The presence of native microflora is associated with increased variation of Salmonella growth among batches and portions of chicken meat and as a function of temperature. However, variation of Salmonella growth can be modeled using a 95% prediction interval (PI). Because there are no reports of predictive models for growth of Salmonella on ready-to-eat poultry meat products with native microflora and because Salmonella is usually present at low levels on poultry meat, the current study was conducted to develop and validate a stochastic model for predicting the growth of Salmonella from a low initial density on chicken frankfurters with native microflora. One-gram portions of chicken frankfurters were inoculated with 0.5 log CFU of a single strain (ATCC 700408) of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104. Changes in pathogen numbers over time, N(t), were fit to a two-phase linear primary model to determine lag time (lambda), growth rate (mu), and the 95% PI, which characterized the variation of pathogen growth. Secondary quadratic polynomial models for natural log transformations of lambda, mu, and PI as a function of temperature (10 to 40 degrees C) were obtained by nonlinear regression. The primary and secondary models were combined in a computer spreadsheet to create a tertiary model that predicted the growth curve and PI. The pathogen did not grow on chicken frankfurters incubated at 10 to 12 degrees C, but mu ranged from 0.003 log CFU/g/h at 14 degrees C to 0.176 log CFU/ g/h at 30 degrees C to 0.1 log CFU/g/h at 40 degrees C. Variation of N(t) increased as a function of time (i.e., PI was lower during lag phase than during growth phase) and temperature (i.e., PI was higher at 18 to 40 degrees C than at 10 to 14 degrees C). For dependent data (n = 338), 90.5% of observed N(t) values were in the PI predicted by the tertiary model, whereas for independent data (n = 86), 89.5% of observed N(t) values were in the PI predicted by the tertiary model. Based on this performance evaluation, the tertiary model was considered acceptable and valid for stochastic predictions of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 growth from a low initial density on chicken frankfurters with native microflora.

Historically, nitrite has been a component of meat-curing additives for several centuries. In recent years the safety of nitrite as an additive in cured meats has been questioned mainly because of the possible formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. Nitrite has many important functions in meat curing including its role in color development, flavor, antioxidant properties, and antimicrobial activity. The inhibition of Clostridium botulinum growth and toxin production is an especially important antimicrobial property of nitrite. This review discusses the effects of processing, curing ingredients (especially nitrite), and storage of cured meats in relation to the control of C. botulinum. If nitrite is eliminated from cured meats or the level of usage decreased, then alternatives for the antibotulinal function of nitrite need to be considered. Several potential alternatives including sorbates, parabens, and biological acidulants are discussed.

Salmonellae are generally resistant to the inhibitory effects of NaNO2. Removal of the lipopolysaccharide of Salmonella typhimurium by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid pretreatment did not result in subsequent inhibtion of growth by NaNO2, indicating that lipopolysaccharide does not function to exclude NaNO2 from the cell. NaNO2 disappeared from the medium while the cells were growing, but, after stationary phase was reached, no further losses were observed unless the pH was maintained above 7.0. Similar losses were observed in a cell-free system if the redox potential of the medium was between -250 and -175 mV. If the disrupted cell suspension was first heated in a boiling water bath for 15 to 18 min, no NaNO2 loss was observed regardless of the redox potential. S. typhimurium is capable of metabolizing NaNO2, possibly by means of a nitrite-reducing enzyme function which is redox controlled.

Ascospores from 25 strains of Byssochlamys were studied for their ability to resist heat treatment in a standard defined medium. Seven of these were able to survive heating at 90 degrees C for 25 min or longer, when initial numbers were frequently near 10(6)/ml. Ascospores from five resistant strains suspended in the medium at pH 5.0 were usually more resistant than those at pH 3.6. Rapid heat inactivation occurred for one strain at pH 6.6. Nonlogarithmic heat death rate was observed in all strains tested.