Predictive model for growth of Clostridium perfringens in cooked cured pork

Mathematical models have been developed and used for predicting growth of foodborne pathogens in various food matrices. However, these early models either used microbiological media or other model systems to develop the predictive models. Some of these models have been shown to be inaccurate for applications in meat and specific food matrices, especially under dynamic conditions, such as constantly changing temperatures that are encountered during food processing. The objective of this investigation was to develop a model for predicting growth of Clostridium perfringens from spore inocula in cured pork ham. Isothermal growth of C. perfringens at various temperatures from 10 to 48.9 °C were evaluated using a methodology that employed a numerical technique to solve a set of differential equations. The estimated theoretical minimum and maximum growth temperatures of C. perfringens in cooked cured pork were 13.5 and 50.6 °C, respectively. The kinetic and growth parameters obtained from this study can be used in evaluating growth of C. perfringens from spore populations during dynamically changing temperature conditions such as those encountered in meat processing. Further, this model can be successfully used to design microbiologically “safe” cooling regimes for cured pork hams and similar products.