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Evaluation of High Humidity and Wet Marinade Methods for Pasteurization of Jerky
Author(s) -
Allen K.,
Cornforth D.,
Whittier D.,
Vasavada M.,
Nummer B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00458.x
Subject(s) - pasteurization , chemistry , food science , flavor , water activity , humidity , moisture , relative humidity , water content , physics , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering , thermodynamics
The USDA FSIS meat and poultry jerky compliance guidelines recommend a high humidity or liquid immersion pasteurization step before drying. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of high humidity (>90%) or wet marinade pasteurization on jerky characteristics (water activity, moisture/protein ratio, total aerobic plate count [TAC]) and sensory properties. Jerky pasteurized by nonmarinade method A (76.6 °C dry bulb, 54.4 °C oven wet bulb temperature for 1 h) had highest sensory scores for spice intensity and interior cured color (redness), and generally lower TACs than jerky from marinade pasteurization methods. Jerky pasteurized by method B (54 °C for 121 min in marinade) had higher TACs than other methods. Approximately 2‐log reduction in TAC was observed using marinade pasteurization in the smokehouse to internal temperature of 60° for 12 min (method C), or in hot marinade to internal temperature of 70 °C before drying (method D), but jerky was less spicy and somewhat darker than jerky from method A. Extruded jerky (1.5‐cm thickness) was similar to intact jerky for spice flavor intensity and interior redness, but required longer drying time to reach the target Aw of 0.85. Marinade pasteurization by methods C or D was feasible, and may be a preferred alternative for some processors, since monitoring of oven humidity during pasteurization is not necessary.