Inactivation of foodborne pathogens on frankfurters using ultraviolet light and gras antimicrobials

Listeria monocytogenes is an occasional contaminant of ready-to-eat meats such as frankfurters and sausages and is responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls of the subsequently adulterated food products. Salmonella and Staphylococus aureus are prevalent among pathogens which cause foodborne illness. Ultraviolet light (UV-C) (254 nm) is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved intervention technology that can inactivate foodborne pathogens on frankfurter and precooked sausage surfaces. Potassium lactate, sodium diacetate and lauric arginate ester are U.S. FDA-approved antimicrobials that can inactivate and inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens during refrigerated storage. UV-C light, when used in combination with the three antimicrobials, inactivated 2.32-2.80 log of the pathogens, which was more effective than either process used individually as determined by analysis of variance (n = 6, P < 0.05). During 12 weeks of refrigerated storage (10C), the use of UV-C in combination with the 3 antimicrobials was found to be very effective, with 3.6-4.1 log of the three pathogens being inactivated by the end of the storage period. UV-C and antimicrobials had no impact on frankfurter color or texture. The combinatorial use of UV-C and antimicrobials was found to be an effective hurdle against pathogen survival and proliferation. Ultraviolet light (254 nm) is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved technology that can be used in combination with generally recognized as safe (GRAS) antimicrobials to decontaminate the surfaces of precooked sausages such as frankfurters and bratwurst. This work indicates that ultraviolet light (UV-C), when used in combination with the commercially used antimicrobial compounds potassium lactate, sodium diacetate and lauric arginate ester, effectively inactivates and controls the growth of human pathogens better than UV-C or GRAS antimicrobials when used individually. The process described in this study can realistically be adopted by both small and large meat processors to provide safer precooked sausages for consumers.