Survival of Listeria monocytogenes during the production of uncooked German, American and Italian-style fermented sausages

The fate of Listeria monocytogenes was followed during the manufacture of uncooked German, American and Italian-style sausages. In the German-style sausages prepared with starter culture, levels of L. monocytogenes decreased about 2- to 3-logs after the fermentation and smoking, and a further 1- to 2-logs during the drying period. Similar results were observed with the starter culture prepared American-style sausages, where close to a 5-log reduction in levels of L. monocytogenes was observed after fermentation and smoking. With the Italian-style sausages not produced with starter culture, numbers of L. monocytogenes increased slightly during the fermentation period, remained constant in number during drying, and then decreased slightly during a 4 week holding period at 4°C. Sausages prepared with starter culture under good manufacturing practices should present little or no risk to the consumer. However, sausages made without starter culture could posssibly pose some risk to the consumer. With these products, extra attention should be paid to good manufacturing practices and additional safety measures or 'hurdles' should be considered to provide an extra measure of safety.