Inactivation of foot-and-mouth disease virus in various bovine tissues used for the production of natural sausage casings

Bovine intestines, bladders and oesophagus are used for the production of natural casings (“beef casings”) as edible sausage containers. Derived from cattle experimentally infected with FMDV (initial dosage 104 TCID50/mL, strain A Iran 97), these beef casings were treated with sodium chloride (NaCl) or phosphate supplemented salt (P-salt). In addition, different in-vitro experiments using beef casings were done on a small scale with other FMDV strains (A Turkey 06, C-Oberbayern and O1 Manisa) as “proof of principle”.Based on the combined results of the in-vivo and in-vitro experiments, it can be concluded that the storage period of 30 days at 20 °C in NaCl is sufficiently effective to inactivate a possible contamination with FMDV in beef casings and that the usage of P-salt does not clearly enhance the inactivation of FMDV infectivity.Storage of salted beef casings at about 20 °C for 30 days is already part of the Standard Operating Procedures (included in HACCP) of the international casing industry and can therefore be considered as a protective measure for the international trade in natural casings.

► 30-day storage at 20 °C in NaCl is sufficient to inactivate FMD virus in beef casings.
► Bovine intestines yield very low FMD virus titres after experimental infection.
► FMD virus inactivation in beef casings is temperature dependent.
► P-salt does not clearly enhance the inactivation of FMDV infectivity.