Minimally Processed Meat and Fish Products - Minimally Processed Foods - page 225

has been historically associated with positive health benefi ts (Vattem et al. 2005 ).
It is now believed that these positive health benefi ts, including antimicrobial effects,
are a result of the constituent phenolic phytochemicals such as phenolic acids,
biphenolics such as ellagic acid, fl avanoids and proanthocyanidins (Vattem and
Shetty 2005 ). Xi et al. ( 2011 ) showed that cranberry powder at 1 %, 2 % and 3 %
resulted in 2-4 log cfu/g less growth of L. monocytogenes compared to the control
with nitrite alone. Other natural compounds, such as cherry powder, lime powder
and grape seed extract, also provided measureable inhibition to L. monocytogenes
when combined with cranberry powder. A study has shown that synergies of oreg-
ano and cranberry water extracts give enhanced hurdle for L. monocytogenes con-
trol, both in meat and fi sh systems (Lin et al. 2004 ). The effi ciency of water soluble
phenolic extracts of oregano and cranberry in combination with sodium lactate was
evaluated for control of L. monocytogenes in both broth and cooked meat (Apostolidis
et al. 2008 ). The results indicated that the combination of water soluble extracts of
oregano and cranberry, at a ratio of 1:1 and a concentration of 750 ppm, with 2 %
sodium lactate had the best inhibitory effect in the tested strain. The works con-
ducted by various researchers on application of bacteriocins and bacteriocins pro-
ducing cultures as well as different natural antimicrobials shows that at a suitable
levels and combinations, they can effectively inhibit the growth of spoilage and
pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products.

10.2.4 Minimal Processing with Hurdle Technology

Hurdle technology has an immense potential to improve the microbiological stabil-
ity, sensory characteristics as well as nutritional properties of foods and meat prod-
ucts. It encompasses all factors used for food preservation and can be defi ned as a
combined application of various technologies, factors and/or agents (hurdles) to
food/meat in order to maximize the preservation effect (Rodríguez-Calleja et al.
2012 ). The effects of hurdles on meat quality can be positive or negative depending
on how they are being applied and at what level. Thus various hurdles should be
applied very judiciously in an intelligent way to reduce the intensity of treatments.
An intelligent combination of hurdles could achieve an extension of shelfl ife or an
improvement in safety or sensory properties while maintaining meat quality. In
industrialized countries, the hurdle technology approach is currently of most interest
for minimally processed foods which are mildly heated or fermented (Leistner 2000 ),
and for underpinning the microbial stability and safety of foods. In developing coun-
tries like India and China, the application of hurdle technology for foods developed
stable, safe, and tasty products without refrigeration storage. It is paramount impor-
tance and receiving much interest, particularly intentional hurdle technology.

Application in raw products : Uncured turkey breast, commercially available with
or without a mixture of potassium lactate and sodium diacetate was inoculated with
L. monocytogenes , packaged in two types of bags to simulate contamination after a