Project Number: 1935-41420-012-11
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Jan 01, 2008
End Date: Feb 27, 2010

Objective:
Develop and validate effective intervention strategies, such as food grade chemicals or high pressure processing, to reduce the levels of foodborne pathogens in a pork-based dry sausage product during processing and storage. Because of the nature of this product only certain non-thermal based interventions can be used to control food borne pathogens.

Approach:
In collaboration with the Professional Resources Organization and Santa Maria Foods, ULC, we will evaluate and then validate the use of food grade chemicals, heat, and high pressure processing, either alone or in combination, to reduce the levels and/or eliminate Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and possibly Trichinella that were inoculated into the raw ingredients used to make sausage. In addition, we will also look at the physiological response of surviving pathogens after exposure to these interventions to determine the genes and proteins expressed.