Posted: June 13th, 2012 - 2:57pm
Source: Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 75, Number 6, June 2012 , pp. 1063-1070(8)

Abstract:
This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of controlling Listeria monocytogenes on frankfurters and cooked pork chops with irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) containing a high concentration of CO2. Frankfurters and cooked pork chops were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes and packaged in vacuum or high-CO2 MAP. Irradiation was applied to each product at 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 kGy. No significant packaging effect was found for the radiation sensitivity of L. monocytogenes. Radiation D10-values for L. monocytogenes were 0.66 ± 0.03 and 0.70 ± 0.05 kGy on frankfurters and 0.60 ± 0.02 and 0.57 ± 0.02 kGy on cooked pork chops in vacuum and high-CO2 MAP, respectively. High-CO2 MAP was more effective than vacuum packaging for controlling the growth of survivors during refrigerated storage. These results indicate that irradiation and high-CO2 MAP can be used to improve control of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meats.