Investigation of the Suitability of a Combination of Ethyl-Να-dodecanyl-L-arginat_HCl (LAE) and Starter Culture Bacteria for the Reduction of Bacteria from Fresh Meat of Different Animal Species

Meat can be contaminated with (pathogenic) microorganisms during slaughter, dissection and packaging. Therefore, preservation technologies are frequently used to reduce the risk of (fatal) human infections due to the consumption of meat. In this study, we first investigated, if the application of ethyl-Nα-dodecanyl-L-arginate hydrochloride (LAE) and the starter culture bacteria Staphylococcus carnosus and Lactobacillus sakei, either single or in combination, influences the bacteria number on pork, chicken meat and beef, inoculated with Brochothrix (Br.) thermosphacta (all meat species) or Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium (pork), Campylobacter (C.) jejuni (chicken) and Listeria (L.) monocytogenes (beef), before packaging under modified atmosphere and on days 7 and 14 of storage. To evaluate effects of the treatment on the appearance during storage, additionally, the physicochemical parameters color and myoglobin redox form percentages were analyzed. LAE regularly resulted in a significant reduction of the number of all bacteria species on day 1 of storage, whereas up to day 14 of storage, the preservation effect did not persist in nearly all samples, except in the beef with Br. thermosphacta. However, with the starter culture bacteria on day 1, only L. monocytogenes on beef was significantly reduced. Interestingly, on day 7 of storage, this reducing effect was also found with S. Typhimurium on pork. Br. thermosphacta, which was principally not influenced by the starter culture bacteria. The combinatory treatment mainly resulted in no additional effects, except for the S. Typhimurium and Br. thermosphacta results on pork on day 7 and the Br. thermosphacta results on beef on day 14. The physicochemical parameters were not influenced by the single and combinatory treatment. The results indicate that LAE was mainly responsible for the antimicrobial effects and that a combination with starter culture bacteria should be individually evaluated for the meat species.

Advances in enteropathogen control throughout the meat chicken production chain

Enteropathogens, namely Salmonella and Campylobacter, are a concern in global public health and have been attributed in numerous risk assessments to a poultry source. During the last decade, a large body of research addressing this problem has been published. The literature reviewed contains review articles on certain aspects of poultry production chain; however, in the past decade there has not been a review on the entire chain-farm to fork-of poultry production. For this review, a pool of 514 articles were selected for relevance via a systematic screening process (from >7500 original search articles). These studies identified a diversity of management and intervention strategies for the elimination or reduction of enteropathogens in poultry production. Many studies were laboratory or limited field trials with implementation in true commercial operations being problematic. Entities considering using commercial antienteropathogen products and interventions are advised to perform an internal validation and fit-for-purpose trial as Salmonella and Campylobacter serovars and biovars may have regional diversity. Future research should focus on nonchemical application within the processing plant and how a combination of synergisticinterventions through the production chain may contribute to reducing the overall carcass burden of enteropathogens, coupled with increased consumer education on safe handling and cooking of poultry.

Using TRIS-Buffered Plasma-Activated Water to Reduce Pathogenic Microorganisms on Poultry Carcasses with Evaluation of Physicochemical and Sensory Parameters

Foodborne diseases are mainly caused by the contamination of meat or meat products with pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we first investigated the in vitro application of TRIS-buffered plasma-activated water (Tb-PAW) on Campylobacter (C.) jejuni and Escherichia (E.) coli, with a reduction of approx. 4.20 ± 0.68 and 5.12 ± 0.46 log₁₀ CFU/mL. Furthermore, chicken and duck thighs (inoculated with C. jejuni or E. coli) and breasts (with natural microflora) with skin were sprayed with Tb-PAW. Samples were packed under a modified atmosphere and stored at 4 °C for 0, 7, and 14 days. The Tb-PAW could reduce C. jejuni on days 7 and 14 (chicken) and E. coli on day 14 (duck) significantly. In chicken, there were no significant differences in sensory, pH-value, color, and antioxidant activity, but %OxyMb levels decreased, whereas %MetMb and %DeoMb increased. In duck, we observed slight differences in pH-value, color, and myoglobin redox forms for the Tb-PAW, which were not perceived by the sensory test persons. With only slight differences in product quality, its application as a spray treatment may be a useful method to reduce C. jejuni and E. coli on chicken and duck carcasses.

Lauric arginate ethyl ester: An update on the antimicrobial potential and application in the food systems

Lauric arginate ethyl ester (LAE), a cationic surfactant with low toxicity, displays excellent antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microorganisms. LAE has been approved as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for widespread application in certain foods at a maximum concentration of 200 ppm. In this context, extensive research has been carried out on the application of LAE in food preservation for improving the microbiological safety and quality characteristics of various food products. This study aims to present a general review of recent research progress on the antimicrobial efficacy of LAE and its application in the food industry. It covers the physicochemical properties, antimicrobial efficacy of LAE, and the underlying mechanism of its action. This review also summarizes the application of LAE in various foods products as well as its influence on the nutritional and sensory properties of such foods. Additionally, the main factors influencing the antimicrobial efficacy of LAE are reviewed in this work, and combination strategies are provided to enhance the antimicrobial potency of LAE. Finally, the concluding remarks and possible recommendations for the future research are also presented in this review. In summary, LAE has the great potential application in the food industry. Overall, the present review intends to improve the application of LAE in food preservation.

Advances, Applications, and Comparison of Thermal (Pasteurization, Sterilization, and Aseptic Packaging) against Non-Thermal (Ultrasounds, UV Radiation, Ozonation, High Hydrostatic Pressure) Technologies in Food Processing

Nowadays, food treatment technologies are constantly evolving due to an increasing demand for healthier and tastier food with longer shelf lives. In this review, our aim is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of some of the most exploited industrial techniques for food processing and microorganism deactivation, dividing them into those that exploit high temperatures (pasteurization, sterilization, aseptic packaging) and those that operate thanks to their inherent chemical–physical principles (ultrasound, ultraviolet radiation, ozonation, high hydrostatic pressure). The traditional thermal methods can reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms to safe levels, but non-thermal technologies can also reduce or remove the adverse effects that occur using high temperatures. In the case of ultrasound, which inactivates pathogens, recent advances in food treatment are reported. Throughout the text, novel discoveries of the last decade are presented, and non-thermal methods have been demonstrated to be more attractive for processing a huge variety of foods. Preserving the quality and nutritional values of the product itself and at the same time reducing bacteria and extending shelf life are the primary targets of conscious producers, and with non-thermal technologies, they are increasingly possible.

A systematic review of clean-label alternatives to synthetic additives in raw and processed meat with a special emphasis on high-pressure processing (2018-2021)

The meat industry is continuously facing challenges with food safety, and quality losses caused by thermal processing. This systematic review reports recent clean label approaches in high-pressure production of meat. A literature search was performed using Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Springer databases for studies published in 2018-2021. In this regard, 69 articles were assessed out of 386 explored research articles in the identified stage. The findings indicate that most of the earlier work on high-pressure processing (HPP) focused on physicochemical and sensorial meat quality rather than providing nutritional aspects and clean-label solutions. However, few advanced studies report effective and innovative solutions to develop low salt/fat, and reduced nitrite for raw and cured meat products. HPP could help on increasing the shell life by five times in meat products; however, it depends on the formulation and packaging, etc. HPP can also preserve nutrients by using this non-thermal technology and reduce food waste as once the shelf life of products is known, it easily reduces the shrinkage in the marketplace. This review explores the latest trend of experimental research in high-pressure processing alone, or multi-hurdle techniques employed to increase the effect of clean-label ingredients for enhanced meat safety/quality.

The changing microbiome of poultry meat; from farm to fridge

Chickens play host to a diverse community of microorganisms which constitute the microflora of the live bird. Factors such as diet, genetics and immune system activity affect this complex population within the bird, while external influences including weather and exposure to other animals alter the development of the microbiome. Bacteria from these settings including Campylobacter and Salmonella play an important role in the quality and safety of end-products from these birds. Further steps, including washing and chilling, within the production cycle aim to control the proliferation of these microbes as well as those which cause product spoilage. These steps impose specific selective pressures upon the microflora of the meat product. Within the next decade, it is forecast that poultry meat, particularly chicken will become the most consumed meat globally. However, as poultry meat is a frequently cited reservoir of zoonotic disease, understanding the development of its microflora is key to controlling the proliferation of important spoilage and pathogenic bacterial groups present on the bird. Whilst several excellent reviews exist detailing the microbiome of poultry during primary production, others focus on fate of important poultry pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. At farm and retail level, and yet others describe the evolution of spoilage microbes during spoilage. This review seeks to provide the poultry industry and research scientists unfamiliar with food technology process with a holistic overview of the key changes to the microflora of broiler chickens at each stage of the production and retail cycle.

Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate (LAE): Antimicrobial Activity of LAE-Coated Film for the Packaging of Raw Beef and Pork

In this study, the antimicrobial activity of an ethyl lauroyl arginate- (LAE®-) coated film applied to the packaging of raw beef and pork was evaluated. Two different trials were performed for each meat species, aiming to evaluate the functionality of the film in contrasting the development of the natural microflora and of a specific target agent, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. In the first trial, LAE-coated packaging was applied to test its activity towards the natural meat microflora over a period of 24 days at 6-7°C. The comparison with the control sample series showed a slight initial inhibitory activity on total viable count, followed by a growing trend. In the second trial, the antimicrobial activity of the LAE-coated film was evaluated on raw beef and pork voluntarily inoculated with Escherichia coli: an initial killing effect on E. coli was detected in both pork and beef meat (reduction around 0.7 and 1 log CFU/g, respectively), followed by a stable trend for the following storage period (24 days).

Physical Methods for the Decontamination of Meat Surfaces

Purpose of Review

The market for minimally processed products is constantly growing due to consumer demand. Besides food safety and increased shelf life, nutritional value and sensory appearance also play a major role and have to be considered by the food processors. Therefore, the purpose of the review was to summarize recent knowledge about important alternative non-thermal physical technologies, including both those which are actually applied (e.g. high-pressure processing and irradiation) and those demonstrating a high potential for future application in raw meat decontamination (e.g. pulsed light UV-C and cold plasma treatment). The evaluation of the methods is carried out with respect to efficiency, preservation of food quality and consumer acceptance.

Recent Findings

It was evident that significantly higher bacterial reductions are achieved with gamma-ray, electron beam irradiation and high pressure, followed by pulsed light, UV-C and cold plasma, with ultrasound alone proving the least effective. As a limitation, it must be noted that sensory deviations may occur and that legal approvals may have to be applied for.

Summary

In summary, it can be concluded that physical methods have the potential to be used for decontamination of meat surfaces in addition to common hygiene measures. However, the aim of future research should be more focused on the combined use of different technologies to further increase the inactivation effects by keeping meat quality at the same time.