A predictive model to determine the effects of temperature, sodium pyrophosphate, and sodium chloride on thermal inactivation of starved Listeria monocytogenes in pork slurry.

The effects and interactions of 27 combinations of heating temperature (57.5 to 62.5 degrees C), sodium pyrophosphate (SPP) level (0 to 0.5%, wt/vol), and salt (NaCl) level (0 to 6%, wt/vol) on the thermal inactivation of starved Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19116 in pork slurry were investigated. A split-split plot experimental design was used to compare all 27 combinations. L. monocytogenes survivors were enumerated on tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.6% yeast extract. The natural logarithm (loge) of the means of decimal reduction times (D-values) were modeled as a function of temperature, SPP level, and NaCl level. Increasing concentrations of SPP or NaCl protected starved L. monocytogenes from the destructive effect of heat. For example, D-values for the pathogen at 57.5 degrees C in pork slurry with 0, 3, and 6% NaCl were 2.79, 7.75, and 14.59 min, respectively. All three variables interacted to affect the thermal inactivation of L. monocytogenes. A mathematical model describing the combined effect of temperature, SPP level, and NaCl level on the thermal inactivation of starved L. monocytogenes was developed. There was strong correlation (R2 = 0.97) between loge D-values predicted by the model and those observed experimentally. The model can predict D-values for any combination of variables that falls within the range of those tested. This predictive model can be used to assist food processors in designing thermal processes that include an adequate margin of safety for the control of L. monocytogenes in processed meats.