Shelf-life extension of cooked ham model product by high hydrostatic pressure and natural preservatives

The inactivation of different spoilage organisms and surrogate pathogens in a cooked ham model product by high pressure (HP) treatment (100-700 MPa, 5-40 °C, 10 min) was investigated. A 5 log reduction could be achieved at ≥ 600 MPa at ≥ 25 °C. Subsequently, the shelf-life of packaged sliced product was studied during storage (7 °C) after treatment at 600 MPa (10 °C, 10 min) in combination with caprylic acid and Purasal®. Without HP treatment, a plate count of 6 log CFU/g was reached after 40 days, both in presence and absence of antimicrobials. HP treatment delayed this initiation of spoilage to 59 days in absence of antimicrobials. However, microbial growth was completely suppressed during at least 84 days in the HP treated products containing caprylic acid or Purasal®. HP treatment increased drip loss but had no or little effect on colour and sensorial evaluation by a taste panel. However, the antimicrobials had a negative influence on the flavour and aroma at the concentrations used.status: publishe