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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project proposes to develop an innovative pasteurization technique combining pasteurization and packaging in a single unit to eliminate or reduce Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Alkar-RapidPak conducted a feasibility study and proved the concept through the USDA-SBIR funded Phase I research in which Alkar-RapidPak built a prototype flash pasteurization-packaging machine to treat single-layer and double-layer packaged hotdogs and achieved 3 log reductions of Listeria innocua in 1.5 s without detrimentally affect food quality.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Ready-to-eat meat or poultry products that undergo further handling after cooking (e.g. peeling or slicing) show the highest prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes (one to ten percent). Though rare, listeriosis is responsible for 20 to 30 percent of foodborne disease-related deaths. Therefore, the industry has adopted, among other methods, post-packaging pasteurization to control Listeria monocytogenes on the products' surfaces. However, in-package heat treatments may require up to eight minutes or more to achieve a 3-log reduction of Listeria monocytogenes, thus affecting products' quality. The proposed system offers a competitive alternative to existing hot water or steam-based in-package pasteurization equipment. It will be much less expensive, easier to install, and have a much smaller footprint. It will represent a food safety breakthrough for the American meat industry and beyond, as the technology could be extended to other food products.
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APPROACH: USDA has invented a method to pasteurize hotdog surfaces that alternates cycles of vacuum-steam-vacuum. This process demonstrated a 3 to 5-log reduction of Listeria innocua in only 1 to 3 seconds. Alkar-RapidPak intends to incorporate this new technology into cost-effective packaging equipment where surface pasteurize the food immediately followed by a vacuum-packaging step. Such system will eradicate Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of ready-to-eat foods in a few seconds while preserving their sensory characteristics.