Control of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in meat and meat products by high pressure: Challenges and future perspectives

Abstract

High-pressure processing is among the most widely used nonthermal intervention to reduce pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in meat and meat products. However, resistance of pathogenic bacteria strains in meats at the current maximum commercial equipment of 600 MPa questions the ability of inactivation by its application in meats. Pathogens including Escherichia coli, Listeria, and Salmonelle, and spoilage microbiota including lactic acid bacteria dominate in raw meat, ready-to-eat, and packaged meat products. Improved understanding on the mechanisms of the pressure resistance is needed for optimizing the conditions of pressure treatment to effectively decontaminate harmful bacteria. Effective control of the pressure-resistant pathogens and spoilage organisms in meats can be realized by the combination of high pressure with application of mild temperature and/or other hurdles including antimicrobial agents and/or competitive microbiota. This review summarized applications, mechanisms, and challenges of high pressure on meats from the perspective of microbiology, which are important for improving the understanding and optimizing the conditions of pressure treatment in the future.

Reducing the Risk of Transmission of Critical Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants From Contaminated Pork Products to Humans in South-East Asia

“…Lastly, biological applications include bacteriophages and wrapping film with postbiotics containing lactic acid bacteria. However, all applications must take into account meat quality and the physiology of the end product (Bolumar et al, 2020;Li et al, 2020;Shafipour Yordshahi et al, 2020;Aydin Demirarslan et al, 2021).…”

Genetic Basis of High-Pressure Tolerance of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus Mutant and Its Pathogenicity

“…High-pressure processing is a commercialized technology that inactivates or kills microorganisms to extend the shelf life and maintain the good sensory quality of seafood; however, some microorganisms (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus , E. coli , Salmonella enterica ) can survive high-pressure treatment ( Zhao et al, 2019 ; Li et al, 2020 ). In this study, a high-pressure-tolerant strain of N11 was evolved from the wide-type strain of C4 after eight rounds of high-pressure treatment ( Figure 2A ), and the survival rate of the N11 showed that it could tolerate 200 MPa treatment ( Figure 2B ).…”

“…The mechanism of high-pressure-induced inactivation of microorganisms involves cell membrane lipid damage, intracellular pH shifts by solute transport, metal ion release, enzyme deactivation, and decreased DNA synthesis ( Patrignani and Lanciotti, 2016 ; Nikparvar et al, 2021 ). Unfortunately, a small number of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria can survive after 400–600 MPa HPP treatment for 8 min ( Li et al, 2020 ), and their survival might lead to contamination with living microbes that can pose a threat to human health.…”

Antibiotic Resistance Carriage Causes a Lower Survivability Due to Stress Associated with High-Pressure Treatment among Strains from Starter Cultures

“…It is reported that lactic acid bacteria are more resistant to high pressure than other microorganisms. This opens up wide opportunities for the development of fermented products with an extended shelf life, as the spoilage pathogens and microorganisms can be effectively eliminated while the microorganisms derived from the starter cultures remain viable [ 6 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”