{"id":62253,"date":"2025-03-05T11:15:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T10:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiperbaric.com\/?p=62253"},"modified":"2025-03-12T11:22:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T10:22:36","slug":"boosting-safety-and-quality-the-power-of-hpp-in-dry-cured-and-fermented-meats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiperbaric.com\/en\/boosting-safety-and-quality-the-power-of-hpp-in-dry-cured-and-fermented-meats\/","title":{"rendered":"Boosting Safety and Quality: The Power of HPP in Dry-Cured and Fermented Meats"},"content":{"rendered":"

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High-Pressure Processing (HPP) is a nonthermal food preservation method that ensures the safety and quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) dry cured and fermented meats. By inactivating pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. without compromising sensory attributes, HPP offers a significant advantage in maintaining the taste, texture, and nutritional value of these products. This blog post explores the efficacy of HPP in pathogen control and its role in preserving the sensory qualities of dry cured meats, providing a comprehensive overview of this game-changing technology.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the first two months of 2025, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Union issued 20 notifications<\/strong> to member states, warning about the presence of Listeria monocytogenes<\/em><\/strong> (13 alerts), Salmonella<\/em><\/strong> spp.<\/strong> (5 alerts), and Staphylococcus aureus<\/em><\/strong> (2 alerts) in ready-to-eat (RTE) dry cured and fermented meat products. These products include bacon<\/strong>, salami<\/strong>, fuet<\/strong>, prosciutto<\/strong>, coppa<\/strong>, and various types of cured sausages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

These alert notifications in Europe align with the recalls and public health alerts issued by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA. This alignment is evidenced by a multistate Salmonella<\/em> outbreak<\/strong> in 2024 linked to dry cured meats<\/strong>, which affected 104 people and led to 27 hospitalizations across 33 states.<\/p>\n

Dry curing<\/strong> and fermentation<\/strong> are effective in controlling pathogens in traditional RTE meat products. However, poor hygienic practices or uncontrolled moisture and temperature conditions during these stages can lead to the survival of pathogens, which remain viable in the final product. To reduce the risk, jurisdictions such as the United States and Japan consider the presence of L. monocytogenes<\/em> an adulterant. This forces food companies to implement control measures<\/strong> to ensure the absence of the pathogen. However, finding a balance between food safety and high sensory quality in this delicate category is challenging.<\/p>\n

High-Pressure Processing (HPP)<\/strong> is a nonthermal food preservation method that uses extremely high pressure, typically up to 600 MPa (87,000 psi), to inactivate pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in food products. Unlike traditional thermal treatments, HPP effectively ensures food safety <\/strong>without compromising the sensory and nutritional qualities<\/strong> of the product. This makes it particularly beneficial for RTE dry cured and fermented meats.<\/p>\n

HPP to Ensure Safety in Dry Cured and Fermented Meats<\/h2>\n

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Foodborne Pathogen Control<\/h3>\n

Back in 2004, the FSIS approved HPP<\/a> as a post-lethality intervention method for L. monocytogenes<\/em> contamination. Therefore, an establishment can integrate HPP into its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan as CCP, and claim either Alternative 1<\/strong> or Alternative 2, Choice 1<\/strong> of the Listeria<\/em> Rule (9 CFR Part 430<\/a>). Establishments using these alternatives are likely to be inspected less frequently compared to those using Alternative 2, Choice 2, and Alternative 3, because of the higher level of control provided.<\/p>\n

The efficacy of HPP in controlling L. monocytogenes<\/em><\/strong> and other pathogens in dry-cured and fermented meat products is well-supported by scientific literature (Figure 1)<\/strong>. When the curing process reduces the water activity (aw<\/sub>) value of the products below the growth limit for L. monocytogenes<\/em> (aw<\/sub> \u2264 0.92)<\/strong>, demonstrating at least a 1-log10<\/sub><\/strong> reduction of the pathogen before the product is released would validate HPP as an effective post-lethality treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Figure 1<\/strong>. Inactivation of L. monocytogenes<\/em> in dry-cured and fermented meat products subjected to HPP at 600 MPa (87,000 psi) between 3 min and 8 min (Jofr\u00e9 et al. 2009<\/a>, Porto-Fett et al. 2010<\/a>, Hereu et al. 2012<\/a>, P\u00e9rez-Baltar et al. 2020<\/a>, Martillanes et al. 2021<\/a>, Porto-Fett et al. 2022<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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When the final products support the growth of L. monocytogenes<\/em> based on physicochemical attributes (aw<\/sub> > 0.92 <\/strong>and pH >4.39<\/strong>), it is important to demonstrate that the pathogen does not grow over the expected shelf-life. High-Pressure Processing can be used as one of the hurdles<\/strong> to prevent its recovery. Subjecting salamis to 600 MPa (87,000 psi) for 5 min not only achieved an immediate >3.9-log10<\/sub> reduction of L. monocytogenes<\/em> but also ensured that the pathogen could not recover during storage (Figure 2)<\/strong> (Porto-Fett et al. 2010<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Figure 2.<\/strong> Counts of L. monocytogenes<\/em> in salamis with aw<\/sub> > 0.92 and pH >4.39 subjected to 600 MPa (87,000 psi) for 5 min during 21 days of storage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other pathogens of concern, such as Salmonella<\/em> spp.<\/strong>, are effectively controlled by the process, as summarized in Table 1<\/strong>. To establish the impact of water activity<\/strong> on Salmonella<\/em> spp. inactivation by HPP in dried cured ham, Bover-Cid et al. (2017)<\/a> constructed a model considering an aw<\/sub> range of 0.860 to 0.940. Predictions suggested that processing cured ham with an aw<\/sub> > 0.885 at 600 MPa (87,000 psi) for 5 min would achieve a 3-log10<\/sub> reduction and reach a 4-log10<\/sub> reduction at an aw<\/sub> > 0.910.<\/p>\n

Table 1.<\/strong> Log10<\/sub> reduction of Salmonella<\/em> spp. in dry-cured and fermented meat products (Jofr\u00e9 et al. 2009<\/a>, Porto-Fett et al. 2010<\/a>, de Alta et al. 2012<\/a>, Porto-Fett et al. 2022<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Parasite and Virus Control<\/h3>\n

Ultimately, parasites and viruses of concern in this product category such as Trichinella spiralis<\/em><\/strong> and Hepatitis E<\/strong> can also be effectively controlled with HPP. Porto-Fett et al. (2010)<\/a> reported that processing at 600 MPa (87,000 psi) for only 30 seconds, completely inactivated T. spiralis<\/em><\/strong> larvae in masseter muscle from pigs infected with a concentration of 3.4 log10<\/sub> larvae\/g.<\/p>\n

Other researchers, such as Lee et al. (2023)<\/a>, demonstrated that HPP at 400 MPa (58,000 psi) reduced viral RNA copies of Hepatitis E<\/strong> virus by approximately 2-log10<\/sub> units, while pressures of 600 MPa (87,000 psi) rendered the virus undetectable. It was concluded that HPP at pressures above 500 MPa (72,500 psi) for 9 min is highly effective for inactivating the virus in prosciutto, which aligns with the stringent processing conditions used for RTE dry-cured and fermented meats.<\/p>\n