Decontamination of incoming beef trimmings with hot lactic acid solution to improve microbial safety of resulting dry fermented sausages - A pilot study

- Beef trimmings for fermented sausages were treated with hot, 4% lactic acid.
- E. coli O157 and Salmonella were markedly reduced in finished sausages.
- L. monocytogenes reduction in finished sausages was not significant.
- Biogenic amines were not detectable in finished sausages.
- Sensorial acceptability of finished sausages was somewhat diminished.

In the study, beef trimmings intended for sausage production were subjected to different decontamination treatments based on lactic acid-hot water combination, with aim to eliminate or reduce foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in resultant dry, fermented sausages. In finished sausages, produced from untreated trimmings, “natural” reductions of inoculated E. coli O157 and Salmonella Typhimurium were on average 1.9 logs, L. monocytogenes count remained unchanged, and no detectable concentrations of biogenic amines were found. The same type of sausages were also produced by using beef trimmings which was pathogen-inoculated and then decontaminated by: hot, 4% lactic acid in water solution (90 °C for 10 s; treatment HLA1); or hot, 4% lactic acid in water solution (85 °C for 20 s; treatment HLA2), or hot, 4% lactic acid in water solution (80 °C for 30 s; treatment HLA3). The use of HLA-decontaminated beef trimmings resulted in total E. coli O157 reductions of at least 3.9 logs and in total Salmonella Typhimurium reductions of at least 3.6 logs, whilst biogenic amines were not detected in finished sausages. The overall sensorial acceptability of finished sausages produced with HLA-decontaminated beef trimmings was somewhat diminished. Further work is required to optimise the HLA-based incoming beef treatments.