The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in retail ready-to-eat meat and poultry products related to the levels of acetate and lactate in the products

Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrotrophic foodborne pathogen that has been isolated from ready-to-eat meat and poultry products (RTE meats). The purpose of this study was to quantify lactate and acetate levels in retail RTE meats that had been tested in a previous study for the presence of L. monocytogenes to correlate the occurrence of L. monocytogenes to the acid levels. Products were extracted after blending 50 g of each sample with de-ionized water, and the extracts were quantified for lactate and acetate using HPLC. In general, the concentrations of both acids in samples varied with product types and manufacturers (p