Abstract
Mexican-style raw meat sausages (chorizos) are not regulated in California when they are produced in small ethnic food markets. These sausages are sold uncooked, but their formulation imparts a color that may lead the consumer to assume that they are already cooked, and thus the chorizos may sometimes be eaten without proper cooking. If pathogens are present in such cases, illness may result. Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in chorizos was evaluated under different storage conditions selected based on an initial survey of uninspected chorizos in California. Chorizos were formulated with five different initial water activity (aw) values (0.85, 0.90, 0.93, 0.95, and 0.97), stored under four conditions (refrigeration at 6 to 8°C, room temperature at 24 to 26°C, under a hood at 24 to 26°C with forced air circulation, and incubation at 30 to 31°C with convective air circulation), and sampled after 1, 2, 4, and 7 days. The initial pH was 4.8 and remained near 5.0 from day 1 of the sampling period. Two separate studies of packs inoculated with five-strain cocktails of Salmonella and of E. coli O157:H7 were performed twice for each initial aw. The three lowest aw values (0.85, 0.90, and 0.93) and the incubation and hood storage conditions were more effective (P ≤ 0.05) at reducing the target pathogen levels in chorizos than were the two highest aw values (0.95 and 0.97) and the refrigeration storage condition, regardless of storage time. These results provide a scientific basis for guidelines given to producers of uninspected chorizo and should reduce the probability of foodborne illness associated with these products.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2039-2046 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Food Protection |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| State | Published - Oct 2005 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Biotechnology
Cite this
Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157 : H7 in chorizos. / Hew, Carrie M.; Hajmeer, Maha N.; Farver, Thomas B; Glover, James M.; Cliver, Dean O.
In: Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 68, No. 10, 10.2005, p. 2039-2046.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157
T2 - H7 in chorizos
AU - Hew, Carrie M.
AU - Hajmeer, Maha N.
AU - Farver, Thomas B
AU - Glover, James M.
AU - Cliver, Dean O.
PY - 2005/10
Y1 - 2005/10
N2 - Mexican-style raw meat sausages (chorizos) are not regulated in California when they are produced in small ethnic food markets. These sausages are sold uncooked, but their formulation imparts a color that may lead the consumer to assume that they are already cooked, and thus the chorizos may sometimes be eaten without proper cooking. If pathogens are present in such cases, illness may result. Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in chorizos was evaluated under different storage conditions selected based on an initial survey of uninspected chorizos in California. Chorizos were formulated with five different initial water activity (aw) values (0.85, 0.90, 0.93, 0.95, and 0.97), stored under four conditions (refrigeration at 6 to 8°C, room temperature at 24 to 26°C, under a hood at 24 to 26°C with forced air circulation, and incubation at 30 to 31°C with convective air circulation), and sampled after 1, 2, 4, and 7 days. The initial pH was 4.8 and remained near 5.0 from day 1 of the sampling period. Two separate studies of packs inoculated with five-strain cocktails of Salmonella and of E. coli O157:H7 were performed twice for each initial aw. The three lowest aw values (0.85, 0.90, and 0.93) and the incubation and hood storage conditions were more effective (P ≤ 0.05) at reducing the target pathogen levels in chorizos than were the two highest aw values (0.95 and 0.97) and the refrigeration storage condition, regardless of storage time. These results provide a scientific basis for guidelines given to producers of uninspected chorizo and should reduce the probability of foodborne illness associated with these products.
AB - Mexican-style raw meat sausages (chorizos) are not regulated in California when they are produced in small ethnic food markets. These sausages are sold uncooked, but their formulation imparts a color that may lead the consumer to assume that they are already cooked, and thus the chorizos may sometimes be eaten without proper cooking. If pathogens are present in such cases, illness may result. Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in chorizos was evaluated under different storage conditions selected based on an initial survey of uninspected chorizos in California. Chorizos were formulated with five different initial water activity (aw) values (0.85, 0.90, 0.93, 0.95, and 0.97), stored under four conditions (refrigeration at 6 to 8°C, room temperature at 24 to 26°C, under a hood at 24 to 26°C with forced air circulation, and incubation at 30 to 31°C with convective air circulation), and sampled after 1, 2, 4, and 7 days. The initial pH was 4.8 and remained near 5.0 from day 1 of the sampling period. Two separate studies of packs inoculated with five-strain cocktails of Salmonella and of E. coli O157:H7 were performed twice for each initial aw. The three lowest aw values (0.85, 0.90, and 0.93) and the incubation and hood storage conditions were more effective (P ≤ 0.05) at reducing the target pathogen levels in chorizos than were the two highest aw values (0.95 and 0.97) and the refrigeration storage condition, regardless of storage time. These results provide a scientific basis for guidelines given to producers of uninspected chorizo and should reduce the probability of foodborne illness associated with these products.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=26644467002&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 16245705
AN - SCOPUS:26644467002
VL - 68
SP - 2039
EP - 2046
JO - Journal of Food Protection
JF - Journal of Food Protection
SN - 0362-028X
IS - 10
ER -