Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Full- and Reduced-Fat Pepperoni after Manufacture of Sticks, Storage of Slices at 4°C or 21°C under Air and Vacuum, and Baking of Slices on Frozen Pizza at 135, 191 and 246°C
- 1 April 1998
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier in Journal of Food Protection
- Vol. 61 (4) , 383-389
- https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028x-61.4.383
Abstract
Pepperoni batter was prepared with fat contents of about 15, 20, and 32% (wt/wt) and inoculated with a pediococcal starter culture and ≥2.0 × 107 CFU/g of a five-strain inoculum of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The batter was fermented at 96°F (ca. 36°C) and 85% relative humidity (RH) to pH ≤ 4.8 and then dried at 55°F (ca. 13°C) and 65% RH to a moisture/protein ratio of ≤1.6:1. For storage, slices were packaged under air or vacuum and stored at 39°F (ca. 4°C) and 70°F (ca. 21°C). For baking, frozen slices were placed on retail frozen cheese pizzas that were subsequently baked at 275°F (ca. 135°C), 375°F (ca. 191°C), or 475°F (ca. 246°C) for 0 to 20 min. Appreciable differences related to fat levels were observed after drying; pathogen numbers decreased by 1.04, 1.31 and 1.62 log10 units in sticks prepared from batter at initial fat levels of 15, 20, and 32%, respectively. During storage, the temperature rather than the atmosphere had the greater effect on pathogen numbers, with similar viability observed among the three fat levels tested. At 70°F (ca. 21°C), compared to original levels, pathogen numbers decreased by ≥5.56 and ≥4.53 log10 units within 14 days in slices stored under air and vacuum, respectively, whereas at 39°F (ca. 4°C) numbers decreased by ≤2.43 log10 CFU/g after 60 days of storage under either atmosphere. Baking, as expected, resulted in greater reductions in pathogen numbers as the temperature and/or time of baking increased. However, it was still possible to recover the pathogen by enrichment after baking frozen slices on frozen pizza at 475°F (ca. 246°C) for 10 min or at 375°F (ca. 191°C) for 15 min. The calculated D values for all three temperatures tested increased as the fat content of the batter increased from 15 to 20 to 32%. The present study confirmed that fermentation and drying were sufficient to reduce levels of E. coli O157:H7 in pepperoni sticks by 5.5-log10-unit total reduction of the pathogen. Baking slices on frozen pizza for at least 15 min at 475°F (ca. 246°C) or 20 min at 375°F (ca. 191°C) was necessary to reduce pathogen numbers to below detection by both direct plating and enrichment.Keywords
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