Pasteurization profiles of cured meats products with respect to safety

A total of 162 heat penetration sets were collected during commercial pasteurization of 9 types of cured meats. Calculated FP7a-values (with z=10°C) ranged from 45 to 391 min. For L. monocytogenes (D70 =0.27 min) such FP70 represented at least 167 to 1448 decimal reductions (DR) to the initial population of the pathogen. Lack of healing uniformity in lots of the same product and samples in the same chamber was detected. Maximum core temperatures and FP70 values could vary by up to 6.4°C and up to 345 min respectively. Observed FP70 may affect product nutritional value, yield decrease and energy waste. In hundreds of samples of cooked in casing product no Salmonella spp, L.monocytogenes and E.coli were detected immediately after processing. During 2003-5 no Salmonella spp was detected in 404 in retail samples of sliced or pealed meats produced by 8 companies. L.monocytogenes incidence was 7.9%. Incidence per company for sliced and pealed products ranged from 2.5-40% and 0-20% respectively. Incidence decreased with age since production day. Commercial thermal processing of meat products is more than sufficient to assure safety from non-sporoforming pathogens. Cross contaminations lead to isolations of pathogens from cooked and later sliced and repackaged products