title: Behavior of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium in teewurst, a raw spreadable sausage.
abstract: The fate of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, or Escherichia coli O157:H7 were separately monitored both in and on teewurst, a traditional raw and spreadable sausage of Germanic origin. Multi-strain cocktails of each pathogen (ca. 5.0 log CFU/g) were used to separately inoculate teewurst that was subsequently stored at 1.5, 4, 10, and 21 degrees C. When inoculated into commercially-prepared batter just prior to stuffing, in general, the higher the storage temperature, the greater the lethality. Depending on the storage temperature, pathogen levels in the batter decreased by 2.3 to 3.4, ca. 3.8, and 2.2 to 3.6 log CFU/g for E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes, respectively, during storage for 30 days. When inoculated onto both the top and bottom faces of sliced commercially-prepared finished product, the results for all four temperatures showed a decrease of 0.9 to 1.4, 1.4 to 1.8, and 2.2 to 3.0 log CFU/g for E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes, respectively, over the course of 21 days. With the possible exceptions for salt and carbohydrate levels, chemical analyses of teewurst purchased from five commercial manufacturers revealed only subtle differences in proximate composition for this product type. Our data establish that teewurst does not provide a favourable environment for the survival of E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, or L. monocytogenes inoculated either into or onto the product.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Laboratory of Microbiology and Biotechnology of Foods, Agricultural University of Athens, GR-11855, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dourou
authors.forename: Anna C S
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Porto-Fett
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shoyer
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Call
authors.forename: George-John E
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Nychas
authors.forename: Ernst K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Illg
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Luchansky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000502:physiology*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000502:physiology*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine