Organic Acid Meat Decontamination: Optimising Application Parameters to Reduce the Microbial Load of Yersinia...

Pigs are natural carriers of pathogenic bioserotypes of Yersinia enterocolitica and consumption of undercooked pork is a risk factor in the epidemiology of yersiniosis. The aim of this study is to determine the decontamination effect of lactic and acetic acids on pork cuts inoculated with Yersinia enterocolitica 4/O:3 strains (N=10) under laboratory conditions and to compare their effect with that obtained after washing with water.

A total of 20 decontamination protocols were carried out in which the effect of organic acid solutions (2 and 4 %) and water was investigated at different temperatures (25 and 80 °C) and exposure times (spraying for 10 and 30 s) at two time intervals (0 and 24 h).

The decontamination effect obtained after application of lactic acid solutions was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of acetic acid or water immediately after the treatment. After 24 h, their effects equalise (p>0.05), which can be attributed to the residual effect of the acids and the inadequate response of the cells to the cold conditions in the case of washing with water. Factor analysis showed that hot solutions applied for a longer exposure time had the greatest influence on the reduction of Y. enterocolitica 4/O:3 counts (p<0.05), in contrast to the type of acid and its volume fraction (p>0.05).

This is the first organic acid susceptibility study focusing on the pathogenic bioserotype 4/O:3 of Y. enterocolitica. The study provides valuable insights for the development of strategies to control pathogenic Y. enterocolitica in the pork production chain and serves as a basis for future research.