Surviving ability of EHEC in raw sausages - II. Sliceable raw sausage

At human infectious diseases by enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) occurring since 1982, among other foodstuffs also raw meat products are of special importance from food hygienic aspect. The effects of drying, acidif ication, nitrite, starter cultures and ripening temperatures have been inve stigated on growth (die off) behaviour of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in slice able raw sausages. The survival rare of EHEC turned to be influenced primar ily by the degree of drying, the ripening-/storage-temperature and the dura tion of the ripening. To achieve reductions over 3 orders of magnitude a ri pening period of minimum 21 days is necessary with corresponding acidificat ion and drying of the raw sausages. Higher nitrite additions and different starter cultures had a smaller influence.