Heat resistant foodborne pathogens have been a concern in low-moisture foods and ingredients (LMF) such as meat and bone meal (MBM). Due to the composition and thermal properties of MBM, heat treatment by itself is not efficient and may cause nutritional loss. This study investigated the enhancement of thermal treatment of MBM by inclusion of a food-grade antioxidant butylparaben (BP) as a processing aid. Stationary phase Escherichia coli O157:H7 was inoculated into MBM with water activity adjusted to 0.4. Inoculated MBM containing 0 (control) or 1000 ppm BP was incubated at different temperatures for up to 5 h. Synergistic action of heat and BP was observed at 55 °C but not at 50 °C, while the inactivation rate at 60 °C was too rapid to observe synergy. Both treatments at 55 °C with or without BP demonstrated higher inactivation rates in the first one hour than the next four hours, indicating existence of potentially thermal resistant subpopulation. Although there was no significant difference in the D-values during the first one-hour treatments, treatment with BP at 55 °C presented a significantly lower D-value (2.6 ± 0.5 h) than the thermal treatment alone (4.7 ± 0.7 h) in the following four-hours period (P &lt; 0.05), indicating that the addition of BP helps to eliminate the thermal resistant subpopulation. These results suggest that addition of certain food additives can improve the thermal processing efficiency in LMF. Enhancement from other approved compounds will be investigated based on this proof of concept.

Butylparaben improves the thermal inactivation rate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in low-moisture foods

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.