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Safety of Processed Meat Products
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Safety of Processed Meat Products

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2023) | Viewed by 18319

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vania Patrone

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Guest Editor
Department for Sustainable Food Process, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; lactic acid bacteria (LAB); gut microbiota; probiotics; metagenomics; nutrigenomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daniela Bassi

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Guest Editor
Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza and Cremona Campus, Cremona, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; microbiology of fermented products; spore former bacteria; food safety; molecular biology of microorganisms; metagenomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Processed meats are a key component of many ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products. Examples include products that have been minimally altered (grinding, cutting) as well as products that have been transformed through curing, fermentation, smoking, cooking, batter/breading, and/or the addition of selected ingredients to enhance flavor or improve preservation.

Notwithstanding, processed meats have been associated with a number of biological hazards, including bacterial pathogen contamination, such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia, bacterial toxins, and parasites such as Trichinella and Toxoplasma gondii. In addition, processed meat products can be a potential vehicle of resistant zoonotic or commensal microorganisms through the food chain. Other major safety concerns are represented by biogenic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mycotoxins. In recent years, the low consumer acceptance of chemical additives, in addition to labeling and sensory issues, has driven the development of new strategies to improve the safety of such products while maintaining or even enhancing their sensorial attributes.

This Special Issue, entitled "Safety of Processed Meat Products", aims to present the latest work in the fields of i) the biopreservation of processed meats through the application of starters, protective cultures, bacteriocins, and other natural bioactive compounds; ii) recent advances in the use of emerging thermal and nonthermal technologies for the decontamination of meat products; iii) safety assessments of antimicrobial resistance in meat products; iv) the optimization of meat production formulation and processing conditions during manufacturing and storage; v) the application of new molecular tools and techniques for the control of meat product quality and safety; vi) the development of predictive models to assess pathogen growth and toxin formation; and vii) new materials and conditions for active and smart packaging.

Dr. Vania Patrone
Dr. Daniela Bassi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fermented meats
  • starter and protective cultures
  • pathogen control
  • bioactive compounds
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • new formulations
  • molecular techniques
  • chemical contaminants

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 947 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Spontaneously Fermented Sausages: Bioprotective, Technological and Functional Properties
by Ivana Nikodinoska, Giulia Tabanelli, Loredana Baffoni, Fausto Gardini, Francesca Gaggìa, Federica Barbieri and Diana Di Gioia
Foods 2023, 12(4), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040727 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2173
Abstract
Fermentation is one of the most ancient strategies to improve safety and extend shelf-life of the products. Starter cultures are mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which may also be bioprotective agents controlling the fermentation process, the native microbiota and pathogen outgrowth. [...] Read more.
Fermentation is one of the most ancient strategies to improve safety and extend shelf-life of the products. Starter cultures are mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which may also be bioprotective agents controlling the fermentation process, the native microbiota and pathogen outgrowth. This work aimed to select new LAB strains from spontaneously fermented sausages produced in different areas of Italy, which can be effective as starter cultures and bioprotective agents in fermented salami. The strains, mainly belonging to the Latilactobacillus sakei species, were characterized for their ability to inhibit major meat pathogens, the presence of antibiotic resistances and amine production. Moreover, technological performances, such as growth and acidification kinetics at increasing NaCl concentrations, were studied. As a result, new autochthonous Lat. sakei strains were obtained, lacking antibiotic resistance, possessing antimicrobial activity against Clostridium sporogenes, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and Escherichia coli and with high growth performance under osmotic pressure. These strains have the potential for future application to improve the safety of fermented meats, even under conditions in which chemical preservatives are reduced or eliminated. Moreover, studies on autochthonous cultures are pivotal for guaranteeing specific characteristics of traditional products that represent an important cultural heritage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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15 pages, 2600 KiB  
Article
Bioprotective Lactic Acid Bacteria and Lactic Acid as a Sustainable Strategy to Combat Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Meat
by Ayelen A. Baillo, Lucia Cisneros, Julio Villena, Graciela Vignolo and Silvina Fadda
Foods 2023, 12(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12020231 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2539
Abstract
Human infection by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) constitutes a serious threat to public health and a major concern for the meat industry. Presently, consumers require safer/healthier foods with minimal chemical additives, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions to limit and prevent risks. This [...] Read more.
Human infection by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) constitutes a serious threat to public health and a major concern for the meat industry. Presently, consumers require safer/healthier foods with minimal chemical additives, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions to limit and prevent risks. This work evaluated the ability of two antagonistic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CRL681 and Enterococcus mundtii CRL35, and their combination in order to inhibit EHEC in beef (ground and vacuum sealed meat discs) at 8 °C during 72 h. The effect of lower lactic acid (LA) concentrations was evaluated. Meat color was studied along with how LAB strains interfere with the adhesion of Escherichia coli to meat. The results indicated a bacteriostatic effect on EHEC cells when mixed LAB strains were inoculated. However, a bactericidal action due to a synergism between 0.6% LA and LAB occurred, producing undetectable pathogenic cells at 72 h. Color parameters (a*, b* and L*) did not vary in bioprotected meat discs, but they were significantly modified in ground meat after 24 h. In addition, LAB strains hindered EHEC adhesion to meat. The use of both LAB strains plus 0.6% LA, represents a novel, effective and ecofriendly strategy to inactivate EHEC in meat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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13 pages, 689 KiB  
Article
Taxonomical Identification and Safety Characterization of Lactobacillaceae from Mediterranean Natural Fermented Sausages
by Daniela Bassi, Giovanni Milani, Mireya Viviana Belloso Daza, Federica Barbieri, Chiara Montanari, Silvia Lorenzini, Vida Šimat, Fausto Gardini and Giulia Tabanelli
Foods 2022, 11(18), 2776; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182776 - 9 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1812
Abstract
Fermented meat products represent an important industrial sector in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean Countries (MC), where the presence of numerous local productions, still obtained through spontaneous fermentation, is recognized as a formidable treasure chest of unexplored microbial biodiversity. Lactobacillaceae naturally occurring in [...] Read more.
Fermented meat products represent an important industrial sector in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean Countries (MC), where the presence of numerous local productions, still obtained through spontaneous fermentation, is recognized as a formidable treasure chest of unexplored microbial biodiversity. Lactobacillaceae naturally occurring in fifteen spontaneously fermented sausages from MC (Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Slovenia) were isolated and taxonomically characterized using molecular techniques. Additionally, a safety assessment for the presence of antibiotic resistances and biogenic amine (BA) production was performed to determine their suitability as autochthonous starter cultures. Molecular typing, performed using REP-PCR, discriminated 151 strains belonging to Latilactobacillus sakei (59.6%), Latilactobacillus curvatus (26.5%) and Companilactobacillus alimentarius (13.9%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of eight different antibiotics revealed a high resistance to streptomycin (27%), tetracycline (16%), followed by gentamycin (14%) and kanamycin (13%). Interestingly, the results showed a geographical distribution of resistant biotypes. tetM/tetS or ermB genes were identified in only six strains. The amino-biogenic potential of the strains was assessed, confirming the absence of this trait among L. sakei, while a high number of producer strains was found among L. curvatus. On the 151 analyzed strains, 45 demonstrated safety traits for their future use as starter food cultures. These results open the way to further studies on the technological properties of these promising autochthonous strains, strongly linked to the Mediterranean environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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14 pages, 1119 KiB  
Article
Strategies for Nitrite Replacement in Fermented Sausages and Effect of High Pressure Processing against Salmonella spp. and Listeria innocua
by Constanza Maria Lopez, Giuliano Dallolio, Paolo Bonilauri and Annalisa Rebecchi
Foods 2021, 10(11), 2617; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112617 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3248
Abstract
The development of nitrite-free meat products is a current industrial concern. Many efforts have been attempted to replace the nitrite effect in cured meats colour formation and pathogens control. Our previous work evidenced that lactic acid and a cold ripening were the best [...] Read more.
The development of nitrite-free meat products is a current industrial concern. Many efforts have been attempted to replace the nitrite effect in cured meats colour formation and pathogens control. Our previous work evidenced that lactic acid and a cold ripening were the best hurdle technologies for nitrite-free fermented sausages from metabolomics. In the first part of this work, we investigated the effect of lactic acid compared with both two alternative additives (glucono-D-lactone and a mix of sodium di-acetate/sodium lactate) and with low-nitrite sausages, all of them following either cold or traditional ripening. For this purpose, microbiological analysis, pH, water activity (aw), and a sensory study were performed. All nitrite-free sausages (cold or traditional ripened) showed quality and safety traits similar to low-nitrite traditionally ripened ones used as control. In addition, sensory study revealed that sausages with lactic acid were the most preferred cold ripened samples, supporting that this is an optimal strategy for the production of nitrite-free sausages. We selected this product for further studies. Indeed, in the second part, we evaluated the impact of ripening, and other hurdle technologies as High Pressure Processing (HPP) and under-vacuum storage against Listeria innocua and Salmonella spp. by a challenge test. Maximal declines were obtained for ripening along with HPP (i.e., 4.74 and 3.83 log CFU/g for L. innocua and Salmonella spp., respectively), suggesting that HPP might guarantee nitrite-free sausages safety. Although the quality of raw materials remains essential, these hurdle strategies largely contributed to nitrite-free sausages safety, offering a promising tool for the meat industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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15 pages, 757 KiB  
Article
Competition between Starter Cultures and Wild Microbial Population in Sausage Fermentation: A Case Study Regarding a Typical Italian Salami (Ventricina)
by Chiara Montanari, Federica Barbieri, Fausto Gardini and Giulia Tabanelli
Foods 2021, 10(9), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092138 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2905
Abstract
The work reports a case study describing how the competition wild microflora vs. starter cultures affects the final product characteristics. This study regards an industrial lot of Ventricina, an Italian long-ripened traditional fermented sausages, produced using starter cultures. After ripening, some relevant [...] Read more.
The work reports a case study describing how the competition wild microflora vs. starter cultures affects the final product characteristics. This study regards an industrial lot of Ventricina, an Italian long-ripened traditional fermented sausages, produced using starter cultures. After ripening, some relevant organoleptic defects (off-odour, crust formation) were observed. Therefore, analyses were carried out in the inner and outer sausage section to explain this phenomenon. Microbiological analyses indicated a high meat batter contamination and metagenomic analyses evidenced the inability of LAB starter cultures to lead the fermentation process. The results of this not controlled fermentation were the accumulation of high levels of biogenic amines (including histamine) and the formation of a volatile profile different if compared with similar products. Indeed, the volatilome analysis revealed unusually high amounts of molecules such as isovaleric acid, propanoic acid, 1-propanol, which can be responsible for off-odours. This study demonstrated that starter culture use needs to be modulated in relation to production parameters to avoid safety and organoleptic concerns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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Review

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19 pages, 356 KiB  
Review
A Review on the Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Formation and Reduction of Volatile Nitrosamines in Fermented Sausages
by Selen Sallan, Zeynep Feyza Yılmaz Oral and Mükerrem Kaya
Foods 2023, 12(4), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040702 - 6 Feb 2023
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3512
Abstract
Nitrosamines are N-nitroso compounds with carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties. These compounds could be found at certain levels in fermented sausages. Fermented sausages are considered to be a suitable environment for nitrosamine formation due to acid formation and reactions such as proteolysis [...] Read more.
Nitrosamines are N-nitroso compounds with carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties. These compounds could be found at certain levels in fermented sausages. Fermented sausages are considered to be a suitable environment for nitrosamine formation due to acid formation and reactions such as proteolysis and lipolysis during ripening. However, lactic acid bacteria (spontaneous or starter culture), which constitute the dominant microbiota, contribute significantly to nitrosamine reduction by reducing the amount of residual nitrite through nitrite degradation, and pH decrease has an important effect on the residual nitrite amount as well. These bacteria also play an indirect role in nitrosamine reduction by suppressing the growth of bacteria that form precursors such as biogenic amines. In recent years, research interest has focused on the degradation or metabolization of nitrosamines by lactic acid bacteria. The mechanism by which these effects are seen has not been fully understood yet. In this study, the roles of lactic acid bacteria on nitrosamine formation and their indirect or direct effects on reduction of volatile nitrosamines are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safety of Processed Meat Products)
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