is abundant in nature and has been isolated in a broad range of foods, including herbs and spices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Infrared Decontamination of Oregano: Effects on Bacillus cereus Spores, Water Activity, Color, and Volatile Compounds

Eliasson

Libander

Lövenklev

et al. 2014

Journal of Food Science

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Infrared (IR) heating, a novel technology for decontaminating oregano, was evaluated by investigating the reduction of inoculated Bacillus cereus spores and the effect on water activity (a(w)), color, and headspace volatile compounds after exposure to IR treatment. Conditioned oregano (a(w) 0.88) was IR-treated in a closed heating unit at 90 and 100 °C for holding times of 2 and 10 min, respectively. The most successful reduction in B. cereus spore numbers (5.6 log units) was achieved after a holding time of 10 min at 90 °C, while treatment at 100 °C for the same time resulted in a lower reduction efficiency (4.7 log units). The lower reduction at 100 °C was probably due to a reduced aw (aw 0.76) during IR treatment or possibly to the alteration or loss of volatile compounds possessing antimicrobial properties. The green color of oregano was only slightly affected, while the composition of volatile compounds was clearly altered by IR heating. However, two of the key aroma compounds, carvacrol and thymol, were only slightly affected, compared to the effect on the other studied compounds, indicating that the typical oregano aroma can likely be preserved. In conclusion, IR heating shows potential for the successful decontamination of oregano without severe alteration of its color or the key aroma compounds, carvacrol and thymol.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infrared Decontamination of Oregano: Effects on Bacillus cereus Spores, Water Activity, Color, and Volatile Compounds

Eliasson

Libander

Lövenklev

et al. 2014

Journal of Food Science

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“…These features can result in insufficient heating of the products in up to 55% of the cases and in up to 45% of failure of the Listeria inactivation treatments in reinforced meals [9]. The cold storage and MAP are the most critical hindrance to the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in REPFEDs, but they may not provide complete protection against some risk factors; both the development of correct instruction on the label from the foods manufactures (proper heating protocols) and the consumer behaviors (proper storage, attitude to consuming the food before the expiry date) are essential to the correct and safety endues of the commodities [7]. Table 3.…”

Section: Mw Inactivation Of Listeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Classic deep-frozen or chilled products based on meat, fish, vegetables, filled pasta, frozen pizzas, and similar products fall into this segment. Most are produced using a cook and chill approach [7], with cooking/heat treatment followed by refrigerated storage, often under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). When the cooking/pasteurization treatment is applied, refrigerated shelf-life may be extended; such products are called refrigerated processed foods of extended durability (REPFED) [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiological Stability and Overall Quality of Ready-to-Heat Meals Based on Traditional Recipes of the Basilicata Region

Matera

Altieri

Ricciardi

et al. 2020

Foods

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The quality of ready meals is affected by several factors that may impair stability and nutritional value. In this work, we evaluated the overall quality of four traditional meals (Basilicata region) prepared according to the cook&chill method, packaged in air or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP; 70% N2 and 30% CO2), and stored at 4 °C for seven days. The shelf-life was determined by Listeria monocytogenes challenge testing and inactivation by microwave (MW) heating was assessed. The counts at the production day were excellent in three meals out of four, whereas one had high levels of spoilage and pathogens both as soon as the preparation and after seven days. MAP was partially effective only against the growth of the aerobic mesophilic species, whereas sensory analysis revealed that MAP may preserve many of sensory attributes. The average shelf-life of the meals ranged from 11 to 13 days, however, the potential shelf-life was undetectable in one out four meals, as L. monocytogenes growth was inhibited two days after the inoculum. In the inoculated meals, MW heating provided a partial inactivation (25%) of the pathogen. The overall quality of type the meals was partially satisfactory; post-cooking contaminations may affect the microbial load and reduce the palatability over the storage period and, above all, may involve biological hazards which consumers’ habits may not be able to eliminate.

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“…The low water activity in dried herbs and spices creates an unfavorable environment for survival of many kinds of vegetative bacteria, which often results in high numbers of bacterial spores such as Clostridium and Bacillus species ( Spruthi, 1980 ). High amounts of spores in dried spices form a potential microbial hazard since, e.g., Bacillus species are known to have high resistance to heat treatments, which may result in germination of surviving spores when spices are added to high water activity foodstuffs ( Daelman et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of infrared and microwave heating for microbial decontamination of paprika powder

Eliasson¹,

Isaksson²,

Lövenklev³

et al. 2015

Front. Microbiol.

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There is currently a need in developing new decontamination technologies for spices due to limitations of existing technologies, mainly regarding their effects on spices’ sensory quality. In the search of new decontamination solutions, it is of interest to compare different technologies, to provide the industry with knowledge for taking decisions concerning appropriate decontamination technologies for spices. The present study compares infrared (IR) and microwave decontamination of naturally contaminated paprika powder after adjustment of water activity to 0.88. IR respectively microwave heating was applied to quickly heat up paprika powder to 98°C, after which the paprika sample was transferred to a conventional oven set at 98°C to keep the temperature constant during a holding time up to 20 min. In the present experimental set-up microwave treatment at 98°C for 20 min resulted in a reduction of 4.8 log units of the total number of mesophilic bacteria, while the IR treatment showed a 1 log unit lower reduction for the corresponding temperature and treatment time. Microwave and IR heating created different temperature profiles and moisture distribution within the paprika sample during the heating up part of the process, which is likely to have influenced the decontamination efficiency. The results of this study are used to discuss the difficulties in comparing two thermal technologies on equal conditions due to differences in their heating mechanisms.

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Assessment of the microbial safety and quality of cooked chilled foods and their production process

Cited by 26 publications

References 24 publications

Infrared Decontamination of Oregano: Effects on Bacillus cereus Spores, Water Activity, Color, and Volatile Compounds

Infrared Decontamination of Oregano: Effects on Bacillus cereus Spores, Water Activity, Color, and Volatile Compounds

Microbiological Stability and Overall Quality of Ready-to-Heat Meals Based on Traditional Recipes of the Basilicata Region

A comparative study of infrared and microwave heating for microbial decontamination of paprika powder

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