An official website of the United States government.
<ul> <LI>Identify sources and potential control measures for Listeria monocytogenes at the delicatessen. <LI> Determine the safety and quality effects of ready-to-eat meats treated with chlorine dioxide.<LI> Identify and improve food safety practices and control measures to reduce foodborne illness at the consumer level. <LI> Develop a multi-hurdle approach to control Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. <LI> Determine prevalence, molecular characterization, and potential control measures for Campylobacter spp. in raw meat and poultry. <LI> Apply ultrasound technology to reduce microbial loads, enhance product quality and extend shelf life of raw and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
Non-Technical Summary: Foodborne illness may result from the consumption of undercooked or ready to eat meat and poultry. The proposed research will focus on a number of different approaches to control pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp. associated with raw, further processed, or ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, throughout processing and ultimately to the consumer. <P> Approach: The prevalence of LM in RTE luncheon meats packaged in the grocery store may be as high as 2.7%. It is proposed to identify Listeria prevalence and persistence in delis by sampling sites and genetically characterizing the isolates obtained from the surfaces and products. The information obtained from the study will be used to design strategies to control the pathogen in retail settings. To date, little information exists about the level of residual chlorinated compounds on a variety of ready-to-eat meat products and levels of chlorine dioxide in brine solutions after several minutes of exposure. This project will investigate the microbiological profile of chlorine dioxide-treated and untreated products over an extended refrigerated shelf life and the organoleptic/sensory properties of the treated and untreated products. Surveys will be developed to address consumer food safety practices, digital photos of refrigerators, and temperature profiles of domestic refrigerators will be obtained. Additional swab samples will be taken from different areas of the refrigerator and analyzed microbiologically for Listeria monocytogenes. This project is significant in that it will incorporate consumer surveys, temperature profiles and laboratory research that can be used to better understand methods for the control and prevention of pathogens at the consumer level. Some small processors have reported that microbiological testing and holding of product required by USDA is a significant financial burden. Development and validation of an a process incorporating antimicrobials and/or post packaging heat treatments is needed to control LM in small and very small meat establishments. The incidence Campylobacter spp. in meat and poultry samples processed in the state of PA is not known. Sampling surveys will be employed to isolate and genetically characterize Campylobacter spp. isolates for diversity and pathogenicity. The information from this study will explain the prevalence of the organism in a geographic area not previously evaluated, and develop and optimize methodologies for transport, isolation and culturability of Campylobacter spp. from meat and poultry products subjected to interventions and packaging regimes. Ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are thermally processed to reduce or eliminate pathogens, but can become contaminated post-cooking through exposure to food and non-food contact surfaces, including equipment in processing areas that have not been properly sanitized. As such, these products could be subjected to recontamination by pathogens (ie. Listeria monocytogenes) and excessive growth if shelf life is extended through refrigeration. Therefore, there is a need to identify easy and feasible methods to decontaminate raw and further processed and packaged meat and poultry products. Ultrasound processing has the potential to be used to decontaminate surfaces of raw and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products in order to reduce contamination, thereby enhancing the safety and quality of these products.