title: Thermal inactivation kinetics of hepatitis A virus in homogenized clam meat (Mercenaria mercenaria).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epidemiological evidence suggests that hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the most common pathogen transmitted by bivalve molluscs such as clams, cockles, mussels and oysters. This study aimed to generate thermal inactivation kinetics for HAV as a first step to design adequate thermal processes to control clam-associated HAV outbreaks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survivor curves and thermal death curves were generated for different treatment times (0-6 min) at different temperatures (50-72°C) and Weibull and first-order models were compared. D-values for HAV ranged from 47·37 ± 1·23 to 1·55 ± 0·12 min for the first-order model and 64·43 ± 3·47 to 1·25 ± 0·45 min for the Weibull model at temperatures from 50 to 72°C. z-Values for HAV in clams were 12·97 ± 0·59°C and 14·83 ± 0·0·28°C using the Weibull and first-order model respectively. The calculated activation energies for the first-order and Weibull model were 145 and 170 kJ mole(-1) respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Weibull model described the thermal inactivation behaviour of HAV better than the first-order model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides novel and precise information on thermal inactivation kinetics of HAV in homogenized clams. This will enable reliable thermal process calculations for HAV inactivation in clams and closely related seafood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: D'Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007700:Kinetics; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D049891:Mercenaria / Q000821:virology*; D012758:Shellfish / Q000821:virology*; D013696:Temperature; D038301:Virus Inactivation
keywords: Arrhenius model; D-value; Weibull model; activation energy; clams (Mercenaria mercenaria); first-order model; hepatitis A virus; thermal treatment; z-value