Use of enterocin CCM 4231 to control Listeria monocytogenes in experimentally contaminated dry fermented Hornad salami

The effectiveness of enterocin CCM 4231 in controlling Listeria monocytogen es contamination in dry fermented Hornad salami was examined. Three indepen dent salami treatments were conducted under pilot plant and laboratory cond itions. Salamis were produced according to standard technological parameter s and stages with ripening for 3 weeks. The reference samples consisted of the meat mixture without either L. monocytogenes or bacteriocin addition. T he control sample (CS) consisted of the meat mixture with 1% of L. monocyto genes inoculum (10(8) cfu ml(-1) added; while the experimental sample (ES) consisted of the same mixture with enterocin CCM 4231 (12 800 AU g(-1)) add ed. Sampling was done on the first day of the experiment, before and after bacteriocin addition for ES, on the second day and after 1, 2 and 3 weeks. The enterocin addition resulted in the reduction of L. monocytogenes by 1.6 7 log cycle in the ES when compared to the CS immediately after addition of the bacteriocin. Although on the second day, the growth of L. monocytogene s in ES reached 3.38 cfu g(-1) (log 10), a difference of 1.72 log was found between the ES and the CS. After 1 week of ripening, the L. monocytogenes count in the CS reached 10(7) cfu g(-1); while in the ES the count was 10(4 ) cfu g(-1), a difference which was maintained after 2 and 3 weeks of ripen ing. However, bacteriocin activity in the ES could not be detected analytic ally. The meat mixture used did not contain Listeria. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sci ence B.V. All rights reserved.