Assessment of the effectiveness of antimicrobial packaging combined with high pressure to control Salmonella sp. in cooked ham

The effectiveness of the application of interleavers containing enterocins A and B, sakacin K, nisin A, potassium lactate and nisin plus lactate alone or in combination with a 400 MPa high hydrostatic pressure treatment (HHP) was assessed in sliced cooked ham spiked with Salmonella spp. HHP produced an important reduction in Salmonella counts, which decreased from 104 CFU/g to <10 CFU/g, a value that was maintained for 3 months of storage at 6 °C. However, the elimination of the pathogen could only be achieved by combining HHP and nisin-containing interleavers. Therefore, antimicrobial packaging, HHP and refrigerated storage appear as an effective combination of hurdles to obtain value added ready-to-eat products with a safe long-term storage