Effects of High-Pressure Processing on the Safety, Quality, and Shelf Life of Ready-to-Eat Meats

Abstract

Ready-to-eat (RTE) meats (low-fat pastrami, Strassburg beef, export sausage, and Cajun beef) were pressure treated at 600 MPa, 20 degrees C, for 180 s to evaluate the feasibility of using high-pressure processing (HPP) for the safe shelf-life extension of these products. After processing, samples were stored at 4 degrees C for 98 days during which time microbiological enumeration and enrichments were performed. Additionally, sensory analyses were undertaken to determine consumer acceptability and purchase intent over the duration of storage. Counts of aerobic and anaerobic mesophiles, lactic acid bacteria, Listeria spp., staphylococci, Brochothrix thermosphacta, coliforms, and yeasts and molds revealed that there were undetectable or low levels for all types of microorganisms throughout storage. Comparison of consumer hedonic ratings for unprocessed and processed meats revealed no difference in consumer acceptability, and no deterioration in the sensory quality was evident for any of the products tested during the study. Additionally, inoculated pack studies were conducted to determine if HPP could be used as a postlethality treatment to reduce or eliminate Listeria monocytogenes and thus assess the potential use of HPP in a hazard analysis critical control point plan for production of RTE meats. Inoculated samples (initial level of 10(4) CFU/g) were pressure treated (600 MPa, 20 degrees C, for 180 s) and stored at 4 degrees C, and survival of L. monocytogenes was monitored for 91 days. L. monocytogenes was not detected by plating methods until day 91, but selective enrichments showed sporadic recovery in three of the four products examined. The results show that HPP at 600 MPa, 20 degrees C, for 180 s can extend the refrigerated shelf life of RTE meats and reduce L. monocytogenes numbers by more than 4 log CFU/g in inoculated product.

High Pressure Processing for Foods Preserving

“…Researchers found that in Rte meats that are pressure treated at 600 MPa at 20°c for 180 sec, there were no changes in sensory quality, no difference in consumer acceptability, a 4 log reduction in Listeria monocytogenes in inoculated product and the refrigerated shelf-life was extended (23). There is report that hPP treatment (600 MPa for 10 minutes at 30°c) could extend the shelf-life of food including cooked ham, dry cured ham and marinated beef loins (30).…”

“…Some authors showed that the pressure resistance of microbial organisms is maximal at temperature [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] o C and decreases significantly at higher or lower temperature (10,11,12).…”

“…hydrostatic pressure treatment is also effective in inactivating other hazardous microorganisms such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Vibrio, as well as many yeasts, molds, and bacteria responsible for food spoilage. the microbiological shelf-life and food quality can be substantially extended by the use of hPP (23,24).…”

Factors affecting cooked chicken meat flavour: a review

“…High pressure treatment had no negative effects on the sensory quality of various meat products (Hayman et al, 2004). However, Kruk et al (2011) reported that exposure to a pressure of 300 MPa resulted in better flavour and taste than to a 450 MPa treatment.…”

Health and Safety Considerations of Fermented Sausages

“…As a postprocessing method, it also has the advantage that it can be performed at low temperatures. Several consumer trials have revealed that the sensory quality of HPP treated RTE products is maintained after a storage period [280][281][282]. However, there can be some differences between HPP treated and nontreated DFS during the storage period.…”