No abstract

Pork and mutton sausage-type mixes produced using Eubacterium coprostanoligenes with or without Lactobacillus as starter culture showed changes in pH, cholesterol and lipid content. Viability of E. coprostanoligenes was assessed by culturing samples from each treatment and analyzing for coprostanol, a cholesterol metabolite. The pH and/or cholesterol decreased (P < 0.05) in the sausage-type mixes inoculated with E. coprostanoligenes or Lactobacillus or their combinations. Variability in lipid content was observed among and within treatments. Very low (6.2 g/g dry matter) concentrations of coprostanol were produced in sausagemixes and cultures except when inoculated with 2.0 g of E. coprostanoligenes (from 8.2 to 130.6 g/g dry matter).

No abstract

Effects of surface pasteurization on inactivation of Listeria innocua were investigated. Surface temperature, monitored during post-packaging pasteurization, was used to predict the lethality of L. monocytogenes. Temperatures reached 70 o C for lean and fat sausages within 9 min of treatment. An inoculation study validated the efficacy of post-processing and the thermal lethality of L. monocytogenes. Pre-cooked sausage and ham, inoculated with approximately 10 7 CFU/cm 2 of L. innocua, were heated to a surface temperature of 70 o C. Numbers of L. innocua were reduced by 7 log on surface-inoculated sausage. Guidelines for safe, ready-to-eat meat products are provided for small scale meat processors.