Abstract

MOLINA-MORENO, Silvia Nataly; MERCADO-REYES, Marcela  and  CARRASCAL-CAMACHO, Ana K.. Effect of cooking time and temperature on sausages artificially inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. Univ. Sci. [online]. 2009, vol.14, n.3, pp.198-205. ISSN 0122-7483.

Objective. To find whether the cooking times traditionally used by consumers are enough to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes artificially inoculated into sausages. Materials and methods. A survey asking about sausage cooking habits was completed with 50 housewives. We analyzed 60 samples of sausages previously inoculated with 10³ CFU g^-1 from a pool of 5 strains of L. monocytogenes, then the cooking procedures described in the survey were applied to the samples, and counting was done immediately after. Additionally, a complementary test was carried out by inoculating 20 samples of sausages with 10³ CFU g^-1 and exposing them to 72°C and 73°C for 30 seg. Results. The survey showed that 15 minute boiling and 5 minute frying are the most frequent ways of preparing sausages by consumers. We established that the time and cooking conditions used in our assay had a statistically significant effect (p: 0.016) on the inoculated samples. In the complementary assay, statistical data (p: 0.0001) indicated that internal temperatures of 73°C are enough to inactivate the pathogen at an industrial scale. Conclusion. Cooking by 15 minute boiling and 5 minute frying are enough to inactive concentrations of 10³ g^-1 of Listeria monocytogenes artificially inoculated into sausages.

Keywords : listeriosis; raw sausages; thermoresistance.

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