Effects of preparation methods on the microbiological safety of home-dried meat jerky

• Published in: Journal of food protection Vol. 67; no. 10; pp. 2337 - 2341
• Main Authors: Nummer, B.A, Harrison, J.A, Harrison, M.A, Kendall, P, Sofos, J.N, Andress, E.L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Des Moines, IA International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians 01.10.2004
• Subjects: acids; Animals; antimicrobial agents; Biological and medical sciences; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Product Safety; cured meats; dried meat; drying quality; drying temperature; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli O157 - growth & development; food contamination; Food Handling - methods; Food industries; food pathogens; food preservation; Food Preservation - methods; food safety; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; home food preparation; Humans; humidity; Hygiene and safety; Listeria monocytogenes; Listeria monocytogenes - growth & development; marinating; Meat and meat product industries; Meat Products - microbiology; pathogen survival; recipes; Salmonella; Salmonella - growth & development; salts; sodium nitrite; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - growth & development; sugars; Meat product; Safety; Preparation; Dried meat; Microbiological method
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X-67.10.2337

Historically, drying meats to produce jerky was considered to be a safe preservation process and the convenience and flavor of jerky has made it a popular food product for home food preservers. Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness related to both home-dried and commercially manufactured jerky have raised concerns about the safety of the product. Some traditional home recipes and drying processes were shown to be inadequate to destroy Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes in both whole-muscle and ground-meat jerky. Several research studies have identified processes such as precooking meats before drying, using acidic marinades, cooking meats after drying, or some combination of these treatments that can destroy pathogens of concern to produce microbiologically safe and palatable meat jerky at home.