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The overall goal of this multidisciplinary, multifunctional project is to develop, validate, deploy, and assess a next-generation tool for thermal process validations in the meat and poultry industry. The specific objectives are: <oL> <LI> To integrate existing data into a generalized thermal inactivation model for Salmonella in meat and poultry products, accounting for critical product/process variables<LI> To validate that model via extensive pilot-scale testing <LI> To incorporate confidence interval predictions into the model <LI> To develop, deploy, and rigorously assess a web-based training framework associated with the process lethality tool.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The meat and poultry industry is required to prove that thermal processes eliminate Salmonella. However, current tools used for this task are insufficient, because they do not provide processors with product-specific predictions or information about potential errors. This project will develop a tool and information that will improve thermal process validations and better ensure the safety of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
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APPROACH: First, based on extensive previous work by the project team, the effects of product species, fat content, water activity, structure (whole vs. ground), and heating rate will be incorporated into a recently-developed process lethality tool. Second, commercial meat products, inoculated with Salmonella, will be processed in pilot-scale ovens to validate the model and to generate data to compute prediction intervals. Subsequently, this tool will be distributed via a web-based framework that will also include training/background resources. Impact on the industry will be quantified via a multi-stage assessment process, which will evaluate how the tool and training resources impact the state-of-practice (behavior) in the industry, with respect to thermal process validations.