Survival of Helicobacter pylori in Turkish Fermented Sucuk and Heat-Treated Sucuk during Production

The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of Helicobacter pylori during production of sucuk (Turkish fermented sausage). The sucuk mixture was inoculated with H. pylori ATCC 43504 to produce a final level in the mixture of ∼5 × 10(6) CFU/g. Samples in group I were fermented and dried traditionally at 22°C for 7 days. Samples in groups II and III were subjected to the traditional fermentation at 22°C for 3 days. After fermentation, group II samples were fermented and dried at 35°C for 4 days and group III samples were treated with heat until the core temperature reached 65°C. On the first day of fermentation, a 1-log reduction in H. pylori was found in all groups. The H. pylori levels in all groups increased by about 1 log CFU/g by the third day of fermentation and reached the inoculation level. On the fifth and seventh days of fermentation, no appreciable change occurred in the level of H. pylori in groups I and II. After heat treatment, the H. pylori levels were below the level of detection. These results suggest that H. pylori can grow during sucuk fermentation and that a heat treatment should be used during sucuk processing to destroy H. pylori.