Numerous branded and private-label ready meals, packaged salads, meal kits and store-made deli items were voluntarily recalled at the end of October due to the inclusion of recalled fully cooked chicken items from BrucePac, Durant, Okla. The BrucePac recall was the result of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogenic microorganism that is omnipresent in the environment. It was discovered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) during a routine inspection of finished poultry products.

Many of the companies that purchased chicken from BrucePac sourced product formulated with food safety ingredients, as identified on ingredient statements. But not all of them did this, hence how the pathogen was likely discovered.

The good news is that no adverse health events have been reported to date. And the companies stopped using chicken ingredients from the impacted BrucePac facility. They are likely awaiting USDA to inspect and give approval for the facility to operate. About five weeks after the BrucePac recall, Yu Shang Food Inc., Spartanburg, SC, recalled just shy of 5,000 lbs of ready-to-eat beef, chicken and pork consumer products sold under its own brand. The reason, once again, was that USDA discovered Listeria during routine testing of finished product. Ingredient statements show that the company added nisin to preserve freshness, but nothing for product safety.

Such recalls are necessary to ensure public health. Consumption of foods contaminated with Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract and can be fatal.

Recalls are expensive. For BrucePac, it involved 12 million lbs of fully cooked chicken. This chicken was a component in prepared, perishable fresh foods sold at retail across the country, equating to immense food waste and financial loss.

“Food safety is an expectation rather than an added benefit,” said Michael Cropp, technical services manager, Kemin Food Technologies, Des Moines, Iowa. “That expectation is vital for customer retention and brand integrity.”

Recalls can tarnish a brand’s reputation. While companies using BrucePac’s chicken promptly issued recalls and statements saying that they stopped sourcing from BrucePac, it still can be challenging to rebound.

This past summer, Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc., Sarasota, Fla., recalled more than 7 million lbs of deli meats and liverwurst products produced in the company’s Jarratt, Va., manufacturing plant because of Listeria. The outbreak has been associated with numerous deaths and hospitalizations. The long-term implications to the brand and company are yet to be determined, especially when it was revealed that the now-closed facility had many violations, including reports of inspectors finding insects, mold and puddles of blood.

Toolbox of technologies

Food processing facilities are not sterile. Listeria is widespread in nature and can easily make its way into the factory. It also thrives in cool, damp environments and is resistant to freezing and high-salt content. When in contact with food, the bacteria can grow rapidly and is undetectable by appearance, smell or taste. Listeria is killed when the food is cooked to 165°F or higher, but with ready-to-eat chilled foods, there is no heat step. It is imperative that manufacturers take all necessary steps to prevent contamination. This, of course, starts with a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan that is validated and verified, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) must be followed. Then there are technologies to assist with food safety.

“Food preservation ingredients and processes have been a focus of meat and poultry production since as early as 3000 BC, where various salts, heating and/or drying techniques were implemented as they were found to extend stability during storage time,” Cropp said. “More recent antimicrobial food preservation ingredients are pH modifiers and organic acids. Antimicrobial intervention ingredients help to limit the outgrowth of spoilage (food quality) and pathogenic (food safety) bacteria.”

The mode of action is based on the amount of undissociated acid present in the food. The acid penetrates the bacterial cell walls, disrupting the pH equilibrium. This results in the bacteria spending its energy reserve to restore a neutral pH rather than for growth. Further, the anionic parts of the organic acid, which are the negatively charged ions that remain in the microorganism will accumulate, disrupting metabolic functions. This leads to an increase in osmotic pressure that destroys the microorganism.

“The benefits of antimicrobials for meat and poultry are that they prevent the outgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, especially in ready-to-eat foods,” Cropp said. “Typically, the main difference between synthetic and clean-label organic acid antimicrobials is related to the starting raw materials used to produce them and the associated label needed to declare the use in product formulations. Their mode of action is the same.”

Propionates have a reputation as being one of the most effective antimicrobials against the omnipresent Listeria; however, many do not consider them a clean-label ingredient. Buffered vinegar solutions, on the other hand, are label friendly.

Acetic acid is the active ingredient in vinegar. It is an effective control agent against Listeria.

Vinegar ingredients contribute to tenderizing, preserving and enhancing the flavor of meat and poultry products.

| Source: Карина Клачук– STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Organic acid ingredients come in liquid or dry versions. They can vary in the concentration of active ingredient. Typically, they are paired with a salt and will contribute either sodium or potassium content. If keeping sodium content on the lower side is desired in the finished product, the formulator should opt for the potassium version.

The dry version of buffered vinegar systems is almost four times as strong as the liquid, which means usage levels are lower with the dry product. They can be simply declared on ingredient statements as “vinegar” or “vinegar powder.”

Kemin provides several solutions that address microbial challenges, including buffered vinegar and organic acid-based products. They have been shown to provide protection with no negative effect on meat quality, including water-holding capacity, protein denaturation, color or flavor.

Kemin’s buffered vinegar ingredients have been shown to effectively inhibit Listeria in various ready-to-eat meats used in perishable meals and snack kits, including cured ham, uncured turkey, cooked chicken and sausages. They have also been shown to retard mold growth, which is one of the greatest values it brings to the growing non-perishable meat snack category, e.g., jerky.

Most buffered vinegar natural antimicrobials can be added directly into the meat and poultry item or used as a topical treatment. Vinegar ingredients are often designed for specific applications, such as whole muscle, raw ground, fully cooked deli-style meats and fresh sausage.

“Corbion’s free-flowing vinegar powders are produced through a unique manufacturing process that we developed and patented specifically for (controlling Listeria in ready-to-eat meats),” said Rob Ames, director of business development, Corbion, Lenexa, Kan. “Each of the options is integrated within the Corbion Listeria Control Model, allowing customers to tailor their use according to specific needs.

“One of our deli meat customers opted to use vinegar as a substitute for acetate/diacetate to achieve clean labeling. This was a straightforward, self-directed switch, thanks to the Corbion Listeria Control Model, which provides formulators with full transparency to make such substitutions. However, they found that vinegar alone didn’t provide the needed shelf life extension; nor would acetate/diacetate have been sufficient. To address this, we complemented the vinegar with a specialized ferment that introduced additional active compounds, extending the product’s shelf life by 20%.

“The ferment also boosted yield by two percentage points,” Ames said. “That’s a return to the operation of 10¢ per lb or more, not to mention the shrink reduction value of the shelf-life extension. Vinegar is a fantastic tool, and we can do even more.”

Understanding vinegar

Vinegar is the fate of drinking or grain alcohol exposed to oxygen and acetic acid bacteria, those from the genus acetobacter. These bacteria metabolize alcohol into water and acetic acid, producing the very stable, multi-functional liquid known as vinegar. Vinegar ingredients have long been appreciated by meat and poultry processors for their contribution to tenderizing, preserving, enhancing flavor and even influencing color.

Although acetic acid is the primary constituent of vinegar after water, acetic acid is not vinegar. Vinegar contains other compounds inherent to the substrate material. While straight vinegar may be used in meat and poultry processing, buffering — also known as neutralizing — the vinegar improves texture, reduces purge and helps retain the fresh color of meat products. Suppliers also process the buffered vinegar to eliminate vinegar’s inherent sour, tart taste and pungent aroma.

Sometimes the taste and aroma of straight vinegar is desirable in processed meat and poultry, in particular smoked ham, roasted turkey and salami. There are many vinegars to choose from based on the desired effect. The type of vinegar and its corresponding color and flavor varies by the substrate being fermented. Depending on the variety, vinegar can contribute buttery, malty, savory, sweet and even woody flavors.

Two of the more common fruits used in vinegar production are apples and grapes, which respectively yield apple cider vinegar and (red or white) wine vinegar. There’s also various spirit — champagne, sherry, etc. — vinegars, as well as malt (made from malted barley) vinegar.

Distilled white vinegar is the most common and most economic vinegar available. It is industrially produced using grain alcohol as the base material and is almost pure acetic acid without any color or flavor. It is commonly used in meat and poultry marinades.