Use of pulsed light to increase the safety of ready-to-eat cured meat products

Pulsed light (PL) was tested for its efficacy to reduce Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium on the surface of two ready-to-eat (RTE) dry cured meat products (salchichَn and loin). Maximum log reductions between 1.5 and 1.8 cfu/cm2 were obtained for both microorganisms when a fluence of 11.9 J/cm2 was applied. Slight and particular differences in the instrumental color parameters were observed due to the treatment in both products, although no changes in the sensory analysis were detected either immediately after treatment or during 30 days storage in salchichَn. Panelists perceived some changes in the sensory quality of loin immediately after treatment, but these differences disappeared along storage. PL could be considered a useful alternative to other non-thermal techniques for increasing the safety of RTE dry cured meat products.