Microbiological ecology of marinated meat products

Marinated meat products are consumed increasingly. In addition to taste, marinating has been considered to increase product safety and shelf life. In Finland, marinades are complex, spiced sauces. They are acidic water-oil emulsions typically containing salt, sugar, sorbate and/or benzoate. Marinated products are usually packaged under modified atmospheres. This results in the growth of psychrotrophic, anaerobic bacteria like lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Marinating did not increase the shelf life of Finnish poultry products and it strongly selected novel spoilage LAB. Surprisingly, it neither had inhibitory effect on Campylobacter. The buffering capability of meat neutralizes the acidic marinade and results in dissociation of the lipophilic acids making their antimicrobial effect nonexistent.