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<ol> <li>Investigate the heating and pressurizing requirements to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat meats by incorporating antimicrobials.
<li>Determine the effects of sodium lactate and sodium diacetate as well as bacteriocins added to cured meats on electron beam irradiation D-values for L. monocytogenes.
<li>Evaluate the effect of starvation stress on heat treated, high pressure processed and irradiated L. monocytogenes in cured meats with antimicrobials.
<li>Investigate the stress response in heat and high pressure treated L. monocytogenes using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.
<li>Determine the chemical and textural characteristics of meat products formulated with selected antimicrobials.</ol>
Antimicrobials will be incorporated into meat formulations during preparation. These meat products wil be inoculated with nutritionally starved and non starved Listeria monocytogenes, and subjected to various heat, high pressure and irradiation treatments. Both the inactivation kinetics and stress response of L. monocyotgenes from these treatments will be studied. The proteins that undergo changes during heat and high pressure stresses will be analyzed using appropriate techniques such as two dimensional gel electrophoresis. This research will aid in determining microbiological risks associated with traditional and emerging processing technologies applied to ready to eat meat products, and provide processing guidelines to help reduce these risks.
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Processed ready to eat meats are contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes causing foodborne outbreaks and product recalls. This project aims to investigate the survival of Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat meats following thermal, high pressure and irradiation treatments each in combination with antimicrobials. </p>