Efficacy of pulsed light for shelf-life extension and inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat cooked meat products

Pulsed light (PL) was tested for its utility to improve the microbial quality and safety of ready-to-eat cooked meat products. Vacuum-packaged ham and bologna slices were superficially inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes and treated with 0.7, 2.1, 4.2 and 8.4 J/cm2. PL treatment at 8.4 J/cm2 reduced L. monocytogenes by 1.78 cfu/cm2 in cooked ham and by 1.11 cfu/cm2 in bologna. The effect of PL on lipid oxidation and sensory properties was also investigated. The 2-thiobarbituric acid values were very low and chromaticity parameters were within the normal values reported for cooked meat products. PL at 8.4 J/cm2 did not affect the sensory quality of cooked ham, while treatments above 2.1 J/cm2 negatively influenced the sensory properties of bologna. The combination of PL and vacuum packaging provided ham with an additional shelf-life extension of 30 days compared with only vacuum packaging. The shelf-life of bologna was not extended by PL.Industrial relevanceThe efficacy of pulsed light for the decontamination of surfaces offers excellent possibilities to ensure food safety and to extend shelf-life of ready-to-eat (RTE) products. The results of this study indicate that Listeria monocytogenes can be reduced by approximately 2 log cfu/cm2 in RTE cooked ham and 1 log cfu/cm2 in bologna using a fluence of 8.4 J/cm2. This dose does not affect the sensory properties of ham and triples its shelf-life when compared with conventional RTE products. On the contrary, fluences above 2.1 J/cm2 are not suitable for the treatment of bologna since sensory quality is modified.

► Pulsed light was tested for decontamination of packaged RTE cooked ham and bologna.
► Listeria monocytogenes was reduced by 1.78 cfu/cm2 in ham and 1.11 cfu/cm2 in bologna with 8.4 J/cm2.
► Application of PL to ham tripled shelf-life in comparison with conventional RTE products.
► Doses above 2.1 J/cm2 negatively influenced the sensory properties of bologna.