Approaches to Meat Safety

Microbiological Safety of Ready-To-Eat Hams Using Clean Label Antimicrobials

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Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a primary pathogen of concern in ready-to-eat (RTE) meats, specifically deli meats as they are normally eaten cold. LM is very wide-spread in nature and has been known to survive extreme environmental temperatures such as refrigeration, freezing, heating, and drying. Due to its ubiquitous nature, LM is a difficult organism to control, especially in a post-cook processing area. LM can be inactivated in meat products if heated to 70C; however, it can survive on cold surfaces and can also multiply at 4 C, defeating one traditional food safety defense, refrigeration. Since LM typically enters the food supply from the processing plant environment through cross-contamination or environmental contamination after a heat treatment has been applied, it has become a major concern for the meat processing industry.

How to Cite:

Alvarado, C., (2023) “Microbiological Safety of Ready-To-Eat Hams Using Clean Label Antimicrobials”, SafePork 14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/safepork.16874