Research

This study investigated herbal extracts high in rosmarinic acid (rosemary antioxidants) as Listeria monocytogenes inhibitors.

Combinations of a novel ingredient called Safe2O™HOH were evaluated along with lactic acid, potassium lactate and propionic acid to determine the inhibitory effects of each of these products singly and in combination to retard and/or eliminate the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in packaged ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

Cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) was evaluated through various application parameters for its antimicrobial effects on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products in an effort to retard growth of and/or eliminate Listeria monocytogenes.

This study showed that lactoferrin added as a formulation ingredient in bologna was not as effective as the combination of other antimicrobials, but when used in frankfurters, lactoferrin combined with other antimicrobials was effective.

This study demonstrated that aerosol particle size, relative humidity and distance from the air handling unit impacted settling rate and potential that exposed ready-to-eat products may become contaminated.

This research followed up on previous research that demonstrated the effectiveness of antimycotic agents in controlling Listeria. The resulting data has been used to obtain provisional FSIS approval of sorbate, benzoate and propionate

This research continued the development of IMS for detection of Listeria. It also focused on developing sample mechanisms for direct and aerosol sampling that would allow the samples to be analyzed directly by IMS techniques.

This project reviewed the FSIS Risk Assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in deli meats and examined the model assumptions and model construct to determine whether they were appropriate and applicable to actual industry “what if” scenarios.

This study identified a non-pathogenic bacterium that has heat resistance properties similar to Listeria and Salmonella in meat and poultry. Research developed protocols for the use of a non-pathogenic surrogate organisms in processing facilities to validate thermal processing.

This research showed that combinations of pre- and post-packaging processing were effective in reducing levels of Listeria monocytogenes. Research also demonstrated that some pre-packaging antimicrobials were more effective than others, with most not effective on uncured turkey products.