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Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most relevant pathogens for ready-to-eat food, being a challenge for the food industry to comply with microbiological criteria. The aim of the work was to assess the behavior of L. monocytogenes in two types of chicken-based dry-fermented sausages during the fermentation and ripening, with or without a bioprotective starter culture (Latilactobacillus sakei CTC494). To complement the challenge testing approach, simulations with different predictive models were performed to better understand the role of contributing factors. The impact of post-processing strategies, such as high-pressure processing and/or corrective storage was assessed. The chicken meat was inoculated with a cocktail of three L. monocytogenes strains, mixed with other ingredients/additives and stuffed into small (snack-type) or medium (fuet-type) casings. Snack-type was fermented (22°C/3 days) and ripened (14°C/7 days), while fuet-type was ripened (13°C/16 days). At the end of ripening, HPP (600 MPa/5 min) and/or corrective storage (4 or 15°C/7 days) were applied. The suitability of HPP after fermentation was evaluated in the snack-type sausages. Pathogen growth (>3 Log10) was observed only during the fermentation of the snack type without a starter. The bioprotective starter prevented the growth of L. monocytogenes in the snack-type sausages and enhanced the inactivation (1.55 Log10) in fuet-type sausages, which could be related to the higher lactic acid production and consequent decrease of pH, but also the production of the antilisterial bacteriocin sakacin k. The gamma concept model allowed us to identify the main factors controlling the L. monocytogenes’ growth, i.e., the temperature during the early stages and aw at the end of the production process. The earlier acidification linked with the addition of starter culture made the interaction with the other factors (undissociated lactic acid, aw and temperature) to be the growth-preventing determinants. High-pressure processing only caused a significant reduction of L. monocytogenes in snack-type, which showed higher aw. The application of HPP after fermentation did not offer a relevant advantage in terms of efficacy. Corrective storage did not promote further pathogen inactivation. The findings of the work will guide the food industry to apply effective strategies (e.g., fermentation temperature and bioprotective starter cultures) to control L. monocytogenes in chicken dry-fermented sausages.

Dry-cured ham (DCH) could support the growth of Staphylococcus aureus as a halotolerant bacterium, which may compromise the shelf-stability of the product according to the growth/no growth boundary models and the physicochemical parameters of commercial DCH. In the present study, the behavior of S. aureus is evaluated in sliced DCH with different water activity (aw 0.861–0.925), packaged under air, vacuum, or modified atmosphere (MAP), and stored at different temperatures (2–25 °C) for up to 1 year. The Logistic and the Weibull models were fitted to data to estimate the primary kinetic parameters for the pathogen Log10 increase and Log10 reduction, respectively. Then, polynomial models were developed as secondary models following their integration into the primary Weibull model to obtain a global model for each packaging. Growth was observed for samples with the highest aw stored at 20 and 25 °C in air-packaged DCH. For lower aw, progressive inactivation of S. aureus was observed, being faster at the lowest temperature (15 °C) for air-packaged DCH. In contrast, for vacuum and MAP-packaged DCH, a higher storage temperature resulted in faster inactivation without a significant effect of the product aw. The results of this study clearly indicate that the behavior of S. aureus is highly dependent on factors such as storage temperature, packaging conditions and product aw. The developed models provide a management tool for evaluating the risk associated with DCH and for preventing the development of S. aureus by selecting the most appropriate packaging according to aw range and storage temperature.

Salmonella is the main relevant pathogen in chicken dry-fermented sausages (DFS). The safety of shelf-stable DFS must rely on the production process, which should not only prevent growth but promote inactivation of Salmonella. The aim of the study was to assess the behaviour of Salmonella during the production process of two types of low-acid chicken DFS. The impact of the use of starter culture, corrective storage and high-pressure processing (HPP) at different processing times was assessed through challenge testing, i.e., inoculating a cocktail of Salmonella into the meat batter (at 6 Log10 cfu/g) used for sausage manufacture. Sausages of medium (fuet-type, FT) and small (snack-type, ST) calibre were elaborated through ripening (10–15 °C/16 d) and fermentation plus ripening (22 °C/3 d + 14 °C/7 d). Physico-chemical parameters were analysed and Salmonella was enumerated throughout the study. The observed results were compared with the simulations provided by predictive models available in the literature. In FT, a slight decrease in Salmonella was observed during the production process while in ST, a 0.9–1.4 Log10 increase occurred during the fermentation at 22 °C. Accordingly, DFS safety has to be based on the process temperature and water activity decrease, these factors can be used as inputs of predictive models based on the gamma-concept, as useful decision support tool for producers. Salmonella lethality was enhanced by combining HPP and corrective storage strategies, achieving >1 and 4 Log10 reductions for FT and ST, respectively.