Survival of Salmonella during dry salting process of pork feet

Pork feet (PF) contaminated with Salmonella are often discarded by the food industry because heat treatment is not economically viable for these products. Dry salting can be an alternative to heat treatment if it can significantly reduce Salmonella populations. The aim of this study was to assess the Salmonella's survival in PF during dry salting process. Firstly, Salmonella was quantified in contaminated PF from the food industry. Thereafter, PF samples were artificially contaminated with three levels of Salmonella (3, 6, and 8 log CFU/g) and stored at 10°C for 30 days. Salmonella survival was assessed by counts on xylose lysine deoxycholate agar, mannitol lysine crystal-violet brilliant-green agar, and by the 3M™ 2 Molecular Detection Assay (MDA). After 18 days of salting, the 3 log CFU/g inoculum was no longer detected by the cultural and detection methods. The 6 and 8 log CFU/g inoculums were not detected on the agar plates after 26 days of salting but were still positive by MDA. Considering that Salmonella counts in contaminated PF in the food industry were 1.56 log CFU/g and that populations of 3-8 log CFU/g of Salmonella were reduced to unculturable levels after dry salting, this process could contribute to the control of Salmonella in PF.