VALIDATION OF MICROBIAL PATHOGEN CONTROL ON DRIED RTE SAUSAGES BY NOVEL ANTIMICROBIAL AND MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES.

The over-arching purpose of the proposed research is to improve microbiological safety protection for fermented and dried sausages intended for U.S. consumers.Objectives of outlined research studies and experimental efforts are to:generate data that parameterize the impacts of differing starter cultures and casing diameters on resulting fermentation, water mobility and pathogen control;apply gathered data towards innovation of a new mathematical model that parameterizes sausage manufacturing conditions on consequent pathogen and surrogate survival, and;subject model to early validations by applying microbiological data from pilot and commercial products, using surrogates selected from experimental evaluation and/or review of published data.These are sequenced logically wherein foundational data are first generated, a novel model is innovated by collaborators to identify and test the parameters of sausage manufacture significantly influencing pathogen(s) survival, and then a commercially produced product is tested by the model (see letter of support by commercial manufacturer). Upon completion of research project objectives and research experimentation, investigators expect to have developed, refined, and completed initial validation of a physical+kinetic two component predictive model that accounts for diameter, fat distribution, fermentation endpoint pH, and drying conditions for control of the human pathogensSalmonella enterica, Shiga toxigenicE. coli(STEC), andListeria monocytogenes.